Looking at a '86 VF500...advice?

[slowbird]

Hi everyone.

I'm new to the board. I've been debating a purchase of a nice 1986 VF500 Interceptor. I thought where better to get advice about this possible purchase.

The seller of the Bike is a Motorcycle tech at a local Motorcycle Shop. He said the Bike was bought for his mom but she didn't like it. Before that another Lady owned it.
So I called the seller to confirm that we're still meeting up. He was rehauling the carbs cause it had been sitting and it was the last of the maintenance/tune up it needed. He did the valve adjustment recently, aswell as all the fluids changed (minus the Clutch fluid) and new pads and fork seals. He is selling it certified.

When I arrived there 5 hours later he rolled the Bike out of the Shop and set it up on it's center stand. I immediatley put my hand on the engine casing and it wasn't warm. (Not stone cold...but not warm or luke warm either)
It started fine with full choke...and would die when you took the choke off. My visual inspection showed no leaks. The pads looked meaty and very new. The body looked to be in good shape. Tires are brand new. The Oil was recently changed so it was golden and clean. Brake fluid was very clear.

He rode the bike off the lot and onto the road for me...it was off choke by then and idling fine. When I sat on it and straightened it to lift the kickstand it died. I looked at the temp gauge and it was still cold. I restarted it...ran fine.

I rode it around the back roads there for about 5 minutes. It rode well...stopped well. It idled at the stop signs with no problems.

When I pulled back up to the shop it was still running good. When I put the bike back on the kickstand the idle changed slightly. But still ran.

He seemed like an honest guy...but I am very trusting.

Any advice on anything else I should be weary regarding these Bikes?
Any other advice in general?
It'll be my first bike and I don't expect it to last forever...I plan to take care of it and I doubt I'll be beating on it...even when I took it for the test ride I was taking it easy.

Thanks for any help/advice that is offered.

[al_r]

I'm a little leary of the idle issue you mention.
Overall, the VF500s are fun reliable bikes, but they are a handful to maintain for a beginner - four of everything in the engine, plus accessibility isn't that great. Many parts (controls, filters, etc.) are shared with other Hondas of the same era, so there is a decent used selection, but there is little aftermarket support.
If there are no leaks and the engine sounds good (meaning no rattles or other noises), I think the engine is OK, but carbs are not a lot of fun to get at & work on. Mines got over 26000 miles, and I don't see it needing any major maintenance.

How many miles and how much is he asking?
By saying certified, is there a warranty?

[TwistedKestrel]

Hi, slowbird, I'm in your neighbourhood. :P

It's hard to say if there's an actual idle issue present. I believe that these bikes run 'cold', and even in warm weather will require some choke to get going. The temp gauge on my VF500 won't budge until I've been riding for a few minutes, then it slowly starts to register. So what you've described could very well be just normal operation for that bike.

As far as things go for stuff to look out for, I believe the rear shocks wear out fairly easily. That's all I can think of at the moment.

If this is your first bike, I'd say as long as you keep in mind that it's over two decades old, it's a great choice. Just be careful: this is one of the few bikes out there with no ignition 'safeties', so always check that your sidestand is up before you ride away, and that you're not starting the bike while in gear!

al_r: Certified just means that it's passed a safety inspection as per Canadian law.

[JamieDaugherty]

Here are a couple of thoughts I have:

1) Just because he's a motorcycle tech does not mean that he knows what he's doing. In fact, my experiences are that most don't know much at all.
2) The idle could be that the carbs need synchronized. This is always necessary after removing them from the engine. It takes a special tool that he should have, but if not he could have skipped it. You might ask him about that part. If he says something about "It didn't need it" or "I did a bench sync" then I'd plan on getting the carbs sync'd properly.
3) The fact that he replaced a decent number of parts tells me that it was 'needy' condition when he got it. It sounds like he did the obvious stuff, especially the ones that you can see or that would leak fluid on the ground. I'd ask about the plugs and air filter. Don't forget to check the condition of the chain and sprockets too.

When someone puts that kind of work into a bike they usually want a pretty penny for it. If the price is right (~$1000-1200) then I say go for it, especially considering that it ran/drove good.

[slowbird]

Originally Posted by TwistedKestrel

Hi, slowbird, I'm in your neighbourhood. :P

Hey! Another Canadian...sweet. Where from exactly?

Originally Posted by TwistedKestrel

It's hard to say if there's an actual idle issue present. I believe that these bikes run 'cold', and even in warm weather will require some choke to get going. The temp gauge on my VF500 won't budge until I've been riding for a few minutes, then it slowly starts to register. So what you've described could very well be just normal operation for that bike.

That is pretty much what the seller said. Almost word for word.


I know that most people "say" they are motorcycle techs. He seemed like the genuine thing...considering he works at a reputable Motorcycle shop in the area.
He mentioned that he Sinc'd the Carbs. His words exactly were: "Synch'ing the carbs on these Bikes are a B**ch."

We walked aound the Bike. The Chain & Sprockets seem okay. Everything seems good to the point where I am worrying what it is exactly that I may have overlooked.

Thanks for all the Advice. Oh...BTW...it has 37,000kms on it.

[Viff]

If it's warm out my 500 will start easy enough with no choke, but it idles at around 1000 rpm until it warms up.

[JamieDaugherty]

1000rpm is a little low for the idle speed, it should be 1200-1300rpm when warm.

[TwistedKestrel]

Originally Posted by slowbird

Hey! Another Canadian...sweet. Where from exactly?

Centre of the universe, aka Toronto.

I can also give you a little more opinion on the bike now, after having ridden it a little more (I haven't owned mine for very long) ... it's a great handling bike, it's so easy to throw around it's almost like you're riding a bicycle. However, I'm not finding it to be too good on the highway ... I'm 6'1", and the fairing doesn't do much for the wind. I've had completely un-faired bikes that were quieter/smoother on the highway ... and it gets tossed around by crosswinds and such.

I'd say it'd be non-intimidating to learn on, a good city bike and a great back-road scratcher. Not so good for any kind of touring.

[slowbird]

It seems like a first bike I will enjoy.

Toronto eh? We should go for a VF cruise once I've gotten more riding experience.

IIRC the Bike idled at 1100/1200rpm when it was warm. He was able to adjust it just by turning something on the side of the engine.

[slowbird]

Well i looked at it again. Same great seller...same great bike...showed me/told me everything.

So I bought it. I finalized the insurance for it today. i will get plates tomorrow during my lunch break at work. Hopefuly he will deliver it to my house tomorrow evening.

[tjwor]

If i'm out of line here just tell me but i'm curious on what you ended up paying for the bike, also how much is your insurance?

[slowbird]

No worries.

I paid $1,500.00. That's with a Saftey certificate.

Bike has 37,000kms on it. Runs like a top. Body and frame doesn't have a scratch. Could use a Polish to bring out the shine though.

Valve Adjustment, Carbs Overhauled and Synch'd. Brand new tires, new Plugs, Brake fluid, coolant, Brake pads etc etc etc.

My insurance is $80/month. That's with Liability and theft. Low deductable.

[stewartj239]

Congratulations on your purchase. It is a great bike. Good power, small in stature and does everything well. It is one of my all time favorites. Good clean ones are hard to come by. Take good care of it.

[slowbird]

Thanks!

I plan to tke very good care of it.

[flameface]

If you ever get back into the carbs, check the float level on each and also make sure one of the floats isn't leaking (gasoline INSIDE one of the floats). When you take a bike off the side stand and it dies, that to me sounds like the carb floats aren't positioned correctly. My two cents...

Great bike, BTW. I had a new '84, rode it, toured it, roadraced it, (crashed it) and enjoyed every minute. The styling is still one of my favorite Honda fours. Much better looking than the bigger Honda fours of that era.

[dizzy]

Sweet deal slowbird. The 86's were the best in the bunch of VF500's IMO...for a bunch of reasons. BTW...I sold my 85 (totally pristine and stock) here in the US a few years ago for 2800 bucks. One of the few motorcycles that don't feel clumsy after getting off my mountain bikes. Stewartj you have an awesome set of motorcycles...I'm jealous.

[slowbird]

Thanks Everyone.

Flameface...I'll look into those carbs.

[okie]

Slowbird, for what it is worth, I wouldn't sell you my '86 VF500 for double what you paid. It sounds like you got a really good bike for a really good price. You're gonna' love it.

[slowbird]

Thanks!

I spent the whole Morning Afternoon riding the Bike. It's Great! I'm learning Alot, and the bike is very easy to handle. It just doesn't like being cold.

I have some questions that I posted here:

Advice for my VF500