Another 700 Rescued
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.
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.
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