David Crosby ascended to the big hookah palace in the sky on January 19. It was sad news to many of my generation, myself included, as his music was a huge part of our coming of age in the era of womens' equality, civil rights and anti-war movements, along with the general social upheavals of the 60s and early 70s. It was quite a time to live through and Crosby's music, particularly with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, was a leading musical force of the times. While stationed with the military in Morocco, Africa, my cohorts and I sampled many a bowl of hashish while just about wearing out the vinyl tracks on their Four Way Street album. David was one of those lucky people to be born into their perfect place in history, and the rest of us benefited. Rest in peace.

What: Vintage HRC logo work apron
Where: Dawsonville, Georgia
Why: Unique & cool
Price: eBay auction
Update: SOLD for $133

Here's something you don't see everyday. Our seller represents this shop apron as "an original Honda HRC work apron from the mid-1980's…not a reproduction." The implication seems to be that this is Honda-sourced, not a third-party item. The package tag has a Honda Code # and Part # but I'm still not sure that makes it a factory supplied item. On the other hand, the use of all the Honda logos indicates that it probably is.

I'm also not sure it matters, because that wouldn't detract from its cool factor.

Auction ends Sunday night.

Two recent V4 auctions show a marked reversal of value regarding vastly differing motorcycle genres. Or is it just a question of effective marketing? When an older higher mileage muscle cruiser eclipses a newer sophisticated sport tourer, does it demonstrate consumers' changing tastes or just the fact that a high-exposure internet auction site (Bring A Trailer) is a much more effective marketing platform than the OG eBay. Of course, better photos and using more than 12 words in your listing doesn't hurt either.

SOLD: $5000

This 1986 VF1100C V65 Magna big-block cruiser pulled $5000 nostalgia-fueled dollars at the virtual gavel. Generally well-presented with enticing photos, some cosmetic blemishes, fresh tires and an oil change, this is basically a clean-&-flip from a popular BaT seller in Wisconsin. The pristine original mufflers surely helped out here as well. Well sold.

SOLD: $2436

Here we have a first-year VFR800 VTEC Interceptor with only 14,570 miles, our less than helpful seller sharing with us that the bike is red, adult-owned and has a battery tender included. The photos show a mostly original bike with a plastic crack and no passenger seat cowl pictured. The frame seems to show some surface corrosion (or dirt?). All-in-all, a rider-grade 800 and well bought.

I came across this unique creature via motoridersuniverse;  an outrageous custom build by Mociklet Customs. It's based upon a 3d-gen VFR750 and this thing has been stripped to the bone, sporting motocross-style handlebars and knobby's. I'm not sure about its off-road prowess considering the limited travel suspension, but the visual impact is undeniable. You won't see another like it at the local bike night!

From the same webpage comes this tracker-style custom, based upon a 1985 VFR400. Again, this high-revving little sport bike would be ill-suited to its transformation, but you can't fault the builder's unique vision. This one comes from Herencia, a custom shop in Argentina and it basically appears to be a stripped bike with some very raw fabricated aluminum bodywork and custom-built exhaust. Looks like a fun ride!

Some time ago, reader Alexander from Scotland contacted me to order some carb parts for a new project he'd acquired. He also included this video of the bike struggling to run with the worst carb leak I've personally seen. I'm pleased to report that after a thorough cleaning and fresh seals, Alexander's 1990 VFR750 is leak free.

Our old Hondas were treated to an impressive level of fit & finish…for their time. Still, there's a few areas where the factory didn't make the extra effort, one of which are the foot levers.

Shown here is a typical example; a 2d-gen brake lever. They're actually elegant cast aluminum pieces, but were left with a crude casting line running the perimeter. With some effort, we can finish the job.
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I begin with a thorough cleaning and then attack the casting line with a selection of Dremel sanding attachments (below). Next, I hand sand with increasingly finer grades of wet sandpaper, beginning with 320 grit. When I'm happy with my progress, I decide whether to paint or polish. For paint, I've had these powder coated or simply prime/paint/clearcoat with a quality spray, like Dupli-Color engine paint. For a mirror-like finish, I polish with white rouge on the buffing wheel. The final step is to apply Sharkhide protectant to maintain the shine. Either way, you've now got a custom detail that sets your project apart.

Here in northern Illinois, USA, we're enjoying a relatively mild winter season; not a flake of snow on the ground and daytime high temps running around 10° above "normal." But, Mother Nature has the entire second half of her winter show to remind us who's in charge. In any case, today we can celebrate that half-way mark, knowing that brighter, longer, warmer days await.

As a reminder, here's a video from YouTube's Half Fast Fred with a ride over the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Pass in southwest Colorado on his VFR800. 

What: 1990 VFR750R
Where: Tiptop, Virginia
Why: RC30
Price: BaT auction
UPDATE: Sold for $30,000

This is an unusual offering in the world of RC30 trading. Showing 20,000 miles with a recent mechanical refurbishment, this bike lives in the netherworld between a collector's dream and a rider's opportunity. This example displays a lot of originality but suffers (from a collector's view) from many missing and incorrect parts along with cosmetic blemishes, and, there's an unknown history, with the likelihood of a racing past. The RC30 was never meant to function well as an everyday rider — it's a race bike sold to a relative handful of consumers only to satisfy racing homologation rules. In the end, this example might be a good basis for a full restoration. If so, Honda's recent  “RC30 Forever” Genuine Parts Program should help — just keep your credit healthy. Auction ends January 17.

What: 1984 VF1000F
Where: Forney (Dallas), TX
Why: Nice, low-mileage survivor
Price: Ebay auction
UPDATE: SOLD for $7300

I'm always happy to see a nicely-kept, low-mile Interceptor made available for another owner to experience. This listing helps out with lots of informative photos, showing the excellent mufflers, a key point on any black chrome-equipped VF. I'll let the seller tell us about it:

"Excellent survivor 1984 Honda VF 1000F Motorcycle. Bike runs and looks amazing. Paint and coverings are in excellent condition. There is a small minor paint chip on the left front fender. V4 motor only has 13,900 miles on it. Engine serviced this month, installed new brakes and tires. Coolant flushed and replaced with new coolant. All hydraulic fluids flushed - brakes and hydraulic clutch replaced with fresh fluid. No rips or tears in seat. Everything works. Bike never laid down and garage kept. Clear Texas title!"

The first day of my new year began with the reassembly of Project 39's rear suspension and axle/brake components. This 1993 VFR750 suffered years of slow deterioration in Florida's salt air (right photo), and so every piece required attention.

I began with a thorough degreasing and cleaning, doing my best to polish out the bits of corrosion on the aluminum parts. particularly the swingarm, which I elected to leave in place. All the bearings checked out okay, so were cleaned and re-greased. With the axle and brake parts on the bench, I proceeded to de-rust and repaint the rotor and torque arm, followed by a complete rebuild (w/OEM parts) and painting of the caliper. For this project, I chose EBC V-Pad semi-sintered brake pads for the rear application. I generally use their HH sintered pad, but they can be too effective on a non-ABS rear brake, at least in my opinion. We'll see. In any case, the orange pads look kinda racy. Braided brake lines, in black, are waiting on the shelf, right next to a new RK/Superlite 520 chain & sprocket conversion kit with a 1-tooth larger front sprocket from Sprocket Center.
(click on an image to enlarge)

(Right) Here's a shot of the DMr custom modified Honda CBR 929 shock absorber. This is a fully adjustable unit with a remote reservoir located at the top of the shock. The reservoir will prove to be an issue as I move on to the next step — installing the subframe and fender.

The pink arrow points to the heat shield which I showed in an earlier electrolysis post. It required repainting because it's visible through two openings on the right side of the frame.

It's always nice to begin the new year with some shiny parts coming together.