to buy, or not to buy......

Hello everybody, this is my first post here, and i have a strong need for a little advice from people intimately familiar with these machines. I am currently debating on whether or not to buy a 1986 vf500f. Here is the skinny; the bike has 9,800mi on the clocks, and decent but not perfect appearance. The carbs are gummed up since it sat for a number of years, but that's a relatively easy fix. My consternation stems from one "fly in pudding" either the starter is gone or the motor is seized(not sure which). The person I am considering buying from told me the bike cranked over less than a week ago. I went to see the bike live and in person today(cash in hand), and it refused to crank. There was a car battery hooked up to it with jumper cables, and the lights and everything seemed to work. The problem came when the starter button was pushed; instead of cranking the motor the connections between the jumper cable and the bike began to smoke. I did not have time to or ask yet if i can pull the plugs and rotate the motor by hand, the likely answer will be no. The bike is at a dealer as a mechanic's special, I believe that due to its age they do not want to sell it with tags. The title is clear, and they lowered their asking price from $500 to $400 once it did not crank. I am not afraid to get dirty and do the work to get her running, as long as the motor is intact. Any suggestions on what to do would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
RickJames

P.S. there is no service history with the bike

 

Hey there.

1st thing...welcome!


2nd.....I would NOT buy the bike if you cannot make sure that the engine isn't seized first.

If you can spin the engine freely and are comfortable that anything else that may be wrong with the bike you can fix it.....I'd say go for it.

Good luck

 

Hello Rick,

I you have the time and are looking for a project bike then sure. But if you are looking to ride this machine quickly then walk away. Save up some more money and purchase a bike that runs.

But understand the engine may be seized from lack of oil, not lack of use. Parts for the 500’s are not plentiful either. That is one of the major issues with the older VF’s.

BZ

 

^^ Very true

 

Hi Rick,
I am also a new memeber to this group and less than a month ago I purchased a 86 VF500. I purchased mine for $500 cash with a perfectly running engine, it only needs some minor paint and body work.
So based off of that I would say that $500 is alittle steep. I am not sure I would even pay $400 for it unless you are just looking for a project bike. I might be wrong but I believe there are better deals out there, just keep looking. If they can get the motor to run, make sure to check all the vitals!
I searched for about a year and a half before I found the bike that was in decent shape and price in a good range. I have posted a link at the bottom of this post to compare to, idk about you but when I was looking around i would always search for what other people got for about the same price.

NEW BIKE!!!! 86 VF500 worth $500???? - VFRworld Photo Gallery

Keep us updated on the bike!!!!

 

So i might just have an idea on how to tell if its the motor or starter, let me know if i am bats!*t crazy or if im onto something. The shop might have a roller starter, and if the bike is in 6th gear on it would turn the motor right. Keep in mind i dont believe the dealer wants to put any more money into the bike as labor, and probably wont let some 21 year old walk in and disassemble the bike to get the sparkplugs out. I am just spitballing ideas here if someone has a better one please let me know. I am interested in a project here and these bikes dont often come up for sale in my area(when they do they are high mileage and overpriced).

 

If the bike is in otherwise good condition I believe you could easily get your $400 back from parting it out. I say roll the dice and buy it. Worst that could happen is that you end up with a bunch of parts in boxes that you can sell.

Regards,
Rollin

 

that is my backup plan, worst case scenario

 

Try Craigslist to find a newer bike less plagued by built-in problems.

There ARE a few decent-running VFs here but many posts concerning problems with irreparable valve and cam issues.

The VF 500 was not one of Honda-san's finest creations, and many parts are not available.

Most fuel tanks are rusted inside, causing lotsa problems.

Saving money by buying a cheap bike can cost more in than long run than spending for a newer model.

 

Squirrelman you may speaketh truths, but if you notice my current bike is an AMF era harley. Those are terribly unreliable bikes with impossible to find parts. The point is i am a masacist i live for the torture of nearly irreplacible parts that always break. Oh my daily car is twenty years old too.

 

Well, then, if you have lotsa mechanical experience ( an engineering degree would help) and a good set of quality tools, go ahead.

It's best, i you own a VF 500, to have another bike to actually ride while you're working on it and waiting for parts.

 

Don't get scared by Squirrelman, even though he DOES speak the truth. A good running VF500F is awesome! I haven't had mine running quite as well as I think it will run as of yet, and I'm pretty happy with it. By the time the weather breaks, I plan tpo have it dialed in pretty close. The valve issue is real, though if you keep the RPM's down a bit, you'll be fine. The top end oiling issue also has fixes, but it's not exactly easy. Right now, I'm just going with the approach of keeping the oil nice and clean, and popping a valve cover fairly often to make sure nothing is failing. Not the best way, but for the $ I have invested, it's more than good enough. If I get another season out of it, I'll still be ahead $ wise, even after fixing the valve that's hammered right now.

 

I will probably end up trading off the vf and hardley while each is up on the stand. i have no delusions about what i am getting into. I do not have an enginering degree, but i do have a decent and seemingly ever expanding collection of tools(AMF harleys use both english and metric, with no real rhyme or reason as to where or when). Its only going to be a $400 buy in so what the hell i enjoy challenges.

 

I only have a little more in my 85 VF500F, and I put quite a few miles on it last season, riding it almost daily to work (only a few miles though) for a couple months. That much is just about worth what I paid for it. I have a complete engine for parts though, and I have been taking stuff from it, that's for sure! The first thing was swapping out the crankshaft! Now I'm getting parts out of the spare for the valvetrain. I had 2 sets of carbs (almost complete) that I used to get it going. The only stuff I've spent money on after the initial purchase is routine maintenance like plugs, oil and filter, coolant, etc... and about $40 or so in misc hardware.

 

That jporter and some education is what i aim to get out of mine. While i seem to have people's attention i was wondering what the best way to get an honest to god dead tree sevice manual for one of these. I know its off topic, but i like physical media. A forum search revealed lots of pdf download discussions. Is my best bet to download it and have the wankers at kinkos print and bind one? I KNOW i will be needing its services very shortly. As a side note if i get the legit Honda manual should i bother with the chymer one; some people use both for other vehicles.

 

On the manual, I'd say go with the factory Honda manual. I'm looking for one. I have a Clymer's, and it is lacking in some areas.

Check ebay. The Honda manual is not cheap though.

 

I cannot believe that no one has made an "I'm Rick James bitch" Dave Chapelle reference yet. This place is slipping something fierce lately.

Since you have an AMF Harley you must one truly used to punishment and 400 bucks is what you'd spend on a decent party with a couple of friends, have at it.

Although if it was me I'd spend it on the party.

 

This bike is at a dealership and for some reason you can't pull the plugs and see if the engine turns over? Whoa! Your "friendly" sales dude ain't your buddy on this one IMO..

Check the tank for rust. I might check out to see if the car battery was hooked up right. Flakey title too? A hundred bucks and part it out. A smokin good deal.

 

Hummm...........I never seen a bike that old in the dealer.....!! Must be a small town stealership

 

It is one of the larger dealers in my area and they took it on trade from somebody. Now i am pretty sure theyre upsidedown on the deal and just want it out of their store so they do not lose any more money on it. (FYI if anybody does not know the longer an item sits in a dealers inventory the more it costs them) The tank is rust free as far as i could tell with a flashlight and a mirror. The liquid in the bottom even looks to be gasoline still, I dont know if this was recently added(dosent look 10 years old). The bike is not on display either, it is in the back of their servece department past the "no customers beyond this point signs). I think i am going to go for one more look with the truck and meybe some tools, then i will decide.

PS the title is clean