Should I Buy This Project?

Only four ways I can think of that oil can get into combustion chamber;
Valve guides (normally smokes on startup)
Rings (would smoke all the time)
Blown head gasket
Crankcase ventilation (possible too much oil? Overfilled?) Most likely.

 

Maybe the rings are a bit rusty from moisture while the bike was sitting. In which case just keep riding.


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I have never been into a 6th gen before but I assume that it is like all Honda designs and the breather is located in the valve covers. I think this is one place I will start looking. The pressurized crankcase make the most sense of the strange symptoms. If it is burning oil, in the normal ways, it should smoke and keep on smoking whether you stop the engine or not. You would think that bad rings would smoke all the time as would bad guides. Plus it only takes a little oil to make a cloud.

A blown head gasket is a wild card. Depending on where and how it was breached (around an oil galley or around a water jacket) the symptoms can be very different. I also think having a look that the condition of the plugs and a compression test will help determine if it is a blown head gasket.

 

Update: I have been running and riding it since I got the title and tag squared away. It is still smoking a bit but not near as much. I will put some real miles on it this weekend if the weather is nice.

It is so much different than my 5th Gen. It likes to rev more and seems very happy at 8K where my 5th Gen feels happy at 5K. It is smooth and deceptively fast. It still feels like it turns heavy but that just may be me.

 

That is good news if the smoking is getting less with more use. Maybe someone put oil in the mufflers to stop corrosion?

In my experience, heavy steering has lots to do with worn tyre profiles, especially the front end. My VFR feels like it needs a mighty heave to get it turned now as I'm nearing replacement time, but that will disappear with some new rubber.

BTW I like your new avatar photo; did you deliberately leave the Norton out?

 

No, the Norton is in there. See the tail light sticking out?

Good news everyone! (Reported tentatively and knocking on wood so as not to queer the deal.) I have been riding it and indeed the smoking is now nonexistent. It still stinks like oil or maybe a chemical type smell, but there is no smoke at all. I rode it at highway speeds for 15 miles this evening. The temps cycle just fine, the power is smooth and the stock exhaust is quiet. I didn't go far because I really need to do the PMs and check it all over. The worst thing I found was the stupid flexible aftermarket mirrors vibrate and jump up and down making them next to worthless. The body is not perfect with lots of dings and scratches but it looks great from 10 feet away.

I am going to take the money I would have spent on engine repairs and buy tires. I also need a new front wheel. This one looks like it hit a curb.

I think the boy has a lot of life left in him.

 

I'm sure that is how my wife described me to her friends after we first met.

 

Maybe was a sticking oil control ring?

 

Moving a Norton in today's market is fairly easy. There are Norton Clubs, Old Brit Clubs, vintage clubs, guys who race vintage bikes, ect. There are sites that have buy/ sell pages that are free or charge very little sometimes an ad runs "until sold". Then ya got Ebay and Craigslist and the clones that allow the seller to not only just advertise but set the terms of the sale.