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1990 VFR750F. Bought two days before xmas, 2021. From the OfferUp ad: 1990 Honda VFR 750 $1 Description Needs 1 small part. Make offer or trade. Well... shit. DON'T need another bike. But I gotta inquire. Message the dude thru OfferUp: "Is the title in your name? When was the last time it ran?" Response: "It just needs one small part" "Yeah. I read that. Are you the titled owner and how long since it has ran?" "Yah, I got the title. A few years. Started dumping fuel out of this part when I was trying to start it" OK then, we got some info to go on now. I call him and we talk and he seems like a decent dude. I tell him normally I would just come out and look and talk to you in person. But it was a pretty good trek to check it out, so I tell him that and ask, "so... what do you think you wanna get out of it?" "I don't know, five hundred bucks. I'd probably take 400, I just wanna get back some money I put into it before it got parked." It's on. We make arrangements for DEC 23rd, my first day off for the Holidays. It's a ferry ride over to Kingston with a trailer, so a $30 tab there. Then down the peninsula to Port Orchard. Couple hours easy. Get there and it's a beauty day, so I'm able to roll it out of the spot you see in the above pic. First thing... Fox Twin Clicker. Good start. The 8 spoke wheel is probably worth what I'm paying anyway, so no risk really. It's all there. Tank is off, but it is drained and 100% clean on the inside. Fuck yes. Original Honda key, owner's manual and tool kit. Asked about a seat cowl and he just looked puzzled... "never mind". New chain and sprockets (chain is pretty rusty). Essentially brand new (5 years ago) Michelin Pilot Power tires. Steel braided lines up front. 70K miles... doesn't really matter on these engines. Look down at the shiny oil filter and pop the dipstick. Oil looked like it just came of a bottle. Cool. It got ridden home from the shop and pretty much parked. Notice the drain plug and adjacent oil pan has been drilled... that actually makes me happy. It means somebody might have gone thru the front end to match the rear shock at some point for a track day or few. The forks feel like they have real springs in them and somebody updated to the later fork caps with pre-load adjustment. He shows me the "one small part" it needs. "I think it's some kind of fuel separator or something". I am playing dumb. "yeah? huh." It's a plastic vacuum valve with a broken nipple for the emissions that is gonna end up in the trash anyway. "Fuel was coming out of that broken off part". I know it's just dirty carbs at this point. "you said you'd take $400?" "yep" Exchange money and title / bill of sale and load it up. Not pretty but hey. Every piece of bodywork has issues, but that tank is really nice. Oh yeah, a Corbin... whatever. Decide to make it a big round trip and drive around thru Tacoma (over a toll bridge) and back up thru Seattle. I left around 9am and got home around 3pm. Pretty good day. At least it was a beautiful day for driving. Here's back home after a quick strip. So the winter plan is to clean the carbs and get her running. The carbs are already out and while not great they are not terrible. Very doable. I already have the PAIR system and emission crap eliminated. I bought a 2003 rear wheel to replace the 8 spoke for personal use on my 95 (likely). Then go thru the systems and make it ride-able. Brakes front and rear are sticking and need to be serviced. Hopefully the pistons aren't pitted. Flush the coolant system. I'm sure the fork seals are gonna start leaking the next time I just look at them. I have a plan for adapting a slip-on (D&D), I think it's gonna work perfect. Stock 1993 shock on the way (w/ rebound damping) so I can remove the Fox for rebuild (it still passes the critical seat-bounce test we all learned on showroom floors). New inner / rear fender to replace this hacked unit. Try and go thru the bodywork to make it mount better and look more presentable. Gonna modify the passenger peg brackets to remove the peg portions.

Got it home safe and in one piece. The right hand strap slid off the throttle grip a couple of inches after 250 miles. Had to redo the strap for the rest of the 100+ miles. All original with the factory tool kit, rust free California bike

Hi everyone, It's been a while since I was on here, which kinda matches with my use of the VFR these days. Ever since getting my own shed, a Deauville for the regular commute, a bargain of a VFR 800 VTEC just before the pandemic hit, a small camper, a dog, and general house jobs, along with working full-time, it's not been easy to find the time that I used to devote to it. That said, it's not been forgotten either. It's still a beautiful dark green 1997 model which has seen me through thick and thin, working away as a daily commuter to college, then to another part of the country (was the central character in a long letter I wrote to Bike which earned me a subscription and a set of Pilot Road 2s for it!). It's benefited from the expertise shared on this forum and with the odometer well past 90,000 miles, I'd love to see it approach the big 100,000 with some grace. No more cold, salty mornings, or being drenched in winter rain. I started my quest yesterday evening and soon realised that not only had I neglected the VFR, but I've neglected my own spannering skills too. As they say, if you don't use them, you lose them. Taking a look at the list of jobs to be completed, I remember that I need to check the charging system, when I put it away the little LED on the dashboard was telling me that it wasn't all that healthy. There's no longer a chain on it, that was left behind on the motorway during it's last outing, thankfully without causing any damage. Does that count as one of my nine lives? The rapid deflation of my rear tyre on the VFR 800 on the same stretch of motorway probably counts as another. Taking the rear bodywork off, I was disappointed to see the fuel lines and other bits and bobs covered, here and there, in mould which might very well contain a cure for Covid. Who knows? I say disappointed because this is no way to treat a 25 year old bike which one has professed to love. I'm a tidy person, it's not my style to tolerate mess, and yet, here it is in it's most organic form. The one thing I did manage to do was keep the battery charged and the bike will start, but with gummed up carbs, a sniff of throttle kills it. I attempt to take the tank off but the fuel hose from the tap doesn't want to budge so I remove it from the fuel filter at the other end. I have a jug with me to catch the fuel as it comes out but completely forget to turn off the fuel tap itself. It even takes me a second to just put my thumb over the hose to stop it pouring out. I'm very out of practice. Thankfully, I have a little bit full of cat litter and sawdust for situations like this and scatter that around but it's already after eating through a good bit of the floor paint. Ronseal, apparently, doesn't do what it says on the tin, anymore. After cleaning up, I removed the tank, the airbox cover and air filter, grab my can of carb cleaner and give the trumpets a good spray. Again, the bike starts and the fuel pump ticks (it's an aftermarket one, much louder than standard) but even after liberal spraying, it won't manage to reach past 4000rpm. My guess is the high-speed jets in the carbs need a clean, the whole thing needs a clean really. However, after 15 minutes of spraying carb cleaner, running the engine a bit, and breathing air which is now composed of half-burnt petrol, I have to stop. It's been lovely to hear the v-four fire through the unbaffled Delkevic end can and good to think oil has been pumped around the various passages. It's no victory though, and those carbs will need to be pulled off. The whole bike needs a spruce up. Still, there's less winter ahead than behind us, Spring will be here soon, and with it renewal, and longer days. Can that sense of renewal apply to this old 25 year beauty? It's up to me. I really hope so.

Rolled my VFR out into fresh snow for an obligatory photo op !

I’ve had mine checked twice and no adjustment has been required. I wonder if the bikes with tight valve clearances were put together like that.

It has them.... they are slid in and rotated forward under the seat in a tray (very likely). Pretty cool feature.

I have used Chinese rotors in the past with great success.... 5mm thick, stainless steel, machined perfectly flat, have slots to dissipate the heat. They look much like the EBC's but of course are not EBC. Never had a problem with them. Roughly $150-200 per set.

A friend/fellow coach at a track event where it rained...a lot.

It’s Coors Light. Might be best to leave it behind 😂.

You "J" guys need to add a pic so we can tell you apart. lol Currently, it looks like one guy having a conversation with himself. 🙂

Oil checking is measured in cheese rolls....... 🙂 Cycling on saturday morning between 6-8AM is measured in sausage rolls... T'was kinda kinda foggy this morning..

I've been transporting bikes for decades with a soft tie and strap on each grip without any issue (pulling up to tighten). We even hit a deer once and the trailer was up in the air. The bikes did not move. If the straps get wet they stretch out, so monitor that. If it makes you feel more comfy, put two on each side. (Also tie the back down in a similar fashion. On my 5th gen I use the rear peg mounts.) Ensure that the soft ties aren't trying to turn the grips when tight. I usually set the right one so that a little throttle movement is used to keep pressure off of that whole assembly. Make sense?

Here in Oz we rate jobs by how many six packs (beer) you need to complete the task, looks like in the Netherlands they use the sausage roll rating 😂

I checked my original 1990 vfr valves @ 15k. I never went back in. Now at 242,000 miles, I’m thinkin about checking them again

To bmart's point, I think he's implying that you use the strap wrench to rotate the pipe to break the corrosion. Great idea. You don't want to bang on it too much and put dents in it - that will only make it worse. You could also break the clamp tabs off, but you probably won't be re-using it anyway. On re-assembly with your new pipe, some copper or better yet nickel anti-seize can go a long way towards preventing the issue in the future. I remove mine once a season to prevent the pieces from becoming too friendly.

I'll do my best. Great to see you're still on the site Duchy - I recognise your name from when I was a more regular visitor! Here are the two girls in the shed. The 750, in particular, shines up well enough but fairings can hide so much dirt....

I infected my pal with a virus..... The Gilera virus We're gonna pick up the cure on Saturday.

I would just go with the seal kit. 6k is nothing.

You can get them on eBay for about $30 if you don't wanna make your own from the hard lines fittings you are removing. 6-Sigma Block Plates - eBay It's not complicated at all. Just plugging any EXTRA vent or vacuum ports / lines that are left over. Seeing the pile of junk on the floor when you're done is very gratifying. The biggest problem people have is not being able to identify what is a vent or vacuum and what is supposed to remain routed or what is extraneous from the PAIR and/or CA emissions. A methodical, logical approach makes it easy. At least in my experience, but I've probably done more than 10 now, easy.

Goodbye 5 pounds of bullshit. Pulled the carbs and removed the emissions / PAIR CRAP. Later I will remove the hard lines from the heads and use the fittings to create block off plates. Since I can't get to the rear right now I just decided to loop back on themselves, which I've done before.

I source my parts individually. Viton o-rings for the float bowls and fuel / vent cross over tubes. Genuine Keihin jets as needed. Keyster makes decent stuff, but It's still a crap shoot about what you're actually getting. I personally would rather not spend money on "kits" when I might get one or two usable things out of it.

Slomo - I had this exact same thing happen with that dealership TWICE over the last five years. I can tell you exactly what the problem is and how to fix it. The dealership uses several different DBAs (Doing Business As). In my cases, they submitted the paperwork under the wrong DBA each time. You should call the DMV (I'm not sure in your case whether or not you should call WA, or OR or both) and tell them it is taking forever to get your title and you talked with someone who had the same issue and resolved it by clearing up the DBA issue. In my cases, the DMV looked up the business name info, found there were multiple names, and contacted the dealership to ask them to resubmit the paperwork under the correct name. Good luck. The sad part of this story is the dealership knows they have a problem, but no one is willing to own the problem and fix it. They just deal with the shit show that ensues every time they happen to use the wrong DBA. The good part of the story is you probably did get the last new Interceptor in the country. I bought one from them when they had three or four left and was happy to get it.

any recommendations for top-case or saddle bags???

Yes, the front wheel was strapped with a piece of 2x4 to prevent the bike from going to far forward and crunching the lower fairing. It secures the bike so well that I decided to strap the handlebar further sideways for less side to side. Also, the rear straps on the peg were very good with side to side as well. She sat in the garage for a long time. PO tried to get back into riding a couple of years ago, gas tank was rusted and he tried to fix it. Gave up and she sat for another year before I bought it yesterday. It has 22k miles, bike is rust free(I checked) except for the gas tank. I just spent the whole morning giving her a check-up. Everything is all good except for the gas tank and carbs. She idles beautifully with starting fluids. A big thank you to you guys for helping me getting her home safely. Now the work begins and I am going to need your help again figuring out what's missing on the fuel system

Just thinking out loud, could it be that the salesman is no longer working there? They don't usually last long. Anyway, a vehicle dealer has a dealer's license, in this case from the state of Oregon. That can be in jeopardy if they are not properly acquiring title to inventory and processing it for purchasers. If it were me I would go on the state of Oregon's website, find the department that licenses vehicle dealers and place a call. Explain your situation and see if they advise you on next steps. Best of luck with it.

Riving ban???? Did you get caught doing 130MPH "on a dark desert highway"???

FWIW, the following information (relating to an RC36) is from my bearings page: Steering stem bearing—upper angular contact ball 91015-KT8-005 32005X Japan MCI 26 47 15 (note ID—must be 26mm) steering stem bearing—upper tapered roller 91015-425-832 N/A 26 47 15 (note ID—must be 26mm) steering stem bearing dust seal—upper 53214-KA4-701 N/A 27 48 4 metal ring with rubber edge steering stem bearing—lower angular contact ball 91016-KT8-005 32006JR Japan MCI 30 55 17 steering stem bearing—lower tapered roller 91016-371-000 N/A 30 55 17 (32006JRRS— has integral dust seal) steering stem bearing dust seal—lower 53214-371-010 N/A 31 56 4 metal ring with rubber edge Those are the Honda part numbers and the bearing dimensions/names of the steering stem bearings (both tapered and ball). IIRC, US dealers used to get their tapered sets from wholesale suppliers like K&L or Parts Unlimited. I've had those sets in the past, and one of the brands I know of was Parts Plus (they were, like All Balls, simply re-packaged industrial bearings--in this case, the bearings were manufactured by MCI, which is a Koyo subsidiary in Italy). Ciao, JZH

Cut and weld the righthand side of the rack so it sticks out a bit more?

Hey Grum. I can provide the 2nd example of that phenomenon. At 30,000 miles (50,000 or so km's), I checked mine and found all 8 VTEC and 3 standard valves to be way tight. At first I thought that couldn't be right for all the reasons normally mentioned, including only part time VTEC operation. I thought that I had to be wrong, that I'd made a mistake. So, I made no adjustments and put the entire thing back together. It ran fine, pulled and sounded as before. No issues. When the weather really turned bad and it wouldn't be ridden for some months, I dug in to it again (I was now faster as I was better at it). Same result. So, figuring somehow I was missing something or was measuring incorrectly, I got a friend, a 30 year A&P mechanic who's owned numerous Honda M/C's and wrenched on them personally, to come over and check them. I purposely kept quiet my findings and just told him that I was struggling with the check and if he would have a look. I didn't influence him in any way to be looking for what I thought was happening. I had cams in and pins out of the VTEC buckets so he'd have to do everything except strip the bike down. I left him with tools, pin latches, the procedure and explanatory working of the VTEC latches. I then left him for a several hours with some pizza and cold snacks. When I came back he had finished measuring, but the cams were still in and he hadn't removed the latch pins. I asked him "so, what did you find?" As he handed me the paper with his measurements he replied "your 8 VTEC buckets are tight and you have 3 of the others that are tight." Looking at his measurements, they weren't quite identical to mine, but they were very close and the other 3 he measured as tight were the same ones I had. I still do not know what could have caused that and it still seems counter intuitive. It's a very expensive fix as the VTEC buckets are over $250, significantly more if purchased at list price. The bike's back together and running, though I've had a hard time reconciling how owners have run them over 100,000 without adjusting the valve with no issues. I can't speak to anyone else's bike - that was just my experience with it.

I do this on the back.

That's how I've it done for years too. Transported a LOT of bikes for the shop. Some bikes I double wrapped the strap for more tie down length for other issues and for more cinching area cuz I was extra nervous on some grips (not my bikes). Rear peg mounts with additional soft straps nearly every time. Gives you a little more forward pressure cuz sometimes the fronts are going pretty much down and slightly forward depending on the rig.

What-in-the-actual-fuck. It's a goddamn fuel injected Honda. I wouldn't take ANYTHING to that place. That's bullshit. "technicians". Riiiiiigggghhhhht. Fucking lot boys sounds like. There isn't any system on that bike that a "technician" shouldn't be familiar with and able to service. And for that matter, "manager". Another joke. You can learn new things. Get a Service Manual and start small. Or drive farther to a REAL Motorcycle Shop.

You are NOT being overly paranoid. Search "Canyon Dancer" tie down.

VFR's afik, are all shim-under-bucket. Being a little loose is better than tight, but more noisy. As valves slam into seats year after year, they seat deeper and the clearance gets tighter. The lash could eventually get tight enough that it prevents the valve from sealing and you end up with a burned valve. I don't think I've ever seen a VFR engine that burned a valve. We have Baileyrock's zillion mile engine and now 3rdgenred's that haven't been checked and are probably tight, but they keep going and going and going.

It’s a deluxe. 2 miles on the ticker, and a new bike warranty. They are still looking for the cowl, but I have mine from my old bike, just in case. The dealer thinks it’s the last new one in the US. I don’t know how to confirm that.

I use a rubber strap (oil) wrench on mine when it gets stubborn.

21 is the combination of the outer dust seal and the oil seal. I'd also get 26 which is the copper sealing washer at the base of the fork; you can re-use these but old ones can weep sometimes. If the bike has done a few miles you might also consider replacing the sliding bushes 11 and 12; these are teflon-coated on their sliding faces (outside of 12, inside of 11) and that can wear down over time. You will need a least one litre of your favourite fork oil.

Another place to check would be David Silver spares. He has parts that are nla.

Glad its sorted, thanks for the update. Appears the 7gen is very susceptible to battery voltage. I know that if the ABS light flashes rapidly after engine start that this can also be caused by a failing battery.

winner winner chicken dinner. Many Hondas do this.

Holy Fuck that's nice. Congrats. I would have been driving more with the rear view mirror than the windshield. Good job on the transport, but I hope you had the front wheel strap wrapped with something. I agree with bmart on the angle, more forward helps keep them in place, but you lose a little side to side stability. That's why the Canyon Dancer is a great option in my strap bag when I don't have a plan for a bike because it's new to me, or it's an unfamiliar trailer or truck.

Well, based on all comments and inputs, my 4th Gen seems to be in perfect condition (only 33k miles on the clock). Cold starts within a second at any temperature. No strange noises (only the addictive gear whine!) I guess next valve check will be in 10 years or so.

Put my CGR ‘07 on a tender, no riding or driving for 8 weeks.

Cos I sold the bike.

I have a new in-box fork cartridge kit from Daugherty Motorsports, set up is for a 180lb rider to ride street with some track days. Includes instruction manual. Will be shipped in original box. $350 (plus shipping - US only). Item located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Without pulling an engine, or doing an in-depth leakdown test, there's no way to know if a valve is burnt. A burnt valve will still work, just horsepower will be down a bit due to compression being lower. It's not going to self-destruct, so no telling how many high mileage engines have burned valves. The loss of power would be so gradual as to be virtually unnoticeable.

As much as I hate to say it I think the current 8th gen will be the last of the V4 Sport tourers from Honda. With electric bikes coming in and Europe practically wanting to ban motorcycles outright the future looks bleak. ADV bikes are not for me. These VFRs just make all the right noises. I'll be honest I can go out and buy any bike out there but the VFR checks off all the right boxes for me from looks to engine to handling. Its an all day sport bike for me. These 8th gens are keepers and I'm glad I snagged one. One of my last rides last year was with an Aprilia V4, Ducati V4 streetfighter and Panigale V2. We rode for 3 hours in the twisty rural roads and the VFR performed like a champ. I know for sure after that ride my body was the least fatigued. LOL I'm not saying I will never sell it but the question is what could I buy to replace it. Currently nothing out there for me. Looking forward to the 2022 riding Season. Cheers.

In all fairness, those were some of the worst tires i've ever ridden on. My friend and I tried a set each a few years back and it was terrifying. We tore them off very early and went back to our much beloved Dunlops Roadsmarts. Tons of grip wet or dry, solo or two up, cruising and knees down. I'm amazed every time I ride on current date ST tires.