VTEC yo!

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It's my new bike!  Picked it up from Bournemouth this morning, trading in the SV.  It's a 2002 Honda VFR800 VTEC, identical to the one I was ogling at a bike meet in Poole last year.  It feels vastly more smooth and sophisticated than the Suzuki, and has fancy futuristic features such as linked brakes, ABS, and... a fuel gauge! How decadent!

Despite weighing a good bit more than the old bike, you can't feel it on the road, no doubt helped by the low-slung V4 engine.  It retains all the deft manoeuvrability and chunky torque of the SV, yet is much more comfortable.  It's taller, yet you sit more 'in' the bike.  Up to 7000 RPM only 2 valves per cylinder operate, but beyond that all 4 come into play, the engine note changes and it hurls you at the horizon.

Downsides: current insurer wouldn't cover it, so I had to take out a new policy (£170).  It's thirstier, and filling the tank costs an extra £5.  Despite this, it is AWESOME.

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