new member with some questions

[mk1mr2guy]

hey guys, im thinking about buying an 87 interceptor 700, but ive got some questions.....the guy thats selling it says he rode it from montana to wyoming a few times, but that was a couple years ago, and the poor things been sittin for like three years...he says it needs to have the carbs rebuilt, but im thinkin theyre prolly just gummed up. i guess someone tried to steal it last year, and they broke a key off in the lock cylinder....so how hard is that to fix?....id rather take the lock apart and get that key out, and then get a new key from the dealer....but ill buy a new one if i have to....also need to find out what to look for....i dont know much about bikes, so what should i look for when i go look at it....just if theres any telltale signs of bad-ness. if youve got links, or any other sites that might help me out, please do tell. thanks guys

luke

[pontiacformula99]

The switch isn't hard to get to, or out... As for the boken key that might suck, and getting a new key from the dealer is probablly out of the question, too old, but a good locksmith can fix that no problem... The carbs are a pain but not a deal breaker for the right price. Mine ('87 700) needs a good carb clean'n and I think I got a few quotes for around $250 but I had to supply all the parts. Most bike shops (retail) won't touch anything over 10 yrs old, too hard to get the parts. You can pick up the parts that they tell you to get from Motorcycle Parts, Motorcycle Accessories by BikeBandit.com

Be sure and check the tank for rust, change the oil, fill the coolant, replace the fuel filter, and check the intakes under the air filter for rats nest and trash before you try to start it...

I love my '87 and would trade it for anything... I might get a new bike but NO WAY would I give up my old school...

How much is he asking for it? I have $1,700 in mine, including paint, and a few aftermarket parts....

[mk1mr2guy]

well, hes askin 650....so i think the price is right....on most of the lock cylinders ive seen, the wafers all come out and everything, so im hopin i can get it apart.....is there a way to just clean the carbs vs. rebuilding them? just so theyre clean enough that itll run? thanks alot

[kallyjk]

I just picked up the same bike. I tore the carbs apart this weekend and it really isn't that hard. I have never taken a carb apart before and I managed. As long as you have some mechanical skills and a diagram of the carb it shouldn't be a big deal. Also there are some threads on here talking about cleaning them. Syncing them may be an issue, you can either pay someone to do it, buy the tool to do it, or make a tool to do it. Lots of ways you can go.

Other things to look at would be check the tires, even if they have good tread, check for cracking in the sidewalls and other places. Figure atleast $100-$300 for a set of tires depending on what you are looking for so add that to the cost of the bike right off the bat if they are old or in bad shape.

Also, check around all the seals to see if there are any leaks coming from or around the engine. Check the condition of the chain, may be rusted bad or not so much. You may be able to just clean it and re-oil and be good, but you may need to replace.

You can push the bike and see if the engine turns over while in gear. Should give you an idea if the engine is seized.

I am pretty new to bikes as well, but those are things I checked for. I picked up mine and the battery had a little charge so I was able to engage the starter and turn the motor over with the run switch in the off position. Hopefully some more experienced people will chime in for you.

[mk1mr2guy]

nice...thanks....where did you find a diagram of the carbs? happen to have a link on syncing them?

[JasonJ]

The hardest part of VFR carb work is removing them. Since the bike is a V 4 it takes some gentle prying to pop the rack out. once you get to it (fuel tank and hoses remove, airbox and intake removed. DO NOT TOUCH THE LINKAGE ADJUSTMENTS and you should not have to re-sync them. Thre are two screws on the two out board carbs that bolt to the two inboard carbs, loosen them and the carbs will articulate enough for you to remove the aluminum intake and remove them from the boots. Once out, oun at a time, remove the carb bowles, remove, and clean the brass. Thre are two brass jets in each carb, the Pilot jet, and Main jet. the PJ is the one most often clogged, since its the smallest bore, and cause bad or no cyl fuel at idle. I use one strand of bike brake cable to poke then clean the jets. Cut one strand with cutters about 4" long, put it through the hole, hold one end in each hand, and spin the jet with your fingers while sliding it from side to side. You can chuck the cable strand in an electric drill as well, that works well, just beware of breaking the strand, its shap as hell and will find its way into your body if at all possible. Hold them up to the light to check how big the opening is, clean it, then hold to light again, you will be amazed at how restricted they get. Poke the strand down and into the pj and mj passages to clear all build up. Break clean or eather works well as a solevent.
Installing the carb rack is a trick as well. I use a soft piece of pine wood to lay on the carb openings. Use light grease on the boots, and laying the wood across the front set of carbs with a rubber mallet, tap them home. Repeat for the back set. Replace the airbox intake side with light grease and tapping with wood and rubber mallet.
DONT FORGET TO THEN TIGHTEN THE OUTBOARD CARB THROUGH MOUNT SCREWS. you may want to use some light weight lock tight (yellow or green) or silicone. I have had these come out in the past and cause erratic throttle behaviour since the carb moves when the linkage is turned if they are not braced together.

Its not "hard" work but you should be precise, clean, and consistant. Do it all in one sitting, clean all parts before removal. cover the bare intakes with sandwich bags and rubber bands to prevent junk from getting in the intake. Dont ever bang on cast aluminum (carbs and intake) with bare metal hammers or tools, it will crack or break. dont over torque screws, hand tight is most times ok. USE A HAMMER HIT IMPACT DRIVER TO REMOVE PHILLIPS HEAD SCREWS!!!!!!! If you try to take parts like the intake or even the carb bowls off with a regular screw driver, there is a very good chance you will round out the head. Most of the above mentioned fasteners have lock tight on them, just dont even look at them with out an impact driver. Sears has them for $25. They don't know they have them, and you usally will have to order them from the catalog, otherwise some dope in a smock will try to sell you an air gun, you need a static impact driver. One of the best tools you can ever buy.

Also, I have done carb work on my VFR and after putting it all together, found the stress of the job had cracked the plastic inter carb fuel T fittings. they get old and brittle with the fuel, heat and time and are fragile. Check them for cracks and leaks after install. You can check them before you bolt on the intake if you supply fuel vial a test tank rig. Also, dont try to sync the carbs with the airbox and filter off, it changes the vacume signifigantly.

[kallyjk]

This is what I used as a guide

http://users.rcn.com/kochc/moto/carb/carb.html

I didn't take the rack apart though. I just did them one at a time and they actually were not that bad. Just had one pilot jet that was pretty much completly plugged up. The others had some gunk, but really not that much. There are a couple other threads on this board and others about syncing the carbs.

[VFRstar]

About the key, a locksmith has a tool called a key extractor. Provided the key isn't bound in there too bad, they can just pull the broken key out. Then you can get them to make you a new one using that broken key. :)

[squirrelman]

JasonJ......i've always sweated more getting carbs on than off !! Always!

[mk1mr2guy]

nice thanks guy....i guess im gonna get it...seems link theres enough info here to get it runnin no matter what...

[pontiacformula99]

Let's see some pic's when you get'r home... And keep us posted on how the clean'n goes. I might try to do mine myself if you get thru it...