Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted May 9, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted May 9, 2020 It's been two and a half years since I bought this bike and put it on the back burner. I had three other projects in the queue to finish first, so I mostly left it alone. While I was finishing up my second '83 CB1123 Rest-mod, I started pulling parts off this one to prep for powder coating and rebuilding. So far the entire brake system is done, along with the rearsets. Brake rotors were surface ground and then I PC'd the centers. Carbs went off to Mike Nixon for rebuilding and are now waiting to be installed. I still have to adjust the valves and PC the valve, clutch, and alternator covers, along with the wheels and fork legs. I'm in no rush to get this one done, but I expect to be finished a year from now. In the meantime, a good friend in Texas who runs a Chevrolet body shop insisted that I ship all the bodywork down to him for repainting last year. In exchange, I did PC work for him and provided parts for his 900F and 1100F projects. My bodywork looked decent front feet, but there were some scrapes, cracks, and broken tabs. He started out by fixing all the cracks and made new tabs to replace the broken ones. He has the same bike, so he used it for checking decal alignment after painting. All that's left is the decal for the rear cowl and clearcoating, then he's giving me the bike and shipping it up to me with the new bodywork installed. This is actually safer than boxing everything up and shipping. When I finish my bike, I'll sell the spare to recoup the shipping cost. (It was a runner.) I may not have any updates for a while, but thought I'd share a picture of his beautiful paint work. I just wish he was local so he could help me paint an old car I'm restoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer SamW Posted May 10, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted May 10, 2020 That looks great! Good to know the body work can be saved, it reminds me I need to get mine out for a ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Thumbs Posted May 10, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted May 10, 2020 11 minutes ago, SamW said: That looks great! Good to know the body work can be saved, it reminds me I need to get mine out for a ride. Damaged ABS fairings can easily and quickly repaired the acetone ... I’ve just repaired the cracked/bits missing panels on my RC24 .... next up is spray them I've put reinforcement strips of ABS across the cracks that are obvious weak points, like the front belly pan mounts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atx Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 That is awesome work, always nice to be able to trade labor like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted May 11, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted May 11, 2020 That my friend, is a piece of ART!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted July 1, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 1, 2020 My completed bodywork arrived late last week, installed on a spare bike that my painter friend had no use for. It has virtually all the little bits that my bike is missing, so I'll end up with a nice, original VFR when I'm done. Next up, I'll powder coat the wheels, engine covers, sub-frame, fork bits, and rebuild the forks. Most of the remaining parts are already done and in boxes in my shop. Carbs are overhauled and bench sync'd. Goal for completion is spring of 2021 - it will be here before you know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted November 26, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 26, 2020 I was disappointed to find out that center stands were an option for the VFR750 and to make it worse, they're hard to find. Somehow I got lucky and found one on eBay in Japan that was NOS and less than $60 shipped. I paid for it in August and it finally arrived earlier this week, almost 3 months later. I already have the correct NOS spring and the rest of the hardware, and test fitment shows it to be the correct one. The 30 year old paint on this is nothing special, so I'll blast and PC it gloss black. Glad I found it, since it will make chain adjustment a little easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer doubled Posted November 27, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted November 27, 2020 Tom, you never cease to amaze! Beautiful machines with so much attention to detail. I decided this winter to take advantage of winter shop rates and take my 900F in for engine work. Will be doing valve seals and once they "clean up the top end" we'll see how the rest of it looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted June 30, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2021 I've made lots of progress on this bike over the past couple of months and I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now. The bulk of my PC work is done, carbs are rebuilt, valves are adjusted, front end is rebuilt, steering stem bearings replaced, and lots of cleaning has been done. Below are some pics of the various parts I've PC'd. Note the textured finish I used on the clutch and alternator covers - it was recommended by a forum member here. Prismatic gold dust texture (PTB-4551) is a fairly close match to the original finish, as seen in the pic with clutch vs. breather covers. Perhaps a little more metallic, but I really like it. The valve covers will get this treatment next week. I have the wheels almost ready to go and I also plan to shoot high temp satin black on the painted areas of the stock exhaust. Reassembly will begin within a few weeks, so I'll post more pictures as I begin that process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted June 30, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2021 Wow!!! Tom, everything looks great!!! Loving the color! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MaxSwell Posted July 1, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted July 1, 2021 Fabulous work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted July 18, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 18, 2021 More progress. I PC'd the wheels this morning, then pressed in the bearings, then mounted and balanced the tires. I have been using Dynabeads on all of the tires I've mounted over the past 6 months and I'm very happy with the results. No more ugly weights to look at and perfectly balanced wheels. The valve covers are done and back on the bike, and the entire cooling system is for the most part refinished and restored. Except for some small odds and ends that I'll PC in the next few weeks, I'm now able to begin final assembly. My goal to have the bike ready to ride in August looks achievable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smack Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 Nice-looking work ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted July 18, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted July 18, 2021 Kick ass. Nice work, its gonna look ridiculously good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted July 22, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 22, 2021 The last of the big parts is done. I originally wasn't going to remove the sub-frame and powder coat it, but it was pretty shabby looking. So off it came and after cleaning and blasting, it got a basecoat of zinc primer and a finish coat of 80% gloss black. Most of it will be out of sight, but I'm glad I did it. A little more cleaning and this can start going back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted July 22, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted July 22, 2021 This is going to be nicer than when it rolled if the line. Eagerly waiting to see it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted August 1, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted August 1, 2021 My spare bike came with a decent OEM exhaust, so I felt it only fair to restore it to match the condition of everything else. I masked off the cans, blasted off all the old paint, and did final prep. Yesterday I shot a coat of high temp satin black powder and cured it at 450 degrees. This powder is rated to at least 1000 degrees after curing. Then the cans got a final polishing and the end result is very presentable. Except for some small bits and pieces that might get refinished, the bike is now ready to go back together. The fun part is about to begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smack Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 Thanks for the updates. Keep up the excellent work ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FromMaine Posted August 2, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted August 2, 2021 That is some really nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted August 6, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted August 6, 2021 Lots of progress made over the past couple of days. Installed a new YSS shock and then proceeded to reinstall the sub-frame, inner fender, and all the goodies that attach. From there, the progress sped up even faster. I hate to stop now, but we're going away for a beach vacation. When I get back, it will be finished up in short order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tomk1960 Posted August 25, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted August 25, 2021 Inching closer to the finish line. Brakes are bled, chain installed and adjusted, clutch bled, (pictures taken before the clutch master was installed) bulbs in gauges replaced with bright white LEDs, carbs and exhaust installed, and various other bits and pieces cleaned and reinstalled. I tested out all the electrics and except for a faulty neutral switch, everything worked. I replaced the switch and on came the light. The bike will be ready to fire up this weekend and once the carbs are sync'd, the bodywork can go on. Looking forward to my first ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer doubled Posted August 25, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted August 25, 2021 This is just not fair😩 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MaxSwell Posted August 25, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted August 25, 2021 14 hours ago, doubled said: This is just not fair😩 Yeah! Some people get all the skill and talent. Me? Notsomuch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smack Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 Is that 2nd picture of the faulty neutral switch ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Grum Posted August 26, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted August 26, 2021 1 hour ago, Smack said: Is that 2nd picture of the faulty neutral switch ? Nop. LED globe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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