Buying 1985 VF500F Interceptor

BTW Tink is our local first gen hater and closest thing to a troll you'll come across out side of lord of the rings. JK, he often has some very good points about the weakness of the first gen bikes, he's just a little more zealous about bringing the weak points out than some people like. Hey Tink, come on man, he has a 75 HD shovel, I'm sure he's use to suspension and brakes that would put anything Ducati ever shod their race bikes with to shame and parts so plentiful that you can pick up a rebuild kit at the local 7/11 for $25.00 It's a near 30 year old bike that had basic suspension by the standard when it was released, it's a 500, it's not suppose to run 6 sec 1/4's and top out at 300mph. Yeah it's heavy as hell for a 500 but mine feels lighter than any CBR I've ever ridden. No it doesn't have Brembo brakes and yeah they are a little spongy but they are better than any drum brakes I've ever tried. It was a low end/ beginner bike but since it has a sporty look some people expect the world from a baby bike. I mean come on, a new ceptor would have a hard time with a first gen v65 Magna and it was a cruiser. I still think Tink hates first gens so bad because he got his mullet hung in the chain and it pulled it out, which in turn, turned him into the grammar police.

 

+1 :thumbsup:

 

Nothing low end about the 500 when it was released in 1984.

"Honda got it right when they bored out the 400's motor by 5mm to 55mm and stroked it by 2mm to 44mm to produce the VF500FII or Interceptor in the States....Again, everyone agreed that this was an outstanding motorcycle even if the claimed 70hp was a trifle optimistic. You needed to rev it hard to get the best out of it because the real power only arrived after the tacho needle had passed 7,000. Peak output came at 9,000rpm but as the red line was 12,000rpm it was more a matter of recalibrating brains that weren't used to four-strokes reving that high. Potential owners were still scared of home maintenance on the V4; even if the interval between tappet adjustments had gone up to 8,000 miles you still had to dismantle half the bike to do the job. But the 500's main problem was the price tag...Taken in isolation the VF500 was a superb motorcycle which had a cult following long after Honda ceased making it, put price, complexity, and the fall out from the bigger sibling's troubles conspired to make it a commercial failure." Julian Ryder, Honda's V-Force, pages 50, 51.

These points were mentioned in post #4 with the exception of the top end oiling. Respectfully, 'ticking time bomb' is too laden a description. The 500 is not the easiest bike to work on (as noted in Julian Ryder's quote above) and as such requires patience when wrenching and diligent maintenance. I think the point is that it is better to invest a bit more on a 500 that has been well taken care of then to expect one that has been mechanically mistreated to be an easy fix. This is the case for any vintage bike.

 

I say buy it and move somewhere that has curves.:biggrin:

 

Well noted.

A little more reading info can be found here:

http://vfrworld.com/forums/1st-2nd-generation-1983-1989/29349-cycle-world-august-1984-vf500f-road-test-article.html

 

Well noted, this is the crux.

 

oh, DARN good point! I never even thought of that. I absolutely despise riding mine anywhere that has a straight longer than 2 miles, have to turn 8-9k on the interstate just to not get ran over and I have a Magna trans in mine. Dropped 1 tooth on the front and raised 1 on the back. gives a lower 1st gear and just a touch higher 6th. Suits the bike a LOT more than the trans they put in it that puts 1,2,3 really close and 4,5,6 farther apart. The Magna has 1,2,3 farther apart and 4,5,6 closer. Actually 5th on the Magna trans is the same ratio as 6th on the vf trans.

come on man, if I didn't like you I wouldn't speak to you, darn sure wouldn't mention you and sure as hell wouldn't admit in a public forum that you were right about some thing lol.

 

LoL that's your idea of a new bike!

 

I believe he was poking fun that you were saying earlier to get the money and buy a newer bike, and then posted a link to a second gen that's only a few years older than the VF500 he was looking at.

 

Bingo

 

Either way the guy hasn't replied back so chances are he didn't buy it.

 

5x5 on the reliability, this said, I do wish Honda would have kept the race inspired 360° crank when they made the jump to the VFR.

 

I agree 100%. the 500's are nothing more than a money sponge.

 

Thanks Tink. It is in the works. Saving up my pennies.

Will be posting some more mods soon.

 

If I could have any VFR it would be a 3rd gen with the RWB scheme of the second gen just so I can have the newer engine with that sexy single-sided swingarm.