Project 14 is at the point where it's time to start considering the bodywork details. This is a mild custom build and as such I have more freedom to change up a few details. Like the front fender, for example. Honda's 80's styling cues include a visually "heavy" fender. Project 14 has a taller 17-inch front wheel and, to my eye, the fender will have a better aesthetic if it's "lightened" a bit.

<< OEM fender

To accomplish this I mounted up a fender from my stash and covered it in blue painter's tape. The leading edge curve is very critical for the right look, so, looking around the shop I grabbed the front fender from the Magna Project and traced out the trailing edge of that fender onto the VFR's leading edge. Perfect. Leaving the rear portion intact, I freehanded a few curves onto the tape until I found the shape that looked right to me.

With a medium-duty cut-off tool mounted up to the Dremel, I slowly began tracing the line for an initial cut, followed by two successively deeper cuts till the right half of the fender was away.

I'm very careful to avoid any slips with the cutting wheel onto the "good" portion of the fender as that will require additional bodywork to repair.

Well, no turning back now, so on to the other side.

I could have attempted to freehand the left side but figured out a way to duplicate the cut. I traced the cut line onto heavy paper, turned it back-to-front, and taped it in place on the left side, tracing the edge onto the fender. Three passes with the Dremel and I had my basic shape.

For the all important boy-racer effect I added some "lightening" holes to the rear portion. Three different drill sizes and Bob's your uncle.

Project 14 will be sporting OEM red/white/blue body panels. My plan is to change the fender color from original red to blue, which will also help lighten the look. Honda used this trick with the 2007 VFR800 Anniversary Edition and it seems to make more sense, stylistically speaking. All that remains for this little project is to smooth the edges with files and sandpaper...and paint.

What: 1985 VF1000R
Where: North Texas
Why: Unique, sorted, rideable, affordable
Price: $5500

While cruising VFRdiscussion.com I came across this nicely-done restomod build based upon a VF1000R. Available in the U.S. only in '85-86, the R replaced the lower-spec F from '84. Neither bike was a market success here as they were eclipsed by the liter-class sports bikes of the day. Big sport-touring or "endurance" models just hadn't caught on yet in America. Which makes this model a great basis for modifying with some modern components while keeping the period look — a restomod.

Here's some of the highlights:
• Dynamag wheels front and rear
• Aprilia triple trees and forks (Ohlins)
• Huge Brembo brakes
• Original taillight mounted in CBR900 tail & seat
• M4 exhaust
• Tarozzi rearsets
• VFR750 fuel tank (gives the big VF a whole 'nother look)
• Triumph Daytona 675 turn signals
• 1986 headlights
• Aprilia carbon fiber front fender
• ...and many small touches and details

The seller doesn't list his exact location. For more information visit his thread and contact him through the discussion board (registration required):
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/84252-1985-vf1000r-restomod/&

Online auction sites — online anything — can be a minefield. There's sometimes built-in safeguards or limited buyer protection, but in the end it's like everything else in life; buyer beware. I've been a frequent flyer in the eBay and Craigslist worlds since their beginnings and I've learned the hard way (more than once) that not everyone shares the same values as most of us. I once actually found a motorcycle seller online using my photos to represent his item. But beyond dodging the liars, thieves and scammers, there's still the old concept of just shopping around. Here's a few cases of current eBay listings for the same items at wildly disparate prices.
(click on images for the links)

Need a shop manual for your '90-93 VFR?
On the left; $59.99. On the right; $9.99

How about a replacement brake lever?
On the left NOS OEM; $12.28. On the right an aftermarket piece; $47.98

How about a steering head bearing kit? Amazingly, these items are the same brand, part number and from the same seller!! They even use the same photo. On the left; $29.40, on the right; $52.00.

Speaking of expensive parts, an Arizona seller is offering this nice '86 seat cowl for an optimistic $249.95. In  my experience he should maybe be hoping for something closer to $150. Best of luck.

And here's a new OEM Honda hand grip. These are still available at your local dealer for about $12. Our seller's price is $16.47...plus $9 shipping!!

Caveat Emptor.

What: 1989 Honda VFR400R (NC30)
Where: Seattle, Washington
Why: Your chance at a grey market rider
Price: $9800 Bid, reserve not met

Often referred to as the RC30's little brother, the VFR400R was never officially imported to the U.S. Produced from 1989-92, the NC30 was an evolution of the earlier NC21 & NC24. The NC30 was a scaled-down version of the RC30 and featured its single-sided swingarm, a 360-degree crankshaft, 18" rear wheel and 14,500 RPM redline.

Our feature bike is represented as a 6000-mile original-condition example, with the exception of new brake rotors & repainted wheels. It's striking in the one-year only red/white/blue Japanese-market colors. Maintenance is up-to-date and this would be a great special occasion rider. The auction includes a link to a short YouTube video where we can hear that distinctive gear-drive cam "noise."  Values are rising on these little VFRs — the listing indicates a $12,000 reserve. Is it worth it? We'll soon see, the auction ends Sunday at 8:00 pm.

UPDATE: Sold...winning bid $11,200.

From the brothers Coppiello in Padua, Italy comes this stunning take on a new-age cafe racer based on a 1992 VFR750. Their shop, North East Custom, produces some exquisitely crafted bikes with a fine eye toward detail and style.

The V4 is seldom chosen as a basis for a custom, but this one shows that in the right hands the result can be both beautiful and maybe a little practical.

The mechanicals remain factory so this is a purely cosmetic custom. The stock fuel tank is integrated perfectly with the Guzzi-like quarter fairing and hand-made side covers and seat cowl. The period red, white and blue is perfect for this build and the white wheels a nice finishing touch.  While most customs lack any pretense at utility, I'm betting this one would be as much fun on a Sunday morning canyon run as it would be to sit and gaze at in the garage, beer in hand.

For the BIKEEXIF feature on this VFR, visit here.

What: 1991 VFR750F
Where: Tempe, Arizona
Why: Beautiful bargain
Price: $1950 BIN or make offer

Offered in the Phoenix area is this very presentable '91 VFR in original Italian Red with a gorgeous set of one-year-only platinum-colored wheels.

The bike shows 54K miles but appears to be very well kept. Some nice extras include a Vance & Hines slip-on (original included), OEM seat cowl, Throttlemeister throttle lock and center stand. There's a bit of "patina" but overall this one looks great. And those unobtanium side fairings are all in one piece, always a bonus on the third-gen models. After years of messing with old VFRs I've developed an eye for the telling details — things like sun fading, seat and switchgear condition, mirrors, windscreen, stuff like that. This one checks all the boxes and surely has many more miles and smiles in store for its new owner.

Project Magna, an '82 VF750C, is progressing as I work my way through the front end. With the forks on the bench, disassembly went smoothly and all the components are straight and serviceable with the exception of the oil seals, of course. The photo on the left shows what leaking fork seals produce — imagine that gunk on your brake components. After a thorough cleaning I set to refinishing the aluminum lower fork legs. Like many of the bike's polished aluminum pieces these were clear-coated at the factory, but decades of stone chips and neglect have them looking like a bad case of acne.

This won't do, so my solution is to first strip the clear-coat with chemical stripper followed by a wet-sanding with 320-grit, then 800-grit. The 320 will remove the pockmarks of corrosion and the 800 eliminates sanding marks.

For some parts I'll go with even finer sanding, up to 3000, but I liked the dull sheen that the 800-grit provided on these legs — very factory-like. Here's the sanded part ready for polish.

It's easy to get carried away with aluminum polishing but for the fork legs I wanted just a bit of shine, so a single pass with Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish did the trick.

To try and preserve the finish we could have these parts clear coated with powder coat, but I've chosen to leave them bare and encourage the owner to give them a buffing once a year. They live in a harsh environment where stone chipping is a fact of life, and they're very easy to access for a quick cleaning/polishing.

Project 14 came to us about a year ago. It was a local find in dire need of rescuing. It's a 1987 VFR700 F2 with 22,000 miles and was the victim of a well-intentioned but ill-equipped previous owner. He committed both cosmetic and mechanical sins against this motorcycle, beginning with emptying untold number of grey Rustoleum spray bombs all over the abused plastic panels. Then there's the hacked-off rear fender and some inexplicable electrical experiments. At some point a 17-inch front wheel was fitted from an early Hurricane (CBR600). No, it wasn't running when we found it. Of course not.

I've been working on the bike off & on for some time. Once all the mechanical checks were made, carbs rebuilt/jetted and all the electrons herded in their respective directions, the start-up went well. We now have a nice running Interceptor. The plan is to fit "driver-grade" complete and original-condition red/white/blue bodywork with black wheels and bronze colored, powder-coated engine covers. I'm also using a set of shortened OEM mufflers in black which should provide a great soundtrack. I've installed fresh steering head bearings, a rear fender eliminator, blacked out the radiator and added a white pinstripe to the freshly painted wheels. Yet to be completed is the brake system rebuild along with Galfer stainless brake lines.

I expect this mild custom to turn a few heads when it hits the road come Spring. Stay tuned.
(click on a photo to enlarge)

Project 14 is an '87 F2, and as such has the "square" instrument package with a kind of dark, smoky blue color. This build is a mild custom and the blue (which I personally dislike) isn't going to work.

The instrument panel disassembles easily and the individual parts can then be dealt with. Shown here is a complete assembly and one in pieces. 

The color change is easy; after a thorough cleaning I scuff the surfaces of the three nacelle pieces with a scotchbrite pad and spray them with a product from SEM called Trim Black, which is used for the black plastic trim pieces on cars, like fender surrounds and bumpers. This is a very durable matte finish and looks factory applied.

Next up is the instrument "glass," as Honda calls it, which is actually plastic, of course. Time and sun exposure tend to cloud its clarity — much like myself, come to think of it. I attack it with a few machine buffings with Novus plastic polishes and a final polish with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. I suspect a headlight polishing kit would work well also. Here, the left section has been massaged.

While it won't come crystal clear, the finished lens looks very good. Screw everything back together and mount it up.

Tim at Pashnit Moto has spent 20 years building a great business supplying accessories and California backroad tours. His is a family business and he's a bike guy. I've ordered lots of stuff over the years, especially Galfer brake line kits when the free rear line sale is in effect...like now.

There's also another opportunity to save with this unique weekend sale (through Monday). The idea is that you email him with your item (or list) and he emails back a sale price. If you accept, you're billed, you pay, and he ships. Give it a try. Best to visit the link for details:
https://app.robly.com/archive?id=0417072f112feb54f2b03bb5ad757951