aa} Improving upon a | : 1 Amentally better in all way. You might assume that this would mean tweaking few component groups, misting on soi fresh paint and calling it a day. This be Honda, however, the VER was completely ineered. No significant parts inter fe with the old VFR or the very limited production RCAS (which also con tributed a few long strands of high-grade DNA tod ). Longtime VFR watchers will ecognize the bi look, the more changes you see. Noth fon the new VER is different for diff ice; all the changes are driven by e instantly, but the closer you worthwhile technology advances and evolving design priorities. Where old and new VFRs are concerned, this is not a case of exchanging one Barbie twin for another subtly different Barbie win (as appealing as that prospect might be). Its much better than that But don't underestimate the changes For one, the new VER once again wears the classic Interceptor name that distin- auished much of the 80s And the new engi plenty of pricey RC4S superbike-racer Honda's sporting V.fours during architecture. The new engines even grown in displacement. It now pumps 781ec ‘against an elevated 11.6:1 (up from 11.01) ing edges ofthe \VEREOO's bodywork (top) aren't Just pleas. Ing to look at—Honda says they help the bike slide through the atmosphere 9 per- cont more easly than the old VER could. Wind and weather protection (quite good ‘om the old bike) remain basically unchanged. The new-generation Vfour engine (eft) boasts 32ce more displace ment, 0.6-point more compression, ‘camshafts driven by gears from the engine's right slde and approximately 108 crankshaft horsepower. “Though at fest glance you might think you're seeing an '84'97-spec VFR7SOF, 2 ‘loser look at the '98 Interceptor reveals a multitude of design changes, ch cone aimed, Honda says, at offering a better all-around sporting packagecompression ratio. As you would expect, the new bikes model designation has changed to VERSOOE The extra displacement was a pivotal power and torque. The broad-band nature ‘of the VERS power delivery has remained intact, but the dyno curves have been ele- vated across the engine’ entire operating range. At its peak, Honda says the new ‘The VFRBOO's new bodywork Is claimed to bbe 9 percent more slippery than bike, Dual headlight features ae VER develops 108 horsepower at the crankshaft, versus 100 horsepower for the ‘old motor. The basi engine layout is fundamentally dierent trom that of the old VEK/30E Instead of driving the dual overhead cams via a central gear drive, the new Interceptor has its cam-drive gears posi tioned on the right side of each cylinder bank. That allows the use of a shorter, ighter threejournal crankshaft, and shaves overall engine width by 15mm. The 180-de as before, bur the new 800 has a slightly se cankpin spacing isthe same shorter stroke than the old engine (its now 48mm instead of 486mm). Redline has increased slightly to 1,750 rpm. A significant portion of the 5. pounds saved in the new engine is via new aluminum-composite cylinder sleeves that make their debut in volume produc tion in the new VFR. High-pressure formed from sintered aluminum powder impregnated with ceramic and graphite the composite sleeves ar lighter than the old ste and heat-transfer characterstis. Cylinder bores have jumped to 72mm (2mm larger than the old VER), and redesigned LUB- Coat pistons sleeves, and have better wear ide within The new cylinder heads have shorter, ‘New high-tech Instrument cluster is a thing of beauty. ‘The LCD panel on the right displays “The electronic tach Is 1 very sano plece, straighter intake tracts, n pursuit of eking abit more air into the engine. The familiar shim-under-bucket valve gear retains the same 16,000-mile adjustment intervals as inthe old engine. The big breathing news isthe arrival of electronic fuel injection making the new Interceptor only the third Honda production motorcycle (the °85, Gold Wing and the RC4S led the way) to sophis ticated engine- management system elec‘The VERS single sided Pro-Arm swingarm snow mounted directly into the horizon. tally sp shock linkage and foot control tronically overlays a pair of theee-dimen- sional maps to calculate the precise injec: tor firing duration foreach eylinder inde pendently. According to Honda's US. product-evaluation people, this system is exceptionally smooth and responsive, and deals seamlessly with altitude and tem. perature changes As before, power flows through a six speed transmission, this year with subtly recalibrated ratios. The engine cases also harbor another advancement: The Interceptor’s one-sided Pro-Arm (now 18- percent stiffer torsionally) is carried directly by the engine cases, completely eliminating the need for a lower frame section in that area, The rear shock, its linkage and the foot controls also mount to the cases, cutting parts-count and weight, In keeping with Hondas Tuned Flex chassis thinking, the Interceptor’s ‘cases now function as an integral part of the chassis system, complete with a pre= cise amount of designed-in flex. The Interceptor has what Honda calls a “pivotless chassis” Besides being simpler in design, the dual-spar aluminum front section seales in 7.7 pounds lighter than the old frame. Measured relative to the ‘ld bike, the VERSOOF is 7 percent stiffer torsionally and 53 percent les rigid later is engineered in as part of Hondas grand plan to provide a ally. The extea lateral giv ‘The VFREOO's 296mm floating front dics feature a new Inner-rotor design to reduce unsprung weight. Brakes Incorporate the Rearwheel width is increased from 5.0 to 5.5 Inches allowing » 160/55 Dunlop Sportmax tre, Note the integrated Nght/turn signa unt. subtle enhancement to the Interceptors steering feel for fast street riders. Though racers ate conditioned to believe that any flex is crime against humanity, Honda hhas committed no small amount of research and development to this topic as ft relates to track and street riding, In Hondas view, the differing demands of the street and racetrack each require spe- cial chassisstiffness tuning. We'll have to wait until our First road test to draw our ‘own conclusions on the amount of tuned flex built into the VERSOOE. Revisions to the suspension (a bit too The single-sided swingarm has been redesigned to be stiffer, as well as simp ‘ing rear wheel removal. Newly designed, section shamimam wheels are fighter, reducing unsprung weight soft for most riders on the current bike) have got our collective mouths watering, This was one of the few weak areas in the old VER, and bi girls found themselves operating too deeply in the suspension travel too often. New spring rates front and rear are aimed at correcting that deficiency Up front, preload adjusters offer a mea sure of tunability (though compression and rebound damping rates are fixed), and in back you can select from seven preload and damping settings on the Showa damper. The rear shock linkage has a similar ratio curve to the previous bikes, but is reworked to deliver stiffer ‘ction throughout the full travel Chatty sources inside Honds tell us that though the VERS ride has gotten a bit choppier fon tar trips, its made great strides in control and comfort on bigger hits Sounds good to us. Careful analysis netted weight savings in each wheel—particularly impressive ‘out back, where rim width has increased from 50 to 55 inches. Versatile Dunlop Sportmax Il radials are standard issue with a 120/702R17 in front and a 180/552R17 out back. Braking is handled by a third-generation Linked Braking System that benefits from simplified design and special calibration for the VFR. Jve boys andCee Three-piston calipers front and rear are linked with a series of proportioning and delay valves to provide the control natural feel of unlinked brakes, but with the benefits of superior front/rear bias. Specially tuned for the Interceptor, the system is intended to extend the lite expectancy of moderately experienced nd or inattentive expert riders—without annoying purists to any great degree. We liked the system on the CBRIIOOXX. ‘and as the next evolutionary step, we ‘expect good things from the VFRSOOF's stoppers, Honda engineers capitalized on the redesign opportunity to repackage some of the VFR’ key components. The Interceptor has side-mounted dual radia tors (similar to those fitted to the ‘VTR1000F) that pick up cool ar from the inboard area behind the front wheel, then dump heat outboard through exit vents in the fairing sides. This airflow scheme makes for a cooler engine bay and cock: pit when underway. When you're jammed in gridlocked traffic and engine tempera ture increases kickon the electric cooling fan, the flow actually reverses, pulling cool air from outboard and dumping hot inboard behind the front wheel Testing indicated that this did the best job of keeping the rider cool when the bike’ at a standstill, Another major benefit to the new radi ator location is the elimination of the traffic jam of components between the eed fitted to lart yours VER. Though Een en a eee poemrine engine and front wheel, As a result Honda engineers were able to improve weight distribution and shorten the ERs wheelbase a substantial L.2 inches. Now the VFR tapes out at 56:7 inches, Which should further enhance its back: road agility picture the giddy good fun of the VTR1000 (wheelies and all) coupled with strong V-four power, and you pretty such get the idea Naturally, new bodywork was in order, ‘© Honda stylists chiseled out afresh take fon established VER desig new plastic has a 9 percent lower drag coefficient than the old bike's, and is narrower in the knee area (the foot: pegs are narrower too). It's also themes, The blessed with ele- gant integrated turn signals and a big mult-reflec: tor dual headlight that rides behind a single clear lens. New instrumenta: tion includes an electronic analog tach and speedo- meter, as well as an LED readout that monitors engine temperature and offers dual tripmeters and a clock. Beautiful detailing is a VER trademark, and the new Interceptor carries on the tra- dition with plenty of thoughtful touches. A removable passenger seat cowl is stan dard, and as with the old VER there's room, under the seat for a U-lock, The passenger grab rails are now made of injection- ‘molded nylon, s0 they'll be more comfort- able to grab in temperature extremes. (A side benefit: This should allow owners in frosty climes to lick the grab rails without getting their tongues stuck) Brake and clutch levers are fully adjustable, and there are plenty of forged and cast pieces sprinkled about to stimulate the pleasure ers of detail freaks (though the beat- ll-aluminum footpegs ofthe old bike are gone, replaced by rubber-coated, CBR: like parts—we hope the old pieces will bot right om) ‘One detail that’s particulary pleasing is the Interceptor’ price. At just $9499, the new VER costs only $200 more than last year’s model, which means it hasnt ‘even Kept pace with inflation, yet its packed with plenty of high-ticket hard: ware like ful injection, extra horsepower Wheel, brake and suspension upgr and on and on, Already a recurrent shoo-in for Best 750, GT in our annual Best of Motorcycling issue, the new fourth-generation VERSOOF Interceptor looks to be threatening to turn that award into a perpetual trophy. ID