HONDA'S all-new VFR1200F sports-tourer has become the top-selling motorcycle in the UK, notching up a staggering 97 sales nationwide last month.
This is especially impressive considering the bike only hit the dealers on the February 13, with many new owners too impatient to wait until March 1 for the new 2010 registration plate.
The figures released by the Motorcycle Industry Association also reveal sales of the all-new 1200cc V4 more than quadrupled those of the usually strong-selling BMW R1200RT, the VFR1200F’s main rival, of which only 22 examples were sold in February.
And it’s not only the old enthusiasts who remember the glory days of Honda’s VFR who are buying the bike.
Honda says the VFR1200F’s youngest customer so far is in his twenties, with the oldest just a few months off his seventieth birthday.
Honda says a variety of makes and models are being part-exchanged for the new VFR.
All this highlights the appeal of this bike to a wide range of riders. Honda also says all three colours – Seal Silver Metallic, Candy Prominence Red and Pearl Sunbeam White – are proving equally popular.
The news will come as welcome relief to Honda UK after the V4 was criticised by many journalists at its world press launch for its small tank range, quirky looks and £11,500 price tag.
Honda has also announced a fixed-price servicing plan for the VFR1200F.
With services scheduled every 8,000 miles or annually, the new three-year package covers the first four services (600, 8,000, 16,000 and 24,000 miles) for a one-off payment of £575. Customers can take their VFR1200F to any official Honda dealer for servicing and the plan can be transferred to another owner should the bike be sold.
AMERICAN freestyle rider Seth Enslow has set a new world record for a long-distance jump on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
The Crusty Demons star jumped a staggering 55.9 metres between ramps in Sydney.
This breaks the 1999 record set by Bubba Blackwell in Las Vegas by 5.4 metres.
The death-defying stunt recreated a historic Harley-Davidson benchmark set by Evel Knievel in 1975, when Knievel successfully jumped 14 Greyhound buses at the Kings Island theme park in Ohio.
Although Knievel landed on the 14th bus, his landing was successful and he held the record for jumping the most buses on a Harley-Davidson for 24 years, until the record was broken by Blackwell.
Enslow had to take this latest record breaking jump twice after the first attempt took place 15 minutes ahead of schedule, resulting in a third of the press missing it.
He broke the record in both attempts, lengthening his lead by a further 2.65 metres the second time.
The daredevil has a reputation for attempting world records.
Enslow tried to break the overall distance record in 1999, riding a custom Honda bike, but overshot his landing ramp and smashed his head against the bike's handlebars, crushing his eye socket.
Enslow has since made more record breaking attempts as part of the Crusty Demons Night of Records in 2008.
