Honda VFR, 800 cc (1998). 

Fifth Generation: 1998–2001 VFR800Fi (RC46)

Rather than being a direct development of the previous, carbureted VFR750F engine, the VFR800 engine was a detuned and longer-stroke power plant based on the fuel-injected engine designed for the RC45 of 1994. The RVF750R RC45 engine, although a development of the VFR750R RC30 and originally derived from the VFR750F RC24, was very different from Honda’s previous V4s as the gear drive for the camshafts was moved from the center of the engine to the engine’s right-side (next to the clutch-pack).

Another change was the two side-mounted radiators as opposed to one at the front of the engine front as on the VFR750. The engine was tuned for road use in the VFR800, so that torque was improved throughout the rev range while maximum power was only slightly higher than the VFR750.

The VFR800’s frame uses the engine as a stressed member, this was derived from the VTR1000 Firestorm, and retains the trademark VFR single-sided swingarm pivoted from the aft of the crankcase. It uses normal ‘right-side-up’ front forks.

In 2000, Honda updated the fifth-generation VFR (RC46) with a catalytic converter, oxygen sensors, and an EFI system that would enter closed-loop mode under highway (cruising) operation. These also came with a temperature-actuated fast idle system, negating the need for a choke lever. The rear-view mirrors got updated as well, with Honda forgoing the old rubberized stalks, instead opting for rustproof metal ones. Bikes supplied for Europe also came with the H.I.S.S. (Honda Ignition Security System) immobilizer system in an effort to combat theft.

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