SOLD: $50,000

Recently sold via eBay auction, this RC30 garnered a single bid at the opening price of $50K.

The description indicates that the bike has been stored 30 years and last operated ten years ago, run out of gas and left untouched. The bike is unmodified, which is good, but it's showing some issues from storage and too much time on the salty Florida coast. Inexplicably, the gas cap won't open, so some surprises may lurk there. This rare, low-mile collectible isn't presented particularly well, and I would feel a lot better with a personal inspection. In any event, a buyer has seen the potential and now has his dream machine — some sorting required.

The side fairing panels for Project 38, a 1986 VFR750, are back from paint and are in need of reassembly before they are mounted on the finished bike. Shown at right is the OEM heat/sound foam mat. The original mats have dried with age and usually crumble to the touch, well past their use-by date. I remove them in any case for the painting process. There's no replacement from Honda, so I use a modern foam/foil self-stick mat cut to fit.

(Below) I begin with a paper template, cut to shape, and punch out the fastener holes with a hammer and homemade punch. Those spring clips are difficult to remove (gently but forcefully pull upward with a pliers) and sometimes the plastic pegs they attach to break off. No worries, between the remaining pegs and the sticky backing, the new pad will be secure. Here, the center peg is missing.

Next I'll install the plastic ducts, which screw into three fragile plastic towers using expanding brass inserts. If you're very lucky, the securing screws broke free and left the brass inserts intact, but more likely the screws are corroded in place and broke the inserts loose, cracking the towers in the process. One approach is to fill the towers with JB Weld or similar, drill out a suitably sized hole into the filled tower and use a sheet metal screw to secure the duct. In this case, I chose to reuse the brass inserts by doing my best to repair the cracked towers (prior to painting), separating the screws/inserts, and installing the inserts with a few dabs of JB Weld. Once it cures, the original screws can be used to install the duct. This panel is just about ready for the bike.

But wait, there's more….

​While I'm at it, I'll need to refurbish the fairing stand-offs. These came in two styles for the 2d-gen bikes; these elegant billet aluminum posts the more common. They were originally black, but we've decided to brighten them by going with the polished aluminum look.

Trouble is, that black can be either paint or anodize. We had one of each, so I would first need to remove the anodizing. I do this by soaking the item in spray-on oven cleaner for about 30 minutes in the warm sun followed by a rinse with water. Next, I screw an allen bolt into the open end to allow chucking in a hand drill, then polish with a strip of wet/dry sand paper, 400 to 800 grit, depending upon the condition of the aluminum finish. A quick hand or wheel polishing completes the process. I like to coat the finish with Sharkhide sealant to preserve the shine.

What remains for the fairing preparations are to install the headlight and tail light assemblies into their respective fairings and we're ready to make Project 38 look like a motorcycle again.

What: 2000 VFR800 FI
Where: Seattle, Washington
Why: Well-loved, tastefully farkled
Price: $5500

In a bold move, Honda offered the 2000 VFR800 in a single color: Pearl Shining Yellow. And it was the only model year that a yellow VFR would ever be available from the factory, at least in the U.S. By all accounts, the color choice was a success and still is, judging by the vociferous crowd of happy yellow owners out in VFR-land.

If your tastes lean in a similar direction, here's a yellow Interceptor that makes most look pretty pedestrian. The bike shows 21,319 miles and the seller confidently states, "you won't find a nicer 5th-gen anywhere." The bike's had recent maintenance and the list of mods is enticing:
Staintune high mount exhuast w/ removable DB killer
DMr performance suspension front and rear
Sargent seat with removable pillion section
Full HEL stainless brake lines for the linked brakes
Signal Dynamics headlight modulator
Signal Dynamics brake light flasher
Probolt stainless fairing bolt kit
VFRness wiring harness
Aftermarket levers (OE included)
GIVI tanklock ring

The price of $5500 is at the top of the 5th-gen heap, but so is the bike. 

My painter has recently finished not one, but two R/W/B  2d-gen projects for me. That's a lot of pieces to keep track of but it's all safely back home and ready to go back on the bikes — well, some reassembly required. Here, we'll work on Project 38, and that begins with the fuel tank. 

We need to reinstall the fuel cap, petcock, fuel level sensor, heat pad, and front/rear rubber mounts.

(Below) The fuel cap is straightforward, but this cap required lots of massaging with Autosol polish to remove spotting on the surface. The cap's anodized finish can be difficult, sometimes impossible, to polish but in this case it worked pretty well. TIP: If your cap is reluctant to close without excessive force, it may be that the rubber seal has hardened with age and exposure to fuel. I've found that applying heat to the seal and then closing it will allow everything to fit nicely. Cover the opening to protect the finish and avoid gas fumes.
(click on images to enlarge)

(Below) Next, I install the low fuel level sensor with fresh o-ring, followed by the heat shield, gently bending the holding tangs. New frame cushions are put in place. For the original location, look for a paint shadow where the old cushions were located. 

Lastly, a new front mount rubber cushion is slipped into place and the rear rubber fitted. This is a California-spec tank, so I won't forget to put a vent hose onto the tank's forward fitting. This tank is ready to be installed onto the bike. Next, I'll prepare the side fairings.

Fuel tanks are showing stupid asking prices on the interwebs lately. But this looks like a fair deal at $185 including shipping.

Yes, it will need repainting to look its best…or use as is as a needed replacement for your daily rider. The interior is clean and the cap/key and other attachments are in place.

Click on the image for the eBay link.

What: 2007 VFR800 Anniversary Ed.
Where: Castro Valley, California
Why: Well-farkled, well-loved, low mi.
Price: $6900

I normally won't feature bikes here which push the price envelope much above the market, but there's more here than meets the eye. For starters, this example shows only 4400 miles and sports my personal must-have Anniversary mod: white wheels. But wait, there's more….

The list is tasteful, including SBK exhaust, Sargent seat with white piping,  Heli-bar risers, ASV levers, color-matched side cases and even color-matched crash bobbins. The mature owner describes the bike as "original owner bike in collectible/showroom condition." 

The Anniversary Edition models have finally come into their own, with values holding at $5000+ for nice examples. This one is a cut above "nice" and our seller has priced it accordingly. It seems to me that if one is interested in this model, this is what one should be searching for. I would be proud to have this one glistening in my garage.

Reader Michael S. sent along this comparison of a Honda promotional photo and his project, a 1986 VFR750F, under the title: "Life imitating art." When you get to this point you know you're fully committed to your project!

Earlier this week I spied a perfect weather forecast for Thursday, so I planned a solo day-ride in the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin. With a busy summer and four projects in the shop, I decided I was in need of a personal day on two wheels. Lacking a suitable VFR (!) I loaded the Triumph Bonneville onto the trailer for the 2-hour drive to New Glarus, WI where I unload, ride all day, and return in the evening for a relaxing drive home, avoiding four hours of boring saddle time. It all makes for a long day — 200 miles in the truck and, in this case, 320 miles in the saddle.

While enroute to New Glarus I came upon this surprise gas price in Janesville WI; below $4. Later that evening, on the return drive, it was even lower at $3.86. Interestingly, everywhere else on my travels that day prices were about $4.30. And, back home in Illinois, you can add about $.75 per gallon thanks to the state's higher fuel taxes.

The Driftless Area offers endless rural roads with light (often non-existent) traffic, hills, curves and long, pastoral views. I sometimes map out a route, but it's just a suggestion and deviations are common. Every intersection offers another teasing road curving off into the hills. This is Amish country, their clip-clopping buggies and neatly dressed children waving from grassy lawns adding to the charm of the ride. Just watch your lane positioning — their "horse emissions" can be a slippery surprise.

My first break was for a light lunch at one of my mandatory stops, the Log Cabin restaurant in Baraboo for a bowl of homemade chicken & rice soup, coffee and a slice of fresh, warmed pecan pie with ice cream. I prefer the quaint, shaded cemeteries along the route for butt-breaks — I found this one on a breezy hilltop outside Elroy, boyhood home of moto journalist Peter Egan. I like the peaceful setting and interesting history told by the grave markers and I could wander about for an hour, but I'm here for the roads, so I saddle up and move on.

The comfortable and easy-going Bonneville is well-suited for exploring these byways, and over the winter months I completed a couple of modifications that I was anxious to try out, including a "de-restricting" camshaft and re-flashed ECU. These woke up the 900cc twin, as promised, and deliver the extra bit of performance that the factory left on the table. Even so, there's many favorite twisties where I longed for the feel and music offered by the Interceptor's V4. Another day.

Here's a look at my hybrid navigation system, combining a paper route taped to the tank and a modern Garmin Zumo XT. But, I've ridden these roads for 50 years, so these are just nice extras, not at all needed. I have a map of the Driftless Area permanently etched in my mind, and these quiet counties have changed very little in those decades. I like that.

Today marks the mid-point of our riding season here on the top half of the globe. Here's a 5-minute video reminder to get out there and enjoy our very special machines.
​​(credit: Stahlkatze)

What: 1987 VFR700 F2
Where: Hugo, MN (Minneapolis area)
Why: Rare blue/gray, clean, original
Price: $3800

In the U.S. market, the 2d-gen VFR was offered for 1986-87, and the '87 was available only as the 700cc F2 model. Of the two color choices, Pearl Crescent White was, by far, the most common, with relatively few arriving in Candy Wave Blue with gray accent, seat and wheels, as shown in this very original example.

Our seller is of limited words and photographic expertise, but the basics sound good — "clean 2-owner…all original, no scratches, never down." Just what a smart buyer is looking for, complete with passenger seat cowl. The $3800 price seems in line with what's being offered.