Tom's Vf1000F Revival

[tomk1960]

Tom - congrats on the new buy and nice to see you here on VFRD.

Looking forward to watching your handywork make this bike shine!

---David

Hey David - good to see you here too. It's like I never left home...

I'm not going to be able to touch my new toy until Sunday...promised the GF that I'd go with her to Rhode Island tomorrow to spend the day with her oldest daughter. Gotta keep the peace!

[tomk1960]

Today I rolled the bike out onto the driveway and decided to see if she'd start. I hooked up an aux. fuel tank, a spare battery, and shot some starter fluid into the carbs. Here's the results:

The bike sounded pretty good, but it seemed to have some fuel issues that came and went, so I rolled the bike back into my shop and pulled the carbs. I'll give them a good cleaning and start over. They were easier to remove than the ones on my 900F and 1100F. I pulled one bowl off and it actually looked pretty good inside. The PO ran the bike dry the last time he started it 3-4 years ago.

Any recommendations on where to get new bowl gaskets and various seals? I will not be replacing any jets - just cleaning them thoroughly. Also, is this bike a candidate for the CBR600 coil upgrade that is often done with the DOHC Super Sports? Now would be the time to do it while the tank is off.

Hopefully I'll have the carbs back together and ready to go within a couple of weeks.

[HumalogAddict]

here are a bunch of options for your carb rebuild.

Billy C sells kits that are highly regarded in The Magna/Sabre forums. I have used his kits a few times and would recommend and use them again any time.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/fngster/m.html?item=251274030927&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a81196f4f&vxp=mtr&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Great find by the way

[tomk1960]

I was looking at my bike the other day and thought it would look a lot sharper without that rear fender hanging down. Has anyone done a fender elimination? If there's any information here about it, please point me in the right direction. I already looked and had no luck. I'd like to see a picture of a bike with it done, too.

Thanks.

[HumalogAddict]

if you google vf1000f you will see a bunch of examples.

link

[vfrcapn]

Here's an example with a little work done to it: http://vfrworld.com/forums/1st-2nd-generation-1983-1989/26108-big-f-project.html

[tomk1960]

I'm made some progress with the bike this week. While the carbs are off for overhauling, I removed the rusted, pitted chrome tops and prepped them for powder coating. This consisted of blasting just the outer surfaces (insides were masked off) and then washing, drying, and outgassing. The battery box and kickstand were pretty rusty, so they got prepped too. The kickstand was disassembled and all 4 individual pieces were powder coated separately. Tonight I finished these parts and here they are:

Since the battery box had the usual rust and pitting, I shot a coat of zinc primer and did a partial cure before I shot the final coat of gloss black. The pitting is nearly invisible now with two good coats filling them in. Now I just have to reinstall the grommets.

The carb tops weren't in very good shape, so the pitting is visible under the chrome finish, but they look a LOT better than they did and they won't rust again.

If I end up pulling off the valve covers to check the cams, they'll get the same chrome finish on them as well. Anyway, I'm starting to make progress. Next week the gas tank is heading to WV for repair and repainting. In the meantime, I'll start picking away at various mechanical items.

[vfrcapn]

Looking good.

[tomk1960]

Today I got the front end apart and removed the forks in preparation for refinishing and seal replacement.

It wasn't too bad a job getting them out and then popping out the leaky seals was no problem at all. In order to powder coat these properly, I have to get all of the components out, which includes the little adjustment mechanism that has the set screw, spring, and ball bearing. This has probably never been taken apart, so the screw was really stuck. As a result, I couldn't break it free with the allen wrench and the hole rounded out. I have to get it out, since the ball came out of the other end and it's close to impossible to reinstall from the opposite end with the spring pushing out. Here's the screw end of the deal:

Should I try an easy out on this? Or would I be better off to take a small dremel cutoff wheel and put a slot in it for a regular screw driver? I'll end up with a small slot in the bottom of that part of the fork leg, but it will be nearly invisible after it's refinished since it's on the bottom. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[thx113]

Easy out I think, it's what I used on one of my fork sets.

[tomk1960]

I don't trust the small ones. They break quite easily and then leave a piece of hardened steel behind in the hole. I'll heat it up with a torch and try gently, but I don't want that to happen else I'll really be in trouble.

[tomk1960]

I tried the EZ out for the heck of it and was very careful. The EZOut didn't snap, but the head of the allen bolt did, so now I'm screwed. I don't think there's any way to get the threads out now - they must be rusted in place. Looks like I'll have to buy a used fork leg or a pair. Anyone out there have one they'd like to sell? The condition of the paint isn't an issue as long as the leg is in good shape.

Darn.

[SEBSPEED]

I eliminated the fender on my 750: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/39364-my-1983-vf750f-restoration-project-lotsa-big-pics/page-4#entry518821

[thx113]

Try to centre punch the stub in the hole and drill in with a cobalt drill (I think the bolt/screw is 4mm but will have to check tomorrow). If you can drill far enough in then try again, or just drill out the screw and replace it. It only holds the spring for the track adjuster. If I get time I will take photo of the screw.

[tomk1960]

I think I'm ok and won't have to remove the thread. Just for the heck of it I tried reassembling that little arrangement by inserting the ball from the top (above the spring) and then slipped the orifice back in carefully and pushed the ball down with a pick. The orifice slipped back into place and clicks into the 4 positions just fine. So the screw will never come out again, but the unit will work as intended. I took it back apart and now I can blast and powder coat it. Disaster averted.

Thanks!

[tomk1960]

I've been making progress. The fork legs are nearly all blasted and will be ready for powder coating this weekend. My used V65 Sabre kill/ignition switch that I bought on eBay came in yesterday and I've installed the good kill switch portion in my existing housing. A couple screws, two solder joints, and it was done.

Rather than mess with the carbs, I send them to THE EXPERT, Mike Nixon. (www.motorcycleproject.com) He's written numerous books on how to overhaul various carburetors and is the best. He's also a friend and has given me many emails worth of advice. The carbs arrived there Saturday and he already has them apart. To see his "carb diary" for some great pictures and a summary of what he's done so far, go here:

http://www.simplycarbs.com/test/Gallery043/

The tank is with my painter in WV and work is already underway to fix the dent and repaint the upper white section. He expects to be done with it this week. When he's done, you'll never know that there was a dent.

So lots of stuff going on. My goal to have the bike back together by July 4th is looking achievable.

[tomk1960]

More progress. I removed the grab handles and grip rails for refinishing. They were in ok shape, but I figured it was a good time to address them while I was refinishing the fork legs.

Here are all the parts blasted and ready to go:

Tomorrow after work all the parts will be washed and outgassed. Saturday morning they'll be masked and ready to shoot.

Got the horn working tonight too. It must have been frozen inside. I loosened the locknut/screw adjustment on the back, hit the button, and it came back to life. Now all my electricals are working.

I'll have to post a picture or two of the coolant tubes. They look pretty grungy and corroded - especially near where then enter the engine. I have new o-rings on the way but will have some questions about replacing them. This is the time to do it while the carbs are out.

[CornerCarver]

that switch gear is crying out for a coating of petroleum jelly to be left on for a day or two, good progress, keep up the pics.

[tomk1960]

that switch gear is crying out for a coating of petroleum jelly to be left on for a day or two, good progress, keep up the pics.

Does that help bring back the black in the plastic? I'll give it a try - thanks!

[CornerCarver]

Works like a charm for any unpainted plastics. Cheap too

[tomk1960]

Here are the coolant tubes:

They don't look very good and neither do these:

I guess I need to clean around where they go into the engine before I attempt to remove them. I'll have new O-rings early next week as well as a few other coolant-related gaskets. Are these going to be difficult to pull out with all that corrosion? Before I dig into this, I'd appreciate any advice people have to offer as far as what I can expect. Once I have the tubes out, I'll refinish them so that the corrosion is kept at bay.

[vfrcapn]

Here are the coolant tubes:

They don't look very good and neither do these:

I guess I need to clean around where they go into the engine before I attempt to remove them. I'll have new O-rings early next week as well as a few other coolant-related gaskets. Are these going to be difficult to pull out with all that corrosion? Before I dig into this, I'd appreciate any advice people have to offer as far as what I can expect. Once I have the tubes out, I'll refinish them so that the corrosion is kept at bay.

This one looks like it might have corroded through and sprung a leak? I'd clean it up and inspect it closely. Are you doing anything with the motor or cam covers as far as paint/powder? What about those carb boots? New ones are still available and pretty inexpensive, $6-$8 each iirc.

[tomk1960]

This one looks like it might have corroded through and sprung a leak? I'd clean it up and inspect it closely. Are you doing anything with the motor or cam covers as far as paint/powder? What about those carb boots? New ones are still available and pretty inexpensive, $6-$8 each iirc.

The tubes will get blasted and inspected before I do any refinishing. Hopefully they didn't rust through. Do they generally pull out fairly easy?

The motor itself won't get painted until I pull it out of the frame. While I have the cam covers off, I plan to blast and PC them with the chrome/clear powder that I use for motorcycle valve covers.

I didn't think the carb boots looked bad, but it sounds like you're suggesting I replace them and be done with it. I guess I will.

[vfrcapn]

This one looks like it might have corroded through and sprung a leak? I'd clean it up and inspect it closely. Are you doing anything with the motor or cam covers as far as paint/powder? What about those carb boots? New ones are still available and pretty inexpensive, $6-$8 each iirc.

The tubes will get blasted and inspected before I do any refinishing. Hopefully they didn't rust through. Do they generally pull out fairly easy?

The motor itself won't get painted until I pull it out of the frame. While I have the cam covers off, I plan to blast and PC them with the chrome/clear powder that I use for motorcycle valve covers.

I didn't think the carb boots looked bad, but it sounds like you're suggesting I replace them and be done with it. I guess I will.

It's been several years but I don't recall any difficulty remove the coolant tubes.

I figured while you're in there and new boots help reassembly so much. Puting V4 carbs on is one of my least favorite jobs.

[tomk1960]

In between all the stuff I had to do today, I made more progress with the bike. In case you've never seen the process, here's a fork leg partially shot with sheen black powder:

And here are a number of parts ready to go into the oven:

Notice that the plugs have been removed. They're only used to keep powder out of critical areas or threaded holes during powder application. Then they're removed so that during curing, a nice smooth edge results where powder meets bare metal.

And here are my latest batch of Interceptor parts ready to go back on the bike:

Next I removed the lower radiator in preparation for valve cover removal. Then it was time to tackle those gross looking coolant tubes. I shot a little penetrant into the areas above the O-rings and then carefully wiggled them back and forth and did a little prying. Eventually I popped out the front tube and took it down into the shop. Here's what it looked like:

And after blasting with aluminum oxide:

Close inspection didn't reveal any pinholes or rot - the rust was only on the surface, but just for the heck of it, I gave it the poor man's pressure test. I used rubber plugs on two of the openings, filled the tube with water, and used my rubber tipped air nozzle to pressurize it:

No leaks!

Dinnertime came and that was it. Tomorrow I'll get the other tube out and get both of these ready for refinishing and attack the valve covers.