Almost Absolutely Brilliant
Written: Aug 20 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing refinement and attention to detail, hands-down the best all-around sportbike in the world.
Cons: Could use more torque, LBS has improved from infuriating to merely annoying but it's still there.
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| Brian_Igo's Full Review: 2000 Honda Interceptor |
The Honda V-4 has been tagged as an old gits’ sportbike for so long it’s a wonder they don’t have "VFR Parking Only" areas at the neighborhood senior center, or that Honda hasn’t bought massive blocks of air time on The Weather Channel to promote the Interceptor to its target market. Maybe a Metamucil Replica is in the wings?
I doubt it. Somehow the young’uns confuse age with maturity and intelligence. You don’t see many authentic geezers on VFR’s but they are over represented at Mensa's Motorcyclist SIG meetings. In capable hands the VFR has always been a contender when the road gets tight. The difference between it and more radical sportbikes is the Honda can keep up the pace mile after mile, hour after hour-hell, day after day if you’re up to it. Other sport bikes are faster in top speed or in the corners, and big touring rigs can pile on interstate miles with La-Z-Boy comfort. But only the Interceptor combines a touring level of refinement with an engine and chassis that can haul the mail in the corners. If you had to pick a bike to get from San Francisco to Chicago in two days, staying off the interstates-and have fun doing it-this is the one you’d want.
Instead of attempting to be a jack-of-all trades and a master of none, like the Honda CBR600-F4, the Interceptor is clearly focused on its mission. The rider layout and workspace is among the very best in the business. The reach to the clip-ons and footpeg placement is comfortably sporty, with ample room to move around and a broad, well-padded saddle to keep your kietser from going numb before the gas tank hits reserve. In typical Honda fashion the switch controls for the horn and high beams are exactly where you instinctively think they should be and work with luxurious precision. The instrument panel is my current favorite in all of motorcycling. A large white-faced tachometer sits front and center, flanked by an equally large (and easy to read) speedometer on the left and a well-organized LCD display on the left that includes a clock (Hosanna!!!) fuel gauge, coolant temp display, main and trip odometers. There are all of four idiot lights, arrayed in a row below the speedometer where they can be easily seen, and all are bright enough to be noticed in direct sunlight. The passenger layout is almost as good, with detachable grab handles that can be stowed under the seat when not needed and more legroom than is usually found on a sport bike. (But if you are riding two up the difference between passenger and rider accommodations will limit your range between rest stops.)
The mass of the bike does give pause when you move it off the sidestand. This is a heavy motorcycle, tipping in at almost 500 pounds with a full load of fuel. But once underway it is impossible to not notice how well the engineers have hid the weight. Honda has spent nearly fifteen years relentlessly massaging and refining the VFR series and it shows. All of the controls operate with a light touch and silky smoothness. That in itself isn’t impressive. But obtaining those qualities without sacrificing feedback or feel is unique to the Interceptor alone. The clutch is a perfect example. I’ve never been a fan of hydraulic clutches because cable-operated pulls offer more feel of what is happening. The clutch pull on the Interceptor was so light I thought at first that there was air in the system. But I was amazed to discover that not only was this how it was supposed to feel, instead of feeling detached from the working end the Interceptor sent me clear messages that made it as easy to manage as any cable setup I’ve used.
It was like this for practically every interface I had with the bike, the steering, transmission, throttle and even the sidestand worked with a light, almost electric smoothness that didn’t sacrifice feel. But none was more impressive than the suspension. I’m a harsh critic of suspensions but the Interceptor turned in a performance that was hard to fault. Compared to almost every other bike in its price and size class, the suspension adjustment options on the Interceptor are so 1993. (Preload only on the forks, preload and rebound damping at the rear.) But the chosen damping rates are perfectly suited for the kind of smooth riding the bike encourages and the feedback delivered to the rider from the tires contact point with the road is nothing short of amazing. Even in the wet the contact patch feels like it’s wired into your nervous system. If you want to add more sport to your Interceptor you will have to upgrade the suspension but choose your replacement parts carefully.
While the V-4 engine design failed to dominate racing as Honda hoped, the qualities that limited its potential on the track make the Interceptor remarkably balanced as a street bike. The weight distribution is more balanced between the tires than with an inline four, this allows light steering effort without the weight of the engine working to accelerate the bike into the turn. And believe what you’ve heard about the V-4. It is the smoothest motorcycle engine I’ve ever experienced, eager to pull to the 12,000 rpm redline and generating a nearly seamless wave of power from 6,000 rpm to almost eleven grand, with power output peaking at 95hp a little past ten thousand. Honda has avoided the freshman jinx with fuel injection most manufacturers' struggle through; both examples of the Interceptor I’ve ridden (a ’98 and ’00) metered the fuel perfectly.
But the engine is the source of one of my two major complaints about the Interceptor. In the change from VFR to Interceptor two years ago the displacement grew from 750cc to 800. But Honda stopped 100 to 150cc short. While the horsepower output for the Interceptor is adequate for it’s purpose the engine makes a scant 55 foot pounds and change of torque. For a bike pushing 700 pounds along (with the rider) that’s not a lot. To make the Interceptor move at a good clip you have to keep the engine spinning. That clashes with the rest of the nature of the bike and does more than anything else to give the VFR its “soulless” reputation. (And there is only one way to add torque without sacrificing horsepower: add cubic inches.)
The stock muffler doesn’t help, either. The Interceptor has one of the least-impressive exhaust notes in all of motorcycling but a fix is as close as an aftermarket canister.
Less easy to correct is the Linked Brake System. The theory is that in a panic situation a casual rider will stomp on the brake pedal and ignore the front brakes that provide a two-thirds of the stopping power. So when you do that with LBS it also puts a squeeze on the front calipers. That was the idea and it was a disaster when it debuted on the late CBR-1100F several years ago. Honda made the system a little better with the CBR-1100XX for generation two, and I have to admit the incarnation used on the Interceptor is the best yet. As advertised it does make the front tire harder to lock. But it is still unique to three Honda models and what you use here will hurt you on any other bike, and that means it's still ass-backwards to me. On a bike aimed at experienced riders like the VFR, Honda should at least make the LBS an option and offer the base Interceptor with the caliper system from the CBR-900/929.
Other nits to pick… The fit and finish on the VFR is the best of any sportbike and is only rivaled by Harley-Davidson. So why does Honda stay with the four chromed, car-style lug nuts to attach the rear wheel to the open swingarm? The single nut used on the RC-30, RC-45, Ducati 748/916 and MV Agusta F4S is so elegantly simple-every time I see an Interceptor or VFR I can’t help thinking how much better it would look if it lost the lug nuts. As long as the VFR stickers at over nine grand they can afford it.
And-and…that’s about it. On the other hand I could babble for hours about all the little wonders of this bike. (Did I mention the headlights? The toolkit? Or that the grab rails are made of nylon so your true love doesn’t need to wear oven mitts when you get back on the bike after lunch?) But here’s the cut to the chase: How to sum up the Honda Interceptor? I’ve had the opportunity to ride a lot of bikes. Most of the time it’s been a blessing but if I could have only one, this would be it.
If you still think the Interceptor is a racebike for the geriatric set, that’s fine. Just remember not to annoy the old people or we’ll leave you out of the will. And Metamucil this, ya damn punk.
I think I need my nap now.
-Brian Igo
Recommended:
Yes
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Brian_Igo
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Member: Brian Igo
Reviews written: 59
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