1986 VF500F in USA...distinguishing

[Cbradley1967]

I’m on the hunt for a classic Interceptor and have a question...

 

Did every 1986 VF500F in the US come in the same color scheme with black wheels, red fork tubes?  I’m looking at a 500 for sale and it has been repainted non-stock scheme but does not have red forks, they are unpainted aluminum.  All body work was painted red except the forks.  The wheels are black.

 

Seems strange one would paint everything red and then strip the forks bare.  Just trying to verify as much as I can from the pictures as it is quite a distance from me.

 

Thanks

 

[Dutchy]

No sure how the 86 came in the USA, this is how it came in the Netherlands....

 

 

 

There is a table somewhere on the web that identifies market by VIN number and carburettor code

 

 

 

 

[tbzep]

All the 86's I ever saw on the showroom were like Dutchy's, but with the simple chin fairing and three spoke wheels.  Color scheme was the same including black wheels, and red seat and forks.  Several guys around me painted their wheels white.  I left mine black.  My college roommate had an 84 (white with red/blue accents, black seat and forks, polished aluminum wheel rims with black spokes) I kept my 86 stock for a while and eventually added a Lockhart/Phillips lower fairing, but in hindsight, I liked the chin fairing better.    We parked them together under our apartment stairs and rode them everywhere, all year long.  Oh, for the good old days.

[Dutchy]

 

 

and for the 84

[Cbradley1967]

Thanks Dutchy I will try to get the owner to give me the serial numbers and solve this mystery!

[jeremyr62]

VF500 forks were either black or red. Any other colour or bare means they have been molested by a prior owner. 

[Cbradley1967]

Interesting, the ad says it’s an ‘86 and the owner has had it 15yrs, he repainted it but said it came with a black seat and bare forks from the owner before....he is going to send me frame/engine numbers this weekend.  Here is a pic

[Cbradley1967]

Rest of pics, what do you guys think?

 

[Cbradley1967]

Where are the engine serial numbers on these bikes.

[Dutchy]

To the left of the oil check thingie

 

 

On the headstock

 

And there is ofcourse a VIN plate

 

 

Carb ID is a bittricky to read, to the left of the thermostat mounting point

[Mohawk]

IIRC the USA never had the VF500F2 they had a VF500F with the half fairing, where as all Euro VF500's were of the F2 fully faired type, from 84-86, when they were dropped for the newer CBR600F  Jelly mould model. But I'm not certain, but think that some early Euro VF500F2's were labelled VF500F on the side panels, but they did have the full fairing.  I think canadian ones were same as USA & not sure about the rest of the world, as they would NOT have been a Japan home market model, due to the 250/400cc license levels in Japan at the time.

[jeremyr62]

Not quite. The European mainland originally got the half faired VF500F model (but with Comstar wheels, not the cast variant). I had an Austrian version like this. Maybe some Euro countries got the F2 later in 86 (like Dutchy's). The UK never got the half faired model. You see quite a few Italian VF500F half faired models but not the F2.

Pity one can't make a living from knowing such useless info....

[Mohawk]

Well I did say IIRC 👍😜

[PSJ]

I like the look, with the exception of the windscreen.  Nice!

[Dutchy]

The left control pod (light switches, indicator) looks well sun-bleached and yeah that matt black (hello Timmay!!!!!) windscreen is euh... "different".  But as the entire bike is non-OEM, it is less of a "problem".     

 

The fork lowers are stripped, but nothing a rattle can of paint cannot cure..... 

 

A "tell-tale" difference for the production year is the head gasket:

1984 and early 85 is was "straight"

 

 

Later 85 and 86 it had "half moons"

 

From the pictures I cannot see which is which.

 

 

 

 

 

Which leaves the rear shock, if still OEM it will in all likelyhood be sub-prime at best. But having said this, I rode my VF with one in the beginning without crashing, dieing and burning (Hello Ian!!).

Same with the front end. Just stay&live within the limits of a used, 33 year old mc...

 

In the end, it boils down to asking price and how much you want it.   Next time you are over in the Netherlands you are free to have a spin on mine.

 

 

[jeremyr62]

And having an engine with the half moons is a big advantage but even the older ones are OK. I tried to see if the engine in the photos was an 86 but the photos are just not quite good enough.

[Captain 80s]

The little vents in the side covers, the tall rear grab handle and the left front coolant pipe that runs outside the frame point to 86.

[jeremyr62]

2 hours ago, Captain 80s said:

The little vents in the side covers, the tall rear grab handle and the left front coolant pipe that runs outside the frame point to 86.

A true connoisseur of the brand. I defer to your expertise. 😀

[Dutchy]

How much? 🙂

 

 

 

[BluRoad]

vf500a.pdfThis might help....vf500b.pdf

 

 

[WGREGT]

I've got both a mint 84 and and 85, and yours is neither of them. I'm going with 86 as well.

 

[WGREGT]

Like Captn said, the slots in the side panels give it away.