ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Hey guys and gals. First post here, but I've been lurking and Googling for a few weeks. Why, you ask? Because I was researching this lovely '85 VF500 Interceptor! It belonged to my boss, who's owned it for 31 years. Technically, he's the third owner, but he bought it when it was a little over a year old, and owner number 2 was basically flipping it. I had some reservations about getting it. I think it's beautiful and I love the middleweights. I'm more of a '70's bike guy, as far as wrenching experience goes. Some Yamaha XS650's, but a bunch of SOHC4 Honda's, with a sweet spot for the 500/550. The VF is way more complicated than what I'm used to. And, to be honest, there seem to be two camps on not just the 500, but all First Gen VF's: Those that love them and encouraged me to grab it, and those that loathe them and call them fragile hand grenades, just waiting to blow up. This particular bike was parked about three years ago and the tank and carbs were drained. The tank is solid and spotless inside. Front tire is shot, rear is new, but now several years old. It's in need of all fluids and all the normal "sitting bike" stuff. The clutch is limp, the rear brake was dragging until we pried the pistons back, fork seals are good (but oil will be changed), and it'll need a battery, of course. Full Kerker exhaust. Only very minor scratches and blemishes here and there on original, still shiny paint. There's a homemade "tail tidy" on it, but the rear fender is included. All stock except the grips and exhaust. I think the price was fair, considering the history and condition. I plan to go through it completely over the next few months and would love to be riding it by this Summer! Tell me what you think, and point me in the right direction if I start screwing up, please! As it sat, in his basement: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 And taken just an hour or so ago. The first time she's seen daylight in 1,000+ days. As soon as the GF gets home, we'll get her out of the van and into the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted March 10, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 10, 2017 Welcome from another VF500F(2) owner. Enjoy! PS: them rear indicator stalks are waaaay long... Was the PO called Howie? I'd get smaller midsections.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Punch List *ALL fluids. Clutch, brake, oil, forks, coolant, etc. *Check clutch master and see why the clutch went limp during storage *New braided stainless brake lines, probably in black to mimic stock and make them stealth *Valve adjustment (this is the only BIG concern for me, not just doing it, but also because there's an unknown history on them. The P.O. doesn't remember ever doing them ) *Carb clean. Even though they were stored dry. Luckily, there's a guy within walking distance of me that's familiar with them and has done several VF series carbs. *Tires *Sand and coat header. It's solid, but had surface rust. *Air filter? Depending on condition. Stock or K&N? *I read about a headlight upgrade? Tell me more about this. *General spit polish and shine. If there's anything I'm missing, or if you guys can save me a headache, please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 4 minutes ago, Dutchy said: Welcome from another VF500F(2) owner. Enjoy! PS: them rear indicator stalks are waaaay long... Was the PO called Howie? I'd get smaller midsections.... :-) Hmm....never noticed that before. Are they stock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Oh, yeah.... I'm a hard copy kind of guy when it comes to manuals. Factory manual the best one to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyr62 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 You are a very lucky man. That is a nice bike. The valve clearances are important on this bike but despite what you hear, they are quite easy to do as long as you prepare yourself and don't rush it. Consider it all part of the ownership of a classic bike experience. If it were mine. I would do the bare minimum to get it road worthy and then ride it for a while. Any faults will emerge in time and you fix them as they occur. Don't arse about with a carb clean. Just see if it runs. If it does ride it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted March 10, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 10, 2017 They are stock alright... But with those from the front they look nicer/less beanstalk (imho) Ebay has them too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted March 10, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 10, 2017 19 minutes ago, ScottSturgis said: Oh, yeah.... I'm a hard copy kind of guy when it comes to manuals. Factory manual the best one to get? Unless you understand Dutch... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jackleftzuo Posted March 10, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 10, 2017 Don't know anyone in this world to collect all the VFR series, building as a museum, how spectacular it is, by the way, I like this one, especially the red, white and blue coating, very classic！ sorry,my english very pool ,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 I do not understand Dutch! LOL Forgot to mention spark plugs, but I'll do those, too. I considered just adding gas and a battery, but I REALLY want to make sure the valves are right. Too many of the horror stories I've heard concern the valves. And if I'm that far into it and the carbs are off.... I've also heard that the tiny pilot jets and passages are probably gummy even though he drained the carbs. And brakes and clutch master need attention before I could even take it for a test spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer alwaysaware Posted March 10, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 10, 2017 Nice bike but I cant help noticing, you've got three bikes in your living room. That's showing a true love for those bikes. My wife would throw me out if I even thought about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 The first pics are of the P.O.'s basement. All my bikes are in the garage. Now.. the spare bedroom, that's another story! It looks like a parts store in there! My current CB500/550 build parts are in there; everything from engine parts to exhaust to seat to chrome pieces, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinigami Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Awesome find. The first bike I ever truly loved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted March 11, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 11, 2017 Real nice looking 85. Hell yes. You're gonna love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Give me some thoughts on the limp clutch lever. Think a flush will bring it back? Need a rebuild? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Also, thoughts on K&N vs. UNI vs. stock paper air filters? Same question for oil filter: Regular old Fram or HiFlo OK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted March 11, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 11, 2017 32 minutes ago, ScottSturgis said: Give me some thoughts on the limp clutch lever. Think a flush will bring it back? Need a rebuild? Of course try and flush and bleed first. Prob will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 1 minute ago, Captain 80s said: Of course try and flush and bleed first. Prob will be fine. Yeah, just pulled the lid and found this. I'll clean it out better and flush some fluid through it. The good news is that I can hear some fluid squishing around in the plunger when I pull the lever and there was no sign of leakage before. Might get lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted March 11, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 11, 2017 18 minutes ago, ScottSturgis said: Also, thoughts on K&N vs. UNI vs. stock paper air filters? Same question for oil filter: Regular old Fram or HiFlo OK? Don't know if I want to touch this one with a 10 foot pole. 2 of the most debated subjects after oil. I personally run K&N air filters ONLY because I can clean them. I have zero illusions about any claimed power gains. Could be hurting performance on some of my bikes. Don't care. I run Honda oil filters. Haven't ventured into others yet because I haven't depleted my stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted March 11, 2017 Member Contributer Share Posted March 11, 2017 Just now, ScottSturgis said: Yeah, just pulled the lid and found this. I'll clean it out better and flush some fluid through it. The good news is that I can hear some fluid squishing around in the plunger when I pull the lever and there was no sign of leakage before. Might get lucky! Ahhhh.... the apple butter. You're gonna be bleeding from nothing anyway so you might as well undo the hose and pull it off the bike. Now get some brake clean and a tooth brush and go to town. Pull that little metal cover in the well and make sure the little hole underneath is clear. Reinstall and bleed and hope (don't forget to reinstall that little cover, it will squirt you in the face if you don't!). Bet you will be OK. And if not, it's your first hurdle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Some mystery bits. The tank was still loose from where the P.O. drained it years ago. These were in the tray with the bolts. Top left looks like a collar that goes under the rubber at the front, but I watched him put that bolt in and I'm pretty sure all those parts were still there. Bottom right part is soft rubber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 And I like the idea of the '86 sump and oil pump, but it doesn't look like it would clear the Kerker. Or would it? RF pipe crosses under the engine and is probably going to be the hang up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 And yet another question... Until the manual gets here. The parts fiche lists no less than 7 different spark plugs. What's preferred for my '85? (EDIT: Just remembered the owners manual is under the seat. I'll dig that out for a little light reading :) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottSturgis Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Brake question(s): The rear caliper was stuck and we had to push back the piston to get it to roll. Going by the rust on the front rotors, only one of those calipers is working.A full flush is in order, but do you think I should go ahead and order seals and pull the pistons?Also, in the pic below, isn't that enough to do both front calipers? I can also get just the seals from Honda (and not the dust seals and plunger seals as shown in the pic). Should I just go ahead and replace them all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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