Today is Memorial Day in America, a day which is set aside to honor and memorialize those who have died in active military service on behalf of our country. First established in 1868 to honor Civil War casualties throughout the country, it was to be observed by "strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades" — May 30th chosen because flowers would be in bloom nationwide. Congress, in 1971, established Memorial Day as a national holiday, placing it as the last Monday in May.

​This is considered a somber day, not to be celebrated, but over the years it has become synonymous with the unofficial start of summer and so is usually used as an excuse to join with family and friends at outdoor gatherings. Nothing wrong with that, so long as we remember the very important purpose of this day. In fact, there's something known as the National Moment of Remembrance which asks that Americans pause in silence to honor those who have died serving the U.S., and takes place at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day.

For those in search of third- and fourth-gen VFR bits and pieces, eBay seller motorecykle is parting out a couple of bikes to help you out.

Prices are reasonable, if not bargain basement, and the selection is thorough.

But if you're looking for unicorn pieces like 3d-gen side body panels or 8-spoke rear wheel…I've already checked — no dice.

Click on the image to link his eBay store.

While perusing my morning email feed, I came across a Petrolicious (.com) video featuring a guy named Ewen Getley who runs Kingsbury Racing Shop out of a former RAF facility in England. Kingsbury's focus is on ancient Bentley cars but his philosophy runs parallel to those of us who see the beauty and value in preserving old machines as best we can without diminishing their provenance and history. Which is, I suppose, a fancy way of saying that they're only original once.

This excerpt from the Petrolicious summary could just as well describe old motorbikes:
Well-engineered from the outset, but often modified during the course of their lives at points when their values were relatively minuscule, these old Bentleys often come to Kingsbury not to have their past erased in a full restoration, but revived. Getley describes the thinking behind the work as, “Restore where you can, replace where you must. Ultimately you want to end up with a car that looks like you haven’t touched it — much more difficult than making a shiny car, believe me."

When owner Ken stopped by yesterday for a bit of maintenance on Project 25, his 1998 VFR800 FI, I couldn't help but admire his unique addition to the bike.

I was also reminded of what a gorgeous example his bike is of the fifth-gen VFR. Another project I wish I could have kept.

SOLD: $3450

Another nicely-kept, low-mile 800 Interceptor has sold at auction, this one a 1998 VFR800 FI with 12,210 miles.

Like the Anniversary in the previous post, this bike looks to be a fair example of its generation and sports an aftermarket slip-on exhaust.

And, like the previous 800, this sale shows a realistic street value despite typical asking prices north of $4K. Further proof that used Interceptors are the best value out there in the sport-touring world.

SOLD: $3800

This '07 12,000-mile VFR800 Interceptor Anniversary Edition recently sold via eBay auction for $3800 with only six bids.

Details are sparse, but this non-ABS model features a Delkevic slip-on, polished wheels, knee grips and an aftermarket windscreen. It's represented as well-maintained and was located in Massachusetts.

This bike was well-bought. There's no shortage of sixth-gen Interceptors on the market with asking prices north of $5000, but this sale more accurately tells the tale of current values, especially when transportation costs enter into the equation. Good deals can still be found on eBay and this one surely has a happy new owner.

I haven't posted here for awhile and that's because we've taken a COVID break and headed to the mountains…in this case the Blue Ridge of western North Carolina. We're still here enjoying the perfect weather and excellent riding, so I'll share some pics and comments in a few days. And maybe some on-board video.

Yeah, I know…every redneck who takes a tumble through a local hay field pieces Humpty together again sans the trashed plastic and calls it a streetfighter. Done it myself — well, minus the crash. But those hapless souls have nothing to do with this build. This is a proper custom, planned and executed with vision and skill. The result is beautiful to look at and, I'm sure, a joy to ride in its native western Canada.

Long-time readers of this page will recognize this build from a post I did a few years back. The builder is apexandy from VFRdiscussion.com and he's reluctantly decided to part with his project. Visit Andy's ad and you'll be treated to some background and links to the build thread, a running video, and a Marketplace ad with more details and photos.

Andy's term for his build is "OEM+" and I think his baby is beautiful — the stance, the hardware, the unique choice of a V4 power plant. And it's no small feat to expose a bike which was designed to be clothed, its tubes, wires and relays hidden under sheets of ABS. I've always liked the look of the fourth-gen tuned headers and Andy highlights his in silver ceramic. His rear-end treatment is clean and he resisted the temptation to litter the aesthetics with unnecessary badging and lettering…or trendy brown seat…or gummy grips.

The streetfighter is a sport bike extension of the bobber genre, and it's an enduring one, not a fad like choppers and flat trackers, and that's because it's a natural expression of the human condition that makes us want to take our machines down to their essence for the raw look and raw riding experience of an unfettered machine. To erase the store-bought sameness and show our personal vision of what a motorbike should look and feel like. Like the post WWII bobbers and the minimalistic customs littering the internet today, these builders are simply saying, "Now, that's what a proper motorcycle should look like." Andy thinks this is what a V4 custom should look like and, personally, I can't disagree.

The asking price is $8400 CDN which translates to $6700 USD. A selling price is a reflection of value, and that value is whatever a buyer and seller agree upon. There is no way this bike could be replicated for that money, for whatever that's worth, and it should never lose value. But customs can be a hard sell — personal taste varies and is…well…very personal. I hope this one finds a caring home near some twisty roads.

What: 1999 VFR800 FI
Where: Houston, Texas
Why: Pampered, farkled
Price: $3900 asking

Often considered a "tweener" in the VFR lineage, the 5th-gen Interceptors benefited from a chassis redesign and bump in displacement, plus the addition of fuel injection, but retained the signature gear-driven cams — a trademark of the early VFRs.

This example shows about 28,000 miles, the seller describing it as "amazing in every sense of the word." That's a heady claim but this bike seems to back it up in condition and cool modifications. The list is long (see the ad) and includes upgraded suspension front & rear, Sebspeed see-thru clutch cover, updated brakes, BOS exhaust, electrical upgrades, silicon hoses and full maintenance. The asking price of $3900 seems fair — I couldn't replicate this bike for that. Some lucky buyer is going get an exceptional ride.
(click on an image to enlarge)

I'm currently working on a long-neglected 1987 carburetor set which sat for years in old gasoline. This is one of the results as the gas turns to a sticky brown varnish, gluing everything together — in this case the plastic slides were stuck in their bores and the jet needles coated in crusty badness.

To free the slides I soaked the bores in Ballistol, a WD-40-like penetrant, cleaner, and lube. Some gentle prying and the slides released, revealing this mess. I feared that the needles were corroded beyond saving, but with some patient cleaning all the slides and needles survived.

After some experimenting, I discovered that my go-to adhesive remover, 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, would dissolve the varnish with a gentle massaging using a scuff-free pad.

This entire carb set was affected — the throttle butterfly valves were stuck closed, jets clogged, enrichener (choke) pins stuck in their bores, even the tiny spring pins on the float valves were stuck. The ultrasonic cleaner helped here, but mostly hours of detailed hand cleaning. What would typically be a four-hour job turned into eight.

The photo below shows the same slide and needle ready for reassembly.