'84 VF500 - clutch problems?

1984 VF500F Interceptor

I send that guy an email asking him if anything else is wrong, but I'm mostly just wondering what the difficulty level of working on the clutch is. I'm coming from an AWD car background and doing a clutch on one of those at home is a PAIN. How much can I expect to pay for new clutch parts? And considering the clutch problem, is this a fair price? I was thinking I might offer him 7 or 8.

 

don't offer him anything.... save your money and buy a newer bike.. that one is going to nothing but T-R-O-U-B-L-E..... especially if you have zero bike knowledge.... Like Tink said...

 

Listen to these two smart gentleman above me...

I bought a 500 that "needed a little work". That "little work" has now turned into a f*ck ton of work. And I had limited knowledge too.

For the same money or a few bucks more you can hop on a clean, modern Ninja 500 that is basically bomb proof, and a WHOLE hell of a lot easier to work on.

Just my .02

 

Funny. I was thinking I wanted to get a Ninja because EVERYONE has one so parts and bikes should be super easy to find.... shouldn't you get a temp ban for telling me to buy a ninja on VFRWord?

 

If you can find a clean... and I mean CLEAN VF500F, then maybe think about it. It is a love/hate relationship. I love the character, love the engine, love the sound. But I hate certain aspects of working on the thing. Everything is jammed in like sardines in a can and you have almost no room to work with my big ass hands. Getting the carbs out alone is a major pita.

The Ninja 500 or even the GS500 are much more current, better designed bikes, with deeper aftermarkets. The Ninja is actually on my short list for a second bike in the spring.

But if your heart is with a vf500, by all means take the gamble. They are fun.

 

Can't disagree with much of the prior sentiments but the VF is a jewel of a bike compared to the GS500/EX500 types It's a four compared to a twin too so you get those bragging rights. You have to want to become mechanically adept if you get a VF as it needs lots of TLC. It is a very rewarding bike to own/ride though and has far more character than a lot of modern stuff. If you can find a good one then much fun beckons IMO..

 

A VF500 in the condition mentioned in the ad would be a nice "Project bike" for someone that doesn't mind very little riding time, or has another bike.

Having said that I'd buy a VF500 over a GS500/EX500 in similar shape any day. V-4's Fo LYFE!

 

VF500's clutch normally is not much of trouble to work with, clutch cylinders the same. Bleeding the clutch system can be a bit of pain but that should be all.
Having good experience with both VF500 and GS500, VF is way ahead in fun, GS way ahead in simplicity.

 

The hydraulic system on the master and slave cylinders is a straightforward repair.

If I could ask, how many miles are on the clock?

 

Doesn't look bad cosmetically, but without being able to hear it run I wouldn't offer more than $500. You can recover that in parts of the motor is truly wasted. $1000 is just crazy talk for one of these.

 

Well, I'm not 100% locked into a VF500. I'm mechanically inclined (I own 2 old Audis. you have to be mechanically inclined to own those), but lately I've been more and more unenthused about working on them, so I'm leaning more toward the "runs great all the time no matter what" category of vehicle. Though I'd still be dead before I paid money for any toyota newer than 95. I'm a driver. Soulless vehicles are for commuters. So far I really love the VF500 I have (first bike), I just want one that's a little nicer.

I'm still going to go look at it this weekend. He said the motor runs fine. :shrug: Can't hurt to look, but I'm keeping all the advice here in mind.

 

Best to get the mileage count before ruling this bike out.

$1K is a perfectly reasonable price for a low mileage VF500F. These engines will go the distance but you have to know how to maintain them. Unfortunately most 500 owners did not over the years and as such they have suffered from neglect.

Keep in mind the VF500F (F2) is considered the best of mid 80's V4s, and not just by me ;-)

 

I wonder if IC's library will ever run out of VF500 articles! Thanks

 

Oh damn, I didnt even realize you already had a vf500. I thought you were new to them. Well, its a judgement call at this point. I would have to see it in person before I would do it. And for a non running bike, with a tranny problem, I would offer $650 to $700 at most.

I never realized Julian wrote that article. I think I've read it like 5 times...

The answer is no..... haha

 

It should be noted the 500 I have is my first bike, I have only owned it a little over a month, and I haven't done any maintenance to it aside from fresh oil. That might change your opinion a little.

I looked at it after work tonight. It looks like it's in pretty good condition. The guy who currently owns it has had it 4 years and appears to have taken care of it. Unfortunately he couldn't get it started. He hasn't run it in 4 months and was charging the battery when I arrived. He said he'll call me if he can get it going tomorrow morning. :/

What's this about tranny problems? The owner made no mention of transmission issues, only the clutch. I inquired about that. He said as long as you fill it back up (bwa?) and bleed it the clutch works fine, but he fears it might be a leaky clutch cylinder.

He also said it's only getting about 35mpg right now because when he had the carbs cleaned/tuned 4 years ago he had the stock pipes on. Right now it has some Gemini aftermarkets on it which you can see in the pictures. He also said it runs hot, which I'm guessing is from running lean on the tune?

I'm clearly no expert, but the sprocket looks good to me. If he can get it running tomorrow is there anything else I need to look at?

:edit: forgot to mention it has 16.3k on the clock.

 

If you are looking to add a vintage bike to your stable this could be a good deal (with the stock exhaust included).

If I could ask, how is the gas tank? If it is rust free this is a big plus when considering the purchase. Check inside the tank along with the rear lower corners, where pinholes can develop:



A recommendation, pick up a used copy of the Factory Service Manual. This is a must have for a 500 owner.

Good luck and please keep us posted on how you make out!

 

He got it running this morning so I'm going to check it out again. I'm bringing some brake fluid and he's picking up a bleeder, so we'll see how it goes. Thanks for the tip on the tank, I'll be sure to check that out.