'86 Interceptor orphan rescue...beware bikes that arrive in bins!

Now that I've started working on the bike, I'm moving updates from my intro thread into the project forum.

I've been a member of VFRWorld for a while, but I haven't had anything to contribute yet. My '95 VFR hasn't really needed any major work, and everything that goes wrong with these bikes has already been exhaustively covered here. But all that's about to change! I picked up my '86 hard luck case last month. It needs a lot. :black_eyed: Once I decide where this bike is heading, it'll definitely need parts. Helpful tips & hints couldn't hurt - this is a great place for expert advice. I'd suspect a lot of luck, a little ibuprofen, and some backbone will also be required. I'm going to stock up on beer too. It's good for the backbone.

So here's some pics for y'all. First, the '95 that got me hooked:


Next, the poor abused '86:






It's in really rough cosmetic shape. When I went to check it out, the PO pulled back the tarp to show me (much) less than half a bike. A VFR is shockingly small without its fairings! Sure, it's definitely seen better days, but under all the clutter and trash it seemed OK. Frame is straight, clean fluids, clean title. What's the worst case scenario? I'm out a few bucks in gas and I have to part it out on eBay? We'd settled on a price, so we tossed it into my minivan and off I went. The only bodywork I have is the upper front fairing, trim plates, and a couple of fuel tanks.

A few bonus parts came along with it too. There's a complete CBR fork swap, matching rear wheel & a set of Kerker pipes. I was told they're CBR F2 parts. They look to be in decent shape. Hopefully they're cartridge forks. Is there any way to tell if they were made after the CBR updated? When was that, '94? I might be rolling on some nice fat radials once I get it all sorted out. Until then, I'll work on getting it rolling & running.

After I brought it home & unloaded it, I started to take stock. Lots of problems. Engine was stuck...spark box has gone missing...then I dropped the fairing and cracked the headlight.
:crushed:

The cams & followers look great, just a touch of rust on the cyl head bolts. Oil was pretty clean and everything looked OK behind the clutch cover. I pulled the carbs and found my problem - the #2 intake valve had rusted shut. Just a stuck valve, no big deal. An overnight soak with PB Blaster and a 2' ratchet wrench on the crank bolt solved that. Nothing unexpected there - this bike sat outside for years. It turns very smoothly now.

So what's next? I usually prefer to tackle the toughest jobs first. And on any V4, that'll be the carbs...I'm sure they'll be a disaster.

 

They are often called "basket cases", for more reason than one. Good luck on your project, always enjoy seeing rebuild projects, great seeing a pile of parts become a running vehicle.

 

Be careful of this dudes pix of his basket case. They link to "Photobucket" a bunch of ads and one of those downloads that are made to look like they eminate from Mircrosoft and could contain all sorts of adware, spyware and other shit that nobody really needs or wants. This particular "free" download poses as an already available on Microsoft facility that is a legitimate repair tool.

The "price" was right. For couple of bucks more the seller would have let him look under the tarp..

 

I am going to follow this one for two reasons:

I would like to see more 4th Gens on the road
And you are in my home town

 

All my links are clean - I just checked them all, they're just pointing at my PB album. Here's the direct link to those pics:
http://s729.photobucket.com/user/desktopdave/library/Honda/1986 VFR700f?sort=2&page=1

See, no tricky spam redirects, malware or anything like that. You might have some spyware hijacking your browser there...some of them will install a proxy redirect, so even if you click a good link you still get hijacked to a malicious web site. I like to use MalwareBytes and ADWCleaner to eliminate link-jacker infections. I also run Firefox with add-ons like Webutation, Ghostery, HTTPS Everywhere and BluHell Firewall to protect myself.

 

Thanks! I love new projects, but I've fallen into the basket case trap too many times. This one is a little darker hole than usual...but it deserved another chance.

Good to meet another Pittsburgher...we've moved all over the country, LOL. It's not too bad here today - mostly sunny and 25degF. A bit too icy & cold for a ride though.

 

More updates!

I tore down the carb rack a few days back...lots of parts! Here they are waiting for fresh o-rings and hardware:


Got started on the hydraulics too. I should have taken some before pics, they were really nasty:


Here's the spares. I'm told they're CBR600 F2 bits:

 

Thanks for the advice and trying to put the horse back in the barn after it ran off. I hope you find parts for those other parts as easily..

 

I grew up in the South Hills. Moved away in 89. Haven't made it back very often, but it is still home.

 

Me too! I grew up in Baldwin. After going away to school I came back. We rented some places in West Mifflin and Whitehall then finally bought a house in Bethel Park. I came pretty close to leaving Pittsburgh several times. Lots of my friends left; a few went west, some went to DC, many moved to Charlotte & Atlanta.

 

I managed to get a little wrench time in today. After sorting out a loose fitting and piecing the master cylinder together, I filled & bled the front brakes. They're nice and firm now. They'll still need to be rebuilt (like everything else on this bike) but that can wait.

I wasn't so lucky with the clutch. I can't get any pressure on the seized slave piston. I even did a reverse pressure bleed on it. I'm pretty sure I can swap a different master onto it - looks much like a V45 Magna or VF700f part. They're probably pretty close to the same bore, stroke and angle. The slave looks pretty unique to this bike, so I'll have to work with what I have. They're usually not this much trouble!

I also solved a little mystery about a few new parts I found in Honda bags...they're the rear axle spacers! So that's been resolved too. The rear wheel now stays put - no more sliding around the axle.

 

When I was very small I lived on Grove Rd in Castle Shannon. Then we moved out to Eighty-Four, Pa in Washington County. I went to a private school that was on the corner of Highland Rd and 19 in Bethel. There are apartments there now. I tried to move back a couple times, but jobs in my field are pretty competitive.

 

The next question should be IMO, are Pittburgers Philly Cheesesteaks?

 

Nope, no way. I know PA looks like one state on a map, but the Allegheny mountains split it into two very different places. Pittsburgh and Philly are entirely different worlds. Pittsburgh is more like Cleveland or Chicago. Philly is more like NYC or DC.

If you're into sandwiches...we have something even more awesome/repulsive than a cheesesteak. If you're in town, be sure you get a Primanti Brother's sandwich (in proper Pittsburghese: "Yinz need a primannis sammitch with a cold iron." Pick a meat flavor from the big board...every sandwich is topped with fries & hunky cole slaw slapped between two pieces of Italian bread. Yum.

The pastrami is especially good.

 

Back to the bike. Today's work was pulling off the rear subframe to check for damage. It's slightly bent, no big deal.

I also pulled the forks back up in the clamps and tossed in a battery. I have lights and a motor that spins. :tickled_pink:

I'll hook up a few other bits later on to test them out.

I also got a lot of work done on the carbs. They're pretty clean but still need a bit of work before final assembly. I was happy to find that all four diaphragms were in excellent shape, and that there weren't a lot of parts missing. The only PO mishaps I found were two stripped screws and a broken fuel tube (I hate those fuel tubes). He had included a partial set of carbs with the bike, so finding some spares wasn't a show-stopper.

After a nice ultrasonic bath, the biggest problem I found was with the #2 carb. It had a sticking throttle plate. I pulled it all apart successfully although I managed to strip one of the throttle plate screws. To make it even worse I went and trashed one of the felt throttle shaft sealing rings in the ultrasonic tank. I was about to give up and replace it with the extra #2 I had, but discovered that carb had a stuck pilot screw. :black_eyed: After scratching my head for a while, I pulled the spare apart and made one good carb from two. :smug:

I also had to replace a few fasteners and a few other little parts along the way. I'm not sure if the bike originally had fuel screens on the float valve seats like all my other bikes did. I swapped them in anyway, here's hoping that gasohol won't eat them up. I'd also like to thank BillyC for his usual prompt service. He's getting even faster with shipping - I had a basic carb kit at my door in less than two business days!

 

Carbs are nearly done. Just have to figure out a little hose routing and a few last screws. They weren't plumbed right on the bike. These carbs are a little different than the earlier V4s I've worked on before.

Clean(ish) carbs.


I also got a few extras with the bike. I think these are Cali carbs, they're similar to the carbs on the bike but have a lot more hoses. Spare parts also included the carbon canister and some sort of a pressure valve.


I picked up this little L&R on eBay a few years back. It makes cleaning carbs (almost) fun. I wish I'd gone a little bigger, but it's been a great investment. It also looks much better in the corner of my garage than in some orthodontic office of torture:

 

Tonight's fun was a little work on the lower plenum. It has a cracked corner. I figured a little time and some JB Weld might do the trick. I didn't have any of the putty epoxy, but the original formula should be OK. So I started off using some painter's tape as a temporary mold to hold the epoxy goo:


Once that set up, I trimmed it a bit. Then I mixed a little more goo and spooned it onto some plastic wrap:


If it works out, great. If not, I can always buy a used plenum on eBay. No harm done by trying, right? :tranquillity:

 

I spent a little time with the controls too. They are very sun faded. I'd seen a few threads using petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to restore them, so I gave it a try. Here's an example from ToeCutter's CustomFighters '86 VFR build. I have to say it worked surprisingly well. It's not a cure-all but it's much better than nothing.
Wipe on:

Wipe off:


I also got the plenum finished. After a bit of trimming, it'll do nicely. A bit of RTV and some drill & tap action should get that squared away.

 

The weather finally gave us a little break. Sunny and 45degF was a great excuse for a little work in the man cave. So instead of working on the bike, I cleaned out the garage today. Anyone need some old 80s first gen V4 parts?

I dug up a lot of V45 Magna and V65 Sabre stuff. Plastics, aluminum trim parts, a transmission or two, and a few heads fully loaded with followers & cams in decent shape. I also split the cases on a POS V65 Sabre I picked up a while back and found what looks to be an undercut tranny. Those big old 1100cc shaftie V4s had major problems with 2nd gear. I guess my next V65 will have that problem solved. :eagerness:

 

Yup....know that feeling. I have a soft spot for the old Kawasaki aircooled bikes of the early eighties. I too bought a mega project bike last fall, a 81 GPZ550. Non runner, but complete and together. Best part though is that somebody spray painted it, the whole thing, with black and gray textured speckled out door lawn furniture paint. And I mean everything was painted, in place. $50.00 out of my pocket and she was all mine! I'll have it complete this spring. It's been an adventure trying to find parts for it. Which I think is actually the funniest part of the restore. I've done a few bikes for friends and members of the VJMC here in Denver, would like to really get this going as a side business. I'm fully tooled to do this, as I used to work as a marine mechanic in the Seattle area a million years ago. Good luck, if you need help ping me.