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Huge loss, always eager to provide detail info/solutions. Excellent teacher.

You'll need to get the carbs off the bike to be sure. I believe the wisdom around here is not to unbolt the carbs off the plenum chamber under the airbox; that puts stress on the tubes that connect the carbs fuel supply, which I circled in red. I believe those are plastic, with o-rings. https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-vf700c-magna-1985-f-usa-california_model7599/joint-setfuel_16026mb0671/

Ok agreed, it's maybe not a 'sport bike'. I should have said it's my first bike that's liquid cooled and designed to go fast. Thanks for the intel! Yes, the fuel pump happily clicks along as gas pours out. It doesn't feel like overflow just based on the rate. I think it's a crack or busted O-ring somewhere. I'll start taking it apart tomorrow and report back what I find. it looks exactly like that pic, even the merlot color. Just no fairing or saddlebags.

The black engine cases and "black chrome" mufflers are perfectly stock for non-US markets, see my old photo below, all stock (barring the Motul sticker and the frame/pack). Having the clutch cover text picked out in white is not original. Looks like a Givi rack on the back. Bridgestone make some great BT46 tyres in the correct stock sizes.

We're all friends here, don't sweat it. So your bike should look like this: At the risk of sounding like a pedant, that is not really a sport bike! The C designation refers to the "custom" style of small rear wheel, high bars and raked out forks. I think there will be a fair bit in common with the VF750S Sabre. Welcome aboard.

I have an American spec 86 VFR750 in the garage, had an 87 VFR700 for about 8 years or so. Rode the heck out of the 87, not had the 86 on the road. They are good bikes, as Terry noted Honda threw the wallet at the 86's because of their issues with cam wear and cam chain issues on the first Gens. They needed to restore confidence in their engineering reputation. So after dabbling with Gear Driven Cams on the 85 VF1000R, they did the same on the VFR 700/750 series. They also got Nissen calipers instead of Honda's If you are dead set on a Vintage V4 Honda this is a pretty good looking example. The Rothmans livery looks good, I noticed they repainted the mirrors and the front turn signals blue to match, both were black oem. The exhaust may have been ceramic coated? the oem was chrome. The windscreen is aftermarket tourer, the rear rack I do not recognize, but looks substantial and rugged. The red dot marking the lightest point on the rear tire is perfectly aligned with the valve stem, so some one was minding their P's and Q's The engine covers have been painted also, the oem's were a grey sandcast, I would look carefully and ask why. I would also question why 12 owners.....? Also realize that Honda from 1983 to 1989 used a 16" front rim with an 18" rear on Interceptors, which makes tire choices......interesting. I spent most of the summer of 2016 on a ship based out of Alesund, and in 2017 Alesund and Bergen. It was obvious the cost of living was substantially more than where I live, and I saw virtually no motorcycles despite it being summer while I was there. I assume these factors play a part in the price, especially for a rare bike like the 86 VFR750. In short, if this is the bike of your dreams ,do a bit of due diligence about ownership and why the covers got painted (crashed?) and if satisfied, buy it. I will add the following since you are obviously really interested in VFR's. This bike is a second Gen VFR, double sided swingarm, odd tire sizes, but a great bike. In 1990, the 3rd Gens arrived with a single sided swingarm, a 17"/17" tire set that ran a 180/120 instead of a 130/110 tire set. The suspension was better, as were the brakes, from the 2nd Gen plus you are not looking at a potentially expensive rim swap down the road. I had a 91 when I was in England, I bought a 90 after that and imported it from Canada. I have a 97 (4th Gen} here in Maine. Between the 3, I have personally ridden 81,000 miles (129,000 km). In my opinion they are a step up from either my First Gen (83) or second (87). Just my opinion if you are looking long term riding a VFR.

I apologize, this line of bikes is new to me. It's a VF700, I think. VIN starts with JH2RC21 Title says it's an 85 VF 700C. I tried to attach a pic but the upload failed. I'll try again in a subsequent post.

86 VFR700: 84 VF700F: Very different beasts; the 83/84 have chain-driven cams, steel frames and the half fairing. The 86/87 has an alloy frame, gear-driven cams and full fairing. There are no interchangeable parts so you need to know what you have. The VIN tag will have a code starting with RC, the next two numbers tell you which model you have. The older one is RC15, the 86/87 is RC24 or RC26.

Cool. They are "fun" to bring back into good, rideable condition, but also exhausting (patience and money). Just to clarify for future comments and help... Is it actually a 1984 VF700F? They are not "VFR"s.

Sad news. RIP Grum!

Fuel leaving the carbs can be either the overflow (when the float valves are stuck/leaky) or the o-rings on the fuel distribution pipe or cracks in the plastic the pipes themselves, or just leaking float bowl gaskets The fuel pump will keep clicking merrily along until it encounters resistance to flow, which should be when the float valves seal shut.

Hi, I just picked up an 84VFR 700 for $500. I've done lots of work on old air cold Hondas, but this is my first real sport bike. With the key on you can hear the fuel pump running and gas is pouring out of one of the carburetors, or all of them. I'm planning to rebuild them and I assume I'll figure out what's wrong when I'm in there, but I wanted to see if anybody had any input or advice just out of the gate. If anyone has seen this behavior before. It seems like it'll be a fun project bike.

sad and sorry i consider him our #1 ultimate electrick expert among our members who knew everything we'd need to know about keeping our old bikes running and alot more. were going to miss his knowledge fund.

Very sad to hear Grum has passed away. I always enjoyed his methodical way in helping others troubleshoot their (mostly) electrical troubles. He will be missed.

RIP Grum. Sad news indeed.

Honda threw everything at the 86 VFR to repair reputational damage caused by the previous 83 VF750F. As a result, the 86 is built to a great standard and proved to be very well engineered. Mechanically they are very reliable, but bear in mind you are looking at a bike nearly 40 years old so especially rubber components like fuel and coolant hoses may need replacement. Otherwise , JUST DO IT! I love the paint job, if the bodywork is in good shape then it looks like a decent option. I replaced my 86 with a 99, it's no faster but I prefer the later models.

Well damn. I had feared that this would be the case, as I know he was undergoing treatment (I think for prostate cancer) and that had been putting quite a kink in his riding. He also reckoned it was making him a bit moody as some noob electro-questioners may have noted last year. I never met Graham in person but we had corresponded regulalrly over at least 10 years through this site. He was always a gentleman and I'd like to think a good mate. I believe he had had retired from a career as an electronics technician, hence the depth of his knowledge around autoelectrical stuff. Graham was always unfailingly helpful and surprisingly patient, even when people failed to take his well-informed, FREE advice and step-by-step fault finding suggestions. I too will be raising a toast to his memory. We've lost a true champion. Thanks to VFR78 for sharing this sad news. RIP Cousin Graham.

Sorry to hear this. RIP Grum and thanks for all the knowledge you provided over the years.

Shit. Fuck cancer. :-( He was an amazing source of knowledge and seemed to be a genuinely pleasant and helpful person. I will be lifting one to Grum this evening.

Very terrible news. Was wondering lately why we hadnt heard from him. He will be missed. RIP Grum..

$3700 US While a bit expensive for that bike here, it's not in the ridiculous realm. And that one seems to be pretty nice with a well done paint scheme. So if bikes are expensive there, it's likely priced somewhat reasonably, hopefully with some haggle room. The RC24/26 is a good machine, I own four.

The VIN plate says that the bike is a 1998 model and was originally intended for sale into the England, France, European Direct or North Europe regions. Narrowing it down further would require some sleuthing, such as taking the fairing apart and checking the markings on the back of the instrument cluster and the headlight. (But if the clocks are KM-only, you can rule out the England region.) (Of course, if someone has changed any of the parts, all bets are off!) FYI, there were only three VFR800Fi colours in 1998: Italian Red (R-157), Sparkling Silver Metallic (NH-295M) and Mute Black Metallic (NH-359M). Ciao, JZH

Doesn't seem to be an import. First time registered in Norway: 25.04.1986 Plates have been taken off in September 2024. VIN:RC242004911 Number of Owners: 12 Last owner had it for 7 years, and owner before that had it for 5 years. Bikes are bit expensive in Norway, and this one is advertised for 2.800 GBP.

Another loss to the community

Looks tidy, import from Japan? How much is it?