Over this past winter I came across this little gem — '87 VFR700 FII, in Candy Wave Blue. Mostly original, 23800 miles and it even runs, unlike most of my finds. It required a 7-hour trip on a winter's day to Detroit to fetch it, and once home it was officially named #10. I've never actually seen the blue/sliver color scheme in person but it shows very well, if a bit subdued for an 80s sport bike.
The teardown revealed a well-preserved VFR with great compression, only a couple of valves slightly out of spec, and one carburetor float cracked. The seat and windscreen were roached but most everything else was in good tack. The 700 came with a recent gold-colored drive chain in great condition which inspired me to build from there. I've decided to go a mild hot rod route with this refurbishment; some carb tweaking, Yoshimura 2-into1 pipe and fender eliminator with aftermarket turn signals. The seat will be recovered in black.
After the carb work was complete, valves adjusted, fresh plugs, coolant & oil, it was time to turn to the leaky forks. Disassemble, clean, replace, adjust. The fork internals are in great shape so it's a pretty straight-forward service.
While the forks were off, I found the steering bearings to be notched, so a fresh set of All-Balls roller bearings complete the front end.
Brakes were up next: upon inspection, I found that most of the hydraulic components would require attention. So, everything was stripped, followed by a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner. Fresh caliper seals, master brake & clutch cylinder rebuild kits, sight glass replacements and brake pads. Wheel bearings checked out fine and the silver/grey wheels themselves are in great original condition, definitely not always the case.
A fuel drip was discovered at the very bottom point of the fuel tank, obviously the result of the tank sitting unused for a period of time with water collecting at the low point. I really wanted to keep the original blue tank so I had my welder patch the area where the pinholes appeared. As a result the low-fuel sending unit will never again find a place on this fuel tank, and that little feature is now deleted from #10.
While the forks were off, I found the steering bearings to be notched, so a fresh set of All-Balls roller bearings complete the front end.
Brakes were up next: upon inspection, I found that most of the hydraulic components would require attention. So, everything was stripped, followed by a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner. Fresh caliper seals, master brake & clutch cylinder rebuild kits, sight glass replacements and brake pads. Wheel bearings checked out fine and the silver/grey wheels themselves are in great original condition, definitely not always the case.
A fuel drip was discovered at the very bottom point of the fuel tank, obviously the result of the tank sitting unused for a period of time with water collecting at the low point. I really wanted to keep the original blue tank so I had my welder patch the area where the pinholes appeared. As a result the low-fuel sending unit will never again find a place on this fuel tank, and that little feature is now deleted from #10.
The fun part is here as reassembly begins. Forks remounted, brakes refitted, carbs and air cleaner installed. The Yosh pipe polished like new — I have developed a refinishing technique for black-painted exhaust pipes which leaves a smooth satin-y sheen to them and this set looks great!
When the time came for a test firing, the engine caught almost immediately and sounds amazing.
More to come..........
When the time came for a test firing, the engine caught almost immediately and sounds amazing.
More to come..........
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