First Bike, '86 VF500F

Greetings from Cleveland!

Just delved into the world of motorcycles with a purchase of an '86 Interceptor 500. It's been painted, has a Corbin solo seat, and a nice and loud Vance & Hines exhaust. I'm already in love.



I've only been out a few times on it, and there's two things that I've noticed:

1) It will not stay running without full choke even after 30+ minutes of riding, and as a result it idles very high and bugs the hell out of me. In searching the forums, I've deduced that I need to clean the carbs...wahoo. Other than being an inconvenience, what are the long term effects of having to run with full choke all the time?
2) It's got a pretty decent oil drip happening from the bottom left side of the bike. See below...I've pointed out where the drip is taking place, which should help figure out where the source is. It's always dripping from that location. I've also circled a spot where the previous owner attempted to put epoxy over a "crack" (his words), but that obviously didn't fix the problem.



I haven't had it for long enough to figure out how fast it's losing oil, but both times I've taken it out it's come back and left a good 7 or 8 drip spots under the bike before the leak relents. It also covers all of the components that are below that oil pipeline that the drip is coming off of, including my shifter/foot. The PO thinks that the drip is originating from that oil passage line that he tried to mend, and I've since found that part online if that is the case.



It's a cheap part, so is it worth trusting the PO and trying to replace it? From the sounds of it, I'll need to tear it apart and clean the carbs anyway (the execution of which I've already found good sources of information on this forum).

Looking forward to learning from all of you!

 

Fix the carbs before you do more riding with the choke on !! Otherwise, you could be doing engine damage.

 

Noted and will do!

 

Welcome to the forum Sido. Quite frankly, I don't think I would place too much weight on anything said by someone who uses epoxi to fix an oil leak that probably is leaking as a result of and old dried out gasket. Work on that car issue and get the bike sunning sweet, then tackle to oil leak. I hate oil leaks but they happen and they can be fixed. Squirrel man is one of our carb people here so see what you can learn from research, then ask away.

 

You didn't put in your info where you are. If this is your first bike the carbs can be a pain, not actually cleaning them but removing and installing them. You may be close enough to a member who is willing to help you the first time.

 

+1 to that ! We have an expert and inveterate VF-series advocate in your area, huh, Grey ??

 

So I tore into the carbs yesterday. The whole assembly came off relatively easily and disassembled nicely. I didn't think the jets were that clogged until I cleaned them out, which opened them up significantly. I was expecting much worse, but I suppose I'm not disappointed. More carnage would require pics, but there's really nothing to report.

I made an attempt to mount it back up today, with little success. Going to search around some more and get a better strategy before then next time I try. I'm also at the mercy of the weather; she's currently parked (covered) under my back steps in my apartment building, which doubles as my workspace. Such is the life of a student.

More updates to come!

 

one thing that helps a LOT is newer carb boots if yours are hard they can be near impossible to work with. Best $50 I've ever spent working on any V4 bike I own or owned.

put the front two rubber boots on the head and tighten them down. The back two are a little more difficult to get to stay in place but what I do is not to install them all the way. you want the rear of the boot over the mount on the head. the front should be sitting on top of the spigot so the boot is pointed up instead of forward. get the front two carbs in then press down on the back. Hands only, NO prying devices.

It helps to lube the boots, I've recently started using engine assy lube on the boots.

 

I had been seeing that new boots would be a good idea, so I went ahead and ordered them today. I'm mostly just itching to ride the damn thing at this point.

 

try smearing some vasiline inside the boots, not gobs, lust a thin layer. You may be able to get them back in. It is a real PIA till you learn how, then it's only a mild PIA.

BTW the 500 is the worst of the Honda V4's to learn this on in my experience. Stick with it and learn what angles it needs and you'll be back going in no time.

 

i use DOT 3/4 for lube cuz i know (hope) it won't eat rubber.

Guessing 500 is easier to mount carbs than VFR700/750, both PIA any way you try it. i like to angle the boots in the most advantageous manner, pointer shows gap.

 

In checking my carb boot order, I realized that the status has magically changed from available to unavailable in the time it took me to place the order and enter my information. This was from Bike Bandit. Any other reliable sources that I may be able to find new boots?

 

Question: will the boots from an 84-85 Interceptor fit my 86? I found these...

84 85 Honda V30 Magna Interceptor Carb Insulators New | eBay

Looking on BikeBandit, the boots are listed as different part numbers, which leads me to believe that they won't. But it's worth an ask.

 

Magna ones are different, they have smaller carbs, on a side note the engine is the exact same (transmission has different ratios). try Partzilla or cheap cycle parts.

 

ronayers.com

 

Update: carburetor is back on, bike is reassembled. Bike won't start. No sounds of catching at all, just the starter going. My amateur conclusion is that this has something to do with the carbs/engine not actually getting any fuel...going to do my own looking, but looking for suggestions.

Thanks a ton for the help up to this point!

 

Or do the carbs need sync'd? Because I did not do that.

 

If I remember my VF500F it had a vacuum petcock. I would bet that the petcock is not allowing fuel to flow with no engine vacuum on it and that the carbs are empty. It should run with out the carbs synced but not well. BTW, you can't fix oil leeks with external goo or patches. You must replace seals and gaskets. My advice is to learn to ride. Do not sweat the oil (put a couple of pieces of card board under it) and ride that bike until if blows up. While you are doing that save your lunch money for a 5th generation.

 

So what's a suggestion for a feeding bypass? My thought is to directly feed a small amount into the carb to help it get started and then hook the tank back up. Hopefully that would be enough to get it going.

As a side, I've been unsuccessful from all angles at acquiring new carb boots. I've had two orders placed that were since cancelled due to availability. Guess I'll just deal for now.

 

Heat helps. When I was racing they come off and go back on easily for jet changes when the engine is hot. When cold, use a hair drier to soften them up.