hansendesign Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Hi Guys, I'm an amateur builder who is an Industrial Designer by training. I like taking older bikes and redesigning them using as much of the original as possible (you'll find a Nighthawk S on my site). The VF750 Interceptor is a really cool bike that has achieved a lot! They should be restored whenever possible... But sometimes they're beyond restoration yet able to be brought back in a different form (concept and example below). At my site you can see more of what I have in mind: https://www.hansendesign.xyz/83vf750 There you will also find two projects in progress and some completed ones. My questions to you are: 1. Do you love it or hate it? -You won't hurt my feelings! 2. Would it be terrible to mod a piece of motorcycle history? -Not looking for permission, just curious if there's a market for a heavily customized Interceptor? Do you have examples? Thanks for your input! -Josh Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelman Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 the VF series had alot of actual and potential mechanical problems you might not be aware of, so using your design skills on a later, better bike would make more sense, anything from 1986 or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkie Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 So you want to take a five hundred dollar bike, put several thousand dollars worth of parts and labor into it, and end up with a twelve hundred dollar bike? Have you considered making a big wheel bagger vfr? Maybe that would fetch $1500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atx Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Honestly just looks like animals without necks to me https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/168/25-Animals-Without-Necks-The-Results-Are-Hilarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 I like it. If the engine is the heart and soul of any motorcycle, then if you're building or rebuilding around it, I think you keep the spirit of the machine. Better than scrapping the whole thing in my opinion. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffo Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 I must admit I am a sucker for keeping things original but your idea looks great. If it keeps another on the road, go for it. It's not about the value in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelman Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 31 minutes ago, atx said: Honestly just looks like animals without necks to me https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/168/25-Animals-Without-Necks-The-Results-Are-Hilarious my texas prairie dog is neckless..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FromMaine Posted December 8, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 8, 2020 4 hours ago, hansendesign said: https://www.hansendesign.xyz/83vf750 Does not come up as a valid website. Google, Bing, or direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted December 8, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 8, 2020 Site came up...maybe something more like what you have here: https://www.hansendesign.xyz/83vf750?pgid=kif3uy01-407064ea-cdde-48b9-acc0-21c2cbf24036 You've got some nice bikes on there, all nicely done, throw some pics up. Like the '84 Nighthawk and especially the 450 cafe bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted December 8, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 8, 2020 I like it. ROI is irrelevant to me personally when it comes to motorcycles... SPM is... Smiles Per Mile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted December 8, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 8, 2020 What Dutchy said. Asking for opinions on relative beauty will get you as many answers as people you ask - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The only worthwhile question is do you want to do it. And, as Sparkie says, you have to decide whether it is worthwhile spending $$$ on a bike that will ultimately be worth $$. If money is not the issue, then crack on! Whilst I like the looks of them, I'm not in the market (nor the continent) to buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyr62 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Polishing a turd IMO. If you are not doing it for the money fire away but there are much better candidate bikes out there. Parts for the VF750 are hard to come buy and expensive IME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeper Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 It would be great to see what a trained designer comes up with. I'm all in! BTW, I like the concept sketch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DannoXYZ Posted December 8, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 8, 2020 I think it's so awesome!! Most of time when people do these types of restorations, bike just looks hacked up. This one is done very tastefully and well-balanced. I like how both front-end and rear were shortened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hansendesign Posted December 9, 2020 Author Share Posted December 9, 2020 Thanks for the feedback. Most helpful so far are the comments about the VF750 platform and whether or not it's worth the time and money. Honestly, I'm a little confused, by my research anyways (which is limited to internet searches right now) the interceptor was an awesome bike with and oil distribution issue... With the oil mod is the engine great? Or is it still a dud? Forget about the money for second, builders are doing CX500's and Virago's, so why not an Interceptor? What am I missing? Here's a Nighthawk S I'm just finishing, no one is doing these either... Same approach different bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Calculon Posted December 9, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2020 I love the looks of your design and as a previous Nighthawk 650 owner I think your recreation of the 700s is gorgeous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyr62 Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 7 hours ago, hansendesign said: Honestly, I'm a little confused, by my research anyways (which is limited to internet searches right now) the interceptor was an awesome bike with and oil distribution issue... With the oil mod is the engine great? Or is it still a dud? Believe me you don't want to go there re oil mod. My own opinion is the VF750 was a game changing bike back in the day but it had major engine issues from day one which Honda never fixed, gave up on pretty rapidly, and built the VFR750 to try divert attention away from the VF750. Tells you all you need to know really. Your 650 looks very nice btw. The front wheel looks very close to the headers. Might be a bit nervous in the corners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted December 9, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2020 If you do want to go the VF route, the 1986 VF500F2 (finally) had line bored journals. Donot know if the VF750 had too. Oil mod is (imho) just make belief... It doesnot solve the underlying issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyr62 Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 1 hour ago, Dutchy said: If you do want to go the VF route, the 1986 VF500F2 (finally) had line bored journals. Donot know if the VF750 had too. Oil mod is (imho) just make belief... It doesnot solve the underlying issues. The VF750 never got line bored. The VF400 never did either. The 500 and the 1000 did eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DannoXYZ Posted December 9, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2020 yeah, VF500 only 1986+ My '86 never problems during 34-years I owned it, but my brother's '84 & '85 chewed their cams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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