reviving the world's rustiest crustiest fifth gen

hey everyone. i'm bringing this barn-find '99 back to life and thought it would be cool to document the process.

bit of background: i started as a car guy many moons ago but the cost of parts just got to be too much to handle. i still wanted something fun with an engine that wouldn't make my bank account warm up for the safe word whenever i wanted to tinker with it, so a few years ago i picked up my first bike, a 2005 SV650. and it's been a revelation. not just a revelation that riding is so much more fun than driving, but that working on bikes is about a million times more enjoyable than cars.

anyway, now that i've had the suzuki for a bit, i decided it was time to look for an upgrade. it's a fantastic bike for around town, but my biggest gripe is that it's just not great for long trips. i've tried doing a handful, and every time i would find myself having to hop off and take a break every 45 minutes just because of how buzzy it is, especially at highway speed. a VFR seemed like the natural choice--bigger, comfier, awesome engine, nice but not insane bump in power, honda build quality, and not a complete dad bike, plus it's always sort of been on my bucket list ever since i saw that sixth gen in my youth. so when a friend of mine passed along a craigslist ad for a very neglected but very straight and low-mileage fifth gen (with a clean title) for peanuts, i immediately hit the guy up. he told me he picked it up from someone he thought he trusted who told him it just needed tires and a chain, but it turned out the motor was seized up solid from water leaking through the flapper valve. the tank was also full of water from the keyless cap not being installed properly. understandably, he just wanted it gone. undaunted and even somewhat excited by the prospect of a little project, and also feeling kinda bad for him, i left there 900 bucks poorer with this guy in tow.



then the teardown began...hoo boy.







more to come soon. i've already sourced a new seat, tank, and engine, which thankfully came with a new throttle body. i would really like to repaint it eventually, seeing as how the red on one side has turned pink from sitting in the sun. at any rate though, i'm just glad i saved it from the scrapyard.

 

thanks! believe it or not i've been through worse--i just finished pulling and rebuilding the transmission out of my poor old 1998 CR-V with an exploded fifth gear, so i'm hopeful that this'll be at least a little easier, heh.

 

big day today, motor's out!








(please don't tell my landlord....)

i suppose next step is to get the new motor ready to go in, meaning i gotta check the valves, change spark plugs, replace the thermostat, and swap over the clutch cover from the old engine, seeing as how this one has a giant hole in it--probably why it was a spare engine to begin with. i may also try to swap over the manual choke from the old motor, since the new one is from an '01 and has the thermostatic choke. but once the motor's in the frame, i can reinstall the kickstand and center stand (after a good wire wheeling and a splash of paint) and get a lot of this stuff off my kitchen floor and back out in the driveway. after that i'll most likely service the forks.

 

"Wonder Twin powers...activate!?"

 

might be smart to run a compression test before it goes into the frame.

 

uh maybe? heh

seller showed me video proof of it running so i'm at least decently sure it's healthy. probably still a smart move though, so thanks for the tip.

 

i needed to replace an '86 VFR engine a few years back. found a deal on one in boston and had it shipped. before instaling, i checked valve clearances, then tested ompression and found two cylinders ok @ about 150psi and two @ about 80psi.

removed rear head to reseat valves. that was 3 years ago, project now sidelined with no progress since then.

 

normally i'm not a fan of homemade nakeds, but that might actually be the best-looking one i've ever seen. i really hope you can finish it up one day.

perhaps my struggles will serve as motivation.

 

i think the engine i bought was being hod-rodded on a build project but ran short of money to finish it seems, never run, then sold.

i found hot cams ( right--left is stock) and new, never run cosworth? pistons so far without going in deeper, which i have no time for until other bikes get running again. ill look for cam part # next time i go in. lift is higher, stays longer, but im concerned about piston/valve clearance since i dont know who bolted this together etc.

asking any parts experts about details of any optional camshafts available for '86 VFR700 ?

 

not much to report, doing some small bits just to keep the momentum going while i wait for the money tree to sprout.





by the way does anyone know what this part does?

 

if water got into the cylinders and sat for awhile, there could be damage to cylinder walls where piston rings rusted.

in any case, that engine probably needs a full strip-down and rebuild before its going to move your ass down the road.

 

that's the old motor, i already have a junkyard-fresh new motor on standby. though after this project's wrapped i might try to save the old one so i can plop it into something silly.

 

"Junkyard Fresh" might need to go alongside Airline Cuisine and Military Intelligence in my lexicon.

 

The bike behind his engine is a Honda Hawk GT, not a naked VFR. Not homemade, but a seriously good looking naked.

 

oops. i stand corrected!

 

another small update. motor looks a lot better with the fresh painted parts on it. (and pair plates)



also changed the thermostat and checked the valves. 2 intake and all exhaust are out of spec low so that's annoying.





after that's fixed though i should be ready to drop the new motor in the frame, which is neat. once that's done i'll clean up and reattach the swingarm and service the forks, just so i can bolt the brakes back on, and then try to sort out the fuel system. then i should be able to fire it up and make noise.

 

thanks friend, i was hoping at least one person would like this. if all goes the way i hope it will this should be a pretty sweet bike by the time i'm done with it.

there's probably a fair number of hoses i should replace too; the main fuel line is probably full of the same rusty crap that was in the tank, the fuel return line is turning my hands black every time i pick it up, and all the coolant hoses seem to be full of aluminum oxide--i suspect the previous owner of this engine just ran water in the radiator. more parts to add to the ever-increasing list i guess.