Newbie here. Bought a 1985 VF500F interceptor off Craigslist for $700 can't get the thing to idle or

As stated in the title I have a 1985 interceptor. I cleaned out the carbs and such already. Got the bike to crank and run at about 4000+ rpm drove it down the street and everything. That was my first step. CHECK
now my next step is to get the bike to idle and crank on its own.

1.) every so often the bike burps enough for me to give it throttle and come alive on its own power/fuel maybe 1/10 or 1/15 times I try.

2.) me and my buddy have been adjusting the idle screw (big black gear looking screw) and the pilot screws. (The screws on the same side as the Float bowl drain screws) to try and make it idle.

Originally we would try to keep the throttle at around 3000-4000 rpm and it would die by itself if we didn't get on the throttle more. We've successfully got it to stay at around 1000-1500 while giving it a bit of throttle finesse (it jumps maybe + or - 500 rpm give or take when we keep the throttle there. If we just let the throttle go (idle) it dies no matter what. I really want to get this motorcycle on the road because I have no other vehicle. I'm 19 and pay my own bills on a house with roommates. I really need help. If I can't fix it by this Sunday I'm gonna have to put it up on Craigslist and sell it to someone else and hope to god that I at least make back what I paid for it. Every bit of information helps. Thank you!

 

Post up your location, better yet put it in your sig line. There are many here who may be nearby and able to assist you. Do you have the shop manual for the bike? When you say you "cleaned out the carbs", what exactly did you do? Did you pull the float bowls and clean all the jets? The passages too? AFK for a bit. Check when I get back.

 

I think I'm just gonna give up on it. I need transportation really soon. I put it up on Craigslist. I'm in NC Iredell county area. If anyone want to take it I'm starting it at $800 but I'll take best offer. Charlotte craigslist. I really would love to fix the bike. But I don't have the time. And being 19 and living on my own. I can't spare the money for all the stuff I need. I bought a brand new battery for it. And kickstand. I don't want to put anymore money into it.

 

Josh - hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you're pretty handy with a wrench and have time and $ to throw at that bike, its not for you. But it looks like you figured that out quickly - although you're already into it for some coin.

 

When I got the bike it wouldn't even crank or run. I made it good enough where you can ride it and such. Just got to keep the throttle going a little at stops. But I just don't have the time to sync the carbs and do all the carb tuning. So I'm selling it to someone else who will.

 

Good move. I would say if you had a week or two and about $250, you could have really done well. Carb syncing on a Honda V4 is easier than their inline 4 engines, but you'll still need a multi-port vacuum gauge, plugs, wires and that type of stuff. From what you've described, I would say that your 500s issues are equal parts carbs and ignition system problems. Doing what you did to the carbs in addition to new plugs and wires, a valve adjustment, flushing out the engine oil with new oil and then replacing that with new oil once again and then changing the old filter would be what I would recommend to rehab an old V4.

 

You can make it run better and idle on it's own by doing some pretty simple carb service. Bike doesn't idle? Idle jet or low-speed circuit is dirty or clogged. After that, a good bench sync will get it riding. You can get a proper vacuum sync done when convenient. Don't be a quitter amigo.

 

Please tell me what these curcuits are. I've heard people talk about them. I have no idea what they are though. When I took the bike for a ride yesterday I had absolutely no power (wouldn't accelerate or rev) over 9k in 1st and 5k in 2nd. Didn't try 3rd and up. Let me know what that could be please. But wow please tell me what these curcuits are because I have no idea. I'm gonna spend all my free time after work today blowing out the Jets and everything today AGAIN. But please please please explain what the curcuits are (low speed curcuit and such) thank you all so much for your input.

 

How would I go about carb syncing. And idk if it's still available but there was a recall on the engines on vf500's because the cam would crack easily over 10k or something. The way to tell if you have a new recalled engine replaced is to see if there is an X after the serial number on the frame. I didn't see the X. But I saw this in the clymers service manual I got for the bike.

 

Also, a new set of carb boots might just fix most of your issues. The Little V4's carbs are a royal pain in the ass to install correctly. The alignment needs to be perfect and all of the carb boots need to be perfectly intact too if the engine is to run right. In a pinch I would start there. Beyond that, I would invest in a Honda factory manual. That will have all of the correct settings for all of your carb circuits.
http://jbmotoresto.blogspot.com/2011/06/j.html

 

There are some really great carburetor walk-through threads on this site, and don't forget about YouTube. It's gonna be astronomically easier to consult those than have someone try to explain it to you via some long, poorly punctuated paragraph.

This is a 2nd generation 750, but should give you a good point of reference.
http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/22449-Cleaning-carbs?highlight=carb+rebuild

Don't forget to install new, correctly gapped plugs and a new inline fuel filter while you're in there. Air filter wouldn't hurt either if you can find one close by...

 

Oh! I almost forgot! Now that you're here, don't feed the wolf...

 

Where is Squirrelman when someone needed help
Maybe the OP can send the card to Squirrellman for rebuilt.