Thinking of buying a VF500F. Have some questions and concerns

The bike is selling for 750eur, it's apparently well kept, has a classic bike certificate, but also an unspecified clutch fault. I'm going to contact the owner soon and plan on seeing the bike on the 16th. It looks clean on the pictures.

I want to ask you about the major faults of the 500 motor. I heard it doesn't destroy cams like the bigger V4s, but that it also has fragile wrist pins and poor valve springs, both of which can cause catastrophic failures if the engine is redlined often or worse, overrevved. How prone are the engines to this exactly?

Are electrical issues common? What should I be wary of?

Also, is the rear shock rebuildable, or is it a single use unit like on my first bike?

I am not afraid of mechanical work. I did a significant amount of restorative work to my first bike, but I don't want to go into it uninformed.

 

Hi there Uoman! You'll probably get info from people who are a lot more qualified than I am here - but here are my thoughts . . .

"Major faults" of the motor are few - in my understanding, it's mainly been associated with the valves, and problems can be minimized via good maintenance (adjustment). I haven't heard about the wrist pins being a problem. Parts availability in the US is iffy. Electrical issues are no worse, in my experience, than any other 35-year old vehicle. I've not heard of rebuilding the rear shock, although replacements are available (notably Daugherty (sp?)).

I find them to be very pleasant to ride at moderate to quick paces - very agile and fun. They are physically fairly small, with limited wind protection, so longer distances can get uncomfortable. If you're looking for a performance bike that you can wring out on a regular basis, I'd look for something newer with better parts availability.

One last note: the 1986 models are modestly better than the 84-85 models, due to numerous minor improvements being deployed that year - but those changes making the '86 a one-year model does not help parts availability.

I hope you end up with a motorcycle that makes you happy!

Phil

 

how many miles/kilos ?

low compression would be a #1 worry. as suggested, most new parts are hard or impossible to find. do not buy unless you can hear it run nicely. one of the smoothest-running engines ever, like an electric motor........if it runs right.

of all the vf/vfr bikes discussed here it's fair to say that cheap vf500's have broken more hearts and budgets than any other model.

 

It has 50k km/30k miles. Here is the ad if you want to see the pics.

It's on the second owner, was garaged, not crashed, and bought locally, not imported.

 

DO NOT buy it if you can't hear it run. Read my thread "Jim's $400.00 VF500F" As Squirrelman said above the compression of the cylinders is the killer on these. No parts are available if you need to overhaul the engine.

Absolutely the best bike if you get a good one. Mine was not and it has been a year long journey to get it running.