The current issue of Motorcycle Classics (.com) has a great feature on the 1992 Honda NR, written by Alan Cathcart, ex-racer and arguably the moto-journalist with the broadest experience on high performance machines. The piece gives some interesting background to this iconic bike's development and history, but is mostly a recollection of Alan's test ride at the Paul Ricard circuit in France at the model's introduction back in 1991.

His general impression was one of mild surprise that this much-hyped super hi-tech jewel was not the hard-edged Superbike he was anticipating, but rather an easy to ride, tractable, even comfortable, "ultimate real-world motorcycle." He states that the racetrack wasn't really the bike's proper venue, but that the NR "wasn't a razor-sharp race replica like the RC30, and though it was a lot more relaxing and comfortable to ride than one up to a certain level, beyond that it was more sport tourer than Superbike."  It was, and maybe still is, the ultimate Gentleman's Express.

He also notes some of the NR's firsts: The first Japanese sport bike with fully mapped electronic fuel injection, the first anywhere with "upside down forks, carbon-fiber bodywork, titanium anything, side-mounted radiators and exhausts under the seat." He calls the styling "breathtakingly gorgeous" and, by his own admission, was copied by none other than the late master, Massimo Tamburini. You can surely see elements of the NR in Tamburini's Ducati Paso, 916, 996, 998, MV Augusta F4 and a few Bimotas. The design was also the basis for the fourth-gen VFRs, clearly visible in the look of my "new" '97 VFR750.

While Honda had hoped to make 1000 NRs, only 322 were produced in 1992 and '93. Each was built to order with a 25% deposit — first come, first served. The most expensive production motorcycle ever sold is now one of the most desired, and probably the least ridden. And that's a shame.

The front end of Project 18 is coming together. With the rebuilt forks in place the repainted wheels are mounted up together with their freshly painted discs. The refurbished brake calipers and black braided lines finish off the package.

Also visible in this photo is the reinstalled radiator. I flush and detail the entire radiator and painstakingly straighten the tiny cooling fins.

Meantime, Jamie Daugherty is busy rebuilding the rear shock and I'm waiting for the Samco coolant hoses to arrive before final assembly.

In this case the radiator's protective grill needed repainting due to some spots of rust. Here I've got it soaking in EVAPO-RUST, an effective and lazy way of getting all the rust from the tiny crevices. I let it soak for a few days followed by a light sanding, priming and painting with Dupli-Color silver engine paint.

The devil, as they say, is in the details.

Project 22, my recently acquired '97 VFR750, was quickly put on the rack for a tear-down and assessment. The initial checks went well. The carbs looked good with just some basic cleaning needed — the low-speed jets were clogged and the old gas was getting kinda gummy on the slides. The valves are still in spec, which is a good thing. Valve adjustment on these bikes is a bit involved, requiring camshaft removal and shim replacement. It may be basic mechanics, but care and precision is needed. The cylinder compression checks showed no surprises.

With the bike apart I'll clean and check the usual suspects like electrical connections and steering bearings. And while awaiting delivery of fresh spark plugs and heater hose I've wired in connectors for the addition of heated grips. Other issues which have presented themselves are roached seals in the clutch master cylinder, leaking fork seals (which have contaminated the front brake pads) and....well, that's about it. The Michelin Pilot Road 2's look nearly new but the date code shows them to be nine years old, beyond my comfort level.

I hope to light the fires by the end of the week.

Last weekend a Chicago area rider, Dave, contacted me about buying his no-longer-running VFR. Dave's bike had been superseded a few years ago by a big yellow Honda Gold Wing, relegating the Interceptor to the back of the garage. Time ticked away and eventually the VFR could no longer muster the necessary combination of ingredients to light the fires — it wouldn't start. But the final straw in the chain of events leading to this bike ending up in my garage was a spill with the Gold Wing on a rainy curve in Wisconsin. The bike went down and Dave's two-wheeled days went with it. That's when I got his call.

So what do we have here? Well, we have the final production year of the VFR750, a 1997 model with 32,000 miles — but looking like it has a tenth of that. In addition to the excellent bodywork this one sports several nice farkles. Like the DMr converted Honda 929 shock absorber, aftermarket fork springs, Two Brothers slip-on, bar risers and carbon fiber front fender. There's more nice touches, too — VFR-ness installed with aftermarket regulator/rectifier, rear fender eliminator, stainless braided brake lines, rear brake wave rotor and a snazzy aftermarket chain guard.

The plan: Mechanical checks throughout, fresh tires...and get some miles on this beauty.

What: 2008 VFR800
Where: Crown Point, Indiana
Why: Low miles & pretty
Price: $4850 or offer

Here's a very clean 2008 Interceptor showing only 6200 miles. The seller notes a minor scratch but states that it "rides like a new bike."

The pictures look great and there's even a warranty remaining for another year for peace of mind. A very nice VTEC 800.

It's time to get the brakes in order for Project 18. I begin with the calipers, and in this case the low-mileage units came to me in very nice condition. After disassembly the cleaned up parts and pieces proved to be in excellent shape.

A careful assembly with fresh EBC HH pads and these calipers are ready for installation.

One of the upgrades to this project is this set of Galfer stainless brake lines. I've chosen the black clad version to keep the original look while giving a genuine improvement in brake feel and safety.

The brake and clutch master cylinders are also in excellent condition, so just a cleaning along with polishing the OEM levers will complete the brake work.

Fellow VFR nut Derek, in Houston, sent me this great tip. His '93 VFR750 is a barn find that he's bringing back to life. While he had access, he wanted to address the two small coolant hoses under the carb set.

So, by cutting out two of the bends in Gates #19746 he's created a perfect solution for these hard-to-reach hoses. Nice.

According to the parts fiche, these same hoses are used from 1990-1997.

In looking at the '86-87 model, I discovered that one of those same angles could be used to replace the single hose under the carbs on the second-gen bikes (photo left).

Now, if Derek could come up with generic replacements for the two large radiator hoses....

With the rear shock off for rebuilding, I'm focusing on the front half of Project 18, a 1986 VFR750F.

The forks were in need of new seals, but the rest of the internals look almost new, as befits a 10,000-mile example.  The repainted front wheel is reassembled with fresh bearings and new Bridgstone BT45 and is ready for mounting. Steering head bearings feel great so I'll just do a simple adjustment.

With the front end fully exposed this is the time to clean and inspect all the electrical connectors under the headlight fairing. This is a part of the refurbishment process that most folks aren't aware of but I think is critical to keeping these bikes on the road dependably for their next thirty years.

I visually inspect all the connectors, clean with plastic-safe electronic cleaner and apply di-electric grease. Despite its name, this special grease is actually non-conductive, which is a good thing — it could otherwise cause shorting across these tiny terminals. Instead, its function is to prevent corrosion by helping to keep moisture at bay. I spend hours on this chore.

After a thorough toothbrush detailing of the engine block the powdercoated valve covers are installed. Can't forget to polish the chrome hold-down bolts.

Next up, detailing and installing the radiator.

I began my riding life 46 years ago, while stationed in Morocco with the Marine Corps. When I returned to The World a group of my hometown buds caught the fever and we had our own little suburban gang, which we jokingly dubbed "The Deperados." We didn't go the leather vest and colors route; we just had fun. Day rides, weekend camping trips, Saturday mornings on some local backroads. We didn't discriminate on machinery, there were Japanese sport bikes, a couple of Sportsters, BMWs, and my Norton Commando. 

All the guys stayed in the area, but two of the gang have since taken the long way home. We lost Jon "Toby" Bloesch about five years ago to a long illness. And this past weekend we said goodbye to Steve "Butch" Boyle following his fight with cancer.

Butch and I stayed active in the sport all these years and rode together when we could. He put up a man-cave behind his home several years ago and built a collection of toys, including several motorcycles which he kept in pristine riding condition. One of the collection was his "forever" bike, a 1978 Suzuki GS550. I gave him a ride to the dealer on the day he picked up the brand new Suzuki. There's an '86 VFR750 in the cave, too. It's one of my projects that I was proud to share with him.

He and I were considered the "fast guys" and I have many, many memories of chasing one another on the alphabet roads of southwest Wisconsin. Butch was a natural, his smoothness and effortless cornering speed coming from within, never needing anyone to show him how it's done. In 2010 we rode a New England MotoMarathon (.com) — four days of backroad rallying, me on my CBX and him taking a few goodhearted jabs for bringing his Pacific Coast. But, true to form, he could keep up with any of the high-zoot Beemers and Ducs. It's not the bike, it's the rider.

Butch loved his toys, but he was family first. Sherry and their three children were his life's focus. His son, Joe, took up riding and now works with Mecum auctions. Back in '78 when he asked me to be his Best Man I was humbled and truly honored. We've always shared a sort of quiet bond in our 45 years of friendship, much of that developed while riding motorcycles. Whether on a dirt trail, a fast sweeper, at the poker table or shooting pool, we've always challenged one another, but with an easy rhythm as only friends can. He is the only person I let ride my bikes, not only because I trusted his skills, but I knew he respected the machines in the same way he respected people. The hundreds of people attending his memorial were there not out of duty but to honor that respect. In the end, I've always thought that one of the greatest things that could be said about a guy's life is that "he was a good man." By any measure, Steve Boyle was a good man. Safe rides, buddy.