Should I Buy This Project?

What do you think about a 2002 Honda VFR800 red with 22K miles on it for $1200? The catch? It has been sitting a long time and the owner says it white smokes, a little on startup and worse as it warms up. He said "the smoke is white, but doesn’t smell like antifreeze." I did a little research on forum posts here and found a similar situation but no resolution.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/mcy/5600277146.html

I am wanting to go ride with my son and I am looking for a more suitable mount for him than the VTR. This could be the thing if I could cure it.

 

If your handy with wrenching, shit I'd jump on it....could be worth it or not..but at that price?...Miles?

 

I am pretty handy, It's just the time and the floor space for another project that I lack.

 

Give him a grand and stow it away till time allows. There has to be a place you could hide it for a while.

 

You always have the living room.
haha

 

Time and space are more important than money and skills imho. You can always barrow money and you can read and oick someone's brain. Time & space on the other hand, a little tougher

 

I am going to make the drive and pick it up tomorrow. I just can't resist adding a 6th gen to my stable. I might have to sell something now. I am contemplating parting with the Norton. I am sure that were are riders who would love it more than me. Honestly I would rather sell the Norton than the VTR1000.

 

With your VTR history Jim, how can you resist another easy project???

Actually it sounds like it should be pretty easy to resurrect a 6th gen, at worst there look to be plenty of spare engines around, at best it might just need a good clean out and a run, these don't seem to suffer catastrophic failures very often.

I just took a 400 km run on my US$980 1990 ST1100 yesterday, and it ran like a (slow, heavy) watch. Hard to beat the value of that, I was smiling the whole way!



And think very carefully before you part with your Norton. If you've got significant time/effort invested in that, you'll probably kick yourself later if you sell it. I doubt that it is devaluing while parked in your garage.

 

^^^^^^^Fer sure, they're still making VFR's, but you can't say the same for Nortons. :cool-new:

 

First off I have always had the hots for a ST1100 or an ST1300. I got some seat time on a trade in at the shop and they are amazing. There is an article in my Iron Butt magazine detailing the use of an ST1100 as an Iron Butt loaner motorcycle in Europe. I can't find the article but it was high mileage when it was obtained. They let members do Iron But challenge rides on it while doing the regular maintenance. The only problem that had was a blown hose.

I would agree with the assessment of the Norton but I think that the guys who loved Nortons and who want one are getting older. I may be crazy but I do not see the value going up that much. I am not sure how many young guys will want a maintenance heavy bike no matter how cool it is. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed owning it but I look off into a murky future and I know that I want to ride bikes and not collect them.

Of all the bikes I have owned (and I have had some very cool bikes) the only one i regret selling was my Moto Morini 3 1/2 Strada. I was too big for it but it was a sweet Italian bike.

After I purchase the 6th gen I am going to quiz the guy for the truth. Many sellers will try and cover up a problem. Once the money has changed hands he has no reason to keep anything from me. I think it's problem may be due to sitting which is one of the worst things you can do to a bike.

 

Jim I think you view on the Norton is about right.We have an importer here who has dragged old Brit bikes out of the States for years and sold them at staggering prices for what they were. He is not bringing anymore out because of the reasons you pointed out, the blokes who wanted to relive their youth can no loner start them, be bothered with the oil leaks and constant maintenance, or can no longer ride them

 

I think my only regret may be holding on to it too long.

 

Jim, having the same thoughts about my Enfield Interceptor the older I get the harder it is getting to start it, never been an easy starter. Only reason it holds its price is because there is so few of them left in the world these days. Last time I checked the register they had 100 listed worldwide

 

Well I did buy it and it does smoke once it gets warmed up. I am pretty sure it is grey oil smoke. It stinks like oil smoke and it is smoking from the right side (as you sit on the bike.) The bike looks pretty from 10 feet away but get up close and you see fairing damage from a get-off and a bent front rim. Other than that it looks bone stock, which may or may not be a good thing. No one loved it enough to upgrade it in any way.

The guy told me (and I trust him) that he bought it from the guy that threw it down. He bought it in 2009 with 17K and rode it to 22k. He hasn't ridden it much (at all) in possibly two years or more. There has been no trauma to cause it to smoke. It just started to do that after he let it sit. I paid $1200 for it.

The good news is the bike gets all the gears, will pass a safety inspection (except for the back tire) and the cooling system cycles normally.



Anyone got a good used front wheel for a 6th gen?

 

Smoke ?? Do a hot compression test and expect to see between 170-180 psi if the engine is OK and doesn't have a bad head gasket.

 

I think the first thing I am going to do is see if there is oil in the air cleaner. Then I am going to change to oil and filter and check for an over fill situation. The bike kind of stinks like oil burning off the motor. I just got it and i am busting at the seams to strip it down. I must wait for the right time. The shop is very full of bikes right now.

 

A small amount of oil is normally blown into the airbox. Check for milky-looking oil or coolant. Often, a cracked head or blown headgasket (almost always a result of overheating) will only show up after the engine is hot.

 

I find it interesting that the engine temperature cycles normally. The temp gets to 219, fan come on, temp falls and the fan quits. I would think a blown head gasket would play hell with the cooling system. I am wondering if it is not something to do with the crankcase venting?

[video]https://youtu.be/cNP4oPqtX2I[/video]

 

Report: I spent the day running the bike and riding it (after I checked the chain and took some of the slack out of it.) The bike used to start smoking after the first 5 minutes of run time, now it takes much longer. The bike did start smoking again after I rode it down the road. I got up to around 40mph going from first up to third and back. You know it's smoking because you can smell it. It is definitely blueish oil smoke. Here is the really weird part. If you stop the engine and wait less than a minute and crank it up again the smoke will stop. Zero smoke! Strange.

I kind of wish the PO had given me a clue as to what it could be. He said it just started to smoke after sitting a long time. I have no idea what a bike would burn oil after sitting unused. (unless it was a Norton and sumped up.)

I guess the first thing to do is pull the tank, check the air box and do a compression test. I have to say that the bike runs pretty damn good as it is.

 

This is a new one to me but this would reconcile with oil coming out of the crankcase ventilation. You shut the engine down and all of the vacuum and pressure drops. It would take some time for the crankcase pressure to build back up and start blowing the oil out again. (?)