Honda Interceptor reviews

I have had the "Vifferfor about a year now, and I absolutely LOVE this motorcycle! I have owned CBRs in the past and this bike blows them away for my needs and expectations of a great bike. Awesome cornering, acceleration and braking all exceeded my hopes. The VTEC is so much fun; it's like riding an 800cc two-stroke with a power-band! I put almost 13,000 miles on it in 10 months. It is my daily driver and I have NO complaints with anything except the usual - wish she had more power! Just buy it - don't think about it. The bike sounds like an F-1 car at 11,000 rpm! Show less

I have the 2006 in Pearl White. I'd been out of riding for a few years and at 45 just wasn't ready to join the cruiser crowd. I love my VFR. It has incredible power and handling. Great brakes tho could do without linked setup. Only complaint so far is my hand goes numb after about an hour of riding, but hopefully that will be fixed soon with Heli bars. Other than that, comfort is good, plenty of legroom for my height and good wind protection from fairing. Nice features include outside temp gauge and dual trip odometers. Factory hard saddle bags are gorgeous (but expensive). Also getting good gas mileage, from low of 38 to high of 46. Bike attracts attention, and I'm enjoying being back on two wheels! I expect to get many thousands of miles of enjoyment out of my VFR! PS: The Two Bros exhaust and P.C improved an already impressive throttle response and oh what sound!! Highly recommended. Show less

I have been riding since 1967. When I got back into riding I spent a year testing every bike I could borrow, test drive, or rent. I read every review and found while it gave you good information, the test drive was the best information. Only the VFR 800FI felt like I had been riding it forever. I chose it over the VTEC which was also available. I purchased mine in 2003 from the rental fleet, and still have it. It is the only bike I need. It goes 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, does 0-150-0 with no drama. It has a smooth torque and hp curve with no dips. It carries 10HP and 8 ft.lbs torque over the VTEC in midrange. The fueling is spot on, so it does not need a pipe or power commander. It will cut any corner with ease and feels planted. It rides like a luxury vehicle, yet handles like a sport bike. It can keep up with most sport bikes. The V4 VFR was rated most efficient over all other bikes by BIKE magazine. I have at 50-55 mpg on regular fuel a 275-300 mile range, and a seat I, and my passenger can feel comfortable in all day. You can mount 3 Givi hardcase bags on it so you don't have to haul your stuff and they are locked up secure. With dual Phillips Extreme H4s on it lights up any night, and the cagers see you. There is virtually no repairs. You can leave it sit for a month or more and just start it up and go. It is the best bike I have ever owned, and I have owned every make and catagory. It is not one you lust over in the showroom, but one you truely love after you own one. Show less

I used to ride a scooter in high school some 20 years ago. Once in a while I would get on my friends Ninja 250. Last month I went all out and got an Interceptor. Let me tell you this is the first Sports Bike that I ever owned. The size, the weight and speed of this monster compared to a scooter is not comparable. For someone who is a starter after 20 years is unheard of and people tell me WHY such a BIG FAST BIKE TO START OFF WITH? But what's even more amazing is that this is the most comfortable and easy going as it gets. The ride is smooth and handles great. The power is great and despite its size and weight, it's like riding a big scooter. SO SO simple and smooth. Deadly as it looks and IS, but it rides like a pussy cat. After 20 years of jumping on something like this it took me no more than 20-30 miles to get the full hang of it. don't BE INTIMIDATED BY ITS LOOKS AND POWER. IT'S AN EASY BIKE TO RIDE YET WITH AN amazing V-TECH 16V to give you that extra kick. AWESOME bike for SPORTS and TOURING...and for GODS SAKES STOP COMPLIMENTING AT EVERY RED LIGHT!! IT LOOKS AWESOME TOO. Show less

This is my third bike, and I've owned it for about four years. My first bike was a late 1970s UJM. My second was a large cruiser. I've also ridden every bike in the Truimph model line. If you need a bike that's good for almost any kind of riding, with styling that ages very well, and is rock-solid reliable, it's hard to beat the VFR800FI. Aside from being mechanically reliable, the quality of materials, finishes, and construction are incredible. Everything on the bike is highly resistant to aging, fading, fatiguing, cracking, or scratching. If you give it a bare minimum of care, it will keep looking and riding like new for decades. Plus, the precision, comfort, and refinement that it exhibits when you ride it are very gratifying. Without a doubt, some bikes are better for specific types of riding, such as pure sports riding and track days, or ultra-long-distance touring. But if you can own only one all-around bike and you need it to handle touring, commuting, as well as some sporty riding, I think the VFR is the best bike out there. With just a few of the right accessories, it will easily adapt to whatever riding style you throw at it. Show less

I love my Interceptor. I have two bikes (the wife's rule is no more than 2, so...) and just traded my 1997 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe for a new Roadliner. When I'm in the mood for more spirited riding, my Interceptor does the trick. I replaced the pipes with Scorpions, installed the fender eliminator kit, exchanged the levers (I din't like the wimpy aluminum levers that came with her), exchanged the stock seat with a Sergeant, put on a tank bra, and removed the passenger foot pegs and grab rails. In asphalt black, she looks sinister and exotic - especially with the single-sided swingarm and those 2 big polished cans jutting out from under the seat. Many stares on the road. And no one can figure out what it is. Very cool. I'm no track racer, but this bike is fast and stable. In fact, I'd say the best feature of the bike is the chassis balance. It soaks up bumps and inspires confidence both going super fast on the highway and on the sweepers - so much that I have to really remind myself to cool it when I'm riding fast. The engine sounds more like a car than a typical sport bike - very throaty and substantial, especially with the Scorpions - and just plain screams when the VTEC kicks in. I love the lights - on a dark road at night the brights light up the planet in front of you. Also the center stand makes it a snap to top off the tank when refueling and lubing the chain. Also when stored for extended periods the rear tire is off the ground. Just another neat perk that I've come to really appreciate it as I've owned and lived with her. Then there's the user-friendliness - versatile and reliable, you just can't go wrong with the bike. AND, I nabbed her for much less than sticker about a year ago now. So...I love my Interceptor. I know this is a transition bike for me, and the next one isn't a sportbike - as I get older I find myself liking more legroom. So the next one would probably be an FZ1 or FJR. But for now, I'm loving the expensive look and feel and the more reasonable, less extreme and race dedicated ergos compared to sport bikes. It's like one step between a sport bike and an FJR. The only gripes are... The speedo which is ridiculously optimistic. When the speedo indicates 80, the GPS actually reads 72! Also, I have to consciously work to keep my hands and wrists from cramping - but I don't blame the bike for this...it's actually more comfortable to me than a more dedicated sportbike. I could just be getting old! Show less

After numerous cruisers, tourers, nakeds, and my last adventure with the dl650, I ended up with this because I was looking for a bike that I didn't have to put up with the wind buffetting of those crummy shields on most bikes. I just wanted to be out in the clean air. It's perfect for that, wind hits right at my neck. Supersports are fun, but just a bit too radical position for me. This is quite a bit more upright compared to them. I also came from naked and touring bikes and never thought I could be comfy on a sport bike! But this one felt great right off the bat! No more sore butt for me as I don't have the weight on my spine any more. No more cruisers for me! No sore back as I guess the position must be right! And like most, I tried the bigger shield because I thought I had to have it. In the end, that was a mistake as it took away the lift and put too much weight on my arms. With the stocker it works great at hiway speed. Power is almost enough, more would be better. The smoothness of the engine is great. No vibes! As for the Vtech gimmick, I love it! Sounds great when it kicks in and feels good! I find the linked brakes to be unnoticable in my normal driving, but when experimenting with the panic situations they do work great at keeping it striaght! The brakes are fantastic either way! Mileage is nothing special,expected more from it when takin it easy. 50 mpg at best! For city driving,(which I avoid) it's not that comfy, same as a regular sport bike with the heavy arm pressure due to slow speed no lift. Same 2-up, narrow bars and high passenger no fun. And yes it needs more power.:) Same with the prairie riding, not really its thing, but then again nothing can help that!! Corners is where this bike shines! But for a guy that wants the handling of the supersports and a lot more comfort for the long haul..this bike works great! If you can ride good, none of them will leave you behind in the twisites, and from a roll this will stay ahead of the new 600's to 180kph. After 11000km in 2 months I can say it one of the best bikes I've ever owned. So far the only thing I can find that I want to replace it with is the sprint st or zx1400. Show less

This bike gets a lot of strange reviews, either from sport/track racers who are expecting it to be an all-out track monster, or from (sport) tourers who are expecting the lay-z-boy ride of an ST or Goldwing. It is both, and it is neither. The Interceptor is a bike that is proud to do what it does, and do it better than any one offering of the competition. If you've never had a V4 bike, riding an Interceptor will be a complete shock to you. It is dead-smooth and flawlessly predictable at all RPMs and in all situations. It goes absurdly fast with such grace that you don't realize you're accelerating faster than a Viper, and corners with confidence-inspiring smoothness and control. The stock suspension is on-par with most aftermarket offerings. The linked brakes are completely transparent to all but the most experienced riders, and do a phenomenal job of safely scrubbing speed, even in corners. It's comfortable in ways you'd never dream a sport-bike could be, with a stance that's slightly rotated back towards a 'standard' position to keep neutral weight so your wrists don't take abuse. It's an all-rounder, capable of cruising, touring, carving twisties, and even track days. Its maintenance is very low and it's fantastically reliable. This is the "sport" bike for the real world, where cross-country trips, bad traffic, and rainy days happen. The Interceptor is always up to the challenge. (P.S. The factory sidebags are fantastic. I do not own them but many friends do. They're worth every penny. If you want a more sporty ride, replace the stock tires and you will find yourself on a completely transformed bike.) Show less

I originally bought this bike in 2002 when I was living out west in Wyoming, in the Rockies. This bike was so much fun in the mountains and in the wide open roads. It is truly confidence inspiring. It handles twists and turns wonderfully, is flickable and plenty quick. The ABS brakes were a godsend out there in the mountains (snow storms and icy conditions possible year round) and are nice down here near the beach (sand and grit). I was never able to ask anything of this bike that it couldn't deliver and it actually bailed me out of a few dicey situations when I made mistakes or errors in judgement. I've never had to lay it down, I've taken excellent care of it and it has done everything I've ever asked of it. Show less

After owning many VF and VFR Hondas before this I was absolutely astounded at the difference a few years can make. This one is the best! Bought used, but far from used up. First trip was the north shore of Duluth with the wife and bags, What a trip. Bike ran great the entire trip, didn't miss a beat. The sound from the D&D pipe is absolutely in a class of it's own. Show less