Me bike search

I saw that second one decided ageist it. I am thinking of this one BEGINNER SPORTBIKE Honda 500 Interceptor. It actually seems good and the I would really like stock pipes. The only concern I have is that it will be to small. Does any one that is 6' 1" with a vf500f? I would like to know how they feel about the size. The power doesn't concern me the biggest problem I have with mt CBR is that me knees cramp-up. So does any one have that problem with a vf500f?

 

FOR gosh sakes, man, confine your search to Second generation bikes or 3 rd.

The whole VF series was flawed in engine design, and the VFR was Honda's improvement......and then some. Why would anyone buy a bike they knew was flawed ?? Because they like the paint ?? Really ??

Antiques like the gen 1 are more trouble than they're worth and in no way as good as gen 2s which are far more durable and reliable, have better parts availability and will fit you better !!


The 700/750s are under no stress riding as fast as you dare, but VFs are close to their limit and won't take much abuse before dropping valves.

Do research here and you'll see VF 500 problems all over the place.

 

Maybe some people like a challenge squirrelman! Besides, if everyone bought bikes that didn't need fixing, we wouldn't need this forum! HAHAHA

Just kidding! But seriously, maybe he really likes the styling of the earlier ones and is willing to take a risk on smoked cams?

I took a chance on my bike, and it has been fine so far.

 

I would lean towards a 2nd gen, it's a sweet engine, I will say I allmost bought a very nice VF700 a month ago local, very low miles super nice all original, it sold in one day for $2200, it wouldn't have taken much to put it in showroom condition.

 

Narrow it to 2nd gen or newer like Squirrelman said, unless it has oil line mods.
Even then, the 2nd gens and newer are way better and more reliable.

 

I'm 6'2" and own an 85 vf500. I rode the bike all last summer with no issues at all and to be honest with you i loved every minute of it. I decided to sell the bike to a friend a few weeks ago because I bought the bike I always wanted, 6th gen 08, in december. You can't go wrong with a 500 and it won't dissappoint if you can find one in good shape. Parts are hard to come buy though. I had 20,000 on my 85 when I bought it and it needed nothing. I decided to take it in and get the valves looked at and the shop readjusted them slightly. when I picked the bike up and rode it home the next morning I realized their was oil leaking from the valve cover gaskets. long story short shop replaced them but took two months to find the replacement parts.

Just a side note: Took my 08 out today for the first ride after sitting in my garage for three months since i Bought her. first impressions WOW WOW WOW WOW. I love this bike. So smooth, vtech not an issue and actually enjoy it. Brakes are absolutly perfect, She sounds awesome. only complaint is the seat after 120 miles today my a?? is killing me. Fixed that by ordering a sargent 5 mins. ago. pics coming soon

 

This one on ebay looks 100x better than anything you have posted in this thread so far:

Honda : Interceptor : eBay Motors (item 220569830957 end time Mar-17-10 18:00:00 PDT)

 

this is my first find:

1986 Honda VFR 700
1986 Honda VFR 700 (750 graphics). It has 32,000 miles, but you wouldn't know it as it starts without hesitation and runs very strong. This bike is fast. I love this bike and don't want to sell it, but getting married, having baby and I don't need two bikes anymore. These bikes are collectible, and it is all there.

 

I have more info and pictures on the 1986 Honda VFR 700

This is from the seller

"It has 750 graphics cause previous owner bought the bike without the plastics. He found the 750 plastics and put them on it."

"The good: The bike starts and runs great. It does not burn or leak any oil. The front tire was purchased last year. The back tire has less than 2000 miles on it and is about 1/3 used. The tank is in great shape, paint shines up real nice with a coat of wax. Windshield is new. Seat has no tears. Yoshimira single pipe sounds very nice. New stator and rectifier installed by Bennett Honda this spring ($900 job).

The bad: There is a scrape (approx 3") and crack (approx 2")in one of the plastic side pieces. Previous owner says he bought the plastics this way. Also one of the mounting screws on the same side is broken. None of this is visible without close inspection. The mirrors are the original mirrors (plastic) and they have begun to crack around the bases. Also not visible except under close inspection, cant be seen in photos. The throttle lock (cruise control) thumb lever on the handle bar is bent."


My concerns with this bike are the crack in the plastic and the non-stock exhaust. Both are things that I was hoping not to have to deal with. I think that the $1700 is a little much considering the cracked plastic and non-stock exhaust. I am crazy for thinking this? Is this a good deal? Are there any other questions I should ask?

Thanks for you help.

 

if your only 2 concerns are minor damage on the lowers and an aftermarket exhaust, i think youre in better shape than you think. Unless you're looking to own a 100% bone stock collector bike (which you already dont have in this one at ALL because of the 750 plastics as well), this bike looks great.

the yosh pipe there is a very sought after item, being an obvious 4-2-1 system (and Yoshimura is one of the better exhaust manufacturers anyways) this exhaust not only improves looks, but performance too (with both better exhaust flow AND weight savings). if you get this bike and are hellbent on getting rid of the exhaust, im SURE you can find a lot of people willing to swap the yosh off of your bike for their stock exhaust and some extra cash.

now for the mirrors....yay for the stock mirrors being cracked! now you have an excuse to drop 40 bucks on a set of mirrors that doesnt completely suck! (yes, the stock mirrors on this bike are terrible, and should be thrown into a pit of fire).

1700 bucks is actually pretty good for a bike thats in this kind of condition and even coming with a 4-2-1 pipe too. if youre specifically looking for a 2nd gen VFR, i'd go ahead and jump on this one. who knows, you might take the seller 1500 bucks in cash and id bet he'll take it on the spot.

good luck!!!

as for the plastics, the collectibility is already at a disadvantage due to the 700cc bike having 750cc plastics. as for the minor damage on the lowers, you could take it or leave it. i consider stuff that minor to be "usage marks"

also, you may and may not have noticed the windscreen, which the pictures show is clearly aftermarket. its definitely taller than stock, but im betting that would help the ride out a bit, too.

 

I am ok with scuffs and a little worn out clear coat, but I would prefer no cracks. The 750 plastics on a 700 bothers me a little, but I am not looking for 100% original just original RWB paint. I knew about the windscreen, yeah I would prefer the stock one bout I bet the aftermarket one is better. The mirrors I could care less about.

I am not to sure what these sell for so that is why I am unsure if $1700 is a deal. This bike is a little bit of a drive for me (like 4-5hours each way) so I want to be sure its worth it even if slightly worse then expected.

 

$1700 is not bad for a bike in decent cosmetic condition. If you hate the 750 lower fairings I might be able to trade you for some 700 lowers if yours look decent enough- and if mine look OK enough for you.

 

Just another update on this bike. There is no center stand and I don't really care for the aftermarket signals. I am just wondering what stock signals, windshield, rear seat cover, and center stand usually sell for and if they are easy to find seeing how these are things I would want to replace. Out of all these the windshield is probably the least of my concerns.

Thanks for the help

 

indyfour would probably be willing to sell his centerstand powdercoated for around $100US, windshield could probably be had with mounting bolts for around $125 at Gustaffuson, Stock signals with stalks are probably about $50US a piece if you buy new from Honda- Ebay you could get it cheaper if they are not beat to piss.

 

This just popped up for sale.

Honda : Interceptor - eBay (item 330604988614 end time Aug-30-11 11:19:08 PDT)

I am wondering what would be a good price for this? I am also a little leery about reliability of a first gen. I would rather stick to a second gen but I do like the vf1000f and if the reliability can be managed and the price is right I might go for this one. Is there anything I should look for?

thanks