Just gots me a 1985 VF700F

Hey everybody, I've been lurking on here for quite a few weeks now because I've had an interest in the old interceptors. My dad had one before I was born and I was always fascinated at pictures of it so I finally found one.

It's a 1985 Vf700f with a few cosmetic issues but it runs and drives with 11k original miles.

The guy i bought it from was a little bit crazy and rambled on forever about all the motorcycles hes owned and I ended up getting it fairly cheap.

I only have a few concerns about it.

1. The forks don't seem to hold air so theyll probably need new seals put in

2. The engine makes kind of a ticking noise before warmed up, afterwards it seems to dissipate.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Pics!

 

My vf750F required new front fork seals and 1litre of fluid, came pretty cheap at the place I got it done at. Don't worry bout that small issue.

 

Welcome to the madness from one Pierce to another.

 

welcome the world... you just made me feel old.LOL

 

Hey there....welcome.

Regarding the Forks.....don't try and put air in them. It's not recommended. Pulling the forks and redoing the seals is always good.

The engine noise....becareful. These bikes have bad Top-end issues. I'd recommend getting the valve clearances checked ASAP and take a look at the Cams while you're in there.

 

Heres a quick update on the 700.
Changed the oil to some nice full synthetic 10w-40 oil (heard the pumpability of 10w-40 is important) and the ticking noise seems to be gone leaving only the nice sewing machine sound Honda's seem to make.
Forks are also going to be resealed within the next week.

Few other concerns.
If I let go of my handlebars they start to wobble back and forth erratically and scare the shit out of me so I quickly grab back onto them firmly. I need new tires and forks resealed, could that be from this or could it be something like bearings?
The bike also seems to be cold blooded for the most part but once you ride it all day it gives off a considerable amount of heat, (seems to be a really nice cold weather riding bike) but this seems fairly normal for interceptors because they run pretty warm.

I'll keep updating this as I go through and get things in order (Mostly cosmetic) I'll post pictures within the next few days

 

worn out steering stem bearings will to that, i think these only came with ball bearings so, as long as you have the forks off the bike, you might as well take the triples off of the bike and get some tapered roller bearings. they are $40 from partsnmore.com replacing the wheel bearings would be cheap peace of mind, they are about $10 each. Its always possible your tire is giving your front end the shakes, but as long as your tearing into the front end to do the forks, you might as well drop the $60 and replace all the bearings while your in there

 

My bike did that handlebar wobble until I put a new front tire on there.

IMO start there.

 

Yeah, I figured with the forks and the tire being a little different it might be that, so I'll see how everything turns out before I buy bearings even though I'll probably replace them soon anyways.
The guy at my local bike shop said the steering seemed a little loose and might need the steering head adjusted so I'm going to get the good ol' spring scale out and see if it has the Honda Manual recommended preload.

I'm just wondering what I can do about the oiling kit, half the websites that used to have them have disappeared and the only kit i found was over $300.
(I'm not exactly comfortable with the drill & tap method at this point in time)

 

Quick Update:
1. Pics are now up
2. She still ticks a little bit before shes warm so I got bored and pulled off the rear valve cover, I don't have the tools to check me some clearances but I did take a gander at the cams and aside from some color on them they look fine. No noticeable gouges, scratches, or chunks missing. Although I'm definitely not a mechanic I think they are in good shape.
I'll have my local guy do valve clearances whenever I can get him.

I've got a new set of tires coming my way, a circa 1980s NOS K&N filter coming in the mail, and a center stand.
If anyone can give me any info on getting a oiling KIT I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

I was told not to put synthetic oil in these older bikes, as the oil is not only for the engine, but the transmission also. It could cause the transmission to start slipping. I read that on these forums somewhere....

 

Yeah I've seen that the clutch kits for the bike say not to use fully synthetic.
It's kind of hard to choose when with the engine wear problems you're told to use synthetic but with the clutch you're told not to. I guess I'll have to eventually find out.

More Updates:

Got all the parts in, but whilst the forks were being resealed I found out the forks had been straightened and were utterly destroyed in the process right where the slider tube travels.
$250 later i have new aftermarket fork tubes on the way from Frank's in Illinois

I'm also venturing to install and balance the tires myself using these little buggers.


I'm definitely going to put some money in this bike but by the time I'm done hopefully I'll have a fun bike to ride and commute with for as long as I can afford to keep a toy like it.

 

Bike looks pretty good. Love the fact that you got a bike your Dad rode. Should be lots of fun. Put as much money in to it as you want. I'm surprised some haven't jumped in already to tell you to sell it and move on but it's clear you have a fondness for these bikes and I for one couldn't agree more. That thing looks way cool!!

Don't forget some good riding gear, you want to make sure you're around to share some riding stories with your son.

 

Welcome, congrats, looks like a great bike. For the oiling kit try emailing Dave Dodge, his contact info is on this page: Dave Dodge - SabMagFAQ

He has them for sale on eBay occasionally but you may need to contact him direct for the 500 kit.

 

Well I happened to find ONE person still selling the kit consistently.

V65 V45 Magna Sabre Interceptor Oil Mod Adaptor Kit: eBay Motors (item 140432330435 end time Aug-05-10 11:05:40 PDT)

My only concern is that it's only a single hose construction, maybe im wrong but I'd figure you would need 2 just so you have one for each set of cylinders/cams.

It seems to be legitimate just due to the fact it's a machined adapter kit.

Anyone have any input on this?