’84 Honda Vf750f Interceptor : A Rebuild

[Sparrow75]

A Disassemblement and Reconstructive

Last summer I took the motorcycle safety course and needed a bike for this season. So I decided to get a older Honda back in February of this year. Looked at an 84 VF750F and thought it was in good shape with some 40K on the odometer for $2000. It had sort of the stock blue paint scheme, which was not stock. And those signals up front belong with their marker light buddies on the roof of a late 70s pick-up. The blue, white, silver, black and gold was a bit much, non?

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Not too bad apart from the loud paint, I thought (from what little I knew about motorcycles of any kind and how much anything should cost).

Then I found VFRD. As quiet member, I start to read about the trials and tribulations of owning an oldie but a goodie, I see a post by some Sebspeed guy on VFRDiscussions. What a jerk! I had a perfectly ok bike til I started reading his post about his ongoing restoration.

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It looked amazing, but…

…look what that bastage made me do!

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He made it look so fun and easy with bikes in various states of rebuild in his garage. Anyway, a couple months of serious reading was involved in all the steps of the rebuild...

The teardown begins with me just wanting to clean up the rusty shift connecting rod on a wire wheel. Came out nice, so I thought, what heck, lets clean up the shift linkage a bit too. The next thing I knew, everything was in pieces.

Oh God.

The 84 Interceptor

The bike was an 84 VF750F. The forks were 41 mm stanchions from an 85 VF1000F and some gaudy clip-ons. The front wheel was a 16 and the rear a 17, not a stock 18 diameter. I think they were from a VF1000F.

The Disassembly

I figured the only way to know what is wrong with it was to disassemble everything and inspect. I had a Clymers manual and used a Honda factory one a fellow VFRD member posted …huge thanks to all who contribute!

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Looks like Ralph already inspected this bike.

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The wiring was a bit of a mess, but you got to start somewhere. I just started removing things without labeling them. I always rely on my shitty memory when I do things like this. Digital cameras really help.

Note: If you are lazy like me, then having lots of smaller shoebox sized boxes is handy to quickly toss smaller parts and bolts that are related or grouped in their located on the bike.

I also use egg cartons to organize really small bits, til I dump em and they end up all over the floor or at the bottom of a box. There is always a bolt or nut that goes astray (probably due to this nuts brain going astray).

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…firstly, I wanted to powdercoat the frame black. But I hate sharp edges and smoothed off every accessible edge on the frame (stamped steel gussets, factory weld splatter and gobbed welds, unnecessarily sharp corners, etc.). Of course, not too remove the actual weld material and make the joint weak…although it looks that way in the pic with the steel dust everywhere. This was not just because I am a bit compulsive obsessive or just for aesthetics, but because the powdercoated paint layer is thinnest on sharp edges/corners and therefore could crack sooner on the many joined tubes and gussets. You can really see the excess weld material on the centerstand.

The DIY Paint job on the Tank, Fairings and Fender

Now for the paint scheme. I now know that in some circles, changing the classic Honda red/white/blue scheme is blasphemy. I wont be welcome in those groups, but I will have a bike in colours I want. I liked the previously painted gold wheel color and the black engine. So really liking Sebspeeds black frame, I decided to do the same but with a black/gold/silver scheme on the tank and fairings. I was worried it may look to guady, cuz I wanted to tone down the racey looks the stock ones had.

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While the frame, centerstand, top triple clamp, kickstand, battery holder and grab bars where being powdercoated, I tackled the tank.

1. Aircraft paint stripper ($20) was used to remove old paint and Honda sticker stripe underneath it all. I used light sprays with 10 -20 minutes and then scraping with a sharp paint scraper. It was faster to use a sharp one, even though I ran the risk of gouging the surface if not careful.

2. Once paint was off, you could see the previous repair. I just sanded it to a smooth finish with 220 grit on a foam sanding block with moderate pressure…keeping an eye on the fair curve, like fairing a hull (you weekend boatbuilders know what I mean )…hey, is that where the term fairing for a covering of a motorcycles irregular mechanicals comes from?

3. It s an old bike with history, so I wasnt going to try make it perfect and cover the character lines.

4. Degreased the surface with some brake cleaner. Then filled the scratches/cracks with filler using an old plastic card (old bank card or membership cards are handy). Resanded .

5. Sprayed three light coats of self-etching primer that was suggested for bare metal. Maybe three coats is a bit much, but I did do a light sanding with 320 grit and the foam block and with no block. Let is dry a couple of days, but sooner should be ok if it is not snowing outside.

6. Then for the several coats of silver rattle can paint. Almost no splatterly spray, when I started and stopped off of the piece being sprayed, then immediately wiping the little blob on the can nozzle. Then shake can again. I was pleased with my first attempt, and the rattle can spray was sufficient for my restoration (you be judge in later pictures).

7. The sanding between colour was done with 600 grit wetsand and with no block, just finger pressure.

8. Masking of paint was done using 3M autobody paint tape. Crisp edges were not possible, so I tried electrical tape. It peeled off easily, with no bleed through, and very crisp edges. Pinstriping is an option for those skilled enough or those wanting to learn the fine craft and properly dealing with paint edges.

9. Normally one paints the lightest colour, then progresses to the darkest. I did silver, then black and the gold stripe was last…partly, cuz I didnt know where it would be exactly til the bike was assembled.

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The old fairings had many cracks near the windsheild and the many tabs. I researched and tried all sorts of cements and epoxy type products. To strengthen the front fairing, which was a different type of plastic than the back or sides, I used ABS plastic cement and quickly applied it over strips of fiberglass cloth and smoothed into the corners of the inside surface of the fairing. Also, used a two part epoxy plastic repair compound that was sandable, but had some flex to it. Just mix equal parts of the epoxy, mix and apply to the clean surface. Use a repirator (which I had from my work) or do it all in a very well ventilated space. I chemical stripped and sanded the paint as best I could from the front piece only to find many drilled holes for various things that were mounted to it in the past. I made the mistake of using sandable filler to fill the holes. It should only be used for surface irregularities like scratches or small nicks. It was brittle and my handling the fairing caused it to crack and pop the paint and all out after I was done. Had to redo some painting on the front, but learned my lesson. Again, I didnt know where to add the gold, so I started with black and worked contrary to normal painting technique… I like to go against the grain!

The Old Engine

Next, the engine was looked at a bit. It had 40 000 km on it, and it started and ran ok. I cleaned it around the spocket and the rear exhaust area lots of oil and grime there. To ensure longevity and quieter operation, I decided the much suggested oil mod was necessary. The options were an oil filter adapter or drill-and-tap with flexible lines, but I decided to go with a hard line from a drilled and tapped fitting. Why? I dont really remember what my argument was for that route other than it was cheap.

This was great resource for info and the method I used.

http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~rblander/V4_JL_TS_oil.txt

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It was tough to make all the bends in 5/16 brake line. I made a pattern tube with soft copper tubing I had from my work, and quickly figured out length required. The copper pattern was marked with a pen at the apex of each bend. The copper tubing was straightened and the marks transferred to an equal length of polished 5/16 steel brake line tubing. Bending was done to match the re-bent soft copper tubing, using the apex marks as guides. It took two evenings of fighting with the tubing to get it just right. My thumbs were not functioning properly for a week after that mini-project. Check that all tubing and fittings dont have poor castings or burrs on the ends, threads, etc. Blow out with compressed air.

A brass 90° bend 1/8 NPT to 5/16 flare fitting was found (cant remember where). I plugged the main oil galley hole with a shoptowel with a string tied around it for easy removal. Then drilled a small pilot hole, followed by the correct size (5/16, I think) drill bit. Tapping was done with an NPT tap, which is different from the regular tap. The metal shaving were vacuumed out then, the shoptowel plug removed. The NPT tapped hole is tapered and gets tighter when the fitting is screwed in but this tightening most likely will not prevent an oil leak. This is due to the threads leaking along the bottom of the thread itself. Simply wrap the fitting twice with teflon tape which is only on the threads and all problems should be avoided. On my bike it started to leak after the first ride, so I added the teflon after the bike was ridden. I was able to untighten the flare compression fitting and then unscrew the NPT end of the fitting with the engine in the frame. So to allow for this, drill and tap for the small fitting, closer to the center of the engine on the casting nub.

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The T-fitting was not a flare-type, but a standard compression type, with a brass ferrule that bites into the steel tubing as the compression nut is tightened. The pieces were hand-filed to remove sharp corners, then polished on a buffing wheel. The original oil line banjo fitting were hacked off, ends filed flat then drilled out to the exact diameter of the new steel line. These were sweated on with a crappy little pen torch. Please use a proper size torch if you do this, and it also helps to have a third hand holding the tube in the right orientation while being soldered. The whole assembly could be installed as one piece due to the slight flex of the steel tubing. No brackets were necessary because the oil line, once bolted and tightened into the three ends did not move at all. Engine vibration causing the tubing to rub was not an issue, since (believe it or not) only touched the engine at the bottom fitting and the banjo bolts. Flexible line with brackets would have saved me a week of sore hands.

The carburators were mistakenly unscrewed from the intake plenum, and then unlinked and connecting tubes all pulled apart. Putting it all back together was a real puzzle. Using the two manuals, they were reassembled and later I learned I was very lucky to have it all together and not leaking or cracked a tube. I cleaned some of the linkages when apart and noticed a poor casting joint on the carb inlets. Figured this may contribute to a vacuum leak so a file was used to smooth out the casting on all four inlets.

The Forks and the Racetech Goldvalve Emulators Install

I disassembled the VF1000F forks with the help of an impact wrench to loosen the bottom allen bolt of each fork leg. I sharp tug knocked the seals out once the retaining C-clips were removed. I stripped the paint off of the forks, sanded and primed them. Then painted black. The emulators were purchased from Jamie Daugherty (http://www.daughertymotorsports.com) and installed with no major problems…Jamies knowledge was hugely appreciated as I had several questions about these old VF1000F forks and the slight modifications necessary for the install.

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New bushings and new oil and dust seals were installed. Wrap the end of stanchions with tape to prevent accidental damage to the sealing surface of the seals. The right fork leg had some damping control bits which I removed and did not reuse. The sleeve that turned was hacksawed down the middle (opposite to the cut out area) then slightly pryed apart. Once hammered back into the piston (turned to close the two holes seen in photo) the sleeve was really tightly seated and did not turn. Then a spacer was made with a trimmed pipe clamp piece (slightly less than the stack height of the emulator) to center the emulator, therefore ensuring the springs sat centered on the emulator and oil flow clearance was within installation specification.

The Reassembly

Everything came together fairly well. Getting the engine just right was tricky, since the removable part of the frame was tight to line up the bolts and the engine brackets/washers/brackets were mixed up on the first attempt. Keep all bolts a bit loose while you line up all the holes. Lock-Tite was used on all bolts and nuts and everything was tightened to factory torque specifications. Swing arm bearings were not pulled and a bit compromised during the etch cleaning stage of the powder coat process. Any surface rust came off easily with WD-40 and a shoptowel. The bearings in the swingarm and the steerer were repacked and all was reassembled to factory specs.

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Once the tank and silver painted fairings were on, the gold and black was painted. The above photo has the tank and the petcock area painted silver. The thickness of the primer plus paint would later be a problem to seal the petcock to the tank. I realized the petcock assembly should not have any paint behind it to ensure a tight fit with the old triple O-ring I reused. The bottom chin spoiler was stripped and sanded (with coarse sandpaper, which was a big mistake cuz it left scratches) then sprayed with a flexible plastic primer and finally a matte black paint for plastics/bumpers. Notice the electrical tape with relief cuts in the later photos. Also, you can see where the front fairing had the brittle surface filler crack and pop out with the silver paint. Had to repaint the silver portion. Then I taped off where I wanted the gold lines and sprayed several coats. Finally, I wetsanded with 1000 grit and spray two coats of clearcoat. For a proper shine one should properly buff and polish. I was too tired and lazy and just wanted to ride the darn thing for a change. Later, it was clear that an epoxy type clearcoat is needed for fuel and scratch resistance… a tank bag and soft sidebags did rub through the clearcoat after a 2000 km trip this summer.

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I was missing rear signals. So my sister donated a pair from her 2004 R6. They were a bit mismatched from the front stockers, but they were free and were good for the interim. But the fender was roughly hacked after smoothing I need to make some adjustable custom mounts that were flexible and a low profile. A piece of acetate strip did the job with a couple holes. The brackets were sacrificial and easy to make.

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The handlebars were from an early 90s VFR (41 mm clip-on with a bit less rise than stock VF1000F bars). Casting roughness on the bars was filed, sanded and then painted black. The seat was later recovered with a 1/8 layer of closed-cell foam and finally a marine grade vinyl. Not a Corbin or Sargeant seat, but it cost $20 and took 3 hours of pulling vinyl and swearing at my shitty stapler. Really comfortable for me now.

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What I discovered during the rebuild

1. Loose chain

2. Rear wheel not in-line with chain and front sprocket

3. Dirty brake clutch Dot 4 fluid

4. Seized caliper slider on the front

5. Leaking rear valve cover

6. Dirty and loose electrical connectors

7. Severly cracked O-rings in the coolant tubes on the engine (how it wasnt leaking is puzzling)

8. Really dirty engine oil.

9. Front fairing and headlight not straight and a bit low.

10. The cams were looking almost new, so the oil mod was worth the effort for this engine

11. The clutch and brake levers had no lube on the pistons, therefore would grab slightly then release suddenly… made a difference.

12. Front signals were not functioning as markers when not signalling…wanted the stock operation. Fully understand the wiring after staring at the wiring diagram for a week.

13. Steerer bearings were dirty and loose.

14. Clip-ons would pinch your hands against the tank, or hit the tank when parked.

15. Coolant and battery overflow hose not secure and positioned on top of the exhaust pipe

16. Brakes were from a VF750F but the front forks and rotors (I believe) are VF1000F and therefore only 75% of the brake pads actually squeeze the rotor…braking is comprimized for riding very enthusiastically… I am not at that level yet.

17. Front forks were VF1000F forks and the triple clamps allow the stanchions to hit the frame before the steering stop.

18. Tires were some 10 years old.

19. Carburators were out of synchronization.

20. Fuel filter was dirty

21. Coolant hose clamps loose and one was missing.

These Sorts of Projects are Never Really Done, are they?!

I really enjoyed rebuilding this ol Interceptor. It was a nice change to my regular work as a molecular biologist. Fun to see a product that is tangible and visually appealing (to me at least). Not a spot of red or white or blue . I replaced the tires with a 17 Dunlop 205 radial on the back and a 16 Pirelli Sport Demon on the front. Made a big difference to the handling. The bike overheated on the first ride due to a dead stop for 10 minutes. After re-synchronizing the carbs and adding a manual fan switch, it ran great in the city and the open road.

One complaint is my exhaust is too loud. I am not excited by excessive noise (ok, I admit that F1 cars are an exception) and would like to add quieter silencers, maybe from a VTR or something.

Without VFRD this project would not have happened, and I have one person to thank for VFRD. It was great to meet him this summer at the VFRD Kootenay Hootenanny. Glad to see this site is running without any more hiccups!

Reading all the posts for months to gather information for this project, I was amazed at the amount of information and general support for those who are beginners (like me) and the incredible custom builds out there.

Of course, a BIG THANK YOU to all who post so much knowledge and help.

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I am sure I made mistakes in this first attempt, and expect a critique of this project because that is the only way I will improve on my next one.

Please, comments are welcome. Even if you think it should have been red, white and blue!

[oldschool]

Awesome transformation.

[Tightwad]

B E A U tiful

I love the commentary, sounds like my kind of rebuild, except I am not very good at painting/sanding yet....ADD kicks in and i go build 6 other projects (all 85% of the way) before I get back to the original job.

[Bad Boy]

WOW! I am impressed. I have never seen a custom paint job on one of these bikes that looks as good as stock. When I saw the picture of the bike with just silver and black I thought oh no! But then adding that third color to the body really set it off. A true work of art.

[Veefer800Canuck]

Two Gold Stars for Sparrow! :laugh:

You my friend, get a sticky AND a feature photo on the homepage!

Well done! :beer:

[TimC]

That looks amazing! Very, very nice job on that, Sparrow. Enjoy the fruits of your labors, and thanks for sharing all of that with us! :laugh:

[VF1000RS]

A Disassemblement and Reconstructive

... I see a post by some Sebspeed guy on VFRDiscussions. What a jerk! I had a perfectly ok bike 'til I started reading his post about his ongoing restoration.

It looked amazing, but…

…look what that bastage made me do! :laugh:

He made it look so fun and easy with bikes in various states of rebuild in his garage.

I am sure I made mistakes in this first attempt, and expect a critique of this project because that is the only way I will improve on my next one.

Please, comments are welcome. Even if you think it should have been red, white and blue!

I think your color combination looks incredible, and I am partial to red/white/blue. I really like how the gold stripes seem to dissappear depending on the curve or the lighting? Don`t know if it really looks that way or the camera but I like it. I also very much like how you used the black on the top of the fairing by the windscreen and it flows to the headlight surround.

Have you thought about adding a "Honda" or "Interceptor" logo? Just a nice detail. Will a Urethane clearcoat be compatable with your paint? It is also resistant to fuel and durable.

Good job and nicely documented.

P.S. You _have_ noticed that Seb hasn`t finished his 750 yet.....?

[sa1713]

Very nice job indeed. I really like the color combo.

Probably gave the makers their idea....

9 !!

[windwalker]

It is good to see the bike again. Thanks for showing the process. I liked the look in Nelson and it looks even better seeing knowing where it started. Great job! Look forward to seeing you again. If you are ever in Seattle give a hooottenney!

[Sparrow75]

Two Gold Stars for Sparrow! :laugh:

You my friend, get a sticky AND a feature photo on the homepage!

Well done! :fing02:

Hey, thanks! I must say, the last time I got two gold stars was back in grade two! :beer:

[Sparrow75]

Thanks for kind words on the paint scheme. The inspiration for the colors were the old John Players Special F1 cars of the 1970's. It is as VF1000RS says, changes a bit depending on the light. It really needs a hard epoxy clearcoat and a polish to look good...like so many of the bikes here do. I was going to put decals on but after I get the spraygun and airbrush going.

Can't wait to see those other projects to be completed! Especially Sebspeed's!!

Hey Windwalker, good to hear from you. For sure if I'm heading south, we'll have to meet for a few beers.

[superfunkomatic]

i think the gold/black combo looks rad. you've done a great job with the bike, nice work!

[Guest]

Beautiful job on the bike, and thanks for sharing the writeup! That colour scheme looks terrific with the gold wheels, and with the application of a couple of authentic '80's Honda wings would likely have folks scratching their heads over whether it was a factory option. Nice job, and enjoy the bike!! :rolleyes:

[SEBSPEED]

Hey, the jerk is back & checking in... :rolleyes:

Very nice job Sparrow! Must be nice to be done & riding, and enjoying all that work! :goofy: :cool: It's true, I have yet to finish mine. I got ahead of myself by posting before it was done, but if it motivates fine folks like yourself to bring bikes like this back to life then it's worth it!

I like the oil mod too! :fing02:

[JamieDaugherty]

Great job!!!

[backonabike]

So here I am with limited mechanical ability looking at a beautiful older Interceptor. This gets me thinking about my '83 and how much I miss it. I came here to look at Seb's restore and some of the others. Next thing I know I'm on Ebay looking for a project. I know this will be heartache but I figure it would be cool for a couple of reason's first of all it will let me take apart a bike without dismantling the one I ride all the time and second I just may with some luck end up with another bike. If anyone knows of a potential vf750 or vf1000 project let me know. Sparrow I love the bike and I am a R/W/B guy, but it is just nice to see an old bike make a comeback.

[SEBSPEED]

motorhead1977 is selling a bunch of his older Interceptors, might wanna PM him. :491:

[Polarbear]

Hey Sparrow75!

Howya doin' buddy? Reading the previous messages in this thread, I see that a lot of people are liking your bike. Especially the oil mod--which also amazes me. Great work. :fing02:

Sooooooooooooo, are you heading south next summer to the VFRD meet in Colorado? :blink: Got a new front tire for that great looking bike of yours? :blush:

As for me, I need to do some ligh mods to mine this winter: need a new ZG DB windshield, new right mirror (or a new set with turn signals in them), a new piece of wiring which will allow me to wait for the wiring harness I should replace, and a nice coat of wax. Other than that, it will have to run as-is. Oh, I almost forgot, I think I'm getting a Sargent seat. :blink: :491:

Anyway,

Take care my friend.

C

[Guest]

superb custom paint job. i have an opportunity of getting an 83 VF750F with about 40,000km's on it for nearly free.

how reliable is this model, maintainace, performance and availability of parts?

the bike am about to won requires quite a bit of work, close to a rebuild similar to yours, though its running but way below my satisfaction. am encouraged and motivated by your post, to know that a V45 interceptor rebuild is entirely possible.

would really appreciate a workshop manual and wiring diagram if you have tem available in soft copy.

john

[dcompson]

Very nice work! Like the colors more than i expected. Have fun riding her.

[Guest]

Hi Sparrow

Bike sure looks good - well done

Have a question though...

Having just bought a '84 VF - I was interested in the oil suppply mod however the link has been moved or files deleted!

Could you help with an alternat source?

Thanx

Aard

[Sparrow75]

Hey Aard,

I am not sure what I did wrong, but if you copy and paste the link into the address bar of your browser it will work. I will try fix that. Good info and pictures on these threads - 1985 Vf700f Restoration by VFanatic and this one which motivated me in the beginning My 1983 Vf750f Restoration Project, Lotsa Big Pics! by Sebspeed.

There is a lot of very helpful info from all the usual suspects.

Funny that you mention tackling the oil mod, cuz I had to fix the oil line a couple of days ago. (stupid me, I pulled on it a bit and caused a leak earlier in this season). But since its modular, its fairly easy to take apart for whatever reason.

Hope you enjoy working on your Interceptor. PM me if you have any other questions. I might be able to help out or point you in the right direction for info. This reminds me - I need to gather some pictures and write the next installment - repairing, replacing, and repainting after an accident last fall.

Cheers,

Sparrow

[Baileyrock]

Nicely done, I missed this first time round! :dry:

[Guest]

Your bike looks cool,Do you still have it ?Can a person put a full fairing on the VF 750 F Interceptor ?

[Guest]

Wow, that is lovely. Awesome looking "retro" bike. :fing02: