1986 Honda Interceptor - How can we improver her?

Hi guys, I am a new member to this forum as well as the biking community in general. I bought my VF500F because the price was right and it ran very well. The more I ride it, the more I love it. My friends say that it makes a good starter bike, but I think I would rather continue riding my Interceptor. I love to modify things, bikes I have never done before, to improve them. I would like to know what you all know that has been done and proven successful with no ill side effects and if possible, how to do it or where I could get it done. Here are a few things that I can think of right off that I would love to do to my wonderful bike.

* Wider Rear Tire - What wheels work best and what width can I take it too.

* Muffler - Any 4 - 1 recommendations that would make it sound quiet and fierce?

* Lower Front Fairing - Has anyone seen any full front fairing upper and lower fairing replacements from other bikes that can be minimally modified to fit?

Spec II seems to be the best aftermarket lower fairing from what I have read on this forum. I have not seen a pic yet. Can anyone confirm?

* Instrument Cluster - Would like to go with a digital instrument cluster. Any recommendations on one that could be switched to it from another bike? What pitfalls would I face if trying to transplant from another bike? Could changing the whole triple tree be advantageous in such an undertaking?

* Engine Modifications - I understand that there is a jetting kit that would allow my bike to operate more smoothly and efficiently. Is there also some other engine modifications that I could do later that would greatly increase performance? My mom's boyfriend may have been confused but he has told me that there was an interceptor that he had worked on that Honda donated to his class when he was in school that was turbo'd engine. Has anyone heard of this and would it be possible to do that to this engine? Would aid in fuel economy...haha.

I am sure that there are more questions that I can come up with, but I will stop for now. Thank you all for your help and be safe out there.

 

I'm new on here as well, but have owned a VF since 1985. I have a 500 that I used to race so I have a little bit of experience. As you have already seen there are a lot of knowledgable people on here so you should be able to find out whatever you need to. Here is my .02 worth:

1) Rear wheel- As you posted elsewhere, Jamie Daughtery (think that's spelled correctly) is the man for this sort of thing. He can provide you with the parts you need to mount up a CBR600F2 rear wheel. That gives you a nice range of modern radial tires to choose from. You should also upgrade your front wheel to keep things balanced. I have a complete front end off a F2 on mine, as well as the rear wheel (I have read some things on here saying you can't put the front on, but mine works). Of note, I never had a problem keeping up with people on the stock wheels/tires when I was racing through the corners. I will say having F2 front brakes is awesome though.

2) Exhaust- There is currently no one making a 4-1 system for these bikes. I bought a Holeshot (rebadged Hindle) a long time ago, when I wrote Hindle last year to see about getting one for the 750 I was told they quit making them a long time ago. If you really have your heart set on one, keep an eye on eBay and the like. I just got a 4-1 header for my 750 off eBay, now I have to source a midpipe and muffler.

3) Fairing lowers- Lockhart, SpecII and Telefix used to make similar lowers for this bike. Not sure if you can get any new ones but they do pop up on eBay occasionally. It does make any engine work a little more involved. FYI, I have an AirTech RC45 race upper and RC30 tailsection on my bike. Had to fab up some brackets and remove the instrument surround for the upper to fit, nothing major.

4) Instruments- No idea on this one.

5) Engine mods- A jet kit is relatively easy to install (if you have some mechanical aptitude) except for putting the carbs back on. I can't say about any other engine mods, these bikes didn't have much available for them new and now they are fairly old. As for the turbocharged bike, Honda had a factory twin in the early-mid '80's that had a turbo, it wasn't called an Interceptor though.

 

I did my first upgrade, needed a new back tire, BAD... I was low on funds so this was done mostly out of necessity. Being that the original size was 110/90 I wanted to go a little wider. I was going to get a 120/90 as Mr. Daugherty suggested but could not find one that made me feel safe (They were slightly used). I was really wanting at least a 130 but did not want to have any size conflicts until I get the F2 mod. I had postulated that a 130/90 could cause some height displacement on the rear tire so I figured that going with a lower wall it would compensate for that displacement. I ended up finding a nice Dunlop tire that was a 130/70 and was only thirty bucks (used, nipples still on the sides though, looked like it was driven straight.). I got it mounted and was happy to not have any clearance issues. The back tire looks "safer" to me, more contact surface. This I am sure is probably sychological, but I am alot more confident in my turns then I was. The last tire didn't instill alot of confidence for more reasons then just the width, but I must say that I like the wider look and feel.

I am still a novice at this so please take my info with a grain of salt. There are many more proficient cyclists on here than me. Just thought that if anyone was thinking about it with their original wheel, that it did fit, no rubbing at all. Thank you to everyone in the forums for all of your information. Be safe out there!!!

 

oh yes.......the same old bit...you picked a good starter bike indeed, jamie D. is the man with the plan when it comes to these bikes, i've delt with him for my resr wheel swap and my F4I rear shock swap and my forks that he has. good guy know's a ungodly amount of information about the VF bike's, but the question is how deep are your pockets you will spend a small chunck..but welcome to the brother-hood :thumbsup:

JE sells pistons theres a couple of company's that sell cams, but if you bought the 500 for power then your wasting your time and money....but if you think it's worth it to you well then go for it!! also check out my thread ive done the rear wheel swap there and a few other thing's