1983 Honda VF400F Motorcycle

Description

Honda's VF400F V-four was something else altogether The VF400F was a machine that rewrote the rules of motorcycle design. Discarding conventions built around in-line fours, the new V-four engine layout was fitted tightly into a tubular steel duplex-loop frame with all the design features of Freddie Spencer's 500cc GP racer. Its diminutive size was enhanced by a tiny 16in front wheel that was almost completely filled by what looked like a huge drum brake but was actually an inboard disc of the same type first used on the conventional but very compact CBX550F four of 1982. Adding to the impression of solid technology, the wheels - the front was matched by an 18in rear - were the latest version of Honda's fabricated light-alloy Comstars.First available from April 1983, the VF400F provided spirited riding with a red line set at a phenomenal 12,500rpm, the territory normally dominated by racing bikes.The Honda's Jekyll-and-Hyde mixture of civility and potency extended to its brakes - predictable and powerful - and fuel consumption was around 51mpg giving a range of about 160 miles on the 17-litre tank.