I really like this build. If the seat were flat and could accommodate a useable daypack, this could be a really fun and unique weekend romper. You surely won't see another.
I stumbled upon this unusual V4 during my morning interweb cruise. Looking a bit like the late Motus V4 this is a custom scrambler-style build based upon the Honda ST1100 sport tourer. There's a lot of thought, ingenuity and execution displayed here — comparing the bike to the stock ST1100 photo below, we see the original faux fuel tank cover (the tank is actually under the seat), rear wheel and shock, partial side panels and engine, but not much else left from the donor bike. What else? The larger front wheel has changed to a spoke type with a single large brake, so that came from elsewhere, along with the round headlight and quarter fairing. The seat subframe has been chopped or eliminated and I'm guessing the original seat has had the rear modified into the monkey hump affair, which kind of lets down the styling here. The builder did a nice job of putting the V4 on display but a black radiator might have been a nice touch. A single muffler exits out the left side allowing a good view of the shaft drive and its single shock with bright red spring. The 1084cc engine is tuned for torque with a relatively low 8000 rpm redline, but I'm sure that pipe sings a great tune. This began life as a 700-lb tourer so even after this obvious diet it will still show some heft. And I'm surprised to see the UK plate, considering their restrictive licensing laws.
I really like this build. If the seat were flat and could accommodate a useable daypack, this could be a really fun and unique weekend romper. You surely won't see another.
0 Comments
What: 2014 VFR800F Why: Nicely-farkled Deluxe model Where: Montvale, New Jersey Price: No reserve auction (4/21) The 8th-gen VFR is arguably the pinnacle of the 800's development — refined, with crisp modern style, quality components and fit & finish befitting this final generation of the V-four Interceptor. Described as "pristine & spotless," this particular example has been used as intended, with 21K miles and sporting some appropriate extras, in addition to the factory upgrades found on the hard-to-find Deluxe model; ABS, heated grips, traction control, adjustable forks…even self-cancelling signals. Here, the seller has added a touring screen, a GIVI top case and Delkevic slip-on (I have the same muffler on my 3d-gen and it sounds great!), and more. I would lose the extra stickers, but that's just me. Good luck to our seller and buyer. I was recently tuning a set of 2d-gen carburetors using Project 41, an '87 VFR700F2 which has become my de facto carb tuning mule. This poor bike has been repeatedly relegated to the back burner as other projects and tasks get priority on the lift. But, while I'm awaiting paintwork for those projects, I took the opportunity to do some additional teardown and assessment on #41, beginning with the rear wheel assembly. This bike was built May, '87 as a blue/silver model; here we see the original gray wheels. There's lots of cosmetic neglect on this VFR which, of course, makes me cringe. These photos show the layer of black, oily dirt built up over the decades, really evident here on the sprocket and carrier assembly. I spent 30 seconds with a cloth and solvent on a section of the sprocket carrier — the dirt came right off, revealing a very nice underlying finish. The Dunlop K591 rear tire is definitely past its best-by date: March, 1996! It's also a non-original size: 140/70. The three rear bearings all feel perfectly smooth on this bike. Another item removed is the right footpeg assembly (below). This one shows some slide and impact damage — it's bent inward and actually cracked completely through. Fortunately, I have a spare so this casting will go to the recycle bin. I came across two anomalies during this disassembly (below), at least in my experience. The brake torque arm's forward attachment point uses a nut & bolt; every other VFR I've worked on had a threaded swingarm bracket — no nut needed. Also, the caliper carrier is raw aluminum, in the past I've only seen painted brackets, in black. This bike is one of the unknown number of USA-built VFRs, so might these be distinguishing features of those bikes? (Below) TIP: Here's a back-saving technique I use whenever I possibly can, and for good reason: Years ago I disabled myself for four months after lifting upward on a VFR rear wheel in order to feed the axle during assembly. I was bent over at the hip, and felt a strange sensation in my lower back and heard a slight crunching sound. I dropped everything where it lay and within an hour I was bed-ridden. I had displaced my lowest three vertebrae in a stair-step fashion, resulting in a sporadic, severely pinched nerve whenever I was on my feet, the pain literally bringing me to my knees. It took months of therapy before I was able to reenter the garage to pick up the scattered tools and slowly ease back into my work. All from installing an axle.
So here's what I do. Whenever possible, I use a jack to raise the rear of the bike, as opposed to a centerstand. This way I'm able to adjust the height of the bike so the rear tire makes slight contact with the lift or floor (for axle removal) or the swingarm lines up with the wheel center (for installation). I can then align the swingarm chain adjuster, wheel bearings and caliper carrier — the axle slides in or out with two fingers. No lifting of the rear wheel necessary. BTW, I'm jacking the bike across the centerstand frame bosses using a specifically-sized block of 2x4 (this bike has no centerstand installed). The jack pictured here is from Harbor Freight, a compact, low-profile aluminum jack which works well in the confined space on the lift. Here I've temporarily installed a spare wheel which will allow me to take my time with any work I wish to do on the original wheel. Next, I'll remove the forks and front wheel assembly and install spares, allowing the bike to be moved around the shop. $59.67 Including shipping from UK This new option for the one-year only 1993 VFR750 decal set recently popped up on eBay. They're from eBay seller severnvinylgraphics, who states that he's an experienced decal producer who's back in the game after some time away. This set looks very accurate when compared to the OEM set on Project 37, shown below. The price is reasonable (a 1986 R/W/B set typically costs over $200) and it's always good to see a supplier helping us out. Part of my carburetor cleaning regimen is a 40-minute swim in the ultrasonic cleaning tank…but there's an alternative. Back when I was cutting my mechanical teeth, in the era of muscle cars and dinosaurs, the word ultrasound wasn't in our vocabulary. We simply "dipped" 'em. This involved a metal bucket, large enough to hold an entire Carter AFB 4-barrel carb, with an included screen basket to lower the carb into a liquid in relative safety. The dark amber solution was an unknown caustic, likely banned from the earth decades ago for multiple health concerns. But it worked, and whatever you soaked in there would eventually emerge clean and ready for reassembly. Well, that concept is alive and well today in the form of carburetor and parts cleaner dipping products from Berryman, Gunk and probably others. I recently picked up a container of Berryman Chem-Dip to see how it compared to the ultrasonic cleaner for carbs and other various parts. Of course, technology has moved forward and the ultrasonic concept does more than just clean surfaces — its microscopic bubbles will find their way into passages and crevices, vibrating furiously, abrading anything in its grasp. I'm assuming that the dip cleaner is simply a surface surfactant which will effectively dissolve and remove dirt and grease. I don't have a scientific methodology to compare the effectiveness of the two options, but the cleaning results were visually similar — the main difference being time. The ultrasonic machine takes 30-60 minutes while the dip requires substantially more time — I soaked the parts for hours. Other than a general darkening of the aluminum carb bodies when using the dip, the various parts (aluminum, brass, steel, plastic) emerged looking the same. Both the 96-ounce Berryman container and my 6-liter ultrasonic cleaner can just fit two VFR carburetors. Both options claim to be safe for plastics and rubber but the Berryman cautions to keep aluminum parts to no more than four hours total exposure. While there's no shortage of ultrasonic cleaning agents, I use the product shown here from Clean 2020, which I dilute 10:1 with water. Both options are similar in price and both are reusable till they're just too dirty. I extend the life of both of the solutions by pre-washing/rinsing the parts with a water-based degreaser. Bottom line? If I were in need of a carb cleaner for one-time or occasional use, I would be fine with the Chem-Dip. But I do this regularly so I'll stick with the newer and faster ultrasonic technology. P.S. I found the best price for Berryman Chem-Dip at Walmart.com, of all places: $43 including tax & shipping. What: 2010 VFR1200F Why: Great condition, nicely optioned Where: Moncks Corner, South Carolina Price: $5450 OBO This beautiful 7th-gen VFR caught my eye for a few reasons; mature owner, impeccably kept and some tasteful mods. It's surprising to realize that the first-year 1200F has been around for 14 years, so this one has averaged just 1600 miles per year with 21,900 on the odometer. If this bike were in my collection I'd choose the same additions: a very classy, great-sounding Akrapovic muffler, aftermarket seat (that Corbin looks really comfy), and an LSL handlebar conversion, giving the ultimate in bar choices. I think I also spy an aftermarket windscreen, and OEM luggage can be had if the new owner desires. This is the standard transmission (non-DCT) version. If I were in the market for this model, this is the one I'd be after. The asking price of $5450 is reasonable, the bike has had a recent professional look-over, newer rear tire and fresh battery. Spring is here and this one's ready to ride. For the same buy-in as a nice carbureted-era VFR there's a lot to offer here. What: Unknown Why: Unknown Where: Los Angeles, CA Price: $4000 Gobsmacked. That was my reaction when this darkened my morning laptop time. How this ever got past the Busch Light and barroom napkin concept stage baffles me. Apparently someone had the unlikely combination of a non-functioning 1st-gen Honda Interceptor and a Harley 883cc Sportster lump in the corner of the barn and, in a fit of misplaced creativity, asked, "why not?" Well, I could have contributed a few reasons, but here we are, and it apparently runs and is now offered for sale. Our seller states that it's "very reliable and fun to ride, awesome sound." The next chapter in this saga will be to see if someone is willing to empty their wallet to the tune of 4 Gs so it can live its best life under a tarp in the backyard. Last month I posted about over-priced spark plugs populating the internet. Here's another example. This NGK Iridium plug came up on eBay and is listed for the 8th-gen VFR. Now, I know iridium is expensive stuff, and the very hard iridium electrode resists wear better than lower-grade metals, resulting in very long service intervals, like 100K miles. I'm not sure how that makes it appropriate for our generally low-usage sport bikes, but that's an individual owner's choice to make. Like my last post, my beef is with the price; $75.53 for a set of four. I did a quick check on Rock Auto (.com) and can get these same plugs delivered to my home for…wait for it…$48.31. Once again, caveat emptor. ONLY 1 SET LEFT! I like bar risers — the older I get the more I like bar risers. You might not think that 20mm would be very effective in relieving wrist and shoulder stress, but it actually is. I've used these for decades on various clip-on style bars. The beauty of this simple design is that they retain the original throttle/choke cables, brake and electrical lines. I can mount or remove these risers in less than ten minutes. They're produced from billet aluminum via CNC and anodized in silver. Last year I realized that GenMar was no longer producing bar risers for the 1986-87 VFR700/750. So I contacted MOTO-CNC in the UK to inquire as to the possibility of producing these, as they already offer them for the later model VFRs. After some discussion I sent the company the pertinent measurements and agreed to purchase the first batch of ten as an incentive. I still have a limited number of sets on hand and am offering them for my cost of $100, shipping included to CONUS. Well, I don't often see this; here's an eBay seller offering a set of four spark plugs to fit the RC36 (1990-97) VFR750. They're the correct NGK plug, CR8EH-9, but the twist here is that they're used. He's asking $19.99 shipped, or $5 per spark plug. Now. I realize that this particular plug number is priced at the high end of typical standard plugs for classic motorcycles — a check on eBay shows these offered for $10-20…each! Even my local NAPA gets $12.30 each w/tax. My work-around for getting a better deal on spark plugs is to order from Rock Auto (.com) — four of these plugs shipped to Illinois comes to $33.41, or $8.35 per plug. Still not cheap, but beats getting gouged on eBay (and see the note below). For comparison, the previous generation RC24/26 (1986-87) plugs, NGK DPR9EA-9, are a less expensive plug for whatever reason; I get these in 10-packs from Rock Auto for $2.78 each, shipped, or $3.37 each if purchasing only four plugs. NAPA wants $4 each. NOTE: If you find these plugs cheaper elsewhere, including Amazon & eBay, beware, there's a thriving counterfeit business in NGK plugs, a good reason to buy from a reputable NGK dealer. Here's one video that may help, and there's others. |
THE SHOP BLOG
|