1984 vf500f about to buy, should I do it?

Hello guys! First poster here.

Ok so I found an 84 VF500f interceptor on craigslist and I was very interested as he was only asking 1200 for it.

So, I drove to the middle of nowhere and He started the bike for the first time in a long time according to the owner. It ran, sounded a little off but he said the carbs needed to be cleaned and sync'd. (I know nothing about bikes, btw) he replaced the tires and the bike looked to be in very good condition overall. He also said that there was a small oil leak, but nothing that hondabond couldn't fix.

Like I said, I know nothing about bikes but I'm mechanically inclined and I'm no stranger to working on car engines.

Should I buy this bike for 1200?

Will it end up being a HUGE headache or will it be easier to maintain than an e30?

Thanks in advance!
Thomas

 

You'll get mixed reviews. On one hand you will hear the standard "Gen 1's are a problem waiting to happen. Search the threads." The other willl be "Looks like a clean bike and with a little effort you will be rewarded with a sweet ride."

If you want real feedback (should you/what price, etc) you need to post up stuff like the mileage and any history the seller may have (number of owners, bike history, etc).

Just from the pics alone it looks like a nice clean bike that's been well taken care of. If it's low mileage (low meaning in the 'teens) then chances are you're off to a decent start. A high mileage Gen 1 is succeptable to valve/cam issues (OK, they all are, but with high mileage you don't know how it's been treated in the past).

The other issue is parts. Let's be honest. The bike is 26 years old. Parts are hard to come by. But, with a good base and a little determination, the 500 is a great little bike.

 

If it sounded a little off then I'd believe him that the carbs needed to be cleaned, major engine damage is likely to be more pronounced. Bring an experienced friend to have a listen. I think 1,200 is a little on the high side, you could either haggle him down to say 1,050, or pay the 1,200 if he will clean the carbs. If you aren't mechanically inclined you will not want to do this. I'm currently working on a 1984 vf500f that is not running and am having no problem finding used parts on ebay, and for extremely low prices.

If your buying your first bike to learn on and get your license without investing too much than this is the perfect bike for you (and me), but if you plan on owning this for a few years I'd suggest you look at a 2nd Generation. There is a head issue with this bike, and if you can't repair it yourself it is not worth it to pay someone to do it. So other than the eventual head issue that this bike will experience, maintenance is very low.

Some guy named squirrel or something is going to tell you that this is the worst bike on earth, and repeat himself endlessly. Roll with the punches.

 

Well, I already pretty much told the guy I'd buy it. For the record, I AM mechanically inclined, I refreshed the engine in my 88 honda civic and worked on an m20b25 in an 87 325i.

Here are the emails the owner sent to me regarding the condition of the engine.

"She is mechanically sound, but she does have a small oil leak. A little Honda bond should seal her right up though. The carbs are clean, but the enrichers need to be set and the carbs need to be synced. Also, the choke is not working properly. Ive had this bike for almost 4 years now and she has sat for 2 of them. One of the biggest problems with these old Hondas, especially the Interceptors, is the fuel pump. They seem to go bad often and they are very expensive to replace. If done properly, which I have, the bike can run on gravity feed with no issues. Two years ago, I rode the bike off and on the whole season with no problems what so ever."

And like I said, he started her up after a few seconds of fiddling and it ran smooth until it warmed up, then it was just beautiful hearing it run. The bike itself looks AMAZINGLY well kept, no rust or scratches or anything like that, which is crazy considering its age. From what I understand, it has about 30k miles on it, but the owner said that when he bought it, it was NOT running and he invested a considerable amount of money into it to get it working well again. Is it possible that in his restoration he performed the mentioned head work on it?

Thanks for all the speedy replies!

 

From the photos this is nice clean bike and a good deal at $1,200. How many miles are on the clock? This is an important factor in making the call on whether to purchase.

Scheduled valve maintenance - along with letting the bike properly warm up, using Pro-Honda GN4 motor oil and keeping the rev's down is key to the longevity of this benchmark street bike.

 

I have a 1985 VF500F in A++ condition with new tires and 9,000 miles I am selling. I want a more money but if you are interested (or anyone else is) PM me and I will send pictures

 

Thanks for all the advice so far, The bike actually has 40k on it, I was wrong.

Is it reasonable to expect at least 5k miles out of it before some terminal damage occurs?

I just want to learn on it, with the money i'll be saving on gas taking this to work, I'll just buy a new bike ;]

Heck maybe he replaced the valves and springs and pistons and whatever, I'll just have to ask him.

Like I said, thanks for all the advice so far, and I guess I'm lucky so far, since squirrel hasn't popped his head up yet.

 

I've read that the valve springs (OEM is NLA) should be replaced at 20k as insurance against failure. I think that even with a well maintained VF500F, 40k is a lot to have on the clock - unless of course the bike has had meticulous service.

 

I won't ride it very hard, same as I don't rip on my 88 civic, or on my e30 when I had it (even though both were stick shift and it would have been alot of fun to do so), I just want to learn how to ride, and save on gas to work :[

 

I'll ask paul about the maintenance

 

Don't take S-man's posts wrong. He's a VFR lover thru and thru, but he wants to keep the young and frisky soon-to-be VF or VFR owners ridng their bikes instead of sinking lots of money and time into a heap that never goes anywhere.

BZ

 

I'll ask paul about the maintenance


Good deal. Keep us posted. On a positive note - the VF500F is a great bike and a lot of fun to ride. Plus, First Generation owners tend to be a good bunch.

 

Well part of getting a bike was the fact that insurance for it is like 30 something a month, which is LOADS cheaper than car insurance, but at the same time, I will still be driving a car and must have that insured as well.

I love motorcycles, I rode dirt bikes when i was like 9-13 and I rode some small scooter in mexico and now that I'm finally out and working and making money, I want to buy one. My goal is to make the purchase after my first paycheck, allowing about 600 for use on gear and titling fees. I plan on getting my gear from jackets4bikes (holy SHIT are they cheap) and I also have 200 set aside for the motorcycle safety class.

If she dies down the road, I'll part it out and wait two more months and have enough to buy whatever bike I want really, I just love the way it looks and feels, and I guess I'm willing to take the risk.

Also, there was some sort of superhuman connection that I made with the bike when I jumped on it. I'm not kidding either.

 

I for one would jump on it for the price and condition.

 

Don't fool yourself on the fuel saving! I doubt this bike will get a LOT better than your civic!

Looks like a nice 500! I love mine, and wish I had it back together and riding it! Pretty much anything I could say has already been posted.

 

Welcome to the magnetic personality of the VF500F!

Good deal on scheduling to attend a motorcyle saftey course - this is very important step for any new street rider, IMHO.