Honda VFR1200 tank range: my first impressions

I've ridden Honda's new VFR1200 to Assen this weekend and I wanted to see what its tank range was. I'd read a few reports and spoken to a few journos who reckoned it didn't have a large enough tank.

Well, I'm running 95 RON pump fuel and the fuel guage on the dash has 7 icons and after the first one has gone, I've covered 57 miles. At his rate we're going to do over 300 miles to the tank, great. Bar two goes just 17 miles later, at 74 miles. Ok, but we're still looking good. Then bar three out of 7 goes at 91 miles, just 17 miles down the road. Then another 17 miles later, at 108 miles, bar four out of seven has gone.

Well we're just over half way and looking like doing over 200 miles to the tank. Bar five goes at 121 miles, just 13 miles later. Oh dear. Then we get down to the last bar as 140 miles get notched up. So the final bar is flashing now, just 140 miles gone. I have no idea how long this last bar is going to last. It could be 57 miles like the first bar, or a measly 15. However, 10 miles later I see a petrol station and pull in. That's 150 miles in total.

At the petrol station, after covering 150 miles, I filled the tank to the brim, 15 litres exactly.

It's not great mileage for a sports tourer, that's for sure. Another couple of litres in that tank wouldn't have been too much to ask, would it?