where to find 1986 interceptor VF500 F and 1985 interceptor VF700 F parts?

so, im new to the bike world and im having one hell of a time finding parts for these older bikes. the dealership wants an arm and a leg for everything and alot of the parts are discontinued. but 2 weeks ago i picked up a 1985 VF700 F in great condition for $750, the rear cowl has a broken tab and is missing the left side panel, the lower radiator leaks (picked up a new one for $28) and a rubber oil line is leaking (like $2 at autozone for plain hose).
the 1986 VF500 F i picked up for $170, its missing the engine, pipes, and lower radiator. i only got it because a local shop said the parts were interchangable, but turns out they arent. from what the dealership later told me the parts from 1983-1985 are interchangable. so, if anyone knows about any bike bone yards in ohio, or has plastics for an 85 vf700 f, or motor for 86 vf500 f please let me know

 

Others can correct me, but I don't think there are any significant parts (or perhaps none at all) that are interchangeable between the 700 and 500, regardless of year.

Ebay, Craigslist and salvage yards are your best bet for used parts. Some folks here have miscellaneous spare parts too.

 

Michael - my thoughts are the same as yours. There might be some minor things (nuts & bolts), but other than that, I don't think these bikes share much of anything.

eBay and salvage yards are your best bet. Also, call some of your local non-dealer bike shops to see if they have any parts bikes. I am lucky enough where there is one that I deal with that has an '86 500, but the motor is junk. I have taken many parts off this bike over the years.

 

For new OEM parts you may need . Try these guys. They have good pricing and fast shipping.

 

Salvage yards have more VF500s than there are running about on urban roads or country lanes, so look there.

 

i knew the parts for the 700 and the 750 were interchangable, i read that in the history of the bike. ebay has been helpful for misc. parts but the only engine ive been able to find for the 500 on ebay had 57,xxx miles and they wanted $700 after shipping for it. i have the mechanical skill to rebuild an engine if i could find a complete engine that was complete. do you guys know of any good online stores to buy tires from? my 700 has those cheap cheng shen tires and im not a fan of them at all. does anyone know the number to any salvage yards in ohio? i tried to google search but i kept getting alot of online stores and an ungodly amount of links
i appreciate the help

 

the vf700 im definitely interested in repairing and keeping, ive already got the radiator ordered and i found the left side plastic for pretty cheap, the oil line that is leaking has been replaced before but the hose they used is too big in diameter, hence the reason its leaking. ive already got most of it painted, i had to mend a few cracks in the fairing but once the glue has set for 24-48 hours it will be ready for sanding and painting. im kind of torn 50/50 on the vf500, its really in great condition minus the engine and lower radiator. if i could find a running engine for $500 or less i think it would make a great little bike, especially with gas at $4.15 a gallon. but parting it out is sounding pretty tempting right now, i only have to make $170 to get my money back, and i have the title for the frame


idk if i did this right but i tried to attach a pic of the vf700 as it sits now, its a little dark in the garage but you can definitely see the difference. the fairing is off because its not painted yet

 

I have a rideable '86 VF500F for sale right now that has an '85 Magna engine in it... 25K on the clock. I did't know if you were looking for another bike and use that one for parts only, or simply looking for an engine. I'm in Beavercreek too, so I'm not too far away from you. I had a guy call the other day about the bike, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet about it, so it might be spoken for. If not, I can let you know if you're interested.

If I'm not mistaken, Tike's Cycle Shop in Covington, OH had some VF500 parts when I was working on my bike last summer. < TIKE'S CYCLE SHOP Covington, OH (888) 341-1138 > It looks like they have some new parts, and some used from part-out bikes.

 

i knew that the vf500 shared an engine with another bike but i didnt know if it was the sabre or the magna, i looked up both of their engines and the only ones i could find were shaft drive where as the interceptor is chain driven. i didnt know if you could change out the shaft drive for a sprocket or how that whole thing went, most of my experience is in atvs, dirtbikes, and sbc engines. i am familiar with tikes cycle shop though, the guy i got the bike from had taken it to tikes, tike took the engine out of the 500 and said it was junk and then sold it as a parts engine without asking first and tried to sell the guy a 700 engine for the 500 frame, the guy i got the bike from said for what tike was going to charge him he could have almost bought a new bike so he put it up as a parts bike instead. idk if thats true or not since i didnt hear both sides of the story, but i have 3 people interested in buying the 500 IF i can find an engine for them to go pick up, unfortunately none of them will have the money for about 3 weeks. whats your price for the bike though?

 

I'm asking $1,800 for mine... here's the link with all the info: < 1986 Honda Interceptor VF500F >.

I did a lot to it last summer when I blew a head gasket. Mechanically, now it's fantastic! The cosmetics reflect it's age in a few places, though.

If you're not interested, and I find out the guy I talked to this last weekend doesn't want it... would you mind sending one or two of your interested parties my way? From the sounds of it, there's potentially two bikes and 3 parties... this could work out in our favor! :biggrin:

I've never actually been to Tike's, so I can't speak for how the guy does business... I just know that when I was looking for parts, I called and at the time, they had a parts bike. They didn't have what I needed, but it has since worked out. Aside from that local shop, eBay is a good source for parts. I just did a search and couldn't find any Interceptor engines, but found an '84 Magna engine: < HONDA 1984 VF500 v30 MAGNA RUNNING MOTOR ENGINE, VIDEO | eBay >. Might be worth looking into.

 

IIRC that same year range of Magna's were chain drive, just as the Interceptor.

 

the 3 guys i know are all friends of mine, they are hoping to get something cheap like i did, something that cosmetically needs some tlc but mechanically doesnt need much, they are all looking to spend under $1,000 which really limits the options.

but the info about the 84 magna being chain drive will help out alot, i hope, i seem to be finding alot more engines and engine parts for those than the interceptor

i should be getting the radiator and side cover for my 700 in the mail next week, and will hopefully have time to paint the fairing to match the rest of the bike, after that all thats left is brakes and a tune up. and some new tires some time in the near future

 

Understandable, being on a budget does limit the options. They might be able to find two parts bikes for that price and combine the best of both.

There definitely seems to be more Magna parts available than Interceptor parts, but just the other day I saw an Interceptor engine for sale too. Looks like it all fluctuates daily.

I've got to go through the nuances of painting within the next few weeks too. I've got new fiberglass fairings for my VFR700, and they all need painted along with the tank. Where did you source your paint?

 

honestly i used cans of spray paint, the quality isnt as good but if you take your time it turns out pretty good. start with sanding the entire surface, something fine grit but it has to rough the surface so the paint will stick. then use a degreaser/cleaner and clean the entire part to make sure all of the dirt is off. rinse it off really well with water. let it dry completely. 1-2 coats of primer, then sand with fine grit (i use 600 - 800 but the finer the better) until the surface is as smooth as possible while trying to remove all the primer. 1-2 coats of primer sealer (it will help keep the primer from soaking up the paint and making the surface look pock marked, especially since fiberglass tends to be thirsty if its dry), then repeat the sanding process. then apply your paint (i used 7 thin coats of sunrise red), repeat sanding process. and finally you are ready for clear coat (i used 3 thin layers of krylon triple thick clear gloss). when you are sanding the paint you want to use the finest sand paper you can find, one of my friends uses 2000 grit, if you do it right the finish result will be as smooth as glass. take your time and be patient, the hardest part is waiting for paint to dry so you can sand. when applying multiple layers of the same color wait til the paint is tacky but not completely dry, that way it doesnt run or streak and you wont have to sand for the next layer to stick. after your clear coat dries for 48 hours i used a pre-wax glaze (it helps smooth out the clear coat, the bottle will say something like "eliminates fine swirls" or "removes scratches") followed by waxing all of the painted parts by hand (you are actually supposed to wax in the shade, it keeps your wax from getting cloudy). all the paint i used was rustoleum except for the clear coat. if you actually have a compressor and paint gun i suggest dupont paint

 

I am planning on using a compressor and paint gun. I have a friend that has all the necessary equipment, and I was hoping to do it right as I need to paint all the plastics, fender, and the gas tank. I figure air brushed paint plus new decals... this thing should look brand new when I'm done!

Thanks for the paint advice!

 

i have never had the pleasure of using an actual paint gun and air compressor. im sure that the quality will be much better and the paint will go on much more evenly. rubber, latex, or nitrile gloves and a respirator, even the cheap paper ones from lowes, help alot. all those paint fumes are harmful to your lungs and clog up your nose. even though it says to use in a well ventilated area most people dont have industrial size air filtration system in their garage, and opening the garage door lets bugs, dirt, and dust come in. nothing will piss you off more than spending numerous hours on a painting project just to have a big ass june bug land on your wet paint and crawl all over the place. steer clear of bikebandits.com and honda dealerships if you are looking for decals, they cost an arm and a leg. best bet is to shop around on ebay and spend a little while surfing the web for cheaper stores, or do what i did and go without decals. good luck with your project, make sure to post before and after pics

 

dude this got me rollin at work...totally burst out!! thanks! im crying!

 

yeah not a problem, i glad someone got a kick out of it. i decided just to sell the bike for $175, still for sale if anyone is interested. gonna have more court fines to pay at the end of this month so i need the money. my buddy bought a ninja 600r and i was driving it home for him, i was goin 40mph and the front left brake caliper locked up and sent me rolling down the entrance ramp to I-75. no one else was involve and the only injury i had was scraped knees and hands (and my pride). so we left to go get my truck and someone called 911, so i got charged with failure to maintain reasonable control and fleeing the scene of an accident, even though as soon as i got my ticket they let me go pick the bike up in my truck. they said that the only reason it was considered an accident is because my knees and right hand were bleeding (which is considered an injury) and the front turn signal broke off (which is considered damage to the vehicle).