Hey there. Just picked up a 98 vfr yesterday. I had been looking for one off and on for a while, just never had the money on hand when one popped up. Things worked out this time around as I had just sold one of my dirt bikes last week. Paint is a little faded plus a few boo boos on the fairings, guess that is to be expected on a bike this old. Runs good though* plus it had some mods done to it that I was planning on doing anyway, so win there. (undertail exhaust, sargent seat, bar risers, and a throttlemeister) * When I arrived he had the battery out and on a charger because it was too flat to start the bike. So I look it over and just shoot the shit with the guy for a bit. So he grabs the battery and puts it back in the bike. Only problem is every time he would try and hook up the battery terminals, it would immediately pop the main fuse. So we fuss with it for an hour or so and get no where. Nothing obviously touching anything it shouldn't that we can see. I made him an offer on it as it was sitting (which he was going to accept) when I just happen to look down and notice he had put the damn battery in backwards :crazy: Being the honest person I am, I informed him of his mistake right there (more like I blurted it out without thinking :blah: ). After him cussing himself out for a few minutes, he flipped it around and boom, cranked over sluggisly without firing up because the battery was still flat :rofl:
Once I got it home, I began removing 3 previous owners worth of crap. I do like this switch set up, so I'll be keeping it (even though I don't have anything to operate with it right now haha) I really like the look of the undertail exhaust with the SSSA The mid pipe looks like a factory part, but you can tell this was someones personal project, ie not factory/aftermarket. Also, the spanner wrench has been removed :rofl: There is a small shiny spot on the bottom of the muffler from the rear tire. I'll be putting new springs in asap like I do with all my bikes.
Welcome to the World. Nice catch. What a pile of wires there. What did he have? A quadraphonic 8 Track system? Tires look to be in pretty good shape too. Check out the date codes and replace if they are too old or starting to check. I thought you guys out there are covered in snow, or is that an older picture?
The wire mess contained parts of an intercom system, a Sirius radio, and a heated gear controller. I might try bench testing the heat controller and see if that still works, could be useful. The seller says the tires were replaced in 2012 and have less than 1000 miles. No rot that I can see. I'm far enough south that the snow missed us. The first pic was taken yesterday.
Here is the worst parts of the body work. (there are some scuffs here and there also) Faded tail vs cowl cover Turn signal area I think I'll pick up another upper fairing to work on (fill in the signal holes. wtf was honda thinking with these things) and repaint the bike next winter.
Aloha and Welcome, nice ride...runs well, new tires . good shape...wish we had those kinds of deals in hawaii. Paid about there for my '87. Bought it on C/L. Made an appointment to see the bike. Brought my jacket and helmet with me. We talked story and I took a ride. The bike was pretty rough cosmetically. But once I started her up and was on her for about 5 minutes I was hooked on that V4 gear drive sound. mine came with new tires, new R/R, batt,pads,fork seals, carb sync, and more. He was asking more for it originally. supply and demand-in the islands... P/O sold because he said he was too short for the bike(afraid to drop it at intersections...?) (he was a little verically challenged) and hadn't ridden much. older guy, had it for about 6 months. I am very happy with mine. Hope you continue to enjoy yours. Lots of good people on this forum with a wealth of knowledge and experience. I got so much from here when I first got my bike. First off was the soldering of the 3 wires to the R/R by passing the connector. and much more... Enjoy.
If the rest of the paint is in good shape, you should try wet sanding with a very fine grit paper. And I mean very fine and lots of water for lubricant. Or if you are not comfortable with wet sanding, at least try a good polish followed by a good wax. That fade should come off to reveal the original luster. That is all sun damage there and I believe it is only on the very top surface of the paint. If not, then what the hell. You were thinking about painting it anyways. This might eliminate that expense of put it off until possibly better times.
I don't know if it is a good idea to wet sand on such a old bike. usually, the clear on the motorcycles tend to be on the softer end of the spectrum.. I would go with the second approach randy has suggested. Start with a less abrasive polish with a buffer(if you don't have one, elbow grease should do it). Although from the pictures you have posted, it does not appear like oxidation. Looks more like a paint fade...
I'll probably leave it be until winter comes back around. Today was a really nice day out, so I hit up the DMV this morning and got all the paperwork done and got a tag on her. I put about 100 miles on it so far. I think it will do what I want just fine. Only 2 quirks I've noticed is the pegs are slick as hell and I don't care for how much the bars are swept back. This is my first street bike (that wasn't a pos and I can actually ride) but I've been riding my dual sport/supermoto(suzuki drz400) and dirt bikes quite a bit the last couple of years which have very aggressive pegs and the bars are a lot straighter. Also, I'm going to need to look into a different pair of boots. I've been wearing these which is fine on my drz, but a little too bulky to get under the shifter well on this bike. Probably looks a bit odd too :lol:
I have used a product for years on my boat and sea doo called Gel Gloss. It's ok on paint and clear coat. It uses a chemical cleaner rather than abrasives to remove oxidation and leaves a bit of carnauba behind. The oxidized paint will come off on your polishing rag and you just keep using a new section of the rag (applying more product) until no more color will come off, and that's probably as good as it will get. OBJ
Well guys, I have determined this was not the bike for me. I put it back up for sale this weekend. I like to do some gravel/dirt road exploring and this isn't exactly the right bike for that. At least I can check it off of my 'bikes to ride/own' list now. I will say other than it not being off road friendly it has been a fantastic bike. I can see why they have such a following still.
