Good evening all. Well the last Honda I had was back in 1984, a CB400NC, which was a far better bike than the previous Kawasaki Z500 i had! I have just purchased a 1984 VF500FII. It's complete, brand new exhaust system, overhauled front end but needs finishing off. Upon closer inspection, the engine needs repainting, the frame, swing arm and all associated metalwork needs powder coating too. I shall have the downpipes and collector box ceramic coated and shall also powder coat the cam covers as access to keep them clean is almost impossible. Sorry I don't have any pics of it yet, but I promise I shall be posting plenty when the restoration starts. On the personal side, I'm nudging 50 and I've had bikes since I was 14. For a living, I earn my crust as a technical author for Bentley motors (basically I write the Haynes manuals for Bentley), stripping, photographing and building new models. Also test driving them is part of the job which amazingly enough actually gets quite boring after a while! I also run the South Cheshire section of the VJMC and have a few V4 owners in the club already. By the way, can I blog my up and coming show in August.?? :congratulatory: Other bikes in my life are my 1979 S+S Performance Silver Saxon and my 2000 Kawasaki ZRX1100R. The Silver Saxon is just utterly mental.... 200+ bhp in a 70's package. It has a rather interesting history that I shalln't bore you with (just type in "Silver Saxon Turbo" in google). The ZRX has ZZR cams, stag 3 Dynojet kit, 4 degree ignition advancer and a twin port pipe. I've also just had to sell this stunning 1983 Kawasaki KZ1100 ELR I've just finished restoring it. This was to fund a rebuild of the engine in the Silver Saxon after the turbo wastegate failed to open and it pumped 65psi of boost into the engine, trashing all 4 pistons! :grey: Cheers for now, Will
Welcome aboard! Nice bikes! The 83 KZ looks sinister, outstanding work. We'd still like to see a pic of your VF even if it is a little rough.
Thanks, I'll get some pics up soon as I can. I've always lusted after a VF1000R and should have bought one years ago before the values went sky high!
Sadly my 1000R is long gone, sold 2001. Yes I'm still kicking myself in ass for that decision. Currently riding a 2007 25th Ann VFR. ZRX is on my "Bucket List" of bikes to own.
:welcome: to the madness across the pond :wave: Very interesting job you got there :thumb: Nice collection :thumbsup: Good luck bringing back the VF500 to life.
I will be taking delivery of my VF500 in 2 weeks time and will start a thread in the 'Projects' section. The last Honda I had was a 1983 CB400NC in black/blue/silver, what a cracking bike that was until I got T-boned! Regards, Will
Well today i took delivery of my 1984 VF500FII. It's 'partially' restored, but I'll be giving it the total strip and build overhaul! Mileage is 48k but the gut I've bought it off (who's very trustworthy) assures me that the engine is real sweet. I know naff all about the V4's (big Kawasaki engines is my forte) and wondered if I should be giving it a closer inspection inside? I'll start a thread in the Mechanics Garage section once I've finished rebuilding the engine on my turbo bike that blew up a short while ago! Regards, Will
