Just hours in front of our first snow storm of the season, the latest additions to the project list have arrived at the sprawling V4 Dreams facilities, all the way from the Oklahoma City, OK, area. Owner Jeff C. has a taste for 1986 Pearl Crescent White VFR700 F2s, and he's brought two of his collection to me for help with their refurbishment.

Project 31 is the older of the pair; production number 26, showing 38,408 miles. It's very complete, but the large side fairings are Chuck Crites fiberglass reproductions. The engine is in running condition but needs carburetor work.

Project 32 is production number 290 with 22,675 miles, and full OEM body panels. Someone had toyed with this bike through the years, adding a Penske remote reservoir shock and somehow raising the bike about 1.5 inches front and rear. That will require some investigation. Also a running example, but in need of the usual tweaking and tuning.

Both of these examples are great starting points for full sympathetic restorations and Jeff and I are excited to see what lies ahead.

An observant reader sent me this eBay link for a unique custom build from Motorelic Custom Cycles in Hamilton, VA. The bike is based upon a 1984 Honda VF500C V30 Magna, chosen for its tube style frame and chain drive. The seller provides a pretty detailed build summary in the eBay listing; a good read. The inspiration is flat tracker, but this looks like an amazing super moto ride to me. An opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind V4 custom put together by a meticulous professional builder. Offered on auction or buy-it-now at $13,000.

What: 2015 VFR800 Deluxe
Where: Rio Grande City, Texas
Why: Low miles, Deluxe, extras, potential bargain
Price: $5500 opening bid, no reserve

Hands down, the latest generation Interceptor represents a blend of good looks, competence and value sitting at the top of the heap of pre-owned sport style motorcycles. As Motorcycle Consumer News gushed, "Dynamics such as control feel, power delivery and handling are all so perfectly neutral that you have to wonder how other bikes get shipped with all the flaws they possess."

And here's a perfect example. This 2015 version is a desirable Deluxe model in Pearl Glare White with a few extras, including bar risers, security system, throttle lock and more. A great bonus is the low 778 miles! If it were in my garage, I would add some tasteful red and blue accent striping as my personal tribute model.

The opening bid is a reasonable $5500 in a no-reserve auction. The bike is located on the Mexican border in southeastern Texas and the auction closes Tuesday evening. 

What: 1986 VF1000R
Where: Crystal Lake, Illinois
Why: Great original condition "R"
Price: $11,000

The final year of VF1000R U.S. availability was 1986, and here's #23 imported that year. This very original example spent most of its life in the Bob Weaver collection and shows 28,000 miles. Our seller states that the "paint and condition is great" and has accomplished the maintenance items most likely needing attention. This one should be ready for some summer miles. The asking price seems a bit on the optimistic side, considering the miles, so some tactful negotiation may be called for.

A few days ago I was visiting Petrolicious (.com) and came upon a short video featuring a guy by the name of Carini Lino. He's Italian (I think) and, like myself, he's found a passion in his retirement — in his case restoring vintage car radios. He calls his shop Lino Autoradio.

Carini seems like a quiet, thoughtful guy who goes about his work with an eye toward respect and appreciation for the pieces he loves. What I found particularly interesting is his distinction of calling himself an "enthusiast" as opposed to a businessman or restorer. I feel the same way toward my projects, but he's better at putting it into words:

"A real enthusiast is not attracted by worth — an enthusiast is in love with that particular thing, not with its monetary value but with what it represents, its flaws along with its qualities. Otherwise he’s not a real enthusiast, he’s a businessman, nothing more. A real enthusiast cares about the details, of how the item was originally. I try to keep the originality as much as possible, at least as much as I can. It requires a lot of work to give it originality, and you lose a lot when you try to restore." Carini Lino

When it comes to workshop manuals, I'm firmly in the old school camp — I want to have a printed manual sitting at my elbow on the workbench. And if it's dog-eared and grease-smudged...all the better.

So it was with some dismay that I read Haynes' announcement of its plans to end print editions. In fairness, they are actually stopping the print editions of new manuals and will continue printing existing titles, but I suspect the handwriting on the wall means they will cease all printed versions eventually. It's the digital future. The plan, apparently, is a transition to their subscription service, where their selection of manuals will be available for an annual fee. This is nothing new, of course; we don't own the content on our streaming services, nor the operating systems on our devices; we pay for the right to access them and there are terms and conditions that go along with that.

Personally, I prefer the Honda Factory Workshop Manual, but Haynes is a great backup, as they consider the home mechanic, offering some helpful details and work-arounds that the factory manuals ignore. I've also used online and PDF versions when necessary, and while it works, I really don't like having my $1200 MacBook Air sitting anywhere near the bench, collecting dust, debris and the occasional errant blast of brake cleaner overspray. I can also print out the relevant pages for the workbench, but that's one more step.

I've personally lost four motorcycle magazine titles to digital editions in the past two years, so I realize that the future is at my doorstep. But clicking through the lastest Rider magazine is just not the same as paging through it. I may have no choice, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Luddites unite!

What: 1982 VF750S Sabre
Where: Longmont, CO
Why: Original w/ optional fairing
Price: $4200

Offered by a collector on the beautiful east slope of the Colorado Rockies, this gorgeous example of a first year V4 sports a rare Hondaline fairing, looking regal in its original red. The fairing houses a volt meter and vary rare altimeter. This example shows 20,135 miles.

Some of these models suffered from the infamous "soft cam" wear issues, but that should have been worked out on this bike by virtue of time and miles. I think the Sabre cuts a handsome and imposing profile, with the fairing completing the picture of a gentleman's express, much like its older sibling, the CBX. The asking price is at the high end for early Sabres, but possibly justified in this case.

SOLD: $5500?

I recently found this 2014 VFR800 advertised on ADVrider.com, then this morning it's posted as sold. The asking price was $5500 and it likely sold near that amount — a bargain in the used bike universe. 

The bike is a hard-to-find Deluxe model showing 8800 miles and sporting a few extras, notably a Delkevic slip-on, with all systems ready to ride.

​Someone got a great deal on a nearly new ride.

Comparables: Recently a 2014 non-Deluxe VFR, in red, failed to sell on eBay classified at $5100. Also on eBay a 2014 non-Deluxe VFR failed to meet reserve with bidding up to $3900 (25 bids). The eighth-gen VFR800 was not a good seller in the U.S. market, and it looks like used values are dipping below the $5000 mark.

I'm on to the foot peg assemblies for Projects 29 & 30. The 2d-gen brackets are cast polished aluminum with no factory clear coat applied. As such, they're prone to weathering, which results in corrosion, discoloring and general dulling.

I begin with a complete disassembly, followed by cleaning. Then the rusty bits are soaked for a few days in rust remover while I attack the rest. That starts with either a wet-sanding with whatever grit paper is appropriate, from 320 to 800, or, if the corrosion isn't too bad, I have success with a fine painter's scuff pad (gray) used with a scuffing compound. Then a single pass with aluminum polish to give a sheen without trying to look like chrome.
Here's a look at a right-side set fresh off the project bike (left photos) and a finished example (right).
(click on an image to enlarge)

Next I'll deal with the brake/shift levers. These I either paint, using Dupli-Color engine paint, or polish, after grinding/smoothing the casting marks. The left photo shows two sets of painted levers (and a rear brake torque rod), the center photo shows before & after of a polished brake lever. Ideally, the levers would be powder coated for durability, as shown in the third photo on Project 24.

There are two additional components integral to the right foot peg bracket assembly; the rear brake light switch and master cylinder. If necessary, both assemblies and their components are still available from Honda — with Project 29 I'm rebuilding the master cylinder. The metal cylinder housing is some sort of metal, and this one was severely corroded (below). After disassembly and cleaning, I use a small brass wire brush mounted on a hand drill to remove most of the corrosion, followed by a bit of hand sanding. I then tape off the openings and spray a Dupli-Color black caliper paint. Honda's rebuild kit is no more expensive than aftermarket, so I'll go with that, along with a fresh OEM o-ring at the reservoir hose connection. Job done!

​As an alternative to painting the master cylinder, it can be left bare metal (as they were on the later VFRs) and rubbed with a metal treatment, like Corrosion X, as seen here on Project 14. Also shown is a polished brake lever.