Future Engine Swap (VF500F)

First off I just want to say hello I'm new to the forum and I own an 86' Honda VF500F Interceptor. Love the bike and want to learn as much as I can on it and so I joined this forum. Now to quickly move on to my question.

Parts are hard to find as is for this bike, and I worry for when the powertrain eventually goes out I'll have to tap out of keeping this old girl alive. However I'd love to know if anyone has done engine swaps for newer powertrains, though it essentially becomes a different bike I want to at least keep this 80's spirit alive for the future.

I know some may crucify me for even mentioning the removal of the artistic V4 from the bike, however I don't have plans to take it out until parts are just too hard to find.

 

start saving and looking for a newer bike now

 

haha trust me I am, still though the question stands as to whether its even possible.

 

i've b een on this website for alota years, can't remember any substitute engines put into a vf500.

 

man thats a shame. getting real tough finding good parts for the bike.

 

the best way to keep the engine running is fresh oil, warm it up b4 riding. and keep the revs away from the top range. redlining it is a quick way to disaster.

 

I can't say I've ever heard of a VF500 engine swap either.

I think it becomes a bit of a false economy . Im sure the cost dont justify the end result of such a process. Nothing is just gonna bolt right in and to be honest, a VF500 Interceptor isnt worth it for most folks. ie the juice isnt worth the squeeze as the say.

Best bet may be to find a cheap parts bike to have on hand to salvage parts from down the line and as Squirrelman says, look after the one you have and you may be ok for a while.

 

Not that they are more plentiful, but I bought a 85 Honda VF500C Magna as a parts bike, mainly for the engine.

I used the heads off of the Magna to build my current 86 VF500F. Note that my 86 has a 85 engine swapped into it from a PO.

The heads on an 86 are unique that year model. There may be other items on the engine different from the 84-5 model to the 86.

Good luck, and I wish you the best. Listen to the people above. This is a difficult bike to keep running. Look at my 3 year build thread that is still ongoing....

https://vfrworld.com/threads/jims-400-00-1986-vf500f.57065/

 

yeah I never take it past 9k RPMs to keep it happy.

 

yeah sadly I know it's just getting harder and harder to keep alive. Thread was a desperate attempt at seeing if anyone has done it before.