Bought Wrecked '86 VFR, Where Do I Go From Here??

I recently bought a wrecked '86 VFR700 F2 in a local auction for $325. Right now it's uglier than spit. The bike runs, but it needs all new fairings, tires, blinkers, and probable a couple more things I have not thought of. Like I said, the bike starts and runs and has 42,000 miles on the odometer. Here's the problem/dilemma I'm looking at. By the time I knock off the ugly and replace all the broken body panels & period correct blinkers/etc, it'll cost me more than the bike's worth. Is it worth getting it back to its former glory, or should I just settling for a "street fighter" approach and keep it naked to keep cost down? Am I a sell out for turning a VFR into a street fighter? Just looking for some suggestions or guidance.

IMG_8780 by mcpmartin posted Nov 9, 2021 at 8:32 PM

 

Road warrior! All the way!!
it is going to be challenging to find a lot of stuff!!!
I would say just check it over really well, make sure it is safe to ride first.
There are a lot of guys here that will help you out finding stuff, just be patient could take a while

 

i'm surprised it runs !

blinkers are ez to get but the rest is very, very hard to find.

work toward a streetfighter and wait for plastic to show up.......some day maybe.

 

It's a shame that it takes so much effort and cash to restore these older machines.

 

That generation doesn't respond very well aesthetically to the SF treatment imo. Not at all. Show me one and it's just a round headlight bolted to the forks with those same cheap brackets and a subframe with just a seat and a cheap LED taillight mounted with hot water heater strapping. Whoa mad max. Bleh.

All of the cowls are available in fiberglass. But, yes, you're gonna have more in unpainted fiberglass than that bike is worth instantly.

That's why you buy another 86 VFR. ; - )

 

How many miles can a person expect to get out of a typical VFR 700? I know that's a loaded question with many variables like maintenance, how hard the bike is ridden, short/long trips, etc. This bike has 42,000 miles on the odometer, and I have not compression tested it yet. But it starts and idles really well. Just trying to get some input from you all on mileage/engine life expectancy.

 

I have one with 55K. Runs perfect, no smoke ever, doesn't burn a drop of oil. Cams all still look perfect.

Just sold my buddy's 86 750 for him. 46K. Same thing perfect.

Another friend on a 87, 100K plus right now.

Had two customers with well over 100K years back. No issues except one starter clutch. One of the customers treated every stop sign or light as a drag strip and every ride as a race. Bike ran great, in fact loved it.

If it still runs and sounds great and doesn't smoke at that mileage then that's a very good indication it has plenty of life left.

And I wish I was joking about buying two... some parts are hard to find.

 

Oh, and I got a 20K 86 700 motor plus a bunch of parts for selling it for him. ; - )

 

Something that is bugging the shit out of me is the tail design. It screams RoboCop. Is anyone swapping out the tail section with a newer one or are there any mods people are doing to knock off the 80's? Seriously, doesn't the tail look a lot like RoboCop??

RoboVFR by mcpmartin posted Nov 11, 2021 at 10:19 AM

 

Airtech have the body panels https://airtech-streamlining.com/honda-fairings-seats-fenders-parts/VFR7501986-88.htm

 

if you wanna sell the tail section, i'm interested in buying it !

 

SM, the Robocop picture is not his. Look at the very first pic in this thread.

 

^^ yeah, i'm almost too dumb to breathe

 

You don't want mine. It's half missing and trashed. You all are giving me some good ideas though. I appreciate all the feedback!

 

Welp, here goes. I took the tank off the other day, and I'm now stripping it down to bare metal using Aircraft Stripper. This stuff stinks, but it works really well. I highly recommend doing this in a well ventilated area... sheesh.

Unfortunately the top of the gas tank has a small dent/crease that I'll need to work on. Looks like I might have to break out the body filler for this one as it's in a hard to get to area with tools.

Tank1 by mcpmartin posted Nov 16, 2021 at 9:14 AM

Tank2 by mcpmartin posted Nov 16, 2021 at 9:14 AM

Tank3 by mcpmartin posted Nov 16, 2021 at 10:31 AM

 

Anyone happen to know what size bolt is supposed to attach the bottom of the tank to the frame? Previous owner failed to keep it tight & it apparently fell out long ago. If someone happened to know the thread size, I could probably make one from a local hardware store work (with lock washer too).

Missing Bolt by mcpmartin posted Nov 16, 2021 at 2:36 PM

 

The collar #17 is critical. Wherever you went for that schematic, the info is right there in the parts list: 8mm x 25mm.

Remove one of the bolts that holds the rear grab handles to the subframe to match up the thread pitch at the store. 1.25 I think.