De vez em quando, ando com o pessoal das VFR's, pois desde sempre achei que estas duas motas tinham muito em comum, tanto em termos de filosofia de construção, na condução, até na estética.... a grande diferença reside sem dúvida no motor... um 2L para a Beemer e um 4V para a Honda.
E agora aqui está um comparativo (vídeo) feito por uma revista que vem dar exactamente a mesma opinião....
vejam-no aqui:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrKKDGxg-Ag
Motorcycle.com rode from Los Angeles to Monterey, CA on a BMW F800ST and a Honda VFR800 Interceptor.
After more than 900 miles of twisties and fast pavement, we compare these two middleweight sport tourers. Competitive in price, performance and comfort, it's in the details where these bikes differentiate from each other.
O artigo completo está aqui:
http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2008-middleweight-sporttouring-shootout-bmw-f800st-vs-honda-vfr800-interceptor-86719.html
e deixo algumas fotos e partes do texto...:
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When I was offered the opportunity to ride a BMW F800ST and a Honda VFR800 Interceptor from Los Angeles to Monterey, CA to watch the world’s craziest guys race their 800s faster than any of us can ever imagine riding, I of course had to say “When do we go?”
The race was fantastic, probably the most exciting race I’ve ever seen! Rossi and Stoner battling on and off track, elbow to elbow, for 24 laps, before Stoner went wide and ended up laying his Ducati into the gravel then remounting and still finishing in the runner-up position.
Honda’s VFR800 Interceptor faces off against BMW’s F800ST. However, for me the most fun is always the riding, up to Laguna Seca Raceway on the Monterey peninsula and back to Los Angeles over 900 miles of scenic roads, twisties, fast pavement (of course never above the legal speed limit), and as little freeway as possible.
Let’s look at the 800cc competition.
Honda VFR800 Interceptor
Honda’s well-finished VFR800 Interceptor combines a 781cc V-Four engine with sport-touring ergos and optional saddlebags.BMW F800ST
The BMW F800ST is the sport-touring version of the F800S. Note the underseat fuel cap just ahead of the optional Sport Case expandable saddlebag.
Duke takes a closer look at the F800’s instruments, including our bike’s optional on-board computer.The Germans usually do things their own way, and the turnsignal switches on the F800 exemplify this. The BMW has one button for the left turnsignal on the left handlebar, and one button for the right turnsignal. Worse, it has a separate cancel button on the right handlebar that requires an upward movement with your thumb, which is a stretch for small hands to reach without getting off the throttle. Its other cockpit deficiency are mirrors mounted too low, giving a view mostly of your forearms.
The Honda’s switchgear is the same as all Japanese bikes and therefore easy to remember and find.
And off we went!
With a taller handlebar and optional low seat and lowered suspension, our F800ST was a perfect fit for the petite co-author Alex Bongart.
Our F800ST was fitted with optional saddlebags and a BMW accessory tank bag. A stylish and handy aluminum luggage rack is standard.
With room to wind it up, the Interceptor showed its top-end power advantage over the F800.
California’s splendid Highway 58'The BMW gains its agility points by weighing in about 80 pounds lighter.'
Both bikes are adept at sport riding, but the F800’s lighter weight pays dividends in tighter corners.
The Interceptor does well at straddling the line between sport and comfort, but its composure becomes taxed when pushed to its limits.
Cool bikes, soft light and a magical destination awaiting.
Given an open road, the VFR can gallop away from the F800, but the BMW’s grunty parallel-Twin has its own advantages over the peakier Honda V-Four.Engine Room
By K.D., E-i-C
The MotoGP bikes we rode up to Laguna to see are limited to a max of 800cc. The VFR, while in a V-Four configuration similar to Nicky Hayden’s RC212V, has a displacement of 781cc. The F800 has a 17cc advantage, but its parallel-Twin architecture doesn’t have the volumetric efficiency of the four-cylinder Honda layout.
As such, it’s no surprise the VFR posts a bigger horsepower number than BMW’s Twin. However, its peak of 89.2 ponies (at 10,900 rpm) is underwhelming for a fuel-injected, DOHC four-cylinder mill of this displacement. Consider that the cheaper and smaller Gixxer 750 produces more than 30 extra horses. The power surge begins to taper off around 9500 rpm, making the run for its 12K-rpm redline less exciting than it could be. On the plus side, the 90-degree V-Four offers unrivalled smoothness and feels expensive. The only non-smooth aspect of the VFR is the transition from two valves to four, as is clearly evident on the dyno chart.
Despite bigger peak horsepower numbers, the VFR is outpaced by the F800 up to 9000 rpm.Less smooth and refined is the F800’s Twin. It is comparatively coarse and noisy, and, at 79.3 hp, it would seem to be out-gunned by the revvier Honda. Nevertheless, its spread of torque is very wide and accessible, producing considerable grunt without spinning it up near its 9000-rpm rev limit. Its torque peak of 55.8 ft-lbs arrives at just 6100 rpm, 2400 revs earlier than the VFR’s max of 49.0 ft-lbs. It’s a very effective street powerplant.
While the F800 can’t keep up to the VFR in a throttle-pinned sprint race, it gains points for its excellent fuel mileage. We averaged nearly 48 miles to a premium gallon with ours. Good thing, too, because the Beemer’s tank holds just 4.1 gallons. The Interceptor covered about only 38 miles per gallon, but its capacious 5.8-gallon tank gives it a longer touring range.
Six of one, a half-dozen of another. Both engines impress in their own distinct way.
Strong brakes and anti-lock assist stopped us just in time!
Pacific Coast Highway comes by its name honestly.The dominant personality trait of the VFR is smoothness. Everything a rider touches and feels has Lexus-like… er, Acura-like silkiness.
The F800ST performed better in sport situations than we expected.
Santa Rosa Creek Road put the suspensions of our 800s to the test.
With nothing around for miles, Alex asks: “Are you sure you know where you’re going? Duke: “I think I know…”In a close competition like this one, we’ll look anywhere for answers!
Competitive in price, performance and comfort, it’s in the details where these bikes differentiate from each other.
As prog-rock group Supertramp once advised, we took the long way home.What Did We Learn?
Our road trip on two 800cc sport-touring bikes to the Laguna Seca MotoGP and back to Los Angeles gave us the opportunity of riding both bikes on freeways, around town, through twisties, as well as long roads with big, fast sweepers. They are both great mid-sized sport-touring bikes, and I loved each for different qualities in different situations on different roads.
If I had to make a decision which one to get for myself, I’d have to think of what kind of riding (besides touring) I’d want to do, and base my decision on that.
If I were to mainly use the bike for commuting and around town, I would definitely go for the stylish BMW F800ST for its handling and great maneuverability at lower speeds.
But if I’d be using a bike for recreational, i.e. sport riding, I would choose the Honda Interceptor for its aggressiveness and power.
Pricing is usually a factor as well. However, both bikes cost almost the same.