The engine was tuned for road use in the VFR800, so that torque was improved throughout the rev range while maximum power was only slightly higher than the VFR750.

The VFR800's frame uses the engine as a stressed member, this was derived from the VTR1000 Firestorm, and retains the trademark VFR single-sided swingarm pivoted from the aft of the crankcase.

In 2000, Honda updated the fifth-generation VFR (RC46) with a catalytic converter, oxygen sensors, and an EFI system that would enter closed-loop mode under highway (cruising) operation.

[4] The VFR800 was phased out after the 2009 model year in the United States, when Honda introduced the larger VFR1200F;[5] but the VFR1200 was not a direct replacement for the VFR800; the true successor being the 2014 VFR800F (RC79).

Honda used VTEC to meet tightening noise and emissions standards and to increase the peak engine horsepower.

Based on the VTEC-E system, the simplified motorcycle version of VTEC employs only two of the four valves per cylinder when operating at lower engine speeds.

The revised model features a new single sided exhaust system, akin to the fifth-generation one, lighter wheels, and additional mass-reduction, lowering the curb weight by 10 kg (22 lb).

The new VFR also features traction control, a new instrument panel, and revised aerodynamic bodywork with LED lighting, though the engine and chassis remain largely unchanged from the previous sixth-generation model.

The Deluxe version adds ABS, traction control, grip heaters, center stand, and self-canceling turn signals.