Matt Tries – 1984 VF500F Overhaul

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by Colddevil, Feb 14, 2020.

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  1. jstehman

    jstehman New Member

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    [QUOTE="Colddevil, post: 623046, member: 870]
    The alternative is to crate it and send it over to jstehman because, judging from the progress on his "My 1986 VF500F revival" thread, he seems far more capable and motivated than me, haha.[/QUOTE]

    Ha!

    Thankfully, there are forums like this with plenty of knowledgeable folks who are willing to share their knowledge and experience.

    Subscribed, and hoping you get her up and running.


    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
     
  2. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Should have done this a long, long time ago. Also, the cork gasket I cut previously was definitely restricting flowrate on reserve, so that was a self-induced error. I can confirm that the viton o-ring pack from Harbor Freight has one that will fit on the petcock connection to the tank. Left the tank full last night and didn't find any drips.

    Followed the instructions on the DMR page about deleting the vacuum operation of the petcock. Easy peasy. http://www.daughertymotorsports.com/howto/tankvalve/tankvalve.html

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    Still plugging away at small jobs on my buddy's bike. Don't have the new insulators yet, so I can't seat the carbs. Going to rebuild the clutch clave cylinder and clean up the clutch and brake reservoirs. Also need to reassemble the front brake calipers since new seals showed up in the mail earlier today. Just had to drill out the clutch master reservoir cover bolts--that was fun.
     
  3. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Looking good! Love the garage also. I wish I had enough room for a futon!

    I need to do that petcock mod since I am in the middle of painting my tank.
     
  4. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    The futon room is literally why I bought the house. I can drive a motorcycle into the garage and into the basement. Probably why most of my relationships last less than 3 weeks. But whatever--gotta spend money to make money. Or something.
     
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  5. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Oh yea. We're back. Got her running for the first time since needing emergency roadside rescue last year. I feel so much better now that I have a manual petcock. It actually took me quite a while to get it fired to warm the oil up to swap it because I had fucked with the idle set screw so much on the side of the road. I thought I'd screwed up the petcock modification or that my fuel pump had died since I couldn't get the thing started on saturday. Slept on it and remembered that I'd totally thrown off the idle set. Backed it way off and we're now back in business.

    Now I need to order a rear shock.

    MyBikeRunning.jpeg
     
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  6. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Nice bike assortment, BTW
     
  7. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Thanks! It's a motley crew of 2-wheeled mechanical failure and learning experiences for me. The only one I actually trust is the V Strom because it's the only one I haven't touched. :Rofl:

    Potentially selling the '73 Honda CL350 to a friends dad. He's been looking for an 80s dirtbike to restore, and I'd been keeping an eye out for him for several months. The used bike market is friggen weird now. Everything is crazy overpriced (or priced a lot higher than I'd expect), and it's super hard to actually find bikes you're interested in ever since Craigslist added the $5 listing charge for motorcycles. So I pitched the idea of the 350 to him, and he's going to check it out. I put a lot of time into it starting in 2017 since it was such a mess. But right now it's kind of just sitting neglected and I'm feeling guilty on it. I also want to get a folding motorcycle trailer since I'm gonna get myself killed loading bikes into a truck bed by myself.

    The VF500F is almost invariably everyone's favorite though.
     
  8. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    I did not know they put a $5 charge on CL ads. I knew they did on cars a while back. Pretty slim pickin's on good prices on bikes right now. It is my hobby to troll the FB and CL ads here in Houston for entertainment. And there is a lot of entertainment value these days with the absurd prices I am seeing.

    That CL is a good bike, but not really an off road bike? I think Honda was going after the "style" of a scrambler without it actually being an off road bike. That being said, it is one of the best bikes Honda ever built, absolutely bulletproof and great aftermarket to boot.

    I hear you about the folding Harbor Freight trailer. I am going to kill my self one of these days rolling a bike out of my truck. I had my old VFR800 actually fall from tailgate level a few years back after the ramp collapsed and I somehow kept it upright. Scared the shit out of me and my son. That is a heavy bike for a 135# guy to hold up!
     
  9. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    If you are looking at 'folding' trailers then be aware they do not solve as many problems as you may wish.. There is a good website about them - I'll try and find it again.

    However, a new thread about motorcycle trailers is probably worth it anyway...
     
  10. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Do it. I was actually looking at one of the Kendon Go! Series Single Rail Folding Motorcycle Trailers. Which I am now seeing are soldout. Primarily I was looking at it for the small footprint and the ability to fold it up and fit it in my garage. Any other style trailer and I've got to find an off-site place to store it. At that rate I may as well just look into U-Haul rentals.

    I've also come across this "Tow Smart" Single Rail Folding Trailer that is likely a duplicate of the Kendon design. https://towsmarttrailers.com/collec...-trailers/products/foldable-motorcycletrailer

    Yep. Bike listings have all but disappeared except from the used dealerships on Craigslist in my area. You'll find a gem every once in a while, but it's scarce.

    Oh man, I'd believe that was scary with the 800! A VF500/SV650 is as heavy as I'll go by myself right now. I spent a day out practicing with a ~300# TW200, and I did that probably about 10-12 times in and out. Feel pretty comfortable with that bike. The extra 125 or so pounds makes a big difference. I'm sure an additional 100 would be even scarier.

    edit--Oh, yea. The 350 "Scrambler" is hardly much of an off road machine. I just pitched the idea to see if he'd expand his search a bit to include other bikes. You can get an "off road" kind of look with some off-road tires if you're so inclined, but it's far from a dual sport. It's like 375#, hah.
     
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  11. sixdog

    sixdog Member

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    A few months ago I bought a good used Kendon single bike trailer. I have to say it makes my life easier.... I was putting my bikes in the back of the truck and a couple of times I almost lost it.... the trailer is a savior for me.....
     
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  12. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I typically don't fuck around with (cheap) aftermarket shit levers. I try and find NOS or used Honda. Bikemaster and Emgo seem to make decent replicas tho.
     
  13. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Good deal. The Bikemaster and Emgo seem like the correct way to go for adjustable levers that won't be a complete gamble--though I'd need to go with both a clutch and brake lever to match since it seems like all those levers are polished, and the VF500F is black. Granted, I still have one yellow fork and one black one, so it's not like aesthetics have been a high priority to this point.
     
  14. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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  15. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    So you know how Stray mentioned how Bubba did some repairs on that suzuki he bought? Well, I was the Bubba when I was trying to get a 1995 VFR750 master cylinder to fit... The fluid port is in a different spot and had a tab on it I needed to grind off since the brake lines I have wouldn't fit otherwise. Well, I knicked the mating surface bad and butchered that. The adjustable brake lever I got doesn't fit the cheap master I refitted. The bike has a ton of stopping power with the EBC pads and stainless lines--I just want the shorter lever. So, I'll give it another go in the coming months after seeing if I can find a master with the fluid port out front.

    So I've got the new YSS shock, I just need to get it installed. I'm going to have some time on my hands to get that done fairly soon. I think the other thing I'll do over winter (gross) when I deal with the steering bearings is to put some emulators in the front forks.

    I kinda neglected the VF after I murdered that master cylinder because I was annoyed with myself. Well, unfortunately, it's going to be neglected for a little while longer. Somebody forgot that motorcycles run the chicane at Road America and don't go into The Kink at full speed. A knackered sv650 and a broken bone in my hand were the consequence of his oversight. Luckily it doesn't hurt much--I should be able to work on shit after I get a removable cast once the swelling goes down and they cut this other one off of me.


    (this kinda thing is suuuuper rare at a track day, so i'm not discouraged by it. Usually any time on the asphalt is of your own doing)

    The good news is the trailer I finished up works great! This will make it way easier to grab Sawsi's bike this winter if we decide to do some more work on it--much easier than trying to take it up slippery ramps into a truck bed during snowfall.

    2.JPG

    I might just wing it and book a track weekend at Barber in November to not end the season on a down note. That'd be quite the stress test for the little trailer. And yea, the reason I want the emulators and adjustable brake lever on the VF is to take it to Blackhawk next year. I think it'd be a riot.
     
  16. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Brutal! Glad you are OK after that! Heal up fast!
     
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  17. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    Jesus Christ!!! You are lucky, glad you're ok. I wouldn't want that to be the last thing before winter either, get back on.

    I did an Endurance Race a few years back (well... many) on a race prepped CBR600F2 with 3 other guys on our team. I was 3rd stint and went down in Turn 2 at SIR at about 90? from wide open 6th gear thru the kink. Low sided into the ample run-off and the bike didn't tumble as I tried to maintain the bike until it slowed enough. Race doesn't stop but the support truck came and retrieved me and the bike. Back to the pits, just had to replace the left rearset and straighten and adjust some levers. Told the team I want to be the one first back on the bike, I couldn't sit here and dwell on it. They let me and after my in-lap I was doing the same times. Managed to get us back up thru the field a bit.

    Anyway, that was longer than I thought it would be. Sorry. I am so glad you're OK!
     
  18. straycat

    straycat Member

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    Glad your OK Matt
     
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  19. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    I would love to get into racing eventually, and I've been watching a ton of videos about the endurance races. That's like #1 on my list of things I want to do within the next few years! I think I'll take as much track and class time as I can next year and then maybe go for a license the following. There's just so much to learn--both on and off the track. And so many people you need to connect with.

    That must have been a wild ride you were on. And lucky both you nor the bike started tumbling. I totally get what you mean about wanting to get right back on it. I'm guessing you learned a lot about yourself that day.

    Unfortunately I've got to wear a splint for about 2 months is my understanding or else I risk the bone requiring surgery and rods and pins and other bullshit to heal right if i reinjure it. Which i still kind of would be willing to risk, but a nurse friend guilt-tripped me into not shopping for 2-finger clutch levers since I'd be a potential hazard to others if i wasn't healthy... gah.
     
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  20. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Finally got around to installing the YSS shock--got one that fits a VF500F instead of a Sportster! I put about 40 miles on it today. I can't tell you how good of a shock it is (and I haven't adjusted it at all), but I am now aware of just how bad the stock shock is. I knew it wasn't great, but now it's just kind of funny realizing how squishy and almost collapsed feeling it has been for the nearly 15 years I've had the bike. The bike feels a lot more stable in competent in the rear now. It's also highlighting how much my front end requires some work to finish off the package.

    I think I'll look into cartridge emulators up front and possibly springs along with replacing the steering bearings this winter. I'm in no hurry right now. Happy with how it so far. Engine and everything purring nicely as well for having not been ridden in a few months (sorry, bike). I'll bother setting sag and everything later once the front gets the attention it deserves.

    ... Rearsets next!? :Loco::Whistle:

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