Just picked up a (85') VF1000 engine for my (85") VF700F - Now what external parts fit?

A bit of thread mixing, but all interesting stuff.

As I said in the other thread about this we're following, the heads did change for '85, with different camshafts and bearing caps (probably the reason for the changes) and I guess it could have resulted in the head and cover being slightly larger. Or possibly while making those important changes, also added more finning to try and keep it cooler. Speculation at this point. Would be good to do a back to back measurement to find out.

 

I've been studying pictures of an '85 and an '85/'86 engine and I have to conclude that the later head is indeed slightly wider at the top. Perhaps helpfully with regard to identification, the '84 has aluminium/silver finish cam covers whereas on the later engine they are black. That colour difference may not of course have been the same in all markets, but I suspect it was.

It's hard to be precise, but trying to compare from the same angle, it appears that the changes to the camshaft bearings in the head and the caps means that the actual width at the top increased after '84. The cam covers are very similar in shape but as with the heads, wider on the later engines.

It does rather look like the head bolts remained at the same locations, so no major changes required for the lower castings.

The more you look, the more you learn.

 

No half moons in 1984 R valve covers should mean it is not line bored and similar dimensions to the 84 VF1000F head.

 

As far as I can think, ALL VFs were milled, so no half-moons. I've not thought deeply about that, but no VF comes to mind with line bored heads.

It is said the VF1000R head is wider than the F to accommodate the geared cam drive, but all Rs had that and as I said from studying those photographs, it really does look like when they changed the cam bearing caps for '85, the head also got a bit wider. Presumably due to the changes to cam bearings. I assume they decided they wanted more bearing area.

My thoughts that it might be additional finning was I think wrong as it's the top of the head that gets wider, across the plane of the camshaft. The fins are lower and seem to be the same.

How the width of the '84 R compared to the F I don't know. I believe the R has an engine mount at the front that the F does not have, but not been able to confirm that. Yet.

 

1986 VF500F

 

Sure looks like a line bored VF1000R to me.

 

And here is the 84 1000R, not line bored.

 

Yes, looks like in later years they did revert to line-boring. I have no experience with the VF500 and the only pics I've seen had the milled type heads, but yes the '86 is line-bored. As I said, I didn't think particularly hard about that. I've only just started looking at these old VFs in the last couple of days. The last time I had anything to do with them was nearly 40 years ago and memories sure fade.

However I'm angry with myself regarding the VF1000R as I really studied those pictures. But I was so intent on comparing the size, I completely missed the fact the '85/'86 has the half moon rubbers in the seal. The parts list is even more confusing as for the later models the boring cut-outs in the head can just be seen when you look, but the gasket is clearly shown as flat. So either the half moons are separate pieces, or the picture is just wrong.

Can't trust anyone these days can you.