Honda VFR 2006

The Honda VFR800/Interceptor is a motorcycle introduced by the Honda Motor Company in 1998. It is a successor to the VFR750F (1986-1997), which was preceded by the VF750, a machine with camshafts prone to failure. Accordingly, the VFR750F motor was stoutly engineered with gear-driven camshafts to salvage Hondas reputation and ensure such failures did not reoccur.[citation needed]

From its first sales in 1986, the VFR750F scored highly on many press reviews. While it was originally intending to be a sports bike, the introduction of lighter competitors (including the nearly 30 kg lighter GSX-R750) prompted Honda in 1990 to transition the VFR into a mid-sized sports-touring bike, a category of which the VFR became the de-facto benchmark. However, by 1997, Triumph and Ducati presented Honda with significant sports-touring competition, so Honda responded with a redesigned VFR800 in 1998.