Picked up 84 VF700f

Just bought a 1984 VF700F, pretty much stock w/17000 mi. As I'm not really a mechanic, I took it to a shop to have it gone through. They have replaced all the fluids, synced the carbs, checked brake pads, cables, shocks, tires, chain, sprockets and adj the valves.

It seems to run out ok but there is a hesitation around 8500. Kinda just starts cutting out. Like I hit a limiter.

Also the anti-dive assemble on the left fork is making some noise. Any known issues with it?

It doesn't have a top end oiler kit, plan to get that done.

Is there any problem with Ethanol and the fuel lines?

Any other issues I should watch for?

Pictures on the way.

thank in advance,

Deano

 

Welcome aboard. Quite a few owners of older VFRs around. Someone should be by to answer your questions.

 

spark plugs, that would be my guess, they usually crap out under high load and high rpm's

 

Plugs have been replaced, maybe some fuel system cleaner in the next few fill ups...........?

 

So it's smooth till 8500 then every over 8500 is rough, or just around 8500 and then it smooths after 8500?

 

The roughness comes in at about 8500 and goes away at 8800 or so. Jetting?

 

Your last post states it smoothing out at 8800. Does sound like carbs. Might be a sticking carb(s) slide. Take the air box off and you can see the slides. Move them all the way up and down to feel how they slide. They should be one smooth motion both ways. If they are not smooth, one reason varnish build up on the slide or bore. Spray brake cleaner(NOT the non-fluorinated type) use the tetraethyl something or another. Spray on the carb body at the edge of the slides and work them up and down with your finger. You might get lucky and fix the problem.

It's not "non-fluorinated" It's "non-chlorinated" I got my "nateds" messed up. Sorry about chief.

 

I concure with Greyvf750

Sounds like a carb problem. It may go away if you use additive to gasoline to clean out carb passages. Grey's tip on trying to free up a sticking slide may be good advice. Asking if the type of cleaner is predicated on chemically damaging the plastic slider? If it keeps it up you may have to tear down the carbs and reset everything. Check that you don't have a float bowl problem, like a sticking needle valve/ bad seat or float problem. Check carb diagram for transition passages that supply added fuel as the venturi opens wider during mid engine speed range operation. Make sure, if there are such passages, that they are not closed or restriced by gunk.

 

Well, I had a great reply sounding all knowledgeable and such last nite, then my laptop battery crapped out before I made the post. In a fit of irritation I ran off to play with my VFR instead :^). Now that you have info on the 8500 rpm issue, I'll regurgitate my response to your other questions regarding the '84. As I've owned one for 23 yrs., I can at least speak to my experience, even w/o any real expertise :^).

My anti-dive unit has never made any noise that I'm aware of. However, in the first year both my fork seals blew out. I replaced them, backed off the anti-dive to the lowest setting, let all air out of the forks, reduced the fork adjuster setting to 1, and more recently replaced the springs/spacer with units from Works Performance. The handling always seemed fine & I've never looked back. Now I'll qualify this by stating that I'm not a formally trained race track rider ... but I did sleep in a H ... oh never mind.

I understand that the top end oil kit is supposed to be a good thing. I've never had one & did not run into the dreaded Cam issue. Maybe my '84 was closer to an '85, which, I believe, had a larger oil banjo bolt on the engine, 14 mm vs. 12 mm. My '84 has the larger bolt w/ corresponding slightly larger oil passage. A minimal improvement at best but it may have helped me. Right after break-in, I went with Mobil 1 synth auto type. I've heard of clutch probs but did not have any myself. I probably never rode hard enough to feel the clutch slip ;^). I've only hit the top end on my '84 a few times at most.

Now, considering that you couldn't possibly be tired of reading my scintillating dissertation, I'll put forth my $.02 about fuels with Alcohol in the '84. My '07 VFR manual explains in detail what percentages of Alcohols are ok in fuel used in the bike. My '84 manual has nothing on this subject. Ergo, I would avoid fuels with Alcohols as much as possible. After all, the bike is 24 years old, and Alcohol fuels were not prevalent then. Just a thought.

Things to watch for, hmmm. My ground strap from the battery loosened up once, causing weird things to happen electrically, & was a pain in the ass to find. Maybe check the steering bearings/adjustment, I had to replace mine after a number of years. Get a bit of head shake, adj. the bearings tighter, ride for a while, get some head shake, tighten steering ... cupped races.

HTHs,
Anders

 

Updated with Pics


It came with -



I think I like it better w/o the full lowers and big sister is not so lonely.....

 

"You never see a motorcycle outside a shrinks office"

I have an original service manual on the way...might have to look into some suspension upgrades.

This bike has a 4/84 mfg date. Maybe I won't suffer either..:unsure: I will put Rotella Synthetic 5w-40 the next change.

I try to avoid the 15% mix, but it seems more common now. My question had more to do with those that have had to use it...any fuel system issues?

 

did you get that 8500 rpm miss sorted out? sounds like the sticking slider maybe a possibility. cool looking bike, and I agree with you, it looks better without the lower fairing. everything I own doesn't have one and I like the looks of a so called naked bike. my o6 speed triple is totaly naked.

 

Looks like the red/white one I was interested in buying

Did you buy it in So Cal, around Colton, CA. If so I would have bought it a day or two after you did. I watched it sit on Craigs list for weeks. I wanted my son to go see it with me. The owner described it as a disaster about to happen, he drove it with chain noise and no front brake for a month. He gradually lowered his price. I offered him $300 for it before he was willing to give up. He was complaining about me in his ad, saying that I was low balling him. In the end he lowered his price to $400 and his helmet. But I really did not expect much based on the description he made of the bike himself. Looks like you made off like a bandit if it is the same bike.

 

I didn't buy off craigs list, I got it on ebay and probably paid too much. there was someone here in n/cal that was selling one on craigslist but he wanted to meet me somewhere with the bike in the back of his truck and wanted to have me leave a deposit with him. I said I would only leave him a token deposit unless I met him at his house and never heard from him again.a scammer no doubt. if you want to see the bike I bought, the ebay # is220254669068. got to get up early tomorrow and drive there, hopefully it is as he described it. if not, I'll probably be disappointed and pissed.

 

Haven't opened it up to check yet. As the story goes, two weeks ago I ruptured my Achilles and it looks like no walking for a few weeks, no riding for even more:hurt:.

At this point, all I can do is walk out to the shop and take pictures. :sad:

 

83 750 on craigs list

I don't want to hijack your thread but i bought the bike off of Craig's list.

 

sounds like the perfect oprotunity to work on the bike, you can always do it while sitting in a chair and just ocasionally getting up when you have to.

 

I'm glad it sold to someone on VFRWORLD

That's great. Keep us informed of the analysis of the chain noise in your 83. I told the guy the history about the VF cam wiping out the head. I was trying to get his price down. I think he started at $750 in May or June. He only lived about 5 miles from me, but it was so damn hot I never went out to see the bike. One weekend after he had it up for sale for $500 for the second or third week I got his address in Redlands and actually walked out to my car to drive there. It was too damn hot and I just did not want to spend the gas for a 30-40 mile round trip without AC to see a broken down VF that I was going to just try to get the price down on. In the end he actually called me and asked me to come and buy it off him for $400. Did he ever come down to $300? That's what I offered him over the phone about 3 or 4 weeks before he sold it to you. I thought he was sort of foolish driving it without a brake and making chain noise while driving with an expired plate.

I was going to take cash and buy it off him on that monday after the week end you bought it. I noticed that the ad was down that Sunday night. He finally realized that he was not going to get his price. I would have given him $300 3 or 4 weeks previous. I got sick of seeing it on Craig's list going down in price. Keep us posted about what was actually wrong inside the cylinder heads with the chain noise. Use the same thread so we can keep all the VF 750 info in one place. If your 83 did suffer a wiped cam bearing surface I know that every one in 1st gen would like to know about the particulars. There was another guy on this thread (Carlgustav) who said some interesting stuff about his mid 84 VF750 having a 14 mm oil banjo bolt rather than a 12 mm one and consideration that it might be the reason he never had the cam lubrication problem. Keep in touch and thanks for letting me know who bought it. DKC

 

I ended up paying $300 for it. The chain noise wasn't the chain at all one of the exhaust valves had worn so far down that the keeper came out of it and it was just floating in the head. Luckily for me it didn't distroy a piston or any other parts. However now i need to find a good cylinder head that i can rob parts from to fix the one i have. The valve are still available from Honda but very expensive. I'm hoping i can find the parts soon since all the other problems that it had were easy fixes.

 

Wow. How did the valve manage to stay in the guide?

Did the end of the valve mushroom and stick open or what. The guy was riding on three cylinders. A compression test would have shown that cylinder as a big "O" and the guy would have had a piece of junk on his hands. You could have had it for nothing because he was going to have to have someone haul it away. The assumption would have been that the head was wasted and the bike was for parts only. I guess the head was wasted, but I would think a good head shop could install a new set of guides and you can buy valves from any metric valve manufacturer. There have to be other manufacturers that use the same diameter and length valves. You don't have to buy them from Honda. Go to an after market automotive parts house a good one that sells out of catalogues rather than OEM and see if they don't have a cross reference for a valve with the same dimensions. Someone in the parts business will make a cheap carbon steel replacement valve. I 'd figure that you could choose from plain carbon to chrome or even stainless if you had the right part counter man. Use one of the three good valves still on the bike to get the dimensions. YOu might have better luck at a head shop or a machine shop than trying to find a parts house. I'd get new keepers, spring and retainer if you can, i.e. good used if possible. I'd say that would be the expensive stuff,the rockers and such if you can't find used parts. I'd think new would be impossible to find. Good luck and I wish you would get on the thread about "swapping engines" Some guys are speculating on putting 1000 CC motors into VF 750 chassis and 750's into 500's. Tell them that your 83 VF 750 sure enough has a chain driven cam and stop all the speculating that some of those guys are into on that thread. They have themselves convinced that gear drive cam was introduced on the '83 750. I think they might like hearing about your head problem. YOu might luck into the parts you need as well. DKC