Pics of my 1984 VF700F

Since the weather was so great outside today but I was not able to ride, (watching kids) I decided to roll it out, dust it off, and get some new pics. Perfect weather today and the constant drone of all the HD's out on the highway was torture as I was taking these pics!

More info about this bike here....

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/45805


I still have some cleaning to do here and there but it's coming along. Runs perfect...very fun bike to ride and gets lots of attention.

 

After looking at these pics I can tell it wasn't the best day to be taking pics. I think it was too bright. Seems to be the best pics come out on days with light overcast but still bright out.

In these pics all the good parts (tank, sidecovers, fairing) are washed out and all the little chips in the black paint here and there jump out like crazy!

This bike from a few feet away looks factory mint....I think it looks better than in these pics.....oh well.

I do want to touch up the chipped black paint on the forks, engine, calipers, brake/clutch fluid reservoir, sprocket cover....etc and try to get more of the corrosion on the bolt heads taken care of. For sure next time the valve covers are off I need to blast off the peeling clear coat and polish them up, like I did the alternator cover.

The bodywork paint, tank, sidecovers, fairings, and tail is near mint....one tiny chip on the tank and that's it.

The front fairing does have a twist to it and it drives me nuts. When I got the bike the headlight was badly miss adjusted and had the fairing in such a bind that the bolts wouldn't even go it. I fixed the headlight and it's no longer putting pressure on the fairing, but the fairing seems to have a permanent twist to it now. When I set it on a table upside down one end touches and the other is not. Any advice on how to fix that?

I'm not sure why the sidecover and tailpiece don't line up correctly on the right side. But the tailpiece itself seems to have a little twist to it. I know the PO had it off when he replaced the little black boxes, so maybe he left a washer/damper/spacer off or something simple like that. I'll just have to pull it back apart and see what I can find.

The list also includes blasting and painting the center and side stands.

A set of stock exhaust cans would be nice, but I do like the look and sound of these aluminum ones!

Somehow it has survived with only a very tiny amount of blinker sag.....don't know how that happened, but I'll take it!


So there it is....another gen 1 that's still on the road despite the odds. :lemo:

 

I think your splittings hairs, looks pretty damn good to me.

 

Looks awesome. I looked for bikes with the original factory color schemes but most of them were 30 footers.

I guess "blinker sag" is common because i've got it on mine too?

 

Wish my '83 looked that clean. One thing that puzzles me is the rubber gasket on the gas cap. Honda lists many other gaskets for other bikes, but not for the 1 gens. Has anyone found a cross match that works? I would like to keep the keying the same.

I fixed the blinker sag and damaged stems by pulling metal brake out of the rubber stem and using black silicone, re-inserted it and clamped it till it dried. Common problem with design.

 

Thanks TOE! It is very good and I need to keep in perspective it's 30+yrs old and a bike I ride, not trailer to shows.

I think it's because it's so close to being mint that the little stuff bothers me. If it had a few dents in the tank or a broken/cracked fairing (like a normal 30+ yr old bike) the little stuff wouldn't bother me. But it's soooo close to being perfect that I want to take it that last bit to the next level. But I feel that last 5% or so will be really tough. I bet it takes a LOT of work to go from really good to perfect. Diminishing returns.



Rob....as for the blinker sag....yes....they all have it and it's usually very bad from pics I have seen. Somehow my bike has managed to acquire very little sag, I wish I knew how so I could keep it that way. Luck of the draw I guess. I've wondered if you can switch sides with them? Haven't checked that yet.

Looks at the slideshow pics with this article for more normal winker sag.....

http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/c...es/honda-vf750f-interceptor-zm0z12mjzbea.aspx



You know what else I just noticed looking at the pics of this bike??? The right side cover and tail piece don't line up quite perfect....like mine. Look at the stripes.

Same in the first pic of one here.....

http://raresportbikesforsale.com/tag/v45/


So maybe there was just some variation during production of either the covers or the frame/brackets in that area???

 

Yup, just looked and Honda lists the gas cap as an assembly. That's no good. Mine isn't leaking but my key does get a little gas on it after opening the cap.

Can you clarify how you fixed the blinkers? What does "pulling metal brake out of the rubber stem" mean? I haven't looked, is there a tube inside them the wires run through? I figured they were just hollow and that's why they sag.

 

In the rubber stem there is a 'U' shaped piece of metal that the winker screws into. Check and see if yours are loose, if so you can fix them. Next time I am at my storage container, I will get one and take a picture of it.

 

I think it's awesome that yours made it into the calendar! Good to see a first gen in there, don't know if first gens usually make it or not? Maybe next year I can get mine in there!

 

Looks really good, I'm thinking of repainting mine this summer. By the way
I'd still like to see a pic of your KZ.

 

Ok, fine....here's my old ugly KZ.

 

Ugly? Looks good to me. Here's my 96. Funny thing is I much prefer
driving my VF750F.

 

Typical 1st gen winker stem, with metal U pulled out. They sag or they break from mild drops or crashes.

I fix these by using black silicone under metal U and under rubber inside U, then clamping till dry.

 

Very nice looking bike!

 

Didn't know Kawasaki was still making that model in 1996! :biggrin-new: Was kidding about the 'ugly' bit, heck no...I love the big old Kaws!

As for riding the KZ....I'm the same way with my VF700, since I got it I barely ride the KZ. It's not that the KZ is not fun to ride, but it has just under 13K on the clock and I hate seeing miles added to it. Not too many of those left with such low mileage I would guess. But the KZ gets more attention, pulls harder in a straight line, is more comfy and sounds better than the VF. Plus no worries with the engine on it, bullet proof design.

But I just hate seeing the miles rack up....it had 10,300 when I got it, now sitting at 12,990. Plus I think I'm a one bike at a time kinda guy. I know lots of people like having multiple bikes but I don't. I want to be able to put all my attention into just one. So I've been considering selling it. But I would be so pissed if it got chopped up into a cafe or even worse a bobber!