Americans may be tempted to think that the 1986 VFR750/700 Interceptor in red/white/blue was a U.S.-only color scheme, when in fact, it was available in many (possibly all) world markets...like Canada, for example. I recently met Deron Douglas through this forum, and he graciously agreed to share his experience bringing his '86 VFR750 back to life. Deron is from Ontario, Canada, and is the original owner of his VFR. His is a familiar tale of long-term ownership of a classic vehicle, from excited new owner, to languishing in the back of the garage as our lives change, to the realization of what an important part of our life the machine represented. Here's Deron's story in his own words:
1988 - My New Ride
I originally purchased my red/white/blue 1986 VFR750F in 1988. It was dealer “old stock” and for some reason no one wanted her. It may have been the GSX-R craze that swept the area that year? Who knows the reason, but I was able to purchase number 2024 for “below the usual dealer price.” I still have the receipt, canceled check and brochure.
This was my first brand new sport bike. I’d purchased used street and trail bikes before, but nothing new and certainly nothing this fancy! The bike cost me $5200 Canadian dollars. That was a lot of money back then!
As time rolled on the VFR and myself became fast friends, exploring the roads and highways of Northern Ontario with nothing more than a sleeping bag and tent. Most of those trips were with like-minded friends, many of whom have since passed away. These people became more than my good friends, they became my brothers with the shared experiences of riding in all sorts of weather and road conditions. Nothing pulls people together like the survival of a fletching hurricane.
I’ll mention one of them right now for posterity. Rick was a Harley enthusiast and had an old mid-70’s Sportster. I used to tease him, saying the riding position and sound reminded me of an old “John Deer Riding Lawn Mower.” It may have been true, he only smirked and shrugged, but in the end he was always able to keep up and we travelled many miles together for more than 30 years on various bikes.
I enjoyed the VFR for what it gave me and for the people I happened to meet. Back then motorcycles were less a fashion accessory and more a community.
Fast forward 25 or so years....
This was my first brand new sport bike. I’d purchased used street and trail bikes before, but nothing new and certainly nothing this fancy! The bike cost me $5200 Canadian dollars. That was a lot of money back then!
As time rolled on the VFR and myself became fast friends, exploring the roads and highways of Northern Ontario with nothing more than a sleeping bag and tent. Most of those trips were with like-minded friends, many of whom have since passed away. These people became more than my good friends, they became my brothers with the shared experiences of riding in all sorts of weather and road conditions. Nothing pulls people together like the survival of a fletching hurricane.
I’ll mention one of them right now for posterity. Rick was a Harley enthusiast and had an old mid-70’s Sportster. I used to tease him, saying the riding position and sound reminded me of an old “John Deer Riding Lawn Mower.” It may have been true, he only smirked and shrugged, but in the end he was always able to keep up and we travelled many miles together for more than 30 years on various bikes.
I enjoyed the VFR for what it gave me and for the people I happened to meet. Back then motorcycles were less a fashion accessory and more a community.
Fast forward 25 or so years....
As time progressed and the responsibilities of life took their toll, the old VFR ended up in my garage, covered with a tarp without being started, the license plate sticker indicating 2003 as the last “legal” ride. Of course, before that time I made numerous modifications that I was sure would improve upon the expertise and millions of dollars spent by Honda to design this race-inspired and tested machine. Ahhh...the fallacies of youth!
Sometime around 2010 a young fellow I knew decided he wanted to start riding. Feeling overly generous, I gave him my treasured VFR thinking that since it was doing no one any good just sitting there in the garage, perhaps he could bring it back to its former glory as I had always planned to do, but never found the time. Luckily I had all the old parts and some new ones I had stockpiled over the years with the idea of correcting my “improvements.”
After we loaded her up and I saw her drive away on the trailer, I must admit to a big lump in my throat. My wife knew me well enough to ask if I was alright...“I don’t know,” I told her.
Sometime around 2010 a young fellow I knew decided he wanted to start riding. Feeling overly generous, I gave him my treasured VFR thinking that since it was doing no one any good just sitting there in the garage, perhaps he could bring it back to its former glory as I had always planned to do, but never found the time. Luckily I had all the old parts and some new ones I had stockpiled over the years with the idea of correcting my “improvements.”
After we loaded her up and I saw her drive away on the trailer, I must admit to a big lump in my throat. My wife knew me well enough to ask if I was alright...“I don’t know,” I told her.
Fast forward to 2016. I discover that while the Dumbass had tried to get the VFR started over the course of the first few weeks, it seemed he was incapable of doing so after six years of having the bike. And so it sat in a mouse-infested shed, mostly in pieces, exposed to the elements due to a leaking roof. Deciding that I wanted it back, I rented a trailer and picked up my beloved VFR750F. When I arrived, I didn’t receive a fully assembled bike as given. But instead received a disassembled bike and many more boxes of parts! I swore that we would never be apart again!
Once home I stripped the tank and did some prep work such as spraying the cylinders liberally with WD-40, cleared out the mouse house in the airbox, changed the oil and other fluids, then attached a new battery. And wouldn’t you know it; she started right up after only 20 minutes! What a Dumbass!
Admittedly, I was surprised that she ran as well as she did. And of course the carburetors needed a cleaning very badly, not to mention the other mouse nest I discovered in the exhaust which shot out the end in a very humorous manner. BUT SHE STARTED! Which meant the restoration could begin.
In the end I am grateful for his incompetence. After all, who knows if I would have ever gotten her back if he had succeeded, or in what shape she would have been in?
Once home I stripped the tank and did some prep work such as spraying the cylinders liberally with WD-40, cleared out the mouse house in the airbox, changed the oil and other fluids, then attached a new battery. And wouldn’t you know it; she started right up after only 20 minutes! What a Dumbass!
Admittedly, I was surprised that she ran as well as she did. And of course the carburetors needed a cleaning very badly, not to mention the other mouse nest I discovered in the exhaust which shot out the end in a very humorous manner. BUT SHE STARTED! Which meant the restoration could begin.
In the end I am grateful for his incompetence. After all, who knows if I would have ever gotten her back if he had succeeded, or in what shape she would have been in?
So over the next few months from August 2016 to the Spring of 2017 I tore down the VFR. At one point most of the bike was in my basement work shop. I decided that I could have picked up the frame and engine and carried it downstairs if I wanted to. During this time I sent the wheels, instrument frame and subframe to the powdercoater, while the bodywork and tank were sent to a body shop to be touched up and clear coated. Meanwhile I spend the winter hand cleaning and restoring every part in my little shop. Soon I discovered, however, that I didn’t get back all the parts. In particular most of the nuts and bolts to put her back together!
It seems that Dumbass didn’t think they were important enough to keep! You know those little clips that hold the nose of the cowling together... that Honda no longer makes? GONE! So I searched online, combed eBay and found what I needed to keep her “stock.” Those little clips, incidentally, cost me $20 USD each, plus shipping.
Eventually I was able to pull together all that I needed. It soon became my MISSION to put my beloved VFR back together to factory specifications as I had originally purchased her in 1988! I even bought a used swingarm (the original had holes drilled for a bottom-mounted caliper) and had it soda blasted, after which I added texture by hand to match the original.
It seems that Dumbass didn’t think they were important enough to keep! You know those little clips that hold the nose of the cowling together... that Honda no longer makes? GONE! So I searched online, combed eBay and found what I needed to keep her “stock.” Those little clips, incidentally, cost me $20 USD each, plus shipping.
Eventually I was able to pull together all that I needed. It soon became my MISSION to put my beloved VFR back together to factory specifications as I had originally purchased her in 1988! I even bought a used swingarm (the original had holes drilled for a bottom-mounted caliper) and had it soda blasted, after which I added texture by hand to match the original.
You can see from the photos that I did alright. My research led me to discover that there were other VFRs out there in better shape than mine before I started. And I could have bought one for far less then what I had spent to restore this one... but it won’t have been number 2024. It won’t have been my VFR750F!
• • • • • •
Last night I took her out. It was one of those hot, humid nights around 8:00 pm, just as I remembered as a kid. You know, when you can almost smell the sun just before it sets and the light seems to bounce off everything with a certain effervescence? As I twisted the throttle and my old VFR pulled away with a whine that only a V4 can make, I thought I heard the sound of a “John Deer Riding Lawn Mower” just behind me.
(click on an image to enlarge)
• • • • • •
Last night I took her out. It was one of those hot, humid nights around 8:00 pm, just as I remembered as a kid. You know, when you can almost smell the sun just before it sets and the light seems to bounce off everything with a certain effervescence? As I twisted the throttle and my old VFR pulled away with a whine that only a V4 can make, I thought I heard the sound of a “John Deer Riding Lawn Mower” just behind me.
(click on an image to enlarge)
Copyright Deron Douglas 2017
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