New Member - "New" '84 VF750F

Hi, everybody. Time for an introduction. I am the owner of a "new" VF750F I purchased for $1200. This bike rocks! I don't know how many owners it has had, but it has 19,000 miles on the odometer and the cam lobes look GOOD! It must have been serviced and ridden properly. The tires are good and the bodywork is intact. It has had a mod or two peformed on it, including lower clip-ons and a 4-into-1 exhaust. I have never ridden one of these before, so I cannot compare it with the stock setup, but there is a bunch of power that comes on about 8000 RPM. Acceleration, braking and handling are first-rate! I rode it from the California/Oregon border to Seattle and the thing was a blast! Very comfy for a sportbike. The ride is a bit harsh over expansion joints, though, so I probably need to experiment with the suspension settings. Right now it has 4.5 lbs in the front and about 26 lbs in the rear. I weigh 150 lbs all geared up, so I am not what you would call a big guy.

There are 2 maintenance problems I need to attend to. The left fork seal weeps oil - automatic transmission fluid, really - and sometimes the ATF drips down the fork leg and makes an oily spot on the ground. Time for a new seal, which I already purchased. Also, I think the gas tank must have a tiny crack in the lower right side, just where the side of the tank is welded to the bottom. The paint is discolored there and I can smell a faint gasoline odor if I rub the area with my finger, Sigh. Still, not bad for a bike that is older than my teenage son.

Anyway, I hope you guys won't mind a few newbie VF questions from time to time.

Jonathan

 

To quote the Guardian of Forever..."Finally.......A question." We love questions. We're not radio shack but we put forth the effort. :smile:

Welcome to the group Jonathan. There is a quite a bit of useful info here as well as some knowledgeable people. Together, if we don't know the answer, we can probably find it.

 

Ah, another Trekkie! I am enjoying the re-entry ride here. My last bike was a '69 Triumph Bonneville 650, so this Interceptor is way WAY more sophisticated than what I am used to riding. I was a bit nervous buying another bike after about 25 years off, but this 750 is an easy way to get back into the riding scene. I intend to keep this VF750F forever, but I doubt that it will be my only bike. I am looking forward to a bike that suits touring the Alaska Highway - a BMW 1200 GS or a KTM 950 Adventure. I also have a hankering for a pre-VTEC VFR or a Triumph Sprint ST or a Ducati Sport Tourer, but for now I am really enjoying the bike I am riding. It really has a great power band. I am conscious of keeping the revs up to avoid the cam problem. Keeping the RPMs up makes the riding experience a bit "busy," but the power is right where it ought to be. Apparently these older Interceptors do not like being run below 3500 RPM. Keep them on the boil and they are a blast!

I'll let you know how the fork seal repair and the tank problem works out.

BTW, do folks often ride these without any extra air pressure in the front fork? I am experiencing a bit of a harsh ride over rough roads (I have almost 5 lbs in the front fork).

 

My forks don't have a place to put air in. Air assist forks like that tend to buid up air over time, at least the did on my mx bikes, resulting in a stiffer or harsher ride. Anyway. Change the seals and use a good fork oil Like Bel-ray or the Honda Brand. Someone else may recommend another brand, but I don't recommend using ATF. If you should need to replace the tank (in the event it cannot be repaired), keep an eye on e-bay. Sometimes a tank and other parts will show up there. Good luck with the seal replacement and the tank issue. :smile:

 

Do you have any other information on the cam problem? My '83 VF750F guzzles gas so I try to ride it at really low engine speeds-- so far that seems to consume even more gas, and now there are some wierd cracking noises that I'm thinking might be the cams. Where did you hear about this cam issue? thanks!

 

Parkeeet, try http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~rblander/V4_cams.html for a start.

 

Great resource! Thanks.

 

Parkeeet, I hope all is well with your Interceptor. I purchased mine from my older brother Mark, who introduced me to motorcycling many years ago. Mark is a mechanic at a shop in Oregon. He's the guy who does almost all my work on the bike. Mark told me to keep the revs up above 3500 RPM and he has never led me astray on bikes, so I do it just like he says. It's odd, cause this V-4 seems to enjoy it below that RPM. Go figure. aA

 

another newbie just picked up a 1984 vf 750

Hi All,
Newbie Here Like Your Site Some Good Usefull Information Also Thanks.
Just Picked Up A 1984 Or 83 Vf750 For A Whopping $200 Bucks
This Bike Was Brought Back From A Guy That Worked Fro The Dept Of Defence. Back Then It Has 65,000 Kilometers Approx 40,000 Miles
All The Markings Are From Honda Of Germany.
It Has Gold Rims And A Switch On The Left Indicator For Flashing The High Beam. The Guy Had Passed Away And Left It To His 59 Year Old Brother, Who Had No Desire So Basically Gave It To Me,
Also Gave A Brand New Carberator In The Box That Was Shelft For Some Time.
So Today I Attempted To Get It Running....
First Emptied The Tank Almost Empty Then Placed A New Battery In And Bang It Started Right Up Then Stalled Out Ran For About 30 Seconds........................
So Then I Pulled The Carbs Off And Installed The New Ones,..............
Bang Started Right Up Rev At 2,000 Rpms So Adjusted Idle And Was Running Very Nice At 1,200 Rpms For About 45 Minutes Engine Temp Was In The Middle Gas Guage Worked Tac Worked All Lights Good ,
Then It Just Died..........................
Loss Of Fuel So I Checked The Fuel Pump And Thats My Next Part To Buy To Fix It I Have To Bleed The Brakes And Hyd Clutch.....by Next Week I Should Be Riding It......also The Vin Plate Does Not Indicate The Year? Does Anyone Know Why?
Any Help? Thanks All