Bike has been sitting 5 years. What to do first to get it going?

Hello all,

New to this forum, and new to motorcycle riding too. I've just been given a 1986 VFR700F which has been sitting in a garage for 5 or 6 years with a cover. The previous owner said he changed the oil, hot, before he parked it, and that he ran it for a few minutes to circulate the new oil, which he said was synthetic.

He told me there was nothing really wrong with it, just that he moved to the city and got out of riding. The bike looks pretty good. Not perfect, got some scratches and all the turn indicators need attention and most of the fairing is gone, but she looks structurally sound. I didn't turn it over, it's missing the battery and I haven't got the key yet. She has dunlop tires, which still hold air and have some tread left.

So, what should I do to get this bike up and running, and in riding condition? I've never worked on motorcycles before, but I have worked on my own cars (I can tinker and get dirty when need be).

I've been told to get a battery, new tires, new oil and filter, new spark plugs, and clean the carbs. What is jetting the carbs? Will the forks need to be recharged or something? how will I know.

I'm looking for information in the right direction, specs of what to buy and how to proceed performing the work. Any tricks or pitfalls to avoid would be really appreciated. I'm planing on doing all the work myself.

Thanks for reading.

 

First step should be getting the Honda Service Manual for the bike, which will save you time, money, and frustration......

IF you're lucky, and if your P.O. was smart, he drained fuel out of carbs b4 storage either by running it dry or draining fuel from the float bowl screws, so no carb work might be needed.

 

I'm pretty sure he didn't drain the fuel out of the carbs, there is still a some gas in the tank. So, what am I looking at in carb work? I was planning on a good amount of carb and choke cleaner, do you think I'll have to rebuild them?

They have the haynes service manual, 19 bucks on amazon. Is there another or better manual I should get?

 

Laz,
I have all three manuals Clymer, Haynes and an original factory manual. You can have( no charge for the manuals) all three of them if you pay the postage to get them. I'll send them to you and will trust to your honor that you will reimburse me. give me your address and they are yours. also clutch is hydraulic you may need to drain flush and bleed it as well. Also check those hydraulic systems Brakes and clutch make sure they work and do not leak. Brake failure while riding can kill you. I brought one of these 86's back to life after 12 years of sitting covered in a shed. It was a great bike. I retired it when I bought a new 2006 VFR 800. Good luck and feel free to ask for help. Great bunch of guys on this forum. We are trying to keep the dream alive.

 

Don't fuss with the carbs unless you really NEED to.
Getting them off and on (worse) is a pain and nothing that needs to be done until you find out whether it will run.

 

Manual and carbs

I picked up a Clymer manual on eBay for about $17. I like them better than Haynes for bikes. If your fuel petcock was left on the whole time it was stored you can rest assured that you are going to dismantle the carbs. Remove the bowl and check the left side carb. Usually this is the worst one, if the bike has been sitting on its side stand. If it was on its center stand, CONGRATULATIONS! All of your carbs are going to be just as bad as the other. If the fuel was turned off then you are ahead of the game.
Anyway, check out the inside of the bowls. They will vary from a few spots of crud and dust to completely filled to the brim with a hard resin formerly known as gasoline. You might be lucky. The previous owner may have drained the carbs and otherwise stored the bike properly. If he changed the oil just before storage he might have done more than one thing right. The other clue that I heard is that there is not much gas in the tank. Hopefully, that too, is not solid mass of gas-o-putty. Of course you will have to clean out your jets if they will have been in a bath of the crud.
What I do to every bike that I buy is take it apart and clean all of the crud from it and then put it back together. I tend to leave the motors alone. I let them destroy them selves then I take them apart.
I believe that it was derStuka that gave you a long laundry list. Everything he says is true and correct. I second him. One other thing that you might look for is a stuck brake caliper(s). They tend to do weird things when sitting.

So. It's getting to be winter. It always feels good to have a project to take your mind off the taste of the gun barrel. Take your time. Ask questions, and by the time Spring rides around corner 4, you will have a great and dependable bike. We are all here to help you. And remember to have no fear when you are looking at taking apart your bike. Just remember how to put it back together. Take pictures, write it down. Whatever it takes. Motorcycles are not that complex when it comes to the old ones. Good Luck----S

 

PULLING your carbs apart so you can toothbrush the float bowls and peer at the jets may be a bit over the top and not necessary (if you are LUCKY). OF course it's nice to have a new hobby.......if you have the time.

BEFORE diving in headlong......
just fill carbs with FRESH fuel mixed with SeaFoam, wait about 30 minutes for a soaking, then use the choke as necessary to start your bike running.

OPEN drain screws about 3 turns after riding to flush out bowls and check on rust or water.


HONDA bikes consistently seem healthier after storage and more eager to run than any other make i know of so,

GOOD LUCK and happy riding!

 

+1 for this. If you have the centerstand (lucky!) checking the rear brake is pretty easy. the front brake is a bit harder though...

I went on a trip (for work, no bike sadly) for all of two weeks, and my rear caliper seized up necessitating a rebuild. Don't think it'll fix itself, it'll blue and warp the rotors if you're unlucky.

 

Wow! thanks all you guys for your replies.

The bike was snug against the garage wall with a brick under the sidestand, so it was level. I'm pretty sure the fuel was NOT drained or shutoff. It doesn't sound like much gas is in the tank, but some does slosh around.

The clutch is hydraulic, with a similar fluid sight window as the brake master cylinder, and they both say use DOT 4 brake fluid only. The fluid in the clutch cylinder is noticeably clearer. The clutch lever pulls in fine all the way.

The brakes are not seized, the bike rolls fine. I have resistance right away when I pull the brake lever or put my foot on the rear brake pedal. They engage and stop the bike, at least from walking speed.

Danimal, I really would appreciate those manuals.

 

You are more than likely going to need to change plugs and all fluids including oil and filter, hydraulic fluids, coolant, and possibly fork oil. You are also most definitely going to need to clean the carbs. They are a pain to reinstall but there really is no proper way to clean them without removing them. In tank cleaner will not work. You need to disassemble them and thoroughly clean the jets and air passages. You may have to replace some parts in the carbs. also. Make sure you DO NOT separate the carbs from the top intake plate or you will have springs flying and you'll definitely have to sync them. Also check the diaphrams to make sure they're not torn. Good Luck!!

 

Where should I look for finding parts for this bike? Does Auto Zone carry motorcycle parts? Short of ebay, is there somewhere online that you would recommend?

What is fork oil? Is there a thread on here about cleaning carbs? Hmm, maybe I'll have to document and start one...

 

There is a WEALTH of information just a search query away on this forum. You certainly found the right place for advice on getting this bike back on the road.

I am with the camp that thinks that the carbs will need to be pulled in order to get the bike running right. But hey - you have a whole winter to do it. Despite all of the carping about how hard the carbs are to get on and off the bike, it's not really that bad. Off is always easier than on, though.

Once they are off, you will need to disassemble them, I like to do ONE carb at a time to ensure that I am not mixing parts. Take as much of it apart as you can, and don't tear those diaphragms at the top!!!! If it does not seem like it wants to come apart, it probably shouldn't.

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SEPARATE THE FOUR CARBS FROM EACH OTHER. WORK ON THEM AS A SET.

The majority of your cleaning can be performed with a can of carb cleaner and compressed air. You want to make sure that the jets (the brass nozzles that screw in the bottom of each carb) are as clean as they can be. All of the tiny holes need to be open and free of gunk. Make sure that the choke slides move freely, and that the float needle valves actually seat properly and shut off the flow of fuel.

Follow the directions in the manual for a "bench sync" and then re-install them for fine tuning. If you cleaned them well, the bike should fire right up with a fresh set of plugs, and fresh fluids and filters.

To answer your question about fork oil - the oil provides a hydraulic "support" for the bike, and is likely to need replacement at this point in the game. I would suggest replacing the fork seals at the same time. However, getting the engine going first is the priority here.

 

I like to get parts from this place.
They are a little on the cheap side when compared to a dealer. Ebay is great for bigger parts and you can find them a lot cheaper as long as you have patience. There is lots of info about cleaning carbs here and elsewhere on the intraweb. This forum is obviously the place to find interceptor specific carb info.
As far as what is fork oil? Some people might disagree but it is a typical NON-FOAMING, non-detergent oil that weighs in around 10 weight.
I use automatic transmisson oil. It really is the same thing. There are different viscosities of "fork" oil available. but the 10w of ATF is the median weight of all fork oil. ATF and power steering fluid are interchangeable for the most part. I am open to criticism on this point so if you have any, fire away.

 

^^^ Nice to see another Vermonter on the board.

But I have to disagree with you on the interchangability of ATF and fork oil, and ATF an PS fluid.

ATF has friction modifiers incorporated into the formula (mostly to extend the life of the fluid and the clutch packs inside the transmission). In addition, ATF is designed to work better the hotter it gets (to a point). In a motorcycle fork, not only would it be way too thin, but never get to the operating temperature that it would be somewhat effective as such.

PS fluid is also non-foaming, but not interchangeable with ATF. Some (very few) cars can get by with ATF in the PS system, but this isn't really recommended.

Most motorcycles call for a specific 10W fork oil. Why mess with what the engineers have designed into the bike's suspension system by re-engineering it with a different fluid?

 

do all those changes you'll be fine. jetting carbs is changing out interals needle pilot aircrew main. you don't need to rejet unless you put exhaust etc oftermarket parts but i would for sure get those tires that hold air they work the best..

 

Well, the tires happen to hold air after sitting for 5 years, but they were 5 years old to begin with before he put the bike away. I really don't want to ride on such old rubber, only to ride it to the tire shop when I buy fresh sticky new tires.

I read a little about running awheel from a CBR900 or something like that, but at this point I'm not going to get into switching out the wheels, and I know the 16 front wheel limits my tire selection. So, what do you guys run on your vintage Honda superbikes, or what do you reccomend? It was Dunlops on it. The sticker on the chain cover specifies Dunlop or Bridgestone, which is the preferred tire choice?

 

i run michelin pilots on mine