Matt Tries – 1984 VF500F Overhaul

Thanks for the suggestion on the RuGlyde. I'll pick some of that up when I grab some more brake fluid this week. I was looking at some tire waxes and whatnot on Amazon, but I can't really make sense of which to get. So I'll try some of that stuff.

I will get that tire heated up, the opposite end bead in the drop center, and the bead pulled over. Going to wait on new rim protectors to show up because mine maybe kinda this past weekend. Not that I haven't already dinged the hell out of it, lol.

 

Hmmm, wished I would have known you had that FZR, I prolly would have bought it. Que sera sera.

 

"I want to get a track bike to truly learn how to ride and get over my fears of leaning... and that FZR wasn't the bike to do it."

I don't understand this. The FZR is a pretty capable package, it already had bodywork issues, and you didn't have a bunch of money into it.

 

Knowing your attention to detail, I think it would have been a pretty expensive platform since a lot of it is in pretty rough shape. It didn't feel appropriate putting it up for sale on "VFRWorld", but perhaps I should have. Sorry.

I think it was going to take me at least several hundred more investment in changing out the controls and cables, new fairing mount, new windscreen, frame sliders, and other items before I'd feel comfortable taking it to a track. The mis-matched 18R 17F tires also really limited options.

Maybe I made a mistake, but I think a lighter, less-powerful, and more contemporary bike with better parts availability makes more sense. I just don't think I was going to get to a comfort level with that particular bike--not with how raw it is and how many little mechanical things I know I'd need to address. You've got me second guessing myself, but I don't necessarily think it was a bad decision.

 

If you didn't feel like it was the bike for you, you're already at a disadvantage trying to extract the capability out of it. I raced against (and ridden) FZR600 and FZR400/600 builds, and they are good. But they still couldn't beat me on my 500!! But that was more about me being a better rider and super comfortable on my little 500. They would pass me later and later on the long straight in the early laps, but I would get them back in 1 to 3 turns and extend my "lead" every lap in the corners, until they couldn't see me anymore.


Don't overthink it, you did what felt right at the time. Now get back to work!

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Cap. That picture is awesome. I absolutely believe that comfort and ability would outpace raw power--that's the main reason I want to get onto a track. I've lost a lot of my confidence, and I can't work out why. Not sure if it's age and responsibility or what. But I know it's just a mental block, and I think verifying my limits in a controlled environment would solve it for me. Hell, when I was 19 I ran down a guy on my 500 that robbed my house in college in between classes, and got our Nintendo back. Now I'm worried about school buses of children that don't exist, so the cautiousness of my riding detracts from the enjoyment.

Anyway.

What a colossal amount of time I wasted trying to bring back that knackered master cylinder. I bought a reproduction master cylinder that showed up today. I installed it and had a firm brake lever in probably 20 minutes. I guess that's all part of it--at least I have a better understanding of how a master cylinder functions now.



Onto the exhaust next. Will be cutting slits on the 1/3 downpipe sections to allow the clamps to work, and hopefully keep it in place and have everything align correctly. Should be warm enough to spray in the garage this weekend, and I'll be able to knock out the synchronization as well.

 

These "Sutekus 2PC Set Tire Changer Tire Bead Clamp Drop Center Tool" for $23 made tire installation much, much easier (in a relative sense). Still need to run out and grab some better lubricant than soapy water, just haven't gone to the store yet.



Got most of the rust and old paint removed from the exhaust, but now I've got to get a little more aggressive with the orbital and dremmel. I need it to be over 60°F to spray, and it should hopefully be warm enough this Friday. I wish those exhaust collars were more like the stock ones...

 

I've got a brand new Brembo RCS17 radial, still in the box, that I don't plan on using and might be persuaded to sell....but I would guess you would think that was overkill

 

In a word... yes. Hah. Someday I'd like to get to where I could appreciate the technology, but for now I think I'll choose to live vicariously through you guys. I read your posts with several tabs open to Google so I can lookup what you're talking about most of the time. It's funny, my friend works in a dental place that makes implants and whatnot asked me about removing corrosion from titanium because I always sing the praises of Evapo-rust. The first thing that came to my head was your RVF400 build. I just assumed there's titanium in there somewhere, and you'd know how to clean it.

I just told him to put a disposable chunk in vinegar to see what happens. After looking more into it, sounds like strong acids will clean it so long as they're paired with an inhibitor or else the substrate will be damaged.

Not really sure why I felt that story was worth sharing, come to think of it.

 

Finished up with the exhaust. It's not the greatest paint job, but it should do its job of halting the rust for a while. Took way more elbow grease than I thought it would to get rid of all the rust and prep the surface. I still need to cure it on the bike, but that will happen sometime this week. Done with VHT rattlecan primer and black topcoat. Really happy to not see that glowing orange rust color anymore. Doubt the topcoat will be that durable, but the primer usually stays pretty good.




But just as importantly... the alignment issue with the exhaust has been resolved. I took the advice to slit the mating portion (hacksaw) and ordered some clamps. I don't think I'll have an issue with the exhaust falling down as these were able to tighten up pretty well.

 

Good job! Ideally it's best to drill a hole first and then cut down to it to prevent propegation, but you likely won't have any long term issues when it's in the clamp area. I've done it both ways.

And if you need just a little more clamping pressure, just cut another couple slits.

 

Ahhhhhh... that is why you recommended drilling the holes first. I couldn't work out exactly why, but I figured it was because it would give more play for the tabs to clamp at the base if the holes were drilled wider than the saw blade. I questioned my ability to cut straight down to actually hit the holes.

These clamps were the right way to go though, so thank you very much for the suggestion. I pulled on the exhaust quite hard after tightening the clamps, and they weren't budging. Previously they were falling on their own.

 

Finally got the carburetors into a decent synchronization. It's not perfect, but this was honestly the best I could do in the afternoon. The manual states they need to be within 60 torr to be considered sync'd. The throttle feels substantially snappier now, and the revs come back down way quicker. So I'm happy with the results.



What I'm not impressed with is the $72 Motion Pro 90° tool. The $12 bendy screwdriver with a 9/32" socket (7.14mm instead of 7.00mm--made it easier to get onto the sync screws) was quite simple to adjust #1/3 carburetors. That Motion Pro tool is a nightmare to get onto that #2 carburetor screw, and I was basically incapable of adjusting it while the bike was running because it required bumping the screw upward to connect which rev'd the engine. So I was very often stopping and starting the bike. Probably 15 times. I think a little less stiff bendy screwdriver would be better and much more economical. I suppose that's not actually the tool's fault, just the orientation of the carburetor.

But anyway. It's done. And I now know that that Yuasa battery is quite capable! That thing didn't complain at all.

I kept thinking about Happy Gilmore after he sunk his first hole-in-one. "That was so much easier than putting, I should just do that every time!". Except in this scenario taking that first shot from the tees (idk golf terminology) is the bench sync, and vacuum synching is putting. Will put more effort into nailing the bench sync next time.

 

Yeah, I bought that tool also and it DID NOT work very well. Total hit or miss to hit that #2 screw. I finally got it but like you said it took 15 tries while lying on my back. I also noticed my vacuum level was way lower than yours, about 4-5" Hg not the 7-8" Hg you have. Turns out it does not matter because I blew the head gasket today and out comes the engine again!

 

Mr. bad luck.

 

Awe dammit man, I'm sorry to hear that. That's a gut-punch to read after following along with how much work you've put into that bike. I'm sure it looks far more disappointing and puzzling from your eyes. At least you're going to come out of this experience as a VF500F bastion of knowledge if that's any consolation. It'll make it that much sweeter when you have it right knowing the sweat you put into it.

Regarding the vacuum readings... I'm betting that our vacuum was different because of two variables. Engine speed and exhaust. Depending on where your RPM was set, that vacuum number will be different. I was trying to stay around 1300 RPM, but I'm not positive where it was when that picture was snapped. And 2, I have a different exhaust system than you so even if we were at the same engine speed, there may have been a different volume of air flowing through. I don't think the discrete vacuum value matters as much as the variance between the readings though.

I actually had a moment where I almost shit myself during the sync... I had put that Motion Pro tool onto the #2 sync screw and started the bike. I didn't realize that the tool pushed the throttle valves all the way open and as soon as I hit the starter, the damn thing went right to redline. That was the moment that taught me I need to be very light with the Motion Pro which made it that much more difficult.

Hope you're able to get the head gasket issue resolved without too much trouble.

 

Thanks, It's all good, I am going to strip it down completely and paint the frame. It's the journey not the destination, right?????

 

a newer bike which runs is a good idea IF u wanna ride.

 

I have to remind myself of that--and how long it takes to repair drywall--pretty much every time mechanical things don't go my way.

If any pieces would be of any use... Idk why I've been hauling this engine around for about 10 years nor do I really understand how I came into possession of it. But I believe it's a 1986 VF500F engine based on the oil sump size. And it has an exploded piston. What's wild is that it still turns by hand quite easily.

Anyway, point is that it has all the engine studs on it. And I also have an extra set of head gaskets because I ordered a 1986-specific set of Vesrah gaskets inadvertently. Not sure if they're the same as the 84-85 model (most of the gaskets are, but the valve cover gaskets are different). If there is anything of use to you between the head gaskets or the mystery motor, let me know and I'll send it your way.