Greetings. I am clueless as to how much I should share and or bore you with details, so here is my best guess. I have not been on a motorcycle since 1984, and it was just my early teen dirt bike fun years. An opportunity came about to purchase an inexpensive motorcycle and with my daily commute and fuel prices, it seemed a good deal (however it might be turning out to be a great one). I purchased a 1985 VF500 Interceptor that has not run in 11 years (but looks to be in excellent condition). It was stored inside this dudes house the whole time (yes. inside the house, not the garage). It only has 17k miles on it, but it was not stored correctly and thus has some issues to overcome. The fuel tank was rusted through and the carbs were a mess, as you can imagine. The price was right, but I did ponder if I was getting a lemon or money pit. I have recently competed the Idaho Stars Motorcycle Safety Course and obtained my motorcycle endorsement. I was eager to see how much of a deal or problem I had come to own. Through a chance encounter I met a recently laid-off motorcycle mechanic that offered to remove, rebuild, replace, and re-sync the carbs for a mere $100. He sounded quite confident and familiar with it and his price was leaps and bounds lower than what I was quoted over the phone so I let him have at it. Two days later, he delivered to me what I am now going to call my pride and joy. I wont brag how cheap I purchased the cycle for, but my only investment to make it road worthy was the $100 carb work, a $45 battery, $38 fuel valve diaphragm replacement, and $50 to replace all the fluids (new oil, filter, coolant, brake fluid, etc..). It appears as if it already has a K&N filter, but that is where the modifications end. I have temporarily placed an Ebay '86 tank on the cycle until I can see if the '85 tank can be fixed. I have enjoyed this now for three days, and look for nothing other than excuses to go places. Its a dream to ride and I feel its a great compromise for a first time street rider between insane power and a safe introductory motorcycle. My only concern now is how to obtain parts for a 23 year old motorcycle. I will post pictures soon (this weekend) after I knock off the 11 years of dust that has accumulated on its near flawless surface. If anyone in my area is looking for an AWESOME mechanic, PM me and I will give you his contact information. I have been nothing but pleased with him and the bike. And, if by chance there are any riders here in the Boise area, I would love to meet and have an opportunity to learn more about this bike and its cousins. In the mean time, I will go back to lurking and reading more on this great forum. (and yes, I am going to replace the near flawless 11 year old tires for safety):biggrin:
Hello and welcome. Thanks for posting your story. Sounds like you got a real find. Excellent decision to take the MSF course. And yes, definitely replace those 11-year-old tires soon.
Right on! What a great story! (And the length/details were just right I thought). Congrats on the purchase, the smart repairs, and the very wise choice to join US! There are some excellent minds here so ask away! Use the history search function to find answers to the more common questions. And please ride safely with all the gear! WELCOME! :thumbsup:
Welcome! Great story! A few words of advice....replace the tires....get proper protective gear...and take it easy....and if you have any questions....post them hear. There is a wealth of information and great people at this site.
Naw...Just drive those tires till they are bald. Everyone here are a bunch of pussies. BTW. I will pay you 20 bucks to make me the beneficiary of your life insurance policy Welcome aboard mate. By all means, scrap the tires. A good rule of thumb on all tires including those on your cage is replace every 5-7 years. They tend to get weather checked, especially int he hotter climates. I change my bike tires every year. But they are getting 25-30 thousand KM on them a year too.
Thank you all for the warm welcome. Until I get new tires, I will only be commuting in town at 35 miles per hour or less. I am thinking about ordering some Bridgestone BT45s or Pirelli Demon Sports (however the Bridgestones are more economical). I am hesitant to order tires now when there is really only a few weeks of riding weather left. Then it will be properly stored for the winter and if I did not already order tires, I will do so in the spring. I just have a hard time spending that much money now when they will spend the next 5 months idle. I am assuming that if I order tires in the spring, they will be that much newer (or least I hope). I do ride with typical gear of Shoei helmet, Frank Thomas jacket, pants, & over the ankle shoes, with gloves. In the meantime, thanks again. I must now research normal maintenance schedules for this model.
Welcome to the forum. If it were me I would buy tires now or winterize the bike now, no riding for me until new tires are on it.
hey vidar, Your story is a lot like mine. I got a great deal on a 1985 vf700f last year and i had the same worries about finding parts. I have had really good luck with . The site has microfiche of every part Also, for an old bike they sure are fun!
