help with this vf400?

I have just bought (foolishly?) A big box of parts that are a dissasembled vf400! As with all thingsvyou buy in bits, over the years things get lost. I've searched endlessly for a fuel tank, it seems they are rarer than hens teeth.
So has anybody fit any other tank? I know the vf500 fits but they are fetching big money. Cbr tanks look thebright shape... but will they go? Main priblem I think, is the airbox clearence.
Anybody care to input their advice or experience.

Also ...... free download anywhere for them?

 

Nobody? Are these things so rare nobody has one?
Braking system is a bit funky... look like drums but got discs inside, very strange, can't make sense of the idea behind that, accesibility to them is ridiculous
Could really use a manual, especially something for the carbs

Started to make sense of the pile of parts a little

 

Think I'm gonna build some form of mid 80's endurance racer rep with it all

 

I had one in the UK back in 1985. I had some fun on it. It never sold well as it was always being compared to the RD350LC YPVS and it was found badly wanting. The very similar but much better VF500 didn't sell too well either. Your bucket of bits is just that I'm afraid. It isn't worth restoring unless the journey is what you are after.

 

The VF500 is basically a big bore VF400. ANY VFR manual will help, with the whole setup. Closest to the 400 is the VT250 & one of its tanks may fit, but the 400's may be wider.
For the brakes, look at CBX550 units, I had one of those the brakes were an attempt to get round the problem with wet weather discs NOT working initially. This was solved by the simpler solution of machining holes/grooves in normal disc to give the water somewhere to displace to when the pads bite, a bit like trye trread does !
The enclosed discs where another design to solve the same problem cover the disc like a car wheel does & it doesn't get wet ! They worked & allowed the use of cast iron discs, as the rust didn't show & that gives you a higher coefficient of friction, the inboard discs are also ventilated like car discs to aid cooling, unfortnately it doesn't work well enough & if used hard they over heat

What's the problem with the carbs ? Apart from the normal fuel contamination, they are simple to look after, just strrip, clean & reassemble. The only thing you need to worry about is the float heights, don't bend any tabs when you disassemble them & when they are put back together, if all floats are the same height its pretty certain they are correct, if ones low adjust to match the other 3, if they are all odd, you will need the correct height to use as a reference.

Many Hondas have a similar, but not necessarily the same angle at the bottom of the tank. I might have a spare ZZR250 tank, you can have for the postage, it needs a clean & has a small dent received when it was shipped, hence I didn't use it. I'll try to dig it out at the weekend if I can find it. PM me if you want it, measure the width across the centre of the top frame rails & get a rough measure of the top rails angle !

Hope that helps.

 

I have a very old VF500 tank in my Shed. it's rusty and not in good shape.

If you wanted it to repair and restore It's yours. You just gotta pay shipping.

Which from Canada to the UK might be pricey.

 

Im assuming this is not the vfr400? Which i always thought were highly desirable.

 

vf400 not the vfr

 

the problem with the carbs is, they were in parts too... there is two sets -- one ive reassembled partly to best of my knowledge, but my knowledge is mainly inline 4 suzuki with side draught carbs. ive never worked on downdraught in v configuration... they dont seem to be connected together securely, im not sure what ive done

the main problem with tanks is the recess needed for the airbox i would imagine. there is a cbr400 tank near by on ebay but i dont want to place a bid win it, then get it here to find it doesnt fit
ill get my tape measure and take some measurements in a short while and get back to you, compare them with the 250 tank - we may draw lucky, who knows

cheers

 

- anything put against ellsie isnt gonna come off well. any bike is worth rebuilding in my opinion... the fact its undesireable, makes it all the more desireable to me, it would be pretty dull if we were all only riding cbr's gixxer's and ninja's i love little bikes that never quite made it, people dont really know what theyre looking at and parts are cheap, being undesireable (provided of course you can source them.)
this wont be a restoration, im going to chuck what i need in the frame, de lug what doesnt need to be attatched, possibly redesign the subframe area. upgrade the shock wheels and forks, along with brakes. it will make a funky little endurance looking bike, and im sure once done will have people asking WTH is that thing

 

just how beaten up is it, canada is a strange land, ive shipped parts to and from there and i know its costly, time consuming and usually has far more paper work involved than anywhere else in the world.

 

OK, good for you. You just have to be aware that they aren't common so secondhand bits are pretty rare. They do come up on Ebay UK occasionally but they are always in pretty poor condition IMO. Before you do anything I would take the cam covers off and have a good look at the camshafts. The VF400 suffered from the same top end configuration as the VF750FD/FE/FF, and while it was never reported to suffer from the chocolate camshaft problem of that bike to the same extent, it wasn't immune either. When I had mine I bought the special tool to seat the camshafts and you really needed it cos of the way the camshaft bearings were machined.

 

They are desireable, I'd have one if I could find one, but would update all the cycle parts like you are planning. Good luck with the build.

 

Hahahaha....yeah our post/mail system is a bit odd.

It's got some dents, some weld/fixes on the lower corners where they usually rust...rusty on the inside.

if you were to use this tank it would have to be restored completely. Inside has to have the rust removed...outside has to have the dents pulled or fileld in and then a sand and paint.

Unless you got the time, money, and skills to do the work I'd say it's garbage.

 

I may have a manual for the vf400 digitally Ill dig it out this evening. whereabouts in the uk are you?

 

Alan i live in guiseley, about two mins from leeds bradfrd airport
Slowbird... thanks for the offer though
I've just got this ... seems cbr tanks fit like a glove

 

On with the jigsaw I need a diagram cos working off this is mind boggling



Anyone confirm and tell me what the ones marked up are... the rest I know

 

Cool I live in Huddersfield so not too far. Ill have a look for that 400 manual tonight as I only have the two 500 ones at work.

Al

 

Got the manual bud give me an email address and ill send it you.

 

I've pm'd the email... last timebi put it on a forum, I was overwhelmed with the offer of penis enlargement pills,girs in my area wanting to hook up with me and lots of nice nigarian men wishing to use my bank account for large sums of money lol