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1986 Vf400F - Should I?


muddyh2o

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Considering picking up this locally and I'm not sure what to look out for that is specific to the VC21

http://deruedas.com.ar/result.asp?cod=135852

it's about US$3000 in black market dollars, so not a great deal but not bad for Argentina at the moment.

if i brought this back to the US, what do you think the residual value might be?

as always, thanks in advance

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They are great little bikes, the engine is a peace & nothing really goes wrong with them if oil is changed regularly etc.

I love one to change the forks & add a decent shock, good grippy 17" tyres would make it brilliant :)

The inboard discs & calipers can be neglected, so keep an eye on those. It's only a single disc up front, so a bit lacking in stopping power !

3K is very steep, in the UK these would cost circa 1000gbp, or 1500US !

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You first need to investigate what would need to be done in order to register it here in the U.S. before you consider spending any money to bring it over here. Some imports are nightmares to get registered and simply not worth the hassle.

Rollin

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Bringing non-US vehicles into the USA is a HUGE hassle. Bringing a VF400F into the USA would be insane. First off, the VFs of that era had oiling problems, and yours would no doubt expire just prior to your first ride on it (like mine did...) Secondly, while some parts from US-model bikes might also fit the VF400F, you would probably own the only one in the entire country, so you would have to become the expert on the model. Slightly better news is that the UK did have this bike as an official import, so there is some info and parts information over here (I am in the UK). Good luck!

Ciao,

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Seems a little pricey to me but I`d still like to have one. Half that price might be worth it as $3000 here will buy a great many excellent motorcycles.

I almost bought a 1987 VFR400 in stock Rothman`s colors for barely more than that.

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We have plenty of "grey" bikes here, if you can get it here at a reasonable price, why not?

Do you know anyone who has gone through the (legal) importation process using a Registered Importer? I've never even heard of anyone doing it, much less met them. When I enquired about getting my greys into the USA a couple of years ago I got nowhere. It can be done illegally, but that is even more of a hassle (and not an option for me). That, and the fact that "contraband" is never free of the risk of being seized without compensation and crushed...

OTOH, I see here that vehicles at least 25 years old are legal to import without going through any kind of certification process, so it looks like this bike could be imported no problem! My, time flies...even some of my bikes will be in the clear in a couple of years.

So, that leaves the VF400F being old, expensive and undesirable!

Ciao,

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ha. You guys are hilariously helpful, as usual.

I didn't move on it. The guy was a bit shady in his responses, and it didn't feel right. So, I just walked away.

But I keep watching the classifieds and found an NC30 which I've written to the owner about. In black market dollars, it's about US$3500. (everything is AT LEAST double the normal price down here- a 1999 VFR800 is about US$12000)

We'll see what the story is. And I think I need to find a good Honda mechanic first. Anyone know someone with a wrench who knows how to spell Honda in Mendoza? :D


Is that even an RC30? Single headlight?

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Its an NC21, 1984 or thereabouts. Quite rare outside Japan, but a fair few have been imported into the UK. Not very sexy, due to the regular swing arm, but it is a VFR...

Ciao,

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