During my morning Craigslist search several days back, I came across this forlorn example of an '87 VFR700 F2, wasting away in a garage on the Illinois plains. The story (there's always a story) is that the seller's son had met his mechanical match a year ago when a hydraulic clutch issue sidelined the VFR. The kid took a job elsewhere and the bike languished in his parent's garage. Advertised at $650 ("but we're flexible"), Patti and I decided to load up the Trailer-In-A-Bag and make the two-hour trek to have a look.

What we found was an interesting assemblage of home-brewed mechanical fiddling in perfect harmony with Rustoleum aesthetics. Naturally, we immediately purchased it.

During it's 28 years and 22,000 miles, this 700 has managed to remain fairly intact with the exception of a few items. I quickly noticed the chopped rear fender and recovered seat, but stepping back I realized something about the front wheel was suspect. A closer look revealed that a CBR 17-inch wheel has been fitted. Interesting. Back home, I did a tear-down and found that an aftermarket electric fuel pump had been installed with a manual on-off switch conveniently located in the vacated mounting hole for the left-rear turn signal. Into the trash. I pulled the carbs, cleaned and refitted 'em and the old girl fired right up and ran great! 

Here's a shot of the fuel pump installation. Seems to me that someone went to a lot of fiddling, when fitting a used OEM pump would have been a much easier and cleaner install.

Here's an example of the refinishing technique lavished on this classic motorbike. This is the left side mid fairing. If the awesome sharks teeth decal can't be covered up with the initial coats of rattle-can grey, then try a few heavier applications. 

So, welcome number 14 to the asylum. What's the plan? Well, I envision a nicely presented red/white/blue rider. I'll return the front wheel to OEM and fit a nice set of stock mufflers. This bike is straight and complete with fairly low mileage so there's no reason it shouldn't be rescued and a new owner found to care for it. 

After five years sitting on the back burner due to a succession of VFR priorities, I decided that it was time for my dirty side to resurface.

My idea of the perfect dual sport classic — a 1981 Honda XL500S with a 550cc big-bore kit. Honda's final year for dual shocks, 6-volt electrics, and that bodacious 23-inch front wheel. Kick-start only. Vintage.

When I acquired the bike I immediately stripped it to the frame and slowly built her back up with Progressive suspension front & rear, enduro-style tail light, and everything refurbished, replaced or upgraded. The final touch was having the bodywork finished in a straw camo hydrostatic dip. Last weekend I participated in a brutal off-road event in West Bend, WI as an ultimate shake-down ride. The bike performed flawlessly — the same can't be said for me as it's been a few years since I've abused myself quite so much on a motorcycle. This thing is great fun.

No, I'm not building the next hipster noir bobber feature for EXIF. This is actually step one in deep cleaning Project 13. By removing the seat subframe and fender, accessibility is really opened up for detailing and condition inspection for the rear portion of the machine. I expect to be replacing the rear shock assembly, so it's now more accessible too. Note that the drive chain and front sprocket are removed in anticipation of replacing those components, along with the rear sprocket, of course. Removing the carb rack and sealing the intake tracts with plastic allows me to easily clean and rinse the intake valley. Likewise, removing the radiator and hoses allows much easier access to the front head for valve clearance checks.

I scrub everything with a biodegradable degreaser, a purple one with the unimaginative name of Super Clean which I get from the local big-box home improvement store. Some of these degreasers can etch bare aluminum, but this one seems pretty safe. Twenty nine years of chain grunge doesn't come off without a fight but perseverance will win the day. The forks will be removed for steering head bearing service, so that area will be detailed in its own good time.

This may be the nastiest chore in refurbishing the VFRs, but there's a certain satisfaction in the results. There's much work ahead, but no one likes to wrench on a dirty machine.

Recently sold via eBay listing is this very nice and very elusive VFR400R. This model was never offered in the U.S., designed primarily for the Japanese home-market where the 400cc and under class was popular, mainly due to drivers'  licensing restrictions.

Earlier, America got an upsized VF500 version of the V4, but this jewel, designated the NC24, was a later design much in line with the larger RC30 and third generation VFRs. This bike would later morph into the iconic (outside the U.S.) NC30 and later still into the NC35, produced through 1996.

Available only in the Rothman's replica scheme for the '88 model year, this one shows 28,000 miles and "fair" condition bodywork. Legally imported from the UK, ready to ride and located in Austin, TX, this VFR400 sold for $3600. reinforcing my notion that small-displacement motorcycles just don't have the appeal in this country.