Not so much from the drivetrain but from the fact that the bike seems more up to being ridden a little harder than before. The suspension is soft and supple to iron out all the road irregularities and too soft for serious track day use but is more than capable of being hustled quite quickly when enjoying a set of bends on the street. It is easily up to the task of any fast road work and I have no doubt a good rider on a VFR will always have the upper hand when pitted against a less experienced rider on the latest crotch rocket.

The frame has a revised steering head and larger 43mm stanchion tubes in place of the earlier model's 41mm tubes with revised valving which explains some of the performance improvement.

Braking performance is exceptional. This latest generation combined braking system is by far the best yet seen and is perfectly suited for road work, yes even for fast road work. At the track I would still prefer independent brakes but the track is not what the VFR is about. The touring biased suspension would be the limiting factor at the track, not the combined brakes. I tested the VFR back-to-back with a CBR 929 in full emergency stop tests from 100kph down to a complete halt.  To my amazement the VFR managed to pull up a few feet shorter than the Fireblade on every occasion, even when swapping riders and performing the test time after time. I would still prefer the Fireblade brakes for racetrack duties but there is no question that the VFR has some of the best road speed braking performance available.

Some markets also get the option of ABS.  Australia receives only the non-ABS model.  So instead of having a DCBS-ABS we just get the DCBS.

Where nearly all previous Dual Combined Brake Systems use the front brake lever to control the two outer pistons of both front 3-piston calipers, the new VFR's front brake lever operates the two outer pistons of the left-side front caliper and all three pistons of the right-side caliper, as well as the centre piston of the rear brake caliper (by way of the secondary master cylinder), resulting in a more front-oriented braking response.

The foot brake pedal that previously actuated the two outer pistons of the rear brake caliper and both centre pistons of the front calipers now actuates the same two rear brake caliper pistons, but only the one centre piston of the left front caliper. This revised balance of braking force is administered through a direct-side proportional control valve (PCV) mounted inline between the foot brake master cylinder and the rear caliper.

During light applications of the foot brake, most of the actual braking force is applied at the rear wheel, with only the slightest amount of front brake input at the one left-side caliper providing a steadying influence on the balance of front and rear brake control without causing unsettling shifts of weight and its related front-end dive.

However, this balance of operation changes in response to strong pedal operation, in which case the system adjusts for an optimal balance of front and rear braking forces.

As in other Dual Combined Brake Systems, the compact secondary master cylinder integrated into the left-side caliper's pivoting mount increases rear caliper brake pressure through a servo-side PCV as its own braking forces increase in response to front brake lever actuation. This results in a smooth combined force that starts with greater emphasis on the front brakes and gradually, but firmly, applies a balancing amount of rear brake whenever the situation calls for it.

Taken together, these two brake operation scenarios provide a more aggressive distribution of braking forces that both enhances braking confidence for a wider range of riders and skill levels.  Put simply, these brakes are excellent.

Comfort was high on the list of design parameters for the VFR and it must be said that the VFR is about as comfortable as motorcycles get. Even the pillion passenger is well looked after with reasonable leg room and generous seat padding.  Wind and weather protection is of course excellent.