Up for auction on eBay are a couple of vintage factory printed materials for the RC30. Need an original owners manual? Buy It Now for $240, or bidding begins at $170, and don't forget the $6 shipping. How about a promotional brochure? A relative bargain at $95 or bidding opens at $70 plus $5 shipping.

What: 1986 VFR750F
Where: Boise, Idaho
Why: 3797 miles
Price: $3500

Here we have a second-gen Interceptor with the lowest indicated miles I've ever personally seen on a street bike that's actually lived in the real world.

The telltale signs suggest that the miles are accurate, but, unfortunately, the cosmetic condition shows some ownership neglect over the years — at least what I can discern from the horrible photos. The seller states "original condition" and that's mostly accurate, though the seat is the wrong color. Cosmetically, the tank has a small dent, the left muffler is scarred, the front fender is rashed and there's some sort of goop which has defaced the windscreen and headlight fairing.

The good news is that some of the deferred maintenance has been brought up-to-date, including the forks, carbs and brakes.

When I spotted this ad I was ready to send a deposit...till I looked more closely. The seller may state that the bike would make a "great collectors bike," but that's only after the cosmetics are brought up to the level of the low miles. That would require a complete repaint and sourcing a seat, windscreen and perfect muffler — and that's just what I can see in the photos. The problem is that, once that's completed, it's no longer "original" and the value stagnates. And, from my experience, there's going to be a whole lot more mechanical details to attend to on an example like this with such little use over the decades. I would love to tackle this project, but the numbers don't lie, and these numbers just don't work for me.

But maybe they will for you? If this is going to be your forever bike and low miles is important, then non-original paint might not factor into your decision. Or you can run the bike as it is, basking in its patina. In any case, I sure would be interested in following this bike's future.

A major part of Project 27's refurbishment is refinishing the swingarm and mounting a better shock absorber.

(Left) This is what I'm left with after stripping the anodizing from the aluminum swingarm; a black-stained mess (NOTE: I'll be adding a "Maintenance" post on how I strip the swingarm). To address this, I wet-sand with about a 600-grit paper and then hand polish with aluminum polish.

(Right) Here the swingarm is polished and the rubber chain guard is remounted using screws due to the retaining strap being broken, a common issue (see "Maintenance" post #22, Chain Slider Fix).

Also shown is the replacement shock sourced on eBay. It's from a 15K-mile VFR and looks nearly new.

The frame and shock linkage is cleaned and detailed and everything is ready for installation.

Next, I'll clean and touch-up the rear wheel with its fresh tire mounted, detail the axle hardware, paint the rear brake torque rod, repaint the brake disc...and lots of other little jobs.

The pretty swingarm and newer shock will give this '86 VFR700 a renewed look and handling.

Project 27 is making progress. With the swingarm removed for repairs and polishing, I'll deal with the tire and wheel.

The tread looks great — these tires probably have only 1000 miles on them.
But...they have a manufacturer's date stamp of 374, which translates to the 37th week of a year ending in 4...of the last millennium. The bike was made in '86, so that means that these tires are from 1994, a bit past their best-by date.
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They're Metzeler ME55A Metronic, a mod-sounding model I've never heard of. In any case they're off to the trash bin, to be replaced with some modern Bridgestone BT-45 rubber.

Before they go, I'll check the trueness of the rim and brake disc. I do this on a balance shaft, holding a pointy object near the rim and disc. I like to use a pencil, as it leaves a nice trace on any high point without scratching anything.

​In this case both are nearly perfect, so I'll remove the disc for refinishing off the wheel, then take the tire in for a mount and balance. I always replace the valve stem as a matter of course, no matter its appearance — too much to risk on a 34-year old chunk of rubber.

Yesterday Project 26, a 1986 VFR750F, was inspected and loaded in a HaulBikes trailer to begin its journey to the Portland, OR area.

This same truck and driver dropped off the bike back in March, and it's now finally off to its owner who will shortly have his first look at this gorgeous Interceptor.

Safe journey, and many happy miles ahead.

SOLD: $336 (shipped) via eBay auction

Third-gen VFR rear wheels have long been a desirable cosmetic upgrade for later model VFRs. Trouble is, they're getting fewer and farther between. Most are still attached to their donor bikes, after all.

This wheel, in average condition, and listed with no cracks or other damage recently went for $336, including shipping. I sold one of these a few years back for $170. Guess I should have held on to it for awhile.

I purchased this 1986 VFR700 F2 back in February and was able to get a start on its refurbishment before being superseded by a couple of clients' projects; the forks were rebuilt and engine checks performed. Now it's time to get serious.

In the past few days I muscled the SuperTrapp slip-ons off the bike — the term "slip on" definitely no longer applies after decades of corrosion has set in. My plan is to replace them with a set of custom shortened OEM mufflers.

I was working my way toward the swingarm removal — turns out that the rear chain guard mount had been broken off at some point. Fortunately, the mount was still bolted into the chain guard itself so it will be a quick aluminum welding repair.

The swing arm finish is pretty roached, so I'll plan on stripping that to a polished finish. I found that the sprockets and drive chain are worn...and a red flag — the chain has a clip-type master link (not good) so they will also be replaced while everything's apart.

Back on March 23d, a transporter dropped off this 1986 VFR750F, direct from Austin, Texas. Owner Don B. and myself had worked together to find this bike as a refurbishment project for Don to add to his collection back home in Oregon. Don had it shipped to me and I set to work on a complete "sympathetic restoration" from head to tail.

The bike was stripped to the engine and frame, then each component and system rebuilt, refurbished or replaced to make this example the best it can be. With only 6600 miles, Don's goal was to keep as much of the factory original parts as possible, which we did. The bike is in stock tune, with only a K&N air filter as a nod to better breathing. I had my doubts about the cosmetics when first laying eyes on the bike — there was even some white house paint spilled on the tail cowl — but many hours of attention brought the original paint and other finishes to a high level. This Interceptor proudly wears its original mufflers in excellent condition along with the seat, windscreen...even mirrors and turn signals are factory survivors. This is, in fact, the second-lowest mileage VFR I've ever seen on the road, and certainly one of the best second-generation survivors out there.

The bike is currently under cover, waiting snuggly in the corner for Don's shipper to bring it home. My hope is that Don sees this VFR in the same light as I do; an exceptional piece of sport bike history to be enjoyed and cared for with the respect and dignity it deserves.
Photo album.

What: 2007 VFR800 Anniversary Edition
Where: Tampa, Florida
Why: Low miles, as new
Price: $5000

They may not have been a hot seller when released in 2007 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Honda Interceptor, but the one-year red/white/blue model has managed to hold its value better than most sixth-generation VFRs.

This particular example is a little special, showing only 5100 miles in original spec. The seller is the second owner and has even sourced new OEM luggage and fuel tank. The only missing ingredient for the perfect Anniversary recipe is ABS brakes.

SOLD: $2750 via eBay auction

Here's one for the canary yellow Interceptor crowd. Available only for the Y2K model year, the Pearl Shining Yellow VFR800 has its own following, and this example from the Oregon coast shows ~29K miles with a nice list of upgrades from Ricks, Helibar, Throttlemeister, Giza, RKA, Givi and Corbin. It's an original-owner bike that has been stored inside, well-maintained, with "nearly perfect" cosmetics.

After 29 bids, the buyer got a great deal. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll say it again: VFRs are the best used bargains out there.