Intro Post - 12 Years Late

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by Colddevil, Feb 6, 2020.

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  1. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Hey there everyone. I started poking around this forum in 2008, made a few comments, and have been lurking ever since. Back in 2007 I purchased my first bike--a 1984 Honda Interceptor. I was just out of high school then. At the time, I was looking for a CBR or possibly a Katana, but I fell in love with this weird looking yellow machine at the dealership I'd been riding my dad's Sportster to. Seemed like nobody wanted it. I ended up buying the VF500F I'll link some pictures to below for $1,600.

    Fell in love with the VF500F and adore it--however, I'm now getting serious guilt. You see, it has always run flawlessly, but I know I want to hold onto this bike for the rest of my life, so I've wanted to go through it and give it a very good lookover, replace all the rubber, and correct some of the goofiness left by the previous owner. But I never felt comfortable touching my bike because I didn't have enough knowledge to know what I was doing. So I bought a Yamaha FZR600 to get more comfortable working on bikes. Then I bought a rough 1973 barn find Honda CL350 and did a restoration (not show quality, but not awful), and then I accidently bought a couple more.

    Anyway, I'd slowly been pulling parts off of the Interceptor and noticing problems with it as I've started to learn more about motorcycles. But I kept prioritizing the other bikes to try to build up knowledge, so that when I was actually ready to get into the Interceptor, I wouldn't go in and just ruin the much more complex piece of Honda V4 engineering.

    The guilt of seeing this bike in a non-running state--because I kept pulling things off of it just to see what was underneath--has finally gotten to me. I've currently got everything pulled off in order to do a valve adjustment, and I've got a shopping list going to replace as much rubber and deteriorating parts as reasonable. Full caliper rebuilds are happening this weekend and I'll probably be getting into the valves as well.

    And no, I didn't put the "VFR" nor "Gear Driven Cam" stickers on it myself. Though, to be fair... I had no idea what a gear driven cam was until a few years ago :Lalala:

    Anyway, I'll start a thread in the 1st-2nd gen forum because I've actually got quite a few questions on issues I've run into. This forum has been an awesome wealth of information, and hopefully I can continue to learn more and maybe.. maybe one day.. contribute a piece myself. Cheers.

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  2. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    Very sorry to hear of your addiction, LOL. Looks like a great project to me.
     
  3. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Haha, thanks raYzerman.

    Yep--there's quite a bit I want to address on the bike, but it should be a very good starting point. I just need to not screw it up too bad.
     
  4. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    Welcome. My first street bike was a 1984 VF500F. I love em, but they take passion as they can test your resolve. I have 4 of them, 2 of them still in future project status.
     
  5. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Thanks Captain 80s, I've been drooling over the bikes in your photo albums for a while now!

    I just ran across a picture in one of your albums that I bet you'd have an answer for (https://vfrworld.com/media/20190322_183001.35627/full)... [​IMG]

    I've got the pistons out of my calipers at the moment. They cleaned up pretty well, but there's still a few spots of build-up. I believe the pistons are stainless and hitting them with a brass wire wheel won't hurt them, but I didn't want to do that until I've exhausted softer methods. I've soaked in PB Blast and Kerosene and wiped hard with a towel, but this is as far as I can get.

    1. Can I take brass to the pistons without hurting them
    2. How close to spotless should they be before putting in the new seals?

    2020-02-02 16.52.49.jpg
     
  6. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    Looks like you need to differentiate between stubborn build up and pitting. The pistons are not stainless and have a coating on them that is easily damaged/removed. I use a little Mother's aluminum polish for the final "cleaning" and a quick wipe with some alcohol. Looks to me like you have some pitting on some of those pistons, especially that one 3rd from the left. Some slight pitting can be ok in the right area (not in the seal zone). But unfortunately that's where the corrosion usually is, especially when you have to press the pistons further in to accommodate new (thicker) pads. Get yourself a little magnifying glass if needed to see "pitting" vs "gunk".
     
  7. Colddevil

    Colddevil Member

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    Ahhh I thought they were stainless.. poor assumption by me. I have some Mother's aluminum polish at home, and I'll give that a shot this weekend. Worst comes to worst I'll try to source new pistons. I've got new seals and boots ready to go for all three right now with some stainless steel lines on the way.

    The rear caliper was the roughest by far. Had a hell of a time pulling the sleeves out since they decided to eat the boots.

    I appreciate the suggestion and information.

    2020-02-01 21.51.31.jpg 2020-02-02 16.52.37.jpg
     
  8. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    The rears are usually the terrible ones.

    You need to use a hi temp Silicone Grease when you install the new sleeves. Any other grease will end up binding the sliding movement of the caliper after a while, resulting in abnormal wear and bad brake performance.
     
  9. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    Oh... and I think It's time to start a rebuild thread in the 1st Gen forum.
     
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