A new project arrived yesterday. Owner Paul S. recently purchased the bike sight-unseen and a friend helped him get the bike from Virginia to Paul's home in northern Illinois. Paul has asked me to help him take the bike to whatever level he eventually decides is appropriate.

This is a 1986 VFR750F in red, white & blue. The bike shows only 14,514 miles and is in mostly original tack. There's some battle scars here and there, but the VFR is running and riding. Teardown has begun and we'll begin at the beginning — carb rebuild and basic mechanical checks. We've found that the seat subframe is slightly tweaked, so that'll be replaced, along with fork rebuild, brake system service, tires, and so on. Not sure how far Paul will go with the paintwork, and the mufflers are another question mark.

But...this is a low-mileage classic and a long-term proposition for Paul. One day he'll be rewarded with a beautiful and reliable second-gen Interceptor. Stay tuned.

We in the States may not be familiar with Marving, but this Italian name is well-known in Europe. I came across their U.S. eBay listings and thought these might be a unique alternative to what's available to Stateside buyers, which is mostly used equipment in varying degrees of quality and condition.

Here we have a set for the 1983-85 VF700/750 Interceptor. They look to be dead ringers for the OEM design in black chrome, but I can't be sure from the photo. In any case, this looks like a great way to put the finishing touch on your first-gen Interceptor. $587.32 includes shipping.

Next we have a set to fit the second-gen VFR700/750, which is of particular interest to me. As near as I can tell they're available in a black finish only, which is Euro-spec OEM, so that makes sense for their market.

These are very tempting. $655.86 delivered to your door.

For the third-gen VFR750, this is a quick and easy custom touch for your '90-93 that you won't see coming and going out on the road. And it surely sounds better than the sewing machine pipe from the factory. $556.54 shipped.

Marving really has the fourth-gen VFR covered, with a full selection of finishes and designs, including this exotic Tyga full system with a left-side pipe, but you'll also find slip-ons in chrome, carbon fiber and aluminum, in shorty and hi-mount designs. Prices vary, but all around $550 shipped.

The stainless steel Tyga is $1776.80

Marving also lists fifth-gen VFR800 FI pipes, but no photos are provided.
​Happy shopping!

For some, it's human nature to want to differentiate themselves or show a unique style, whether in dress, manner, accomplishments...or our vehicles. Recently spied on VFRD.com is this unique eighth-gen VFR800 Deluxe. The original plain black finish from the factory wasn't quite enough for one London owner who came up with this rusty patina wrap. Love it or hate it, it's different.
This VFR also happens to be for sale at £6500, or about $8500 USD.
Here's the link.

Progress continues on this 1986 VFR700 F2, and yesterday I mounted the rebuilt carb set and hit the magic button. She fired right up and ran pretty well during warm-up. But the carbs were definitely out of sync, so once that was taken care of I was able to step back and give a listen. I'm in the middle of modifying a set of OEM mufflers by shortening them 5 1/4 inches. I'm using a set of mildly rashed pipes, so they were perfect candidates for this surgery. The muffler set is loosely fitted and missing the end caps, but they still sounded pretty good.

Project 27 is in the reassembly stage. It's always gratifying to watch a bike become whole again, piece by piece. But it's a slow process, as each item is detailed to look its best before rejoining the bike. In this case, the brake discs are in need of a facelift. The rear, pictured here, is looking quite rusted, but after a soaking in rust remover for two days, it actually cleaned up pretty well. Not well enough, as the fronts are scuffed and scraped and will require paint, so I'll go ahead and paint the rear so that all the discs match.

I begin with a wet sanding using 320-grit along with wire brushing as required to get in the nooks that paper can't. Then a thorough taping. I over-tape the braking surfaces and trim with a fresh razor blade.

And here we are, ready for paint. A light coat of primer followed by three coats of engine paint and Bob's yer uncle!

The final step is to de-rust the mounting bolts by soaking in rust remover followed by polishing the surface with a rotary wire brush and wiped with a metal protectant. With fresh tires mounted and the wheels detailed, the discs are torqued into place and this project's finished!

Up for auction on eBay are a couple of vintage factory printed materials for the RC30. Need an original owners manual? Buy It Now for $240, or bidding begins at $170, and don't forget the $6 shipping. How about a promotional brochure? A relative bargain at $95 or bidding opens at $70 plus $5 shipping.

What: 1986 VFR750F
Where: Boise, Idaho
Why: 3797 miles
Price: $3500

Here we have a second-gen Interceptor with the lowest indicated miles I've ever personally seen on a street bike that's actually lived in the real world.

The telltale signs suggest that the miles are accurate, but, unfortunately, the cosmetic condition shows some ownership neglect over the years — at least what I can discern from the horrible photos. The seller states "original condition" and that's mostly accurate, though the seat is the wrong color. Cosmetically, the tank has a small dent, the left muffler is scarred, the front fender is rashed and there's some sort of goop which has defaced the windscreen and headlight fairing.

The good news is that some of the deferred maintenance has been brought up-to-date, including the forks, carbs and brakes.

When I spotted this ad I was ready to send a deposit...till I looked more closely. The seller may state that the bike would make a "great collectors bike," but that's only after the cosmetics are brought up to the level of the low miles. That would require a complete repaint and sourcing a seat, windscreen and perfect muffler — and that's just what I can see in the photos. The problem is that, once that's completed, it's no longer "original" and the value stagnates. And, from my experience, there's going to be a whole lot more mechanical details to attend to on an example like this with such little use over the decades. I would love to tackle this project, but the numbers don't lie, and these numbers just don't work for me.

But maybe they will for you? If this is going to be your forever bike and low miles is important, then non-original paint might not factor into your decision. Or you can run the bike as it is, basking in its patina. In any case, I sure would be interested in following this bike's future.

A major part of Project 27's refurbishment is refinishing the swingarm and mounting a better shock absorber.

(Left) This is what I'm left with after stripping the anodizing from the aluminum swingarm; a black-stained mess (NOTE: I'll be adding a "Maintenance" post on how I strip the swingarm). To address this, I wet-sand with about a 600-grit paper and then hand polish with aluminum polish.

(Right) Here the swingarm is polished and the rubber chain guard is remounted using screws due to the retaining strap being broken, a common issue (see "Maintenance" post #22, Chain Slider Fix).

Also shown is the replacement shock sourced on eBay. It's from a 15K-mile VFR and looks nearly new.

The frame and shock linkage is cleaned and detailed and everything is ready for installation.

Next, I'll clean and touch-up the rear wheel with its fresh tire mounted, detail the axle hardware, paint the rear brake torque rod, repaint the brake disc...and lots of other little jobs.

The pretty swingarm and newer shock will give this '86 VFR700 a renewed look and handling.

Project 27 is making progress. With the swingarm removed for repairs and polishing, I'll deal with the tire and wheel.

The tread looks great — these tires probably have only 1000 miles on them.
But...they have a manufacturer's date stamp of 374, which translates to the 37th week of a year ending in 4...of the last millennium. The bike was made in '86, so that means that these tires are from 1994, a bit past their best-by date.
​
They're Metzeler ME55A Metronic, a mod-sounding model I've never heard of. In any case they're off to the trash bin, to be replaced with some modern Bridgestone BT-45 rubber.

Before they go, I'll check the trueness of the rim and brake disc. I do this on a balance shaft, holding a pointy object near the rim and disc. I like to use a pencil, as it leaves a nice trace on any high point without scratching anything.

​In this case both are nearly perfect, so I'll remove the disc for refinishing off the wheel, then take the tire in for a mount and balance. I always replace the valve stem as a matter of course, no matter its appearance — too much to risk on a 34-year old chunk of rubber.