'86 VF500 buying advice

Hello there! New to the website, first post.

My 16yo son is looking at buying an 86 VF500. Spending his own money - very proud of him being able to do that. He's been riding & racing off-road since he was 4. He's a good, safe rider.

I've got lots of experience with motorcycle mechanics but not this particular model. We're going to check this thing out in the next day or so. Anything specific to this bike we should be on the lookout for? It's obviously an older bike so I'm not worried about maintenance stuff - fork seals, brakes, tires, etc., we can handle that.

He worked his butt off to get the money, I don't want to see him get burnt.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Cheers,

Dan

 

The VF500F is a great bike but it may not be the best first bike for someone.

I say this in part because being 25 years old they require a specific type of owner, someone with a decent set of mechanical skills, the patience to sort out mechanical issues and enough room in the garage for a decent size spare parts bin.

There are several owners here who have a lot of experience working on these bikes and are all willing to help new owners but this said I am not sure this is the right bike for your son.

Perhaps a Honda CB1 would be a better choice?

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

 

not to discourage you OR your son, but Invisible Cities is right on this one. The VF500's are admittedly really cool little bikes, but they really do have a personality all their own and require a very dedicated owner to keep them on the road. The engines in those 500's are known for their top end oiling issues (I think there's a kit out there to fix that tho), and being a 25 yr old bike, parts aren't always really easy to find. Most ppl tend to recommend a 2nd gen VFR (ie the 86 VFR700 or 87 VFR700) in place of this, as the VFR bikes are FAR less problematic and miles more dependable than the VF500's

whatever your son decides to do, we all here strongly encourage the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course (regardless of whether he's been riding since age 4 or not...this course really WILL save his life one day). you can find more info at Motorcycle Safety Foundation

best of luck to you both!

 

invisible & chris - points well taken, thanks for the straight up.

We'll probably pass on this deal and find something newer. We're ok with wrenching from time to time (you get used to that with the dirt bikes) but we don't want a potential maintenance queen with dodgy parts availability either. Been there, done that during my Euro-bike fascination phase in the 80's.

I'm sure these are great bikes but sounds like not for us, at least not as a 1st bike & semi-daily driver.

Likewise, he're in PA there's a state sponsored rider class. It's free and you walk away with your license. He's doing that before he goes anywhere on the pavement.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with this one:

Honda : CB | eBay

Good luck and good deal taking the motorcycle safety course. Have fun!

 

Wise to look for something newer. You saved yourself some headaches.

 

invisible - that CB1 looks sweet. thanks for the link!!

 

Could be nice road trip from PA. Good luck!

 

I will disagree with the 500 needing a special owner check it fully talk eighths owner does he act like some that has taken care of it ride it ivan tell you from personal experience im not gently on any of my and that includes my 500 do your cable adjustments when you should change the oil and ride the dog shit out of it!

 

That CB-1 is a very nice bike and was offered for only 2 yrs in the states. But $3300? Holy crap! How big is your son? Howabout a Hawk GT650? a CBR600F2 or an EX 500 Ninja? any of those can be had for $2500 or less. FWIW $3300 plus another $800 will get you a brand spanking new CBR250R. Best entry level bike out there.

 

I was going to link to that same CB1, but it looks like the price has jumped a bit since I last looked at it. Rarity premium.

 

Super nice example for sure. $2,500 with zero bids and five days until the end of the auction.

 

RC makes a great point its 16 year old and ninja 250,500 would be a great bike for much less id say you could pick up one for a grand cheaper hell ive even seen SV650's for 1500 bucks.

 

Cities, do I gather you frequent raresportbikesforsale.com too? One of my favs. So many great classics for good prices, yet so little garage space...


OP would have a hard time doing better than an SV650 for a first, middle or final bike. It's the miata of motorcycles!

 

Hahaha that's the first time I heard it called a miata lol

 

Great entry level bike....Great bike period. I had a very clean 99 SV650 I sold a while back for $1800.

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. 'Miata of motorcycles' is a good one. I'll show him this thread when he gets home.

That 'Cafe Racer' show has him all pumped up as well. Wish I had pictures of my old CB 750 with clip ons and a bullet fairing to show him. I was the same age as him at the time. It was John Deere yellow (leftover paint from grandpa's backhoe!). Got my first 3 speeding tickets on that damn thing.

Cheers,

Dan

 

Big fan of this site. Fun to read up on all the great bikes, some of which are not even Hondas ;-)