DrOlds Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 So I have been a long time member of the the F site (I bought a Blue 1100F new and still own it.) Anyway I started with a damaged bike a couple years ago and finally found the second "donor bike" needed to begin the restoration. I have a heated shop in the northern part of New York state (by the Canadian border) so winter is when work gets done. Anyway this will be a complete restoration and the bike will be ridden like all bikes should be! No show queen here...... Here is the rest of the story....or at least the start of the rest of the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer CBVFRbikeboy Posted October 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 26, 2015 Welcome to the site Doc. You'll find a few of the F boys here too. Seems there's a fair bit of cross-over with these beauties ;-) Look forward to seeing your progress. cheers ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FromMaine Posted October 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 26, 2015 Welcome to the Board. That.......................is a project. Like the fact that it will be ridden, that's what its all about in the end. Bought my second R in March 2012 as a non runner with parts and pieces in various boxes. By July I was off cross country from Maine to Calf. and back, 7800 miles in 17 days. If you can deal with the ergonomics these bikes are tremendous all around machines. Mine in my driveway when I got back. I suspect a few of us here will be keeping tabs on your progress, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Wow you've got your work cut out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 26, 2015 Simple curious question: what is it about these bikes that makes you want one so much? I only ask from a position of ignorance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted October 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 26, 2015 Because they are like Playboy magazine, so much beauty to look at? And you may end up with a great ride! My little puma makes me giggle already.... Imagine what a VFKR would do... All she needs is a seat cover... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted October 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 26, 2015 Simple curious question: what is it about these bikes that makes you want one so much? I only ask from a position of ignorance. For me, it was that big beautiful machine in magazines and up on a stand at the Honda dealership when I was in high school that I couldn't afford. Pure lust. I got a used 84 VF500F and loved it. Always wanted the 1000R, at the time they were the best looking sport bike out there (still holds up for me... right behind the RC30). Well, later when you have money and space, you start looking for those machines you never had. Mini Trail 50 to a VF1000R. Now I have an 85 and 86, as well as a 84 1000F. Yes they are heavy and complicated. That's not what it's all about. They are still very satisfying rides. Good luck on your resto, my 85 took me a long time to "finish". It's still not quite done. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Dang!, It looks like you literally pulled that bike out of a swamp! Good luck on the re-build! I hope that the elements did not damage too much of the critical parts on the bike. Hope nothing jumped out at you when you took the airbox apart...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dgordon Posted October 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 26, 2015 Keen to see this. The R is a real beauty. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted October 27, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 27, 2015 +1 to the foregoing. Will be watching this one with interest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted October 27, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 27, 2015 That looks like more of a "lake find" than a "barn find". I'm quite certain that this is the most ambitious project I've ever seen kick off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 That looks like more of a "lake find" than a "barn find". I'm quite certain that this is the most ambitious project I've ever seen kick off. I thought exactly the same thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted October 27, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 27, 2015 The night shots indeed are giving the impression it was in a lake. The day shots look a lot better. Plenty VF-heads here so go for it. What is for you will not go past you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDutchy Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Just for motivation.. It was a long ron on mine as well.. It came in as a basket case, had been in a garden for 8 years, without even a tarp over it... After some dedicated work (total rebuild including the engine) she came out fine.. I'll be checkin in to see if I can provide any support.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOlds Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 First some background...This will be my fourth frame up bike restoration. As far as my preference there is no question for me it has to be an 1983 CB1100F (or a 1979 to 1982 CB750F / CB900F)....but...Having the opportunity to see a VF1000R in person I decided I wanted one so I began looking for a restorable one (or two) three years ago.....So the riding season was extended up here a bit and I have been taking advantage of it all I can... On Saturday SteveG and I worked on the VF1000R all day. SteveG and I have 12 bikes between (us with 6 each)...so far. Saturday we stripped the bike down to the motor in the frame with the forks and rear suspension still in place. We stopped when we couldn't get the front exhaust flanges off the studs at the cylinder heads (we soaked them in PB Blaster for a few days.) On Wednesday night after heating and wiggling the flanges came loose and the rest of the bike was stripped after the motor was on the bench. Yesterday I pressure washed off as much oil and chain lube as I could and dropped the frame off at the sandblaster and it will be powder coated in a week or so. Then the suspension will be reattached and once the chassis is reassembled SteveG and I will completely re-build the motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mikey Posted December 6, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 6, 2015 Storing up on the popcorn, this is going to be awesome reconstructive surgery, good luck Dr.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted December 7, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 7, 2015 Having seen a fully restored VFKR in person (the one done by The Dutchy see a few posts up) I can only say I'm jealous,,, That rear shock might be toast..... the one on my VF500 was.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FromMaine Posted December 9, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2015 Its great to see you start this, I will definitely be keeping an eye on this to see if I can steal any ideas.............:) One question though. How far are you planning on getting into the motor? Reason I ask is Honda has virtually no parts for these bikes. Top end gasket kits are available from a supplier in Poland, and old Vesrah or Athena kits sometimes show up on E-Bay, so you are probably be OK there. Piston rings miraculously reappeared after being NLA for years, so thats a good thing. But I have yet to find anybody with complete crank bearing sets. Yes, you may see the odd bearing available, but not a whole set in the color needed. I have purposely stalled going into one of my R's motors to repair a bad second gear because of this. I figure if I'm going in I'd like to do it all at once, rings, bearings, undercut tranny, etc and be done with it. Anyway, I'm curious how you are going to approach this and if you have sources for parts lined up. BTW, thanks for posting pics from the start of rebuild, it brought back a some memories from a few years ago. Thanks Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VF1000RS Posted December 10, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 10, 2015 Looks like a fun project. Keep posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOlds Posted December 19, 2015 Author Share Posted December 19, 2015 Well I plan on doing a complete rebuild on the motor as well and obviously you guys know about the gaskets and seals needed to rebuild these motors so I hope I can get them. (I saw a couple Vesrah sets on Ebay so i figured the gaskets were readily available!) As far as the bearings go I was unaware Honda sold "sets" of bearings since they are always individually selected in color sizes to match the crank journal dimensions. I am hoping to clean up and reuse the pistons and bearings, install new rings then blueprint the entire motor returning it to OEM manufacture tolerances. This will include measuring the cylinder head and piston CC's and degreeing the stock cams (static balancing is a waste of time on the "CB" motors I do since they are just about perfect from the factory.) Questions: If this motor needs an overbore are Weisco piston sets available? Are the decal sets still available from CBdecals / AFE graphics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted December 19, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 19, 2015 Dont know about pistons but this guy mite know where to get some . http://www.hondarestoration.com/for_sale_motoqs.asp?md=Fairings%20and%20Body%20Work&p=Motorcycle%20Parts&c=35560&k=VF1000 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-VF1000R-Interceptor-1985-1986-Pistons-Rods-Very-Nice-/191744691005?hash=item2ca4dfcb3d:g:3DsAAOxyXDhSj6FZ&vxp=mtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VF1000RS Posted December 20, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 20, 2015 Well I plan on doing a complete rebuild on the motor as well and obviously you guys know about the gaskets and seals needed to rebuild these motors so I hope I can get them. (I saw a couple Vesrah sets on Ebay so i figured the gaskets were readily available!) As far as the bearings go I was unaware Honda sold "sets" of bearings since they are always individually selected in color sizes to match the crank journal dimensions. I am hoping to clean up and reuse the pistons and bearings, install new rings then blueprint the entire motor returning it to OEM manufacture tolerances. This will include measuring the cylinder head and piston CC's and degreeing the stock cams (static balancing is a waste of time on the "CB" motors I do since they are just about perfect from the factory.) Questions: If this motor needs an overbore are Weisco piston sets available? Are the decal sets still available from CBdecals / AFE graphics? I had a set of 1mm overbore Pistons made last year. Dave Dodge had it done by Arias. I believe the decal sets are still available. Send Mark an email at CBDecals. How do you plan to degree the cams with the gear drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FromMaine Posted December 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2015 Well I plan on doing a complete rebuild on the motor as well and obviously you guys know about the gaskets and seals needed to rebuild these motors so I hope I can get them. (I saw a couple Vesrah sets on Ebay so i figured the gaskets were readily available!) As far as the bearings go I was unaware Honda sold "sets" of bearings since they are always individually selected in color sizes to match the crank journal dimensions. I am hoping to clean up and reuse the pistons and bearings, install new rings then blueprint the entire motor returning it to OEM manufacture tolerances. This will include measuring the cylinder head and piston CC's and degreeing the stock cams (static balancing is a waste of time on the "CB" motors I do since they are just about perfect from the factory.) Questions: If this motor needs an overbore are Weisco piston sets available? Are the decal sets still available from CBdecals / AFE graphics? I thought my reference to a set of bearings was obvious, but apparently not. I did mean being able to assemble a "set" of the various colored bearings needed for a particular engine. Different nomenclature can be misleading at times. Not sure if this exactly what you are looking for, but have a look. The price is right but I have no experience with them. I bought my decal kit from another vendor, but they are not offering them anymore: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VF1000-R-84-85-Decals-Stickers-set-of-10-H25-/291624067657?hash=item43e6262249:g:G18AAOSwPcVVygQc&vxp=mtr This is the gasket kit I bought. Just an FYI as I have not installed it yet. http://www.ebay.com/itm/KR-Motorcycle-gasket-set-TOP-END-for-HONDA-VF-1000-F-Interceptor-VF-1000- R-/161835249696?hash=item25ae21f020:g:UckAAOSwwbdWKd2J&vxp=mtr Partzilla shows the std rings available and .25 and .50 over also. Have not ordered these from them but they show in stock. There is a Dutch company that also shows them also in stock for immediate shipping, but at a substantial price hike. http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Honda/Motorcycle/1985/VF1000R+A/CRANKSHAFT+%2B+PISTON/parts.html. Hope some of this proves useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOlds Posted December 24, 2015 Author Share Posted December 24, 2015 Thanks for following this thread! Merry Christmas and the NY Title arrived in my name yesterday! Since I haven't taken the motor apart yet I "assumed" the cam gears still bolted on the cams...Partzila shows different...huh. I will be away for a couple weeks then it's go time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx113 Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Decal kits are available from afe but no wiseco kits I know of. Looks like a decent project though. I think cam gears are cast/forged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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