thinking of restoring an 86 vfr700

hey all, new guy here. been cruising this forum for the last hour and it seems like a pretty good place to ask some questions and get some answers!

i used to ride but sold my bike years ago when my kid was born. haven't ridden since then but have been bitten by the bug and really want to get back on two wheels. i can't justify buying a bike right now (unless i found a really desperate seller) but the idea of a project bike really appeals to me.

that being said i found a guy who has an 86 vfr 700 that is complete for $200 with a clean title. he buys bikes/quads and fixes them up and then sells them and he only recently got this bike. he even had it running but said during the last rain storm his roommate had pushed it outside and he had the top of the engine off and it got water in it, so now it doesn't run. i went to look at another bike and then saw this and he said he'd part with it as he has too many other projects going on.

a lot of this project will be me learning how to put it together and fix things. i started working on my own cars so i'm not intimidated by this and expect it to take around a year before it's up and running well.

my biggest concerns are the water issue and he said he was planning on buying a new transmission as that was easier than cleaning up the old one. i've looked around online and have seen parts, but no complete units, is this going to be a big issue to resolve? minor concerns i have are the plastics which some need to be repaired, but they are all there and from what i've read it shouldn't be too hard. it seems a tire upgrade makes tire selection easier but it isn't a requirement. the reg/stat (i think i messed that up) seems to be weak and prone to failure on these models but that is an easy upgrade, i think. i didn't think to check the mileage but that doesn't seem to be an issue with these bikes if they are well maintained, yes?

are there any other issues that i should be concerned about, and is this a project worth starting for $200? (i know that can be subjective) i have been looking around online and there seems to be a great community for the bike and readily available parts and information. i'm just about ready to dive into this and bring home my birthday present and new toy, but would love some feedback from what seems to be a great online community.

 

If you have patience and money anything is possible.
The part that worries me is the PO said the engine was open and got rained on.
For how long? Does he mean the top motor covers were off and rain physically fell into the engine?
If that is the case who knows what kind of damage has been done by water in the engine and crankcase?

$200 for a complete roller with title is not a bad place to start though.

 

we had a light rain the last couple of nights so the water would have been in there recently, not like it sat with water in it for months. not sure if than changes anything. if the water is an issue what kind of damage would that cause? would it be something that just requires breaking everything down and cleaning it really well or are we talking complete and utter destruction of the engine?

i have patience, and some money i'm not in a hurry to get this on the road, i want to take my time and do things right.

 

Bail out!

 

lol, i'm not committed yet, just extremely interested. you think it could be that bad?

 

not sure if mileage matters, but just heard from the owner that it's at 46k

 

I wouldn't be too concerned with the rain damage if it was only out for a day or so.. I would inquire as to what was exposed during that time. Were the heads off? If so, I'd tear the engine down and take a look. I've seen running engines for this bike online for under $1k.

For $200 its a steal, even if you have to put a new trans and/or engine in. I wouldn't be scared of it.

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just heard from him, he had carbs off to clean them and that is where the water went in, the engine chamber got flooded.

 

You could avoid a full teardown by pulling the spark plugs and turning the engine over a few times to push most of the water out. Then spray some wd-40 in there and roll it over again. Change oil, reinstall plugs and crank her up!

Hydro lock a motor or 2 off roading and you get to be very proficient at this process.

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ok, that makes me feel a lot better. as my OP said, i have confidence to do this, but i really don't want to get something that is beyond repair for a 1st project.

 

would it be better to buy a factory service manual that is 86 VFR specific or an 86-87 VFR? i'm guessing the one that covers multiple years is a year newer, not sure if anything would be better in the newer one? i found both on ebay for the same price.

 

The 86 VFR manual would be best but you can download that online if you don't need a paper copy.

 

i saw the download link on this forum and pulled it down, but it's kind of hard to read, i think having the shop manual in paper would be nicer for me. plus i have both so if something does happen to the paper version i have the back up.

 

Id want to be sure the rain tale wasn't just a cover for it having been submerged in a flood or under a sprinkler.

Get a cheap boroscope and have a look in the plug holes. Look for evidence of water damage (corrosion) at electrical connections and also in more inaccessible/hard to paint areas of the steel bits/bolts.

I'm not a top grade mechanic though... Anybody want to second this? Where else could he look?


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Some suspicious details. If (as he claims) the bike ran OK, no need to remove carbs. The price is way too low, indicating a possibly junk engine. At least check that it gets gears while rotating rear wheel. If this guy works on bikes, he has a compression gauge; have him show you the numbers for that bike.

Still, the price is so low, you could always get far more than that as a parts bike anywhere, any time.

You should be able to remove water in cylinders by using compressed air shot into sparkplug hole while exhaust valve is fully open, then coat with PB blaster and rotate engine a few times.:eek-new: Next, change the oil.

 

well, i'll have to do what you guys said, but from home. i brought it home tonight. like you said, i can get my money back as a parts bike if this is trashed, but hopefully it won't be.

 

For two bills you now have a parts bike. I hope you got the manifold and carbs.

Lots of difference between a restoration and turning a POS into a runner.

 

Yeah, I got everything with it, I'll try to get more pics up later today for an inventory.

 

Good work getting it home and great price.

First, grab a beer. Remove sparkplugs ( after using compressed air to blow out dirt around them) (helps to remove bottom 2 radiator bolts) and show photos of your sparkplugs' business ends if u can, always useful early evidence.......of something..... or other. Just a quick peek inside. After that, i'd check compression before proceeding further and drinkin more beer.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, my wife literally just had our third kid early this morning so it will be a few days before I can get pictures up, but I will! I am really looking forward to this project.