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/1493192
was a ticket magnet. "Two riders," we said, "who normally never have confrontations with the police, had conversations with a uniformed official of the law. One before she had logged a single mile on the speedo... The Interceptor pulls from so low in the powerband that it doesn't feel as fast as it is... Acceleration is strong for a 750, fairly strong for a 900." We went on to say, "As the looks of the Interceptor promise, this bike is a performer. The steering is light but precise, and the handling is enhanced by twisting the throttle. Off-throttle or semi-throttle cornering can produce some front-wheel slide. None that we could really get disconcerted about, but enough to scuff the sides of the tire pretty well in a day's ride. "Without lapsing into super - bole, we can say that everyone that rode the VF was seriously impressed with the handling and the power. One tester felt the bike had no 'soul' as it did everything so effortlessly. We also said, "The Intercep - tor is to the canyon rider what a phone booth is to Clark Kent. With the light steering from the 16-inch front wheel, amazing leanability and its strong and wide powerband, the VF is a dream come true in the corners." But as an everyday ride or commuter, we weren't as impressed with the Interceptor, saying the handlebar position - ing needed to be higher and farther forward, the overall rid- ing position was too crouched, and there was no place to store things. Plus, the bike didn't like to be ridden slowly. We said, "Going slow is the one area that Interceptor does not shine. The minute throttle openings that are required to keep the bike within the legal speed limits cause discomfort in the throttle hand after a few miles. Also, the ergonomics are wrong for speeds under 80 mph." We summarized our review: "The bottom line here is that many of us would like one or even love one. However, the lack of ways to carry things and the ease of initiating conversa - tion with the police will keep this model out of the garages around here. Maybe. A few are weakening as we ride the bike more. For those who like the style and the crouched riding position, your bike is here. It smoothly and effortlessly per- forms all that is asked of it." The VF750F Interceptor lasted three model years (the final year stroked down to dodge a new tariff on bikes over 700cc) before getting replaced by the VFR750F. By 1984, engine issues with the VF750F started surfacing, eventually traced to its camshafts, tainting the repu- tation of Honda's new 748cc, 90-degree, DOHC V4 engine, which made its debut in 1982 in the Honda Magna and Sabre 750 series. Even my VF500F V4 couldn't escape engine woes. I got a letter from Honda's recall department one day saying my bike could suffer "a sudden loss of horsepower" due to a prob- lem with the crankshaft. Yikes! That sounded bad, so I promptly got that fixed. But the Honda VF750F V45 Interceptor will always impress me and bring a smile to my face whenever I see one or a photo of one, even 40 years later. And the Interceptor only cost $3499! Okay, that might've been a large chunk of change back then, but that still seems like a bargain to me. CN CNIIARCHIVES P104 Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives 1984 Honda VF500F Interceptor