I was talking to one of the Demerells bike shop crew at the Culdrose Airday. The subject got to the VFR 1200 and about guess what??? Yup the non exsistance of any decent fuel tank. The guy said it was a load of bullocks as he has one and it normal touring with kit he averages 150 miles a tank and reckons the bad press is just that. If you ride it hard and fast it is thirsty but then again it is a 1200 and if you ride hard and fast it will be thirsty on any bike.?????
Thoughts or experience anyone

For a tourer i don'yt think 150miles on a tank is that good. Even my CB1300s has an easy 175 miles from full before i need to think about stopping with a 21 ltr tank. I think the pan has 23.                                                                                                                                                                              

My ST does 150 to a tank, even ridden hard, and there's still a good 20 miles left in it, after the warning light comes on.     So no, it ain't big enough, but then the bike's a bit lardy as it is, without another gallon of fuel, sloshing about                                                                                                                                                                             

It's the same as any bike really.  As Blues says, the CB13 will do 175/180 miles quite easily when ridden in "touring" mode, but again, if I have "fun" on mine, I can see the fuel gauge doing its little dance in as little as 130/140 miles.

It is a small tank on the VFR, but not as small as my VTR was and I needed to stop every 100 miles or so on that and I didn't really mind.

In reality, I feel if you're doing over 150 miles between stops, then even on the motorway you're probably not concentrating properly anyway.                                                                                                                                                                             

What I don't get is why Honda don't produce an alternative tank without the air bag to give more fuel range                                                                                                                                                                             

Compared to the old Brit stuff, Japanese bikes are hopelessly fuel inefficient. I ran a ཱ 350 Matchbox for many years, and yes, it was slow, but loaded to the max with camping gear and a pillion it still returned 60 to the gallon, often more. I knew guys who had 500's and got 50 plus regularly. I myself have run, and still run Japanese bikes, currently an old ྘ Blade, and VFR 800, both of which aren't sparklingly fuel efficient, particularly if pushed. But the gold cup of planet damage goes to the old Gixer11 K model I had, in excellent condition and always serviced and cared for struggled to better 35mpg, and that wasn't caning it either. Runner up to it was the Z650 B1 Kwack, a full tank to come from the Stafford show back to Preston, with pillion?.. In the smaller capacities the Jap stuff is fantastic -125mpg out of a C70 I once ran was brilliant, but the minute capacity rises, economy appears to fall? As a comment to finish, has anyone noticed that modern petrol doesn't seem to have the mileage that the 'real' petrol of my youth had? It doesn't even smell the same either.

I used to get a bona fide 50mpg out of the old ZZ-R 1100 in normal mode, just shy of 200 miles a tank on occasion. Nothing short of my first 125 has ever beaten it. My old Virago 535 ran it a close second, that was a cheap bike to run all round. My 883 was pathetic but that was due to the small tank rather than the engine.   You would have thought that with Fuel injection/lean burn technology etc now that we should be looking at 50mpg as common for sports bikes and more expected from an unstressed tourer etc.                                                                                                                                                                             

i think honda should have put a bigger tank on the vfr 1200 for touring .i ride the vfr800 vetec and im getting just over 200miles to a tank .which is 22 lts                                                                                                                                                                             

I've returned a regular 188 miles before reserve regular scince I put on a screen on my CB750, but it did return a magnificent 301 miles from the tank once in a round trip Hull Bristol and back to Hull whilest towing my trailer, that did restrict me to 60mph on the motorway, but it did result in a whopping 62mpg, lesson lernt? Nah still ride it "properly" when I've no trailer on it!

Problem is there doesn't appear to be a market for fuel efficiency. Modern engines are built for performance, not economy, you don't get both, particularly with the Japanese who get a lot of that performance thro increased revs.   That Matchless might have had economy, but try revving it to 12,000 rpm   A good start might be for manufacturers to have to publish fuel figures, the same as car manufacturers. Until then, bikings green credentials are dubious, to say the least.                                                                                                                                                                             

Well tis true about low reving engines my 750 has a 9250 redline, that matchless possably half that???                                                                                                                                                                             

I can get 180 miles out of a tank on my ZZR1400 and that's at 95mph on the motorway                                                                                                                                                                             

You got a 22ltr tank tho SF. Say with about 18 ltr to reserve would be about right. lighter and more slippy than a cb13.                                                                                                                                                                              

johnny dont buy it,why? it looks shit no personality no mileage [check msnews rite up]] the one yove got looks cool does the bizz pluss you can kick it up from a FUKIN LAID NEW BALLBARING ROAD.  ............loves n.. kissess marty ,if your want to sell your shit hot vfr for a shit vfr gimme a shout ..lol  woohoo