I just came across this '87 VFR700 fuel tank for sale on eBay. The listing is titled "NOS Gas Tank 1987...." The description goes on to say "New old stock 1987 Honda Interceptor Gas Tank." 

Well, this tank may be stock, and it may be old, but it ain't "new." There's obvious signs of a petcock and filler cap having been mounted on this tank, indicating use on a bike. I have a genuine NOS R/W/B fuel tank, so I know they don't come with those items mounted. New is new, used is used, and this item is used.

Having said all that, this is a rare tank, offered in the rarest of the second-gen VFR colors, Candy Wave Blue, and appearing straight with no dents (although that's not specifically stated) and the "inside like new." There's an opening bid of $500 plus $33 in shipping to CONUS only. The item is located in Ohio and the auction ends July 19.

What: 1985 VF1000R Interceptor
Where: Clermont, Florida
Why: Low miles, nicely modded
Price: $7500

Here we have a refurbished first-year (U.S.) big-block Interceptor that's had a lot of thoughtful work done to make it an attractive and even practical rider-grade VF1000R. Showing 16,000 miles, the bike features upgraded suspension front & rear by DMr, very cool Yoshimura twin mufflers fitted and refreshed cosmetics.

The asking price of $7500 is a tough call, as we all know that originality holds value for elderly vehicles. Our builder wisely kept the look of the original while improving the basics. The "R" models can go for up to $10K for museum-quality originals, so this one may well be in the ballpark. The real reason this bike caught my attention is that, if I were interested in adding a VF1000 to my stable, this is exactly what I'd be looking for. And someone else has done the work!

This 1990 VFR750R recently sold for $37,900 on eBay. It was offered by a California dealer, Classic Avenue, and shows 5,300 miles with some signs of actually being used on the street, and included the following details:
"There are a few scratches in the paint finish around the bike, and I suspect the bottom of the fairing was repainted, likely because of scratches – there are no dings. All body panels are original, and the tank is totally free of blemishes and scratches/dents. Seat is excellent as is the rest of the bike. The bike is accompanied by a clean, clear title, books, spare keys, manuals, original rear track stand, and a full set of completely untouched tools."
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The selling price of this rider-grade collectible (if any RC30 can be called "rider-grade") shows that RC30 prices are continuing their gradual climb. Here's hoping the new owner will continue to see street time with this beautiful VFR.

A few years ago, Patti and I took a riding break in the Nashville, TN area. Part of our tour included the northern part of the Natchez Trace, a 444-mile National Parkway stretching from Nashville to Natchez, MS. Looking for another getaway last week, we checked the weather around the eastern U.S., and found Mississippi to be enjoying a spell of seasonably mild temperature and humidity levels. Off we go.

We based ourselves at Tupelo in northern Mississippi, a comfortable day's trailering away. Next morning, we leave the truck and trailer safely parked at a hotel, climb aboard the Victory Cross Country Tour and make our way to Laurel, MS, about 240 miles, partly on the Trace and finishing on some great two-lane. Our stay for the night is a bed & breakfast in Laurel's historic district, which we soon discover to be located next door to Ben and Erin, hosts of HGTV's "Home Town." As we load up next morning they give a friendly wave, and we're off to the historic river town of Natchez.

We make our way back to the Trace via secondary roads and small towns. The day is one of five identical weather days — sunny and 82 degrees. Much of the Trace is shaded by massive pines and oaks, allowing the temperature to drop four or five degrees. It's a weekday and the Trace is nearly devoid of traffic so I set the cruise control to 54 MPH for a relaxing ride south (the speed limit is 50). Looking for a butt break, we turn off at a little crossroads called French Camp. There's a small welcome center so we wander in and the nicest lady in the world fills us in on the mission and history of French Camp.

Our stay tonight would be at the Clermont Bluffs Bed & Breakfast just north of downtown Natchez, situated high above the mighty Mississippi with a view to die for. We hiked into town for BBQ ribs at the Pig Out Inn followed by desert at the Cotton Alley Cafe.

This town reeks of well-preserved history. The preservation is due in large part to the fact that during the Civil War the town remained loyal to the Union, and so was spared the fate of many prominent towns and cities in the south, which were ransacked and burned by both sides in the conflict. Historic buildings and the many antebellum mansions are now tourist attractions. The town was also a trading center, attracting average folks from the Ohio River valley who would build large rafts to float their goods down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Natchez, where they would sell everything, including the raft's logs, party awhile, then make their way back home via an old Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian trail, which would eventually become known as the Natchez Trace.

As a Union stronghold, after the war Natchez became one of the many sights of a National Cemetery, and the Clermont happens to be situated adjacent to the Natchez National Cemetery. Our National Cemeteries are solemn but beautiful and moving places, testament to the ultimate waste of the Civil War — some 700,000 Americans killed by one another. The original interment at Natchez National Cemetery was 3075, of which only 305 were known, the others simply marked as "Unknown Soldier." I took a long and quiet early morning walk alone among the white marble headstones as the sun rose on another beautiful day along the Mississippi.

After another fine breakfast we are loaded and moving north to Tupelo — 260 miles on the Trace today. With no reason to rush our final day on the bike, we take our time, stopping at most of the many historical markers plus coffee at French Camp.

At day's end we load the bike on the trailer, get a refreshing swim in the hotel pool, and grab some Pizza and beer out. The next day takes us back to Illinois and home.

We decide that this ride's theme was "riding into history." If you appreciate history, good food, great people and a relaxing ride on one of America's truly great roads, the Natchez Trace is waiting.

Eighteen months ago I picked up a new 2015 Triumph Bonneville as my "exit bike." You're familiar with the terms "entry bike" or even "re-entry bike?" Well, as we age, sport bikes, big dual-sports and heavy cruisers become more and more difficult to manage — it's yet another fact of aging that we all will eventually have to face.

Hopefully, that time is still far off in the future for me, but I've been considering the eventuality and decided to find a suitable bike that would fulfill that mission and still be fun today. I thought I'd found it in the air-cooled 865cc Triumph, but, try as I might, I couldn't seem to get the "fit" that I was after — it always felt too small for my bulk.

Still, I'm drawn to the Triumph attributes of retro looks, tractable motor and the comfortable seating of a standard-style bike. So, off to a local Triumph dealer for some test rides. I was really interested in their updated Scrambler 900 along with the 1200 Bonneville. I test rode both but wasn't really sold, especially at their premium prices. To his credit, the sales manager invited me to demo a 2018 T100. This model doesn't feature the 2019 changes to the 900 "High Torque" motor so I assumed I wouldn't care for it. It does feature the same frame and most everything else from the 1200 bike, but sporting a single-disc front brake and no electronic ride modes (I discovered on the test rides that I don't need 'em). I was pleasantly surprised when I walked away as a convert to the lighter, simpler T100. Turns out there's a good selection of my target bike, model year 2016-17. I found two new left-overs at area dealers and three slightly used for sale by private parties within a day's drive from home base. I eventually settled on a 2017 located five hours south near Bloomington, Indiana.

So, early one Saturday Patti and I set off with the Kendon trailer to find seller Chris at his bucolic home tucked away in thick woods along a narrow country lane. The bike was perfect. He and his wife had bought it for her, but she lost interest due to a traffic scare after only 133 miles!

Still on factory warranty, the Bonnie sports a Triumph "comfort" seat in dark, leather-look brown with matching hand grips, an OEM luggage rack and very period-looking Burly tail pack. With paperwork exchanged, we're homeward bound.

I couldn't schedule the 500-mile service for another two weeks, but, anxious to put some miles on her, I siphoned the old gas out, changed the oil and filter, ditched the luggage rack and headed north into the Kettle Moraine in southeast Wisconsin for a 150-mile meet-n-greet ride on a perfect June morning. This is a fine motorbike. A sincerely relaxed ride, reminding me of an old BMW airhead, the soothing rumble of the torquey engine effortlessly clicking off the miles in comfort and class, sun glinting off the tank, exquisitely finished in Intense Orange over New England White.

If this is to be my exit bike, I can go contentedly into the sunset.

Reader Kim from Australia has finished the paintwork on his 1986 VFR750F project. He elected to go with the Pearl Crescent White factory look. That's an MRA touring windscreen, but the rest is pure Honda. The all-over white with sharply contrasted blue seat gives the already tailored second-gen VFR a black-tie formal look, with black chrome mufflers the perfect finishing accessory. Nice work, Kim.
(click on an image to enlarge)

With the mechanical checks complete on Project 24, a 1995 VFR750, I hooked up the gas bottle and battery, pushed the magic button....and the beast awakened. Once warmed, I was able to sync the carbs and she's running smooth and happy. The next step is to finish up the detailing, but before I get to that how about we pull the muffler and let 'er breathe....

I've recently made room for my latest victim, Project 24, a 1995 VFR750, and got it stripped down for evaluation. I always begin with the mechanical basics, just to be sure we have a viable machine to work with. The carburetors were in good condition and had obviously been tweaked sometime in the past. There's a K&N air filter and DynoJet kit installed to compliment the Micron slip-on exhaust. I completed the carb work with a thorough cleaning along with new fuel tube o-rings and fuel lines. They're remounted and ready for syncing.

Next up is the valve clearance check. With an unknown maintenance history, I always go to the trouble of checking the valves. In this case everything was spot on with the exception of number two intakes — both were too tight. The intake valve spec for this engine is .006" with a +/- of only .001". These were at .004". Unlike the 1986-87 engines which utilize simple nut & screw adjustment, these later engines have a shim-under-bucket arrangement. As the valve train wears the valve clearances will actually get tighter — a bad situation which can lead to compression leaks and even burnt exhaust valves. So, a tight clearance is unacceptable.

(Right) Fixing the situation requires removal of the appropriate camshaft. With the front intake cam removed the bucket is lifted free and the tiny shim is visible sitting in a shallow recess.

(Below) Shown on the left are the removed camshaft components. The shims are available at my local dealer in a variety of thicknesses. I picked up two 2.000 mm shims which put both valves right in spec. $12.00.

One can see why valve checks cost so much as a service item. There's a fair amount of labor involved getting to the valves, removing cams, and buttoning it all back up. Though not strictly necessary, I remove the carbs and radiator, giving much more room to do this right. It's very important to follow the book on this procedure, lest the cam timing gets screwed up. Keep it clean and torque to spec. This adjustment should be good for at least another 30K miles.

Speaking of radiators, here's a situation I find all the time — filthy, clogged and bent up radiators. This is a maintenance item. Letting your radiator get to this point (below) compromises the cooling system and stresses the engine. Coolant should be flushed every two years so it's a perfect opportunity to gently brush and hose off the radiator. The FSM will also show how to straighten bent cooling fins using a small straight-blade screwdriver (the same applies to the oil cooler). On the early models the protective grill is easily removed with four small screws, while these later models simply pop off.

The expansion tank, shown in the right photo, is actually empty. That gray tint is dirty sludge left behind from years of neglect. The tank is easily removed for occasional cleaning — I use a baby bottle brush and degreaser.

(Below) The instrument facia on this bike had gotten something splashed onto it in the past, leaving some light spotting on the black plastic. I didn't want to paint the facia, so to address this, I removed and disassembled the cluster, then dabbed a black dye onto the spots followed by an application of 303 plastic protectant. It looks great and the original facia is preserved. The clear lenses were in excellent condition, so just a cleaning and everything went back together.

(Right) The seals were seeping on the forks, so a standard disassembly and replacement is in order. An inspection shows the bushings looking like new, so I suspect, at 38,000 miles, that these forks had had a major service in the not-to-distant past.

With the forks removed, the steering head bearings can be checked by moving the steering head back and forth, feeling for roughness or a "notch" in the centered position. This bike had a distinct notch, so I fitted an All Balls tapered bearing kit. 

(Right) Another commonly neglected maintenance item. I always do a complete cleaning/flushing of the brake and clutch hydraulics, and here's what I find all too often. Do we really want to depend on this syrupy mess to operate our brakes?

Flushing every two to three years will keep this from happening.

My usual practice with regard to the PAIR (exhaust air injection system) is to simply remove it. Looking over the components, I found a deteriorated filter and hoses, so everything came off.

Part of this procedure is to plug the small injection ports adjacent to the exhaust ports. I do this by cutting the tubes, tapping some 3/8" threads and epoxying in some threaded plugs (see "Plugging the PAIR Ports" on the Maintenance page).

During all this activity, I've got a few items off to the powdercoater to fancy up this project just a bit. Fresh Avon tires have been mounted and the wheels detailed. My paintless dent removal guy (a true wizard) took care of a couple of small dents in the fuel tank.

Lots to do, but I'm turning the corner towards reassembly.

The latest issue of Motorcycle Classics featured a beautifully restored Ariel Square Four. The bike is owned by a gentleman who happens to be one of the principals of The Throttlestop, a purveyor of fine collectable cars and bikes located a couple of hours north of us in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The town may sound familiar to race fans as the home of Road America race course.

As it turns out, the owners are not only lovers of cool cars but are also passionate about old bikes. They've put together a really nice collection of relevant models and provide a small museum for us to enjoy them too.

(Right) This photo caught my eye because of the green and black Honda CB500 prominently displayed — my first bike.

(Below) If you click on the "Museum" tab on the website, you'll be treated to a chronological virtual tour of all their bikes, viewed in gorgeous photographs, including this unmolested 1986 VF1000R.

Elkhart Lake is a picturesque small town in east-central Wisconsin, situated in the midst of the Kettle Moraine, a geological region running roughly north-south through southeastern Wisconsin where two glaciers rubbed up against one another. leaving bowl-like depressions (kettles) and hills of sediment deposits (moraines). Fast forward about 20,000 years and we're left to enjoy scenic roadways through rolling hills and alongside winding streams. Patti and I are planning a day trip through the entire Kettle Moraine to Elkhart Lake for a visit to the museum and lunch at one of the resort restaurants. It's always nice to have something to look forward to at a ride's destination.

Sold - $4000
A few weeks ago this seller in Dayton, Ohio was offering a set of three V4s, including this 1986 VFR750F. Unable to find a buyer for the group, he offered them individually and the 750 recently sold via eBay auction for $4000 with 35 bids.

This example has 46,000 miles, is described as an 8.5/10 and appears to be complete and original with the exception of the front turn signals. The optional rear seat cowl and centerstand are also present.