Reader Kevin recently wrote to me with some helpful information, and included a couple of photos of his 1986 VFR750F in red, white & blue. His bike looked to be a fresh, perfectly minted restoration, but I was blown away when he gave me his story — this is an original condition Interceptor! In his own words….

"It is in great shape! A friend of mine bought it then decided he needed to sell it, so I jumped on it. The previous owner, before my friend, didn't ride it much at all. The tires were around 20 years old and had to be replaced, and the carbs needed to be cleaned but other than that it didn't need much. It has 14,800 miles on it. There was a crack in the left fairing, where it mounts to the lower fairing bracket by the side stand. The fairing bracket was bent putting stress on the fairing causing the crack. My friend gave me a mint left fairing, and that's what's on it now along with a new bracket. The right infill panel has some discoloration from brake fluid leaking on it, so I replaced the master cylinder and put black stainless braided lines on it. The wheels have been powder coated, the original white was yellowing. Anyway, I feel lucky to have it!"

UPDATE: Bike has sold.

Shown here in her new digs, Project 42 looks right at home in Bill's 7-car garage with his eclectic collection. Bill also drives for a Porsche race team and I think he'll be the bike's perfect caretaker.

$7800
After ten months of effort, Project 42, a 1986 VFR750, is available for sale! For regular readers, this bike's story will be a familiar tale, but for those who haven't heard....

Detailed photo gallery (cut & paste this link):
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBv3u8
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This bike has a unique history — originally supplied by Honda UK as one of three Press Fleet bikes for the 1986 British introduction of the new VFR Interceptor. Accompanied by a white and a red example, these three bikes were used for road tests, magazine shoots, etc. When that assignment was completed, a staff member of "Motor" magazine, Rex, requested to purchase one of the bikes. Honda agreed, and Rex chose the blue — this very bike. The following year Rex accepted a position with Ford in Detroit and shipped the VFR to Michigan. After lots of bureaucratic haggling the bike was successfully imported with a Michigan title. Rex kept the bike for the next 37 years and 18,000 miles till he offered it to me last year with the promise that I would refurbish it for its next 37 years and find its next caretaker.

With 18,161 miles, this bike has had a full mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment. My goal is always to retain as much originality as possible while bringing the bike as a whole up to whatever standard I can achieve — in this case I would put it at a 9 out of 10. ALL of the mechanical systems are inspected, repaired, replaced, rebuilt; whatever was needed (a partial list is below). Cosmetically, I chose to professionally repaint the wheels and both large side fairings along with a selection of small parts. The rest of the paintwork is original, to my knowledge; color-sanded, buffed and polished. The bike has a few small flaws, which I photographed as well as I could and are included in a detailed photo album (see link below). The seat vinyl had begun to fade so it was professionally recovered in the correct color and texture. The electrical system is inspected, cleaned and works flawlessly. This bike has the European handlebar switchgear with a few extra features, compared to US models, and there are several more differences.

The only necessary modification are the aftermarket SuperTrapp slip-on mufflers. To import the bike, Rex needed to replace the mufflers with US-spec mufflers and in the ensuing years the originals were lost. These SuperTrapps are in near-perfect condition with hi-heat powder coat on the black pipes and many hours spent refurbishing the aluminum mufflers. They are tunable and I have the additional discs to allow future changes. And they highlight that unique V4 music — they sound great.

Included are all the importation documentation, my work and parts receipts, original UK owners manual, tool kit, Clymer service manual, two keys and a license plate bracket and reflector to mount a US plate. The Illinois title is clear and clean, in my name.

Some of the service items:
Carburetors rebuilt/tuned/synced
Spark plugs
Valve adjustment
Compression check
Oil/filter change w/Honda oil
Hardwired stator connector
Full silicone coolant hose replacement w/Honda coolant
New tires; Bridgestone BT46, original sizes
Rebuild forks with Progressive brand springs
Upgraded steering head bearings
All hydraulics fully rebuilt; brakes, clutch
Venhill stainless brake lines, in black
OEM fuel petcock replaced, new fuel lines/filter
​Polished exhaust pipes
Many misc. fairing fasteners replaced
Disassembly to frame & engine, full detailing

No disappointments, contact me with questions.
As an aside, this will be one of my final full-bike projects.
Thanks for your interest. Joe

I came across this new eBay UK listing just this morning and these side panels had already sold. That's typical…for unknown reasons the Gen 3 fairing parts are the rarest of the VFR parts to find as used items. Take care of yours.

In any event this seller is parting out a 1991 RC36 and has lots more items, including some fairing parts. Shipping is going to be more expensive for those of us in the States, but surprisingly not too bad. I've purchased many parts from European sellers with zero issues. When I wanted a second set of chin fairing panels for my '93 I found them in England for a reasonable cost. I've purchased carburetors from Germany, windscreens from Italy, a fuel pump from Poland and a nice set of Gen-2 fairing infill panels from Lithuania.

Though it was unplanned, I finished two projects this past weekend. Project 39 is my personal 1993 VFR750 which was actually finished last summer, whereupon I promptly dropped it on its right side in the shop. During the off-season I made the needed plastic repairs and my painter finished everything off.

Project 42 is my UK-spec 1986 VFR750F Interceptor, which was originally a Honda UK Press Fleet bike brought into the US in 1987 and lovingly kept by its original owner till last year. Here's a short video just before the bikes' photo sessions.

Like owners manuals and tool kits, Gen-2 windshield edge moldings have a mystifying habit of vanishing over years of ownership. Nearly all my 1986-87 VFRs have come to me with the soft plastic edging missing in action. Such is the case with Project 42.

The molding has been NLA from Honda for several years, but some time ago I found three OEM sets available on eBay and grabbed all three, one of which came in handy as I put the final touches on this project. For a substitute part, see note below.

To my surprise, I didn't have any end clips in my parts stash, but, equally surprising…Honda still does. My local dealer had them ready for me five days after ordering: $5.20 each. The molding is very soft and flexible — very much like silicone — and has extra length, as it's used on other Honda models. Here's how I install the molding.
(see photos below, click on an image to enlarge)
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The end clips have an open end and a crimped, or closed end. The crimped end is first installed onto one end of the molding, and I then use a small screwdriver to seat the molding fully into the clip, also spreading the clip a bit to aid in pressing it into place onto the windscreen (if reusing an old clip, you needn't spread it). I install the first few inches of molding onto the screen and press the clip into place. Note that you will be pushing and pressing forcefully as the screen/fairing creaks in protest, so support the screen as you proceed.

I wet the screen edge with a water-soaked towel to help the molding slip into place (alternatively, heat gently with a heat gun), then work my way along the screen edge. Be certain you're fully seating the molding, as it affects the final length. Nearing the end, I mark the end point and cut the excess. Install the clip onto the molding, seat and spread the clip with the screwdriver, and press into place. Finished.

NOTES:
• Reader Kevin shared that he has found a substitute molding from Suzuki; part # 94631-33C01, about $16
• No glue is required to install the molding.
• If you're reinstalling an old molding which has stiffened with age, try softening with a heat gun or soaking in hot water, pressing into place while warm.

I use several products from Griot's Garage, who market themselves as a higher-end source of detail supplies and, well, garage stuff. As a classier purveyor, they also regularly send out glossy paper catalogs…in the mail…old school style. And there's nothing like browsing pretty pictures of cool guy stuff over morning coffee.

In their latest "Garage Handbook," ​the cover photo shows two generations of Griots playing with one of their Porsches in their own garage. Perusing the background, we see an eclectic assortment of Ferraris, race cars and even a Meyers Manx dune buggy. But wait…what's that along the back wall?

Why, it's a VF Interceptor, sitting proudly amongst the million-dollar vintage Indy and CanAm iron. I tried to research the Griot's collection, but found nothing on the Honda. With the financial means to display a row of RC30s and maybe an NR750, instead they've chosen to honor the first modern sport bike. Griot's stock just went up in my book.