Apittslife's 1st gen VF750

Hello all,

Well figured I better move my thread over here, from the welcome forum.

I was able to replace the battery today, & fired the bike up to make a first run under her own power. First I checked if the rear directionals were working & surprisingly they were. when I checked the bulbs I ran some sandpaper across the contacts & used some dy-electric grease as well, so I must have done something right. The only light that isn't working now is the brake lite when using the hand brake, the brake lite works with the rear.
So with that out of the way it was tyme to see if she would move undreher own power & She Popped, Smoked, Sputter, Shook & Balked, but I finally made it around the block, & told my boss how she reacted to running under a load, & He told me to take her around again.
With a little bit of improvement, I had him take her for a longer run ( Has cycle-endorsement ) & when he came back she was running better, so we let her run for a while & then He took her out once more, & when he returned she was running pretty well & was no-longer smoking. The suspension was a bit to soft so a checked the air pressure front & rear ( should have done so prior to riding ) rear was 20 psi, front was 0 psi, so I set them at 40 psi rear ( I am pushing 250 ) & 6 psi front, & took her out one last tyme, & she beat me to death, way to much pressure, so I will be adjusting the pressures.

The only real issue that arose is a weak clutch slave, so I will be replacing it asap. So I am a very happy person! : biggrin:

My boss was worried I made an exspensive mistake buying a bike that didn't run under it's own power, So he was happy to see her move, & told me that on the last run she ran relatively well, & that the bike felt good. So He assured me that I did well!

I also purchased a battery tender, so I hopefully don't have to worry about another bad battery. But still need to look into why the last one died on me.

Does anyone here have an extra 1st. Gen seat laying about that they would be will to let lose of? My seat is in like new condition, I want another seat to have re-covered in leather, so it doesn't have to be in good condition, just a good pan with latch & usable seat foam. If so, let me know how much.


Sincerely,
Paul

 

Standards are low in rural Indiana, so enjoy your antique. Your boss is wise to be sceptical.

And you'd rather marry a 40 year old tired-out gal than a fresh 20 year old ?? Not many would. Upper-end oiling problems, flattened cams, have you heard about it ?? When this bitch finally bites your ass it's worse than your pitbull.

Nobody with good sense and a bit of motorcycle experience would EVER get aboard and ride any 'cycle without verifying that tire pressures were right. Safety FIRST !

Old, cheap bikes seldom provide what they promise.

Nevertheless, we're all here to help !!

 

Squirrel you make Gen 1s sound a lot scarrier than a tired 40 year old Gal? It sounds like youv'e got Gen 1 Post Dramatic Stress Disorder. :roll:

I think Paul was talking about air in the front and rear shocks not tyres so thats not too bad.

Congrats Paul on a great find - it sounds like she just needs a good blow out and general maintenance and it'll treat you fine!

 

Hey Paul, glad you're getting it figured out and that you're finally underway! For the brake light issue, take a close look at the master cylinder for the front brake - you'll see a micro-switch with 2 wires going to it. Pull the 2 wires off and jump the 2 wires with a paper clip. If the brake light comes on then you know you've got a bum switch. If the light stays out then you know you've got an issue in the wiring or a blown fuse. Clutch slave issue - Have you bled the line? You know you can bleed the hydraulic clutch system just like you bleed brakes - same concept. Take a minute to verify there are no leaks in the system before you start replacing stuff, okay?
Keep us posted on your progress...there are plenty of us out there that are perfectly content with our 40 year old mistresses!

 

Hi Pops,

Thanks for the brake light info. :yo:

When I re-installed the C-M, I pulled the Slave & it showed signs of leaking, But it had fluid in it, so I was hoping for a weak clutch, & I engaged the clutch 20 + tymes & I didn't see any fluid leaking from the area of the slave cyl. ( so I didn't replace prior to 1st. ride. ) I am very confident that I have Zero air in the system, so I am going to head out today & see if I can dig up another slave cyl.

My boss has a friend that rides a Turbo-Hybusa, & He was by yesterday, & told me that if I want to sell "that piece of junk" He would take it off my hands for what I got in it!

Paul

 

If I didn't know better, I would think that Squirrelman was my room-mate, they both like to see if they can get a reaction out of you with negativity, or maybe he is hoping someone will offer their old piece of junk to him, so he can have one more in his collection?
Yes, it was shock pressure's. Tyre pressure was checked & adjusted prior to riding.

Thanks! Yes, I believe she will be a keeper. Even if I decide to get a newer bike later on.

 

I happen to love my ole gal also..ive got a complete parts bike so hollar if you need anything.

 

Thanks Dutch,
That saddle will be lookin sweet wrapped in Leather, & Mounted on my ole-girl! :high5:

Sincerely,
Paul

 

Ok, Lets see if this works this tyme, :tongue:

I did a walk around my bike this morning, since I went to the shop to take a couple pics of the engine for another thread.

'83 honda V45 / VF750F Interceptor - YouTube

 

OMG Paul it looks brand new:rockon:

I watched it serveral times trying to spot any signs of wear but couldnt. Sure is a keeper!!

 

Thanks,
The Camera Likes Her, In person she has one ding where the right side control contacted the tank, Minor rash on tip of left muffler when the Orig-Owner laid her down, once. And scratches from use!
She's really a basket case! :tongue:

Paul

 

Looks fantastic. :thumb:

I had a red one back in '83. Sold it to buy the R in '85. I'd love another one.

 

HI,
I live just over the river from Louisville, Kentucky. & the Kentucky Derby is happening today & the Oaks was yesterday. Well because of this yesterday sucked as far as bussiness goes.

SO! I pulled out the bike to address the brake lite issue. The Micro-switch was one of the problems, & I ended up disconnecting almost every connection & cleaning them & using Dy-electric grease & reconnecting. I also cleaned all the connections on the instument cluster. So after all this, I finally have all lites in working condition, & the Tach is working better. :clap:

I also figured out why the battery went bad on me.
I found out that between the OFF position & Next to the Lock position, is a position that turns the tail-lite on, & you can remove the key. So I unknowingly left the tail-lite on & killed the battery!

Took the bike out afterwards, for a quick spin around the block. She is running way better from the first tyme I took her out!

 

Took my Ole-Girl out to a car show, that my boss's car club helps put on at an annual men's health fair here in town. After it was done ( 1pm. ), I went to go find me a textile riding jacket ( promised several people here I would! ).
Most of the shops were closed By the tyme I got to them, & the ones that were open, I didn't find anything there that Fit well. So I gave up for the day & went riding!
I ended up riding by a friends, & He was polishing on his Busa, so I stopped to say Hello, & we ended up riding around the county. I ended up putting 60 miles on the Odometer today, & had the bike up to 85 mph for about half a mile, Mostly I was cruising within the posted speed limits.
She rode decent & performed well.
I had only one problem, & that was a screw falling out of the right rear tail-lite, so it ended up hanging for half the ride ( Has been properly repaired as soon as I returned to the shop! ). The only compliant is the rear shock, I am certain I will be replacing it with a JDM Modified Shock at some point in the near future.
The Charging system is working good, as we made several short stops & she fired back up every tyme, & when I plugged her into the trickle charger The green lite was on with in 2 - 3 minutes. ALL In ALL I had a really great day!

 

Great lookin bike I have one just like it. cept yours looks better then mine. My decals are sun faded. need to replace. you are definitely in the right place for advice and info for the Gen 1. Dont mind Squirrelman. He loves to bust all 1st gen owners chops. Enjoy I love mine.