SOLD: $9300
Grey market importer, Deftone Cycles, offered this third-generation VFR400R on eBay, where it generated 11 bids.

Often referred to as a "baby RC30," due to the distinct family resemblance to it's big brother, the NC30 was produced from 1986-92. This is the desirable later model with left-side exhaust showing off the 8-spoke wheel and single-sided swingarm. This one is all original with some signs of usage and shows 17,477 miles. 

As the token red-headed step child of the Honda VFR series, the VFR1200F betrays its market weakness through these three eBay auctions. All 2010 models, the average selling price comes to $4882. The VFR12 is a superb sport-touring choice which must make this model the bargain of the year.

SOLD: $5140
From Mississippi we have the lowest mileage example, complete with a Two Brothers slip-on, Power Commander and promises of up-to-date maintenance and excellent condition. Under 5000 miles. Some extras are included, just needs a new rear tire.

SOLD: $5000
​Also hailing from Mississippi and showing 11,300 miles, this beauty also sports an aftermarket slip-on, in this case a LeoVince, along with a Z-Bomb timing retarder. A bonus is the keyed Honda top trunk.

SOLD: $4506
The only one in the bunch with the optional electric shift DCT transmission, this Interceptor has the highest mileage at 14,500. It appears to have a Laminar Lip windscreen deflector and stock muffler. Not many other details provided. Located in the Dallas, TX area.

After mounting the SuperTrapp mufflers on Project 13, I found that the kickstand made contact with the connector pipe when retracted. My first fix was to add some JB Weld to the hinge area as a way to limit its travel, but I didn't like the awkward way it hung out from the bike. After gazing at it awhile I realized that it was the rubber foot and its mount that was causing the problem (#9 in the parts diagram). If the foot were simply removed the stand would operate normally with no contact.

So what is this thing Honda calls the side stand "bar assembly?" They've been on Honda side stands forever and as near as I can tell they're a lawyer add-on to keep the bike from sliding backward if parked on an incline. The rubber deforms to the front and provides an effective brake to the sliding side stand. Pretty ingenious...and kind of unnecessary for my purposes. And it adds a lot of visual bulk to the skinny kickstand.

Out with the cutoff tool and grinder. Black paint finishes off the project. This bike has several modifications and is not intended to look original, so I don't have an issue with the surgery.

It's a small detail but the look is just a bit lighter.
(click on an image to enlarge)

Last year, Mitch Boehm, long-time editor at Motorcyclist magazine wrote a Smart Money piece on Buying The Perfect Used Sportbike. He came up with four that define the term "Gentleman's Express." Included in the lineup are the BMW K1300S, the Ducati 900SS from the 90's (and the later ST series), and the Suzuki SV1000S. All great candidates to be sure. But the leader of this pack is a VFR. In Mitch's words....

Brakes.
One of the most critical but often most neglected systems on a motorcycle. When you add in old age and long periods of disuse, well, your brakes will pay the price. Such is the case with the calipers on Project 16. One of the brakes were dragging, indicating worn caliper seals, so a rebuild for all three calipers is in order.

The seals are small rubber o-rings, actually square section, two per piston and serve not only as a means to protect the precious brake fluid by sealing out the elements but also act as a mechanical spring, deforming as the piston is forced out during braking and then pulling back very slightly on the piston when pressure is released, allowing the brake pad to release its hold on the disc. The seals may look simple but are precision items and should be treated as such. They're still available from Honda and aftermarket suppliers, like K&S, for about $20 per caliper. 

The pistons themselves are also available but, unlike the seals, can often be reused — provided they're removed without damaging their polished surfaces. Two effective techniques are hydraulic pressure (pump the brake lever) and compressed air pressure. The trick in both cases is to do so in a controlled manner. One of the two pistons will want to come out more easily than the other, leaving one piston hopelessly caught in its bore. Here's what i do.

Using precision shims cut from the finest paint stir sticks, I begin removal with a full stack of shims, removing one at at time (alternating with pressure) till the the final shim has the pucks equally near their exit point. The final blast of air or hydraulic pressure will force out one of the pucks, leaving the second one to be removed manually. BE VERY CAREFUL DURING THIS FINAL PUSH. If you're using air pressure the piston can shoot out of the bore like a bullet, ricocheting off you or the shop walls, damaging itself or anything in its path, including you. If you're using hydraulic pressure the brake fluid will projection vomit the fluid everywhere. Just one of the many joys of playing with old bikes.

To work the second piston free, I gently rock it back and forth using finger pressure and a wrapped screwdriver blade. They can be stubborn, but persistence pays off.

Next I use a dental pick and carefully extract the seals. The next steps are cleaning, inspection and reassembly, but you're through the tough part.

Back in October of 2013 Patti and I found ourselves with a truckload of VFRs, plucked from a rural shed in Ohio. One of the two bikes is a R/W/B 1986 VFR700F, and its turn has finally come. It will be known as Project 16.

Showing only 18,600 miles, this was a running and riding bike when it came to me, so after the usual mechanical checks it was stripped of its clothes and prepped for storage. Last week I rolled it into the shop and the fun has begun.

It will get a sympathetic refurbishment and emerge in its original colors, with everything remaining as original as possible. So far, the front end has been removed revealing a Progressive brand fork spring already installed along with a recent Bridgestone tire. The head bearings check out fine and the brake calipers are on the bench for rebuilding. A new rear tire has been ordered, but other than that the bike will mostly require good old fashioned detailing.

Here it is in the foreground with Project 13 on the stand, anxiously awaiting some warmer weather for its shakedown runs.

The question of when the first real motorcycle rolled across a manicured lawn to the amusement of the gathered gentry is open to some degree of debate. The illustration below is claimed to be that of an actual event in Paris on April 3, 1818. Problem is, the event can't be collaborated by any other source, so it may have just been a joke or a 19th century version of a steam-powered concept vehicle envisioned by an imaginative inventor. If it's true, then the motorcycle is officially 200 years old.

A more likely scenario is something that was actually documented somewhat later, in 1869. Two distinct steam-powered two-wheeled vehicles appeared that same year, in Boston and Paris.

And the machine created by Louis-Guillame Perreaux still exists, shown at left.

Whether 200 years old or only 149 — we've come a long way, baby.

For more on the debate check out this article on The Vintagent (.com).

I'm as guilty as the next guy: You come across a used and abused bike on Craigslist and adopt it as a pet project, determined to nurse it back to health as if it's one of those sad-faced abandoned puppies on a late-night TV commercial. It's a budget project and new body panels are expensive to replace or repair, so it will be reborn as a stripped down "streetfighter." This is not the case here.

Our builder, apexandy, on VFRdiscussion.com, sought out a nice fourth-generation VFR as a basis for his build, in this case a 1995. He envisioned a naked V4-based bike that Honda might have created had they taken that path. In his words, "OEM+ was the idea. I would give a lot of thought along the way to making a bike that functioned, looked and rode for the most part like an OEM product or better." The result is not only a visual success, but the detail in its planning and execution is just as impressive. Be sure to visit his short video at the bottom of the post.
​(click on the image below for a link to his build thread)

Last year I met another local VFR-isti, also named Joe, and helped him dial in his beautiful 1986 R/W/B VFR750. Joe has an enviable sideline playpen, Bay View Speed Shop, along with exquisite taste in classic motorbikes, and recently shared with me a recent addition to his ever-evolving collection; this 1996 VFR750.

Joe found this 11,900-mile beauty in Michigan, trucked it home and proceeded to make it the best it can be. Didn't take a whole lot, but he's a stickler for original, so some fasteners and rear sprocket were replaced with NOS parts. A nicer muffler was also sourced and then a lot of old fashioned elbow grease was applied.



The result is just a stunner; pictures tell the story....

After months of work I finally fitted one of the final pieces of the Project 13 puzzle; the mufflers. Yesterday I was able to hook up the 87-octane I.V. and push the magic button. There's always a lot of apprehension at that moment, but the engine fired immediately and warmed normally, no surprises. The SuperTrapp mufflers put out exceptionally deep and purposeful music, especially in the confines of the garage.

The bodywork is away being refinished so I'll mount up a substitute set and get some shakedown miles on the bike — if winter ever lets go here in the upper midwest. Here's a sound bite....