Need some 500 experts

As some of you may know my 86 vf500f lost a valve adjuster burnt the piston then snapped the intake rocker on one cylinder.

I'm getting a running motor end of the week with same amount of miles I have now.

I'm sure that motor will finish the last 4-6 weeks of riding but I plan a full rebuild this winter.

The vf500 is known for dropped valves broken rockers and overheating.

I do not accept the fact a Honda product cannot be built to a bulletproof status. I find it harder to believe that there is zero aftermarket support for this bike besides gaskets and some wheel bearings and frequent serviceable items.

I would like new Pistons, rings, clutch water pump rebuild. Pistons I know I may be SOL but rings. Does no one make rings?

Any old school tricks for beefing these up. Upgraded valves? Do rockers swap with 700/750 or any other bike.??

It's a Vintage Honda there has to be something out there. I hate to just give up and say it is what it is or just keep throwing 30 year old used parts at something and expect different results.

 

Your would be wasting your time and money. It's a very old bike that didn't sell that many anyway. It had a production run of two years (three if you are being generous). There were aftermarket parts for it in the late 80s and early 90s but that ship has sailed. The stuff you see on Ebay now is unsold stuff from that era. It doesn't make business sense to make parts for such a small number of running bikes. If you go to the "howmanyleft" webiste in the UK you can see how few are actually on the road. A couple of hundred at most. In the US maybe double that or even triple it. Makes no difference. The real issue with these bikes is the valve gear, especially the springs which are unobtainable. The springs will be bespoke so no chance of a standard fitment.
I love my VF500 and I buy spares for it as they come up on Ebay but the idea of rebuilding it back to bulletproof status is a pipe dream. I have two spare engines and I did have a donor bike but I ran out of space and got rid.
That's the best way to keep one running in my opinion.

 

I've never owned a Honda with such little support.

So I think I'm going to have valves made and out of the 1000's of other motors out there, there has to be something with the same diemention springs. If I have to have them made I guess I will.

What else is common to fail that I haven't covered.

Any possibility of fitting a 700/750 radiator I am unsure of there size in comparison.


I understand I am stubborn but I love riding old bikes. Bikes with character.


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It did have support way back but it's over 30 years old. It still looks pretty modern (I'm biased) so maybe that's influencing you. Believe me if there was a fix for the valve gear I would be all over it but as far as I know there isn't. Some on here (Invisible Cities) looked at getting valves made but it never happened.

Not a lot is common with the bigger bikes. The VF500 engine shares some parts with the VT250 but this sold even less than the VF500 so good luck with that.

You can ride old bikes but you have to expect to treat them with consideration. They are expensive to run too in my experience.

The rule of thumb to prevent dropped valves is don't rev beyond 9K. However there's no evidence for this. It just kind of materialised out of nowhere.

You need a donor bike and at least one spare engine.

 

And another bike to ride when you are working on the VF!

 

I guess I'm spoiled. Trx250r most aftermarket support of any atv and only a 4 year run.

Cr500- many sold 85-01 huge following.

Honda fl350 1 year run huge following

Atc70 73-85 huge following.

Cb's huge following.

Idk what it is but I have fallen in love with apparently the worse Honda ever made.


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Wands, I sympathize. I wish there were more aftermarket support. What's funny to me is that for fairly cheap you can do the entire suspension and wheels to bring it up to modern spec but in all these years no one has found a solution to the blown engines. I think it's impossible that there isn't a valve spring out there that fits and is available as a spare for another bike. Let me know if you ever find one. If you take that engine apart can you get me some measurements for the valve? I wonder if there's a sizing database out there that can find us something similar.

 

I'm going to email these guys. There's another company that does valves. I'm going to see if they can grind to specs.


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They say that can make any spring up to 6' long and 18" round


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Ask them how much first. It's just not economical, unless you have money to burn. Hope I'm wrong but I doubt it.

 

They sell springs for 250/450f bikes at 17.99 each. Custom idk the price difference. But that seems comparable.


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There are 32 valve springs in a VF500.

THe VF500 isn't the worse Honda made either.
Check out the CX650Turbo, CBX550, CB750/900. Similar vintage just as hard to find stuff for I expect.

 

32 is no issue after what they just told me. They said minimum order is 1000 springs. But the plus side he said on a stock bike it's looking like 8$ a spring. But he said to send over specs and he has a database he can look into. He just can't look by bike model.


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So all I need is 32 people to pledge and where all set lol


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Yeah. That's problem Pledging is one thing. Seeing the actual cash is another. My advice is don't go there. 32 springs in a VF but each valve has two different sizes. So you are looking at purchasing 2000 springs. You need at least 62 people to get involved.

The springs are different between model years just to make it even worse.

 

Check out how the Barber museum restores ancient machines. It's only an issue of money.

 

Give up, man, and just move on ! :disturbed:

You want a great older Honda, try finding an '86/'87 VFR 700/750. Same vintage as yours, but those bikes don't quit or break and are legendary !

 

That's the plan. But I want to keep the 500 for the wife. Also I really like it. I've been on a 96 750. Very nice I love the single can sound but I think I like the little 500 more


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Yes, pains me to say it but an early VFR750 is a much better buy than a VF500.