Engine swap from an 86 into an 84

Hi guys, some of you may remember me from previous threads, but for those who don't, my name is timmah1991. :tongue: I havbe an 84' vf500f, and everything is just peachy, it's the most amazingly smooth bike I could imagine, and it's plenty fast for a first bike. Ok, I'm going to stop ranting about the bike before I get too far into it. I haven't had any serious problems so far, a few wiring issues but no cam or valve issues like others sometimes do, but I've been considering picking this bad boy up just in case something happens HONDA 86 VF500F VF 500 INTERCEPTOR ENGINE MOTOR : eBay Motors (item 230491804853 end time Jul-24-10 13:19:23 PDT) I just want to know: would a motorcycle mechanic install this for me? would I be able to do it myself if not? Would an 86 engine be a drop in replacement in my 84? Would it perform significantly differently? Thanks guys, like I said, I just want to have it around just in case the engine does go out, so I can just drop it in without having to wait a long time without the bike

 

Alother thing to take into consideration is the fact that I can very easily just go pick that up in my car as well.

 

I'd tend to agree that $200 is high - if the engine's history isn't known. You could end up with a (very heavy) paperweight.

In terms of making an engine swap - there are several changes to the '86 model year - i.e. the coolant system, oil pan and headers - that may cause a few snags .

If you are looking for a good set of spare parts for your '84 it may be best to squirrel away a set of inner and outer valve springs as a start. This is one item that is NLA and is rather costly as an aftermarket item (though aftermarket would be a performance upgrade if purchased through a vendor like Kibblewhite).

Again - it's very important to ask the seller about the history of the items you are interested in and if at all possible to have them check the service limits before you make a purchase.

 

Waste of money. Buy something newer (whole bike).

 

I agree with the others, a little too risky and will be too expensive to have someone do what needs to be done. If you were a do it yourselfer able to pull the motor apart, the cost was better and you knew the condition it might be a consideration

For the sake of others that may want an answer to the original question, it would swap fine. I had my 84 motor in an 86 frame with the 86 rad and carbs. The only thing that I would investigate are the carb boots. The 84 carbs are larger than the 86 so that boots might be a little tight. Others have put the larger carbs on their 86's but I don't know if they changed over to the larger boots too.

The only other thing that is different are the CDI boxes. Apparently the 86 boxes limit the revs slightly to reduce wear / risk. I don't see why the 84 boxes would not work on the 86. I have 86 boxes on my 84 and they work fine. I don't rev it past 10k anyway.

If aftermarket pipes are to be used, the deeper oil pan of the 86 might be a problem, although I suspect that the 84 pan would fit on the 86.

 

Way too much money

 

I think it's a waste of money. I gave away a parts engine that looked just like that to a fellow vfrclub member not too long a go. It's borderline worthless.

 

I wonder if they will let you pull the valve covers to check the cams before commiting to buy? Are you close enough that it would be feasible to go look at it before bidding? I'd say if you can confirm with your own eyes that the top end is in good shape, then it would be worth a couple hundred. Just my opinion though.