Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128138
2002 Honda Interceptor VFRBOOFI The veaerable VFR gds a complde makeover, but It's stIlI a VFR. Aad fIIat's a very good fIIlag. By now for nearly 20 years - has always been considered by many as one of the best all-around street bikes, but in recent years the bike has not been a great seller for the company. Go figure! The reason for this phenomenon has never really been definite; perhaps it's because the bike just isn't racy enough anymore for hard-core sportbike riders, or not "toury' KIT PALMER I have to say that I certainly had my doubts about all of the changes that Honda made to their endearing sporttouring VFR, which they are now calling the Interceptor again, but I can understand why they did what they did. After all, the Interceptor (or VFR) - which has been in the Honda family TIle _ .. --... ...... ...... cepta ' - IP aI1Ier Ioab . . . petfoI _ _ .... ClIp ...... 24 JANUARV 23, 2002' cue • e ne""s .......... enough for the long-distance hauler, and these are the two types of riders the VFR is aimed at. For the sportbike guy, there are many faster and quicker-handling bikes out there, and, since decent looking and/or efficient bags have never been made for the VFR, the bike probably doesn't appeal to the serious medium- to long-range tourers. Even the way the VFR looks might have something to do with its sluggish sales. Not that the VFR is unattractive or anything - in fact, many will tell you (myself included) that quite the opposite is true - but there's a chance that the VFR's conservative lines (mainly its blunt nose) might be too old-style for a prospective buyer who's looking for something a bit more striking and cutting-edge, something that will turn heads. Honda is hoping that these are the reasons why the VFR isn't flying off the showroom floors, because these are the main areas where Honda focused its attention on the '02 Interceptor. One of the things that concerned me most about the changes made to the new Interceptor were the major alterations that Honda made to the VFR's valve-train. First of all, Honda decided to go with a silent-type cam- chain drive, which eliminates the noise produced by the previous geardrive system. Personally, I liked the noise. The slight whine that the geardrive system produced in the previous VFRs just sounded cool, like some exotic Italian sports car. But by going to the silent-type cam-chain drive, Honda was able to shave over six pounds of weight off the engine, which, I guess, is an acceptable trade-off. Secondly, to give the Interceptor a bit more kick from its 16-valve V-four motor, Honda incorporated its VTEC valve-train system. In a nutshell, VTEC works like this: At engine speeds below 7000 rpm, the Interceptor's camshafts open only one intake and one exhaust valve per cylinder. Above 7000 rpm, the Interceptor's cams open both intake valves and both exhaust valves for each cylinder. As a result, engine performance is improved by keeping the fuel/air charge moving at high velocity at both low and high rpm. This technology is not really new, as some cars already feature this system, including the Acura NSX sports coupe and the Honda Accord and Civic. Back in 1985, Honda also produced the CBR400F-2 REV bike, an