'84 VF500F story

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by BoomerDave, Aug 30, 2020.

  1. BoomerDave

    BoomerDave New Member

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    It's been suggested that I tell my story about this bike. Most if not all will seem familiar to you but here goes.
    Bought it sight unseen from a guy off Craigslist and paid too much as usual but wanted it anyway.
    That was a few years ago. Had a bad dent on right side of tank so cut out a square hole on the right underside so I could get a bar in there and push it out, then bondo and white paint on the right side made it look could. I soldered a patch over the hole and covered in J.B.Weld epoxy and it held just fine. It ran and such (compression cold on all four about 150 psi) so put in new plugs and away I went for short hops out in the county roads, but soon the fuel pump crapped out so I converted to a down and dirty gravity feed to keep it going. Come this spring and I decided to debug anything I could. A slow leak out the front left tank seam compelled me to use Por-15 and stop messing around with leaks for good. The petcock also leaked so rebuilt it about 4 or 5 times using some parts from a spare tank/petcock I picked up along the way. Pulled the carb and discovered a leaky fuel rail between carbs #2 and #3, with no intention of breaking apart the carbs I used J.B.Weld each end of the fuel rail to stop the leak (haters go ahead and sue me). Replaced carb bowl gaskets, jets and needles. Had to use the Dremel to shave off a millimeter off one of the adjacent carb bodies to get one of the bowls off (sheesh ! ). Adjusted all the air/fuel mix screws to 2 1/2 turns out and synched the carbs. Added an inline fuel filter, new fuel line, and inline fuel cutoff valve (see engine photo). Had to use a new type of windscreen screw assembly to secure it better, and some white zipties to secure the right side of the fairing that had a crack in it. Everything else is doing fine, tires and brakes are good, and recent test rides are a LOT of fun.
    IMG_8288.JPG IMG_8289.JPG IMG_8290.JPG
     
    RllwJoe and stewartj239 like this.
  2. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Darn nice looking bike! I wish mine looked that good!. I would say you got a good deal.

    Not going to hate on you about the carbs, but I had to do the fuel rail orings and it was somewhat frustrating but I still managed to do it.

    Looking forward to see where you go with is one!
     
  3. stewartj239

    stewartj239 Member

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    I love these bikes as well. My first street bike back in 1990 was a 1986 VF500F. I had that bike many years before selling for a CBR600 and always regretted it. My current 500, I found and bought back in 2003. It was a barn find with just 600 miles on it but needed a lot of work. I too paid way too much, but I didn't care. Your bike looks great for the age. Thanks for sharing.
     
  4. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    Nice write-up! I've run into repair work at times with the same attitude of "what do I have to loose" and some JB Weld. If it works I have saved myself time and money. If it fails,...I'll need to look for the next possible option.

    Thanks for sharing your story.
     
  5. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    This is funny--this is the specific reason why I ended up breaking apart my carburetors. I swear to God it's impossible to get all four of the float bowls off. I am only able to remove three of them while the carburetor is attached to the plenum. And I tried and tried because one of the manuals makes it seem possible. I don't believe it is.
     
  6. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    It is possible, but there is only one way. I can do it instantly or it takes me 10 minutes of swearing.

    It's a Rubik's cube for sure.
     
  7. BoomerDave

    BoomerDave New Member

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    So it isn't just me. I only literally had to shave a tiny piece off the corner of the next carb body, it was either #2 or #3 that was stuck, can't remember.
     
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