Counterbalance

This is very helpful, thanks! I’ll look into the matting and talk to my painter about heat sensitivity. On my lower fairings, most attachments are riveted. Drill out and rivet in place on the new fairings the way to go there?

I’ve got three pieces coming - the left and right lower fairings and the street tail section. (VFR7502, VFR7503, VFR7504S) Still waiting to to hear back from info@bike-decals.com

Thanks. I’ve never done a fitment with aftermarket fairings before - How hard could it be, right? 🤓 I feel pretty confident with matching up holes and slots, etc. The cut out for the tailight should be interesting but what I lack in experience I can make up with sanding - nice long straight lines. I am a little curious about what i will replace the padding mat on the lower fairings with and also how it will come together without the little nubs that pop into the frame grommets. Is there a way to epoxy in replacements? I don’t want rattles!

Air Tech fairings ordered and should be around a month out. That will give me enough time to get the mechanicals nailed down and do the frame detailing and electrical checks. I’m going to get it looking good and reliable and then see how I feel. I actually really like white pearl and gold so I’m sticking with it. I got the tank rinsed and clean yesterday and I tried cleaning up some of the cockpit area. The Vaseline trick on the handlebar switch assemblies was surprisingly good and I tried my hand at some plastic restoration - not too bad. Needs a bit more work but I like the subtle blue coming out. Chain, tires, hydraulic rubber, carb rubber and a few sundry items en route. Still waiting for the ignition switch. I’m going to make some lower fairing mounts to replace the missing left and damaged right ones. That will be a fun little lathe project!

What? I should’ve bought a Harley? 😳 I rather think of it as trying to avoid mistakes that there’s no need to pay for. How’s that? I do hope that I’m not the last owner, and that the next guy will thank me (instead of curse me) the deeper he gets on his restoration. I can live with the losses if I’m living that way. 👍 Factory manual arrived today. Here we go!

Thanks! I just discovered V4dreams and have been “researching” there a bit. Looks like Mr. Nelson has found a KIA paint that’s a very good match for the ‘86 white pearl. That’s encouraging! If my rear cowl is cracked but complete, is it acceptable to repair and repaint it or does that detract significantly from the value going forward? I’m pretty inexperienced with VFR’s and “the rules”.

Ok, I’ll admit to being a bit of an OEM slave. My thinking is that you have to be pretty damn good to do better than Soichiro! Plus, part of what motivates me is preserving these bikes as they were intended. That said, it isn’t always practical (nor as much fun) as digging in and modding-out. From a standard of perfection, this bike is pretty rough for as low mileage as it is but if it’s a good running motor and suffers little from age, I think it could be a candidate to return to stock and very presentable condition. It won’t be me who makes it a show bike; I collect these bikes to ride after all. Alternatively, some of the items in great shape on this bike (exhaust, upper and mid fairings) could be sold to fund some engine work and tuning improvements. Hard to say - let’s see if it runs first! Got the keys cut today and gratefully it also worked for the fill cover (although I was sweating at first because it was quite stuck). I looked inside and... not too bad! Any reason not to fill it up with my vinegar wash for a couple days?

I’ve been poking around looking at fairings. If my goal is original replication, whose got the best product? I guess nobody offers a finish painted option? To do it right, I’ll need both left and right lowers and the seat cowl. The rest of the plastic is really good so there is plenty of incentive to stay with the stock look but I could be convinced to pull it all off and go with a full aftermarket hot rod look too. Thoughts please?

👍

That’s a great idea. If I ever re-sell it, I’d rather not need to explain why the keys are different. I’ve got a good locksmith nearby and I picked up a couple blanks and will get them cut to match the seat lock (and presumably the tank) on Monday. Thanks!

Does this look like the thing? Says for a cb600f ‘87 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332602537716

Ahh, got it. I’ll do that. What about ignition assembly? Is there a source for such things? My hondaparts supplier for OEM is zero. Europe?

Yes, of course but I can drill that out if needed and find a keyed replacement or go with keyless aftermarket.

Seat lock is already removed - I just don’t have a key for it.

Sorry, keys AND ignition switch are long gone. I need ignition w/ key at the very least and bonus for tank and seat lock.