Guest truckdude Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Hi, I bought an '84 VF700F Interceptor on Monday morning and just joined the group. I love building hot rods and working on bikes. I really didn't need another project but I could not pass this one up. I paid $800 delivered for this 25.500 mile bike. The guy I bought it from paid $500 about 6 years ago plus $350 for a nice tank. When he bought it, the bike would start, idle for a few seconds and then die. He took the body work off and planned to do a carb rebuild but that is as far as he got. The IL title was issued in 1991 at 21,800 miles so the bike has only run 3,800 miles in 23 years. I took a 1996 college parking sticker off the fender. This is what was delivered: Chassis cleaned up well. The old oil was full and clean, so I put it in gear and pushed the bike to make sure the engine was free. I pulled and cleaned the plugs. The ancient battery actually had some juice so I cranked it over. Both banks had spark. I drained some nasty old gas out of the carbs and tried to inject some carb cleaner. I hooked up my tuning tank and gave it a crank. It didn't want to start but did burp a little, probably the carb cleaner. I don't think the fuel pump is pumping, testing that tonight. I decided to put the puzzle back together, this is what I ended up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I always loved these bikes, I remember drooling on them at the dealer in 1984. Since this bike is in pretty good original condition, I plan to get it running and do a some cosmetic restoration. Here's the plan of attack: 1) Test the fuel pump, redo the fuel lines (the only thing that seems non-OEM are the lines and filter) 2) Pull the carbs, either rebuild them myself or send them to a service. 3) New fluids, tires, battery, brake pads and replace other worn out bits 4) Run through all of the service proceedures and maintenance 5) Touch up any bad white paint, touch up the silver on the frame - can anyone recommend a good match for the frame paint? Will Rustoleum Aluminium match? 6) New seat or seat cover 7) Order missing pieces such as the correct body fasteners. Fab up a custom piece for the broken left fairing fastener. Having the fastener in that plastic mesh was poor engineering. 8) Polish the windshield 9) Add a top end oiling kit 10) And a dozen other things that will come up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Conedodger Posted May 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 28, 2014 Looks like you found a gem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 So every project has missing parts and extra mystery parts. I asked the seller to look in his shed for a baggy of airbox parts, like the lid and one of the snorkels. Then I have these extra parts that I can't figure out where they go: The rubber ducts appear to be a Kawasaki Concurs part, #14073-1224 and 1225. Is that metal hanger a Honda VF700F part? What about the vac lines? Are they part of the airbox breather assembly or from some other bike? Also, any synthetic oil recommendations for this 1984 bike with a slipper clutch? Thanks in advance for the newby help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greaterx Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 In 1983 this was my first brand new bike and first V4 Honda. I wish I still had it. In 83 this bike was a revelation and a giant slayer.Look after this wonderful piece of motorcycling of history for us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 28, 2014 Your a lucky man ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted May 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 29, 2014 Another admirer here that had an '84 VF700F as a first bike. I bought it in '86 with Supertrapp pipes, the Targa lower fairings, and 1900 miles on it. I was in the process of selling it to my next door neighbor two years later when he totaled it and lost his spleen in the process. The day he was released from the hospital, he knocked on my door with a wad of cash in hand. That bike is one of those things you wish you would have held on to years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrwt644 Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 I'm not even a fan of the earlier vf/vfrs, but that one is NICE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Sparrow75 Posted May 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 29, 2014 Welcome truckdude! Your mixed bag of parts may have some parts from the VF. The tubes are gas tubes that fit between the carbs, and the small springs and washer fit between the carb sync set screws (very easily misplaced). The small chrome caps, if not mistaken, fit over the allen bolts holding your fork brace, and the wire looks to be similar to the one in my '84 VF holding the air cleaner firmly in place by being wedged into one side and acting as a spring to hold it in place. The black rubber cup/grommet type thingies go over posts on either side of front fairing support. You will see that they snugly fit into the recess on the inside of the front fairing. The front fairing then slides firmly onto the post "bushings" and keep it secure once the four chrome step bolts are secured. The 10 mm black bolt could be for the regulator/rectifier support or for the little plastic tray under the back seat cover fairing. There should be two bolts in the bottom two recesses of the tray. The little screws, I am not sure, but check on the underside of the signal lights, as there are some screws there that may have been removed to replace bulbs. The air plenum air stack thingies are not from a VF. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roebling3 Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Fine looking VFR, Truck dude. But a 59AB block with aluminum heads and a pair of Stromberg 97's? Holy crap Batman! Not presently owned, but still sorely missed: 33, 36, 39, 3 window coupes, 48 Merc Coupe. 50 Olds coupe and a long string of Ford coupes 'til 88. "Truck Dude"? Anything with air brakes that bent in the middle? Have we been in parallel universes? The roadster is you're dad's? you cannot be as old as I. Best wishes towards your enjoying the 'new to you' motorcycle. Good fortune, R3~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted May 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 29, 2014 Very nice find there, Truckdude. You're starting with a bike in very nice cosmetic condition, which can often be expensive to attain. All of the mechanical stuff you plan to do isn't bad at all. If you do decide to send out your carbs, consider using Mike Nixon at www.motorcycleproject.com. He literally wrote the book on how to overhaul them and is one of the true carb experts in this country who specializes in the carbs for our older bikes. Best of luck with your restoration and keep us posted along the way with lots of pictures. Welcome to the forum! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Welcome truckdude! Your mixed bag of parts may have some parts from the VF. The tubes are gas tubes that fit between the carbs, and the small springs and washer fit between the carb sync set screws (very easily misplaced). The small chrome caps, if not mistaken, fit over the allen bolts holding your fork brace, and the wire looks to be similar to the one in my '84 VF holding the air cleaner firmly in place by being wedged into one side and acting as a spring to hold it in place. The black rubber cup/grommet type thingies go over posts on either side of front fairing support. You will see that they snugly fit into the recess on the inside of the front fairing. The front fairing then slides firmly onto the post "bushings" and keep it secure once the four chrome step bolts are secured. The 10 mm black bolt could be for the regulator/rectifier support or for the little plastic tray under the back seat cover fairing. There should be two bolts in the bottom two recesses of the tray. The little screws, I am not sure, but check on the underside of the signal lights, as there are some screws there that may have been removed to replace bulbs. The air plenum air stack thingies are not from a VF. Hope that helps. Thank you very much, this is a great help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Fine looking VFR, Truck dude. But a 59AB block with aluminum heads and a pair of Stromberg 97's? Holy crap Batman! Not presently owned, but still sorely missed: 33, 36, 39, 3 window coupes, 48 Merc Coupe. 50 Olds coupe and a long string of Ford coupes 'til 88. "Truck Dude"? Anything with air brakes that bent in the middle? Have we been in parallel universes? The roadster is you're dad's? you cannot be as old as I. Best wishes towards your enjoying the 'new to you' motorcycle. Good fortune, R3~ You are close, it is an 8BA flathead with a pair of Holley 94's. '27 Model T touring body on a Model A frame, '32 rear end converted to open drive, '53 Merc OD trans. Currently in the plumbing/wiring stage but now I am distracted by this VF700F and a '63 VW dune buggy that needs a complete restoration. My garage looks like a dune buggy exploded. Here is a pic of the T with a too tall spring in the rear. truckdude is my eBay name and comes from my never ending '66 Chevy C10 hot rod pickup project. I had it running but blew it apart for a complete restoration. It is an addiction. Other bikes owned: 82 Seca 550 was my first bike, got out of cycles for a long time. Bought a really cool looking '96 Honda VT1100 ACE but just could not get into riding a slow cruiser. Bought a 2001 Triumph Bonneville, completely stripped it down, went through everything and made a cafe bike out of it. I have to admit I was proud of what I did on that one and the performance improvements I made in carb and exhaust tuning. I got an offer on the Bonny that I couldn't refuse. Took the cash and bought a 2300 mile 2009 Yamaha FZ6. Great sport touring bike with 99 hp but I decided to sell this Spring. It sold in like 2 days. I decided to try and find a cheap, lightweight bike in the 250-550 cc range. Almost bought another '82 Seca 550, this one was stripped down, tuned just right and incredibly fast. The guy changed his mind on the agreed upon price so I looked at CL again and found this Honda just minutes from my house. It was bigger and heavier than what I wanted and I sure didn't need another project, but I could not resist. I can't wait to get it running and take it for a ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Kel Posted May 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 29, 2014 That looks nice for $800. I would have jumped on that one as well. The carbs will fight you on removal but you get better at it in time. Make sure you keep them together as a unit...DO NOT separate them from the aluminum intake plate. A carb overhaul is not that bad, just need to be patient. Some parts are different from front to back so I do one carb at a time to avoid any mixup. When you get to that point, let us know, I can post a good cleaning guide. I love that you're excited about getting going on this thing. It appears to be in capable hands. Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Glad the bike "found" you! It doesn't really make a difference, but it looks like the tank has been replaced at some point. The tank's paint scheme is from an 85 VF, but the rest of the bike's obviously an 84. Don't be afraid to ask questions - the experts here are always willing to help out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer SamW Posted May 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 29, 2014 Love the VFR and the flathead, always wanted to stick one in a Willy's truck, the flathead, not the VFR... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Very nice find there, Truckdude. You're starting with a bike in very nice cosmetic condition, which can often be expensive to attain. All of the mechanical stuff you plan to do isn't bad at all. If you do decide to send out your carbs, consider using Mike Nixon at www.motorcycleproject.com. He literally wrote the book on how to overhaul them and is one of the true carb experts in this country who specializes in the carbs for our older bikes. Best of luck with your restoration and keep us posted along the way with lots of pictures. Welcome to the forum! Tom Thanks to the link to Mr. Nixon. I have traded emails with Billy C in Canton, Texas who has a V45 carb service, he is "fngster" on eBay. He gave me some good hints on my bike. While I like rebuilding carbs, his econo carb service seems like a real bargain. Has anyone used his services? http://www.ebay.com/itm/261474384881?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Glad the bike "found" you! It doesn't really make a difference, but it looks like the tank has been replaced at some point. The tank's paint scheme is from an 85 VF, but the rest of the bike's obviously an 84. Don't be afraid to ask questions - the experts here are always willing to help out! Yes, the guy I bought it from said the paint on the original tank was pretty bad and he paid $350 for this one six years ago. I thought something seemed off, thanks for pointing out that it is an '85. I guess I won't win any concours! I'm not sure if it fits propertly either but I am currently missing the top bolt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 The physical tank fitment between 83-84-85 is all the same for the 750s, unless someone tried to shoehorn a 1000 tank on there. Which it does not look like. As for the 750 tanks, all that differed was the colour really. I think your Honda wings are a different colour for the year, but no biggie. And I hope your cams and rockers are good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 And I hope your cams and rockers are good. Me too, I have not searched the site yet for the best oiling system mods, is there a good way to check for cam damage on a non-running bike without tearing it down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 just pop off the valve covers and rotate the engine by hand. not that hard, be careful the valve cover gaskts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Welcome to VFRD and Nice find and post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 The wire is for the air cleaner. The tank color scheme says 1985 to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I'll be doing a valve clearance check and will confirm the cams and rockers at the same time, better add VC gaskets to the parts order. Is there a hot cam replacement if I need new ones? Steering head has a rough spot at center, hopefully just needs grease. Going to play Friday afternoon hooky and do some wrenching, maybe get those carbs out. I'll take some pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Head bearings are likely flat-spotted. They are cheap, but somewhat time consuming to change. Yoshimura used to make cams for it, but that was many moons ago. I got rid of my VF in 1986, so I haven't looked into anything dealing with them since then. We do have lots of experts on staff here at VFRd though. I'm sure they will chime in. Hopefully your cams and rockers are OK. But, they were made from chocolate, so........ maybe not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Sparrow75 Posted May 30, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 30, 2014 I'll be doing a valve clearance check and will confirm the cams and rockers at the same time, better add VC gaskets to the parts order. Is there a hot cam replacement if I need new ones? Steering head has a rough spot at center, hopefully just needs grease. Going to play Friday afternoon hooky and do some wrenching, maybe get those carbs out. I'll take some pics. truckdude, you may be able to save yourself a bit without new valve cover gaskets if your old ones aren't torn. Cleaning up and sanding the head surface clean on the edges, and super thin bead of gasket RTV sealant in the groove on the cover, and most importantly a thin washer/shim over the grommet (rubber and metal cap) will give the valve cover bolt a bit more compression before the step bolt bottoms out. I tried that on my valve covers and it solved the oil leak on the back valve cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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