Dilemma

Hey guys, my '84 vf500 just lost a cylinder and i am faced with a problem.. out: Either spend quite a bit of money fixing it or selling it for parts or as a project bike and starting over. The repair of the bike would cost roughly what i bought it for originally and im not sure whether sinking this much money into it is worth it. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

 

Someday you will be driving along and you'll see a mint condition '84 VF500 going the other way, and you'll sigh and say to who ever's with you "I used to have a bike just like that. Never should have sold that thing".

Fix it.

 

I'm of the opposite camp.
Sell it off for parts, or outright. Don't spend good money after bad on a two decade old bike.
Get a second hand newer model and jump ahead at least a decade in technology. You'll pass that 84 on the other side of the road and say, "I remeber riding that dog. Glad I got this newer bike that has parts available and could eat that '84 for lunch."

 

If you're not going to fix it now, put it on ice until you're ready to do it. You'll always regret selling it. If you like it, fix it. If you end up with a fortune in it, it'll still be yours to play with. You can always earn more money, but you can't always come back in 5 or 10 years and replace your old friend. I have an '83 Sabre in the same shape. I just set it up for long term storage, until I have the time and motivation to fix it. It's a toy, and like a woman, it's always going to cost you money. But, in the long run, It's worth it.

 

I'm happy to return and say Dilemma Nothin! After a long wait I brought my bike to another mechanic in the area who would take the engine apart for a reasonable price and tell me exactly what i'm dealing with. I figured it couldn't hurt because then I could make a better decision from there. Turns out an intake valve snapped and wore down the rocker. So, several months, two parts, and one competent mechanic later my bike is being fixed.

After dealing with this new guy I can't believe how much better his customer service was. How do people not understand how far that goes? Nothing big, just be a straight shooter, answer my calls and let me know what's going on, not too hard. He's got my business.

Edit: Too bad its been snowmobile weather for several weeks now.

 

Woo hoo, nice to hear. those are a hot bike Honda should bring em back with some minor upgrades say a gear driven cam set.

 

A friend of mine told me something similar to this while in High School. It holds true today. "If it's got Tits or Tires. It's going to give you trouble."