Orwell's Interceptor

Looking good. Nice work!

 

Wow, that bike looks amazing. What a difference painting the exhaust made. How many hours did it take you to get it off and back on? Did you take the runners from the rear cylinders off too?

 

The camera is doing a lot of favors to the looks because it's still very rough. The exhaust, collector, and centerstand were serious eyesores though, so giving them some attention definitely makes it more presentable. I still don't know how to deal with the right side frame rust. I'm hoping to do some type of lipstick-on-a-pig coverup to slow the deterioration. I actually have the same type of corrosion on my bike as well. I know that the right way to take care of this is to pull everything and have the frame blasted and powdercoated, but that's not realistic on this project.



Removing the exhaust was a chore but actually smoother than I expected. There was sweat and swearing, but it wasn't terrible. If you're planning on doing it and your bike has RustBelt-salt-on-the-roads corrosion, start shooting PB Blaster now. The exhaust clamp bolts were easy peasy with an impact wrench and a few extensions. The tougher part was getting the collars off. I just couldn't get them to slide. I cracked a weak cats claw trying to do it. The collector I broke loose by knocking it alternating sides with a hammer and a garage door tensioner rod.

The runners I left on. I'm actually not certain if you can remove those without removing the rear shock. There's just no access. They're so hidden that I don't see any way to do it besides committing to pulling the engine. Not sure if I read it here or elsewhere, but the Vance and Hines aftermarket exhaust does not replace those rear headers. I assume because replacing them would make it so much bigger of a job due to no access.

All that being said... with no rust to deal with and doing it for a second time? I bet I could have the exhaust off in well under an hour. First time not certain what I was doing and having 37 years of rust to deal with? Took me a full evening.

 

Is the frame also swollen in the rusted areas?

 

This is the part where you tell me that it is unsafe to ride, isn't it?

... yes, it is. In fact, I never even knew steel could become swollen. I've pulled the through bolt from this section of the frame previously when I removed the subframe on the left side, so it all lines up still. But yea, I was comparing it to my yellow one and I was just perplexed. It was something I was going to ask about, but I wasn't sure if or when I'd get to the point of it being a concern.

Higher definition picture:


My yellow one (not swollen, just the paint falling off):

 

Yours is probably SLIGHTLY swollen too. It's from water being trapped in the frame and freezing and expanding. There was a Honda Service Bulletin regarding this. They added drain holes on later models and provided instructions where to drill. It was stated in the bulletin that it does not make the frame unsafe to use.

You could do some local masking with aluminum foil and paper, and prep and respray those areas. Honda Accurate Silver.

I have a copy of the service bulletin, I'll try and dig it out.

 

Ive always wondered about that frame swelling. I had it on a VF500, in the removable section of the frame. I got a different section of frame for it. I should have cut it in half to see how badly rusted it was, but I didnt.

My concern would be that the frame is swelling like that from rust. If its from freezing I could see that too, but if your in a warm climate, it would be from rust, and then I wonder how safe it is.

 

It's almost certainly from freezing. If the rust was that bad, I would expect to see some rust damage around that weld in the middle. Yet that is the only good section. The metal expanded, paint fell off and it rusted from exposure.

 

Yeah that stock exhaust is heavy. I purchased mine brand new/used a few years ago. Was a dealer take off the guy kept when he added a 4 into 1 and, 30 years later, sold to me off craigslist for a $100 bill (canadian). Still, it has a great sound and as an older rider, I may not be looking for as much speed as some. This looks like a great project. I'm still looking for a centre stand myself -- which also adds a lot of weight, but would be handy for some procedures, just to attach and remove again. Even on ebay, you rarely see fuel valves, mirrors, or centre stands for these classics. Thanks to Captain 80's for posting the service bulletin. Will be checking my frame today to see if I need to drill a drain hole. Just checked and no, hasn't been drilled, but thankfully no swelling. Will get on that this week; not because of any frost issues , but because if I wait I'll forget. Just checked my Clymer manual and there's no mention of this issue. Definitely pays to be on this site.

 

That is so wild. I would have never considered it, yet it totally makes sense. And yes, mine definitely is swollen on the lower frame as well. I guess that explains why the paint flaked off in those spots. I was hypothesizing on why both bikes would have chosen that specific spot to be the worst spot of corrosion, but I couldn't think of anything that actually made sense.

And thank you for saving me the search time on trying to find the color to attempt a touch-up! Got a can on the way.

Coincidently I was reading about freeze plugs in an SV650 engine last week. Never thought to translate that to the frame on the VF.

 

We made it to the gas station today! And probably about 2-3 miles toying around my neighborhood and then a short stint on a 40mph road to bring it up to higher rpm's.

The good: It goes pretty good!
The bad: It doesn't stop at all

My stiff-ish front brake feel went to mush. Came home, bled the brakes again, got a decent feel after a couple bubbles came out. Bled the clutch as well just because the friction zone felt different than mine (still does after), but no noticeable difference after bleeding. It still doesn't stop at all. It's like the pads are contaminated. I've got a new set of EBC pads I was saving for me, but I'll put them in here and bleed again to see if I can get it to work correctly. At least the rear brake works well.

Other observations--

• I'd say it would do well having the steering bearings replaced in the offseason. It just doesn't feel great.
• Clutch friction zone I'm not sure about. It's really, really early in the pull
• Some vibration in the pegs at certain rpm's. I've got the chain set pretty loose and I'm thinking I may need to tighten it a small amount and hit the alignment better.
• Finally burnt out all the evapo-rust and paint overspray in the collector and headers. Lot of smoke and I was worried. After I got home after the longer ride the smoke and the popcorn smell was gone though
• Thought the bike died on me, but I realized the low oil light will kick on and kill the bike if I let the rpm's fall too low (under 900). This happened both times I got back to my house. I had the idle set probably too low because I expected it to drift higher through the whole heat spectrum like my bike does. But this one holds a more stable, predictable idle through the heat range, so I'll bump it 1-200rpm and hopefully that resolves it.
• rpm's drop right back down, so I am pretty content with leaving this at the bench synchronization unless somebody comes over and wants to learn how to do it because I'm not spending an afternoon on my back swearing at screw #2 by myself again.
• I was also really worried that the nylon bushing I sanded down from some shoulder... nylon... thing... I found on Mcmaster Carr and crudely sanded/filed down that connects the carburetor throttle linkage arms seems to be working just fine. \
• The epoxy putty fairing mount I fashioned for the side panel actually seems to be working well despite looking like a funny little sex aid.

The blue collector license plate looks kind of cool on it. Happy to know it can run and move, but a lot more work until it's actually right. I also received the gray touch-up paint for the frame, so I'll have to figure out how I'm going to deal with all the rust removal.

Anyway, progress may take a little bit of a halt here as I've got a track day coming up on the 12th, but I'm encouraged so far. At least we know it's probably (hopefully) not a lost cause.

Edit--Oh, and I am so damn happy to kick the stupid vacuum petcocks to the curb. Like a giant weight just flew right off my shoulders.

 

Nice job on the rescue! She's for sure a great 10-footer. Kinda always liked the polished rims on those years vs. the all black on my '86.

 

Looks good Matt !

 

Just wondered which one of your sex aids it resembles? Not sure if any of mine look like that.

 

Had to wrap it to give it a good fit

I just used some epoxy putty and gave it a go... Nobody is going to see it, and it's on there pretty good now. And yes, I very much realize how terrible this looks, but I have no idea how to do a proper repair. It clicks into the rubber and locks in place, so... I'm just going to move onto bigger problems, hah.

 

Pardon the jokery in previous post -- couldn't help myself. Just wondered about your two centre stands. Is one an extra? Am looking to trade a few parts I have; lightly used K&N air filter, Vance and Hynes tail light (no wiring), battery holder bracket, complete gauge set, Headlight and fairing mount, Tool kit box, Right control (kill switch) housing (incomplete, some wiring), right handle bar, ignition/fuse cover. Haven't listed in classifieds since I'd rather trade extras for parts I'd like/need more. Let me know if you're interested.

 

Two days ago I'd have said I'll just ship it out to you if it's not too pricey, although I'd probably recommend trying to find another one because this one is really corroded. However, I just realized that I can probably use it to install a new rear shock by installing it temporarily.

If you're still in need later on in the year, I could ship it out to you. I found a pretty good looking one on ebay for under $40 if you're looking for one sooner. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2938073623...rentrq:52ae60b21790a69f88fc3d76ffe1356d|iid:1 (holy link)

I was riding around yesterday comparing the two bikes when I hit a huge pothole, and something felt completely off on the rear end after. I wasn't far from home, and I just brought it home wondering what felt so weird. Well, I saw that the master link was frozen up and the rivet actually looks chipped and damaged. I can't 100% say this happened because of the pothole and maybe I just took more notice after hitting it, but this is not really nice looking.



The rest of the chain looks and feels fine, and I've actually got another master link from when I ordered that too short of a chain (though it's a different chain), but I think the more prudent thing to do is just retire the bike until I can get a new set of sprockets and chain on it. This is why I'm thinking I should probably look into just doing the rear shock. I've never done a shock before.

 

Sounds fine. Just bought another bike with a side and centre (Canadian spelling) stand So I can always borrow for a temporary need. Make sure when you change a chain to always do sprockets at the same time. I'm sure you know this, but hell, they drummed that into us at trade school. Nice to have a few projects to choose from.

 

Oh, I'm never at a lack of projects. I realize it's sacrilege on a Honda VFR forum, but this is what I'm currently working on this moment. Taping up, pulling fuses, and pulling off the mirrors, etc. to get ready to be reminded of just how slow I am this week.

I'll tell you why it is relevant though... I have it in my head that I want to take my VF500F to Blackhawk Farms next year. That's the reason I'm considering a new rear shock at all. My primary reservation is that I know I could float a valve or something and grenade the engine--but I still think that would be worth the risk. The suspension is terrible at the moment though, so I need that sorted before I can realistically consider it.







I know that my VF was a former track bike. A bunch of the bolts on it are all drilled for safety wiring. I never knew what those holes were for until about a year ago. If it's a totally stupid idea to track a 37 year old bike... tell me. But I want to do it. But not before I feel it's mechanically right.

**edit--shit, just saw your new thread. The "nice to have multiple projects" was in reference to your situation. I'm an idiot.