VF 500 engine question

Ok. the first VFRs have gear driven cams. The VF750 has chain. The VF1000 gear, but the VF500? gear or chain driven cams?

 

The VF500F cams are chain driven...The gear drive concept started on the 1986 VFR750.

 

more VF engine question

Thanks for anwser. So I looks on pics from vf1000r.com and they had pics of engine showing the vf 1000 had gear driven cams... but do you mean the early vf 1000 have chain driven cams?

Then to weakness of vf:s
A mecanic once sade stay away from anythin VF, all VFR are good.

The VF750 suffer from cam faulths, What are the VF1000 and VF500:s weakness?

 

I know the 500 have very few weekness's and they love to be riden hard.

 

The VF500 in the US had a big problem with the rear cylinder heads overheating and crank failure.

 

What he is probably referring to is a top end oiling problem that the VF engines had which includes not only the Interceptors, but the Magnas too. This affected the 1983 - 1986 VF bikes including the 500. However, failures associated with the 500 were far fewer than with the 700, 750 and 1000 engines.

The fix for this was to install a top end oiling kit that changes the oil pick up point and lines to the top end. The kits would pick the oil up at the oil filter and via wider lines, deliver it to the entry point at the top of the cylinders. Honda was even running these kits in the early to mid-80s.

I know that the kits are still out there and you can get them. I installed one on my 500 when it had only 600 miles on it and it took just an hour or two.

The 1986 VFR line did NOT have this problem.

 

Thanks for that info. The VF500 was sold where I live until 1989. the last 4 years whit full faring as a F2. Did they change anything to the late ones (top end oil kit as standard?) ? Anyone know. When I got my first big bike back in 1997 I wanted to buy a VF500F/F2, but the words of the mecanic made me buy a Kawa GPZ500S (ninja500) becorse I tough the VFR750 was to big and pricy for a first bike. I´m still intrested to get a VF500 as a second bike, or as a bike for my wife.

 

In the United States, 1986 was the last year any of the VF models (500 / 1000) were offered. The top end oiling modification never made it on the production bikes. In 1986, the VFR750 was the new bike that solved the problem.

If you get a 500, don't worry about it. I've owned four of them since 1990 and have never had an issue with any of them. If you do a search on the top end oiling problem, you'll notice that the 500s really were not affected at all.

 

From what I have heard the 500 is the most reliable of the engines in that era.

 

Not true! In fact, the 500's are certainly the most UNreliable of the bunch! The 500's ate valves at a staggering rate. There were literally semi trailer loads of 500 engines with dropped valves back in the day. My approximation is that almost half of the 500's are dead now because of valve float and subsequent valve dropping. As mentioned, the oiling problems also existed with the 500's but they were not known for this fault because the valves dropped before the rockers could wear.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 500's. Heck, I've got four of them. You just need to be careful with the revs and make sure to change out the valve springs every 20,000 miles or so. The 500's reved to the moon compared to other bikes of the day. The early VF's pushed the limits of technology and today we must deal with the results of that.

 

Yes, the 500s did have valve issues, BUT if you keep up with your maintenance schedule and make sure that the valve clearance is within spec, then these engines are quite reliable. Like I said, I've owned 4 of these bikes since 1990 to the current day and have never had a problem. Just like with anything else, if you want it to treat you right, you better treat it right.

 

I totally agree with you. However, it doesnt really apply here. The valve springs get weak over time and allow the valves to float. There is no amount of maintenance that will help this problem. The only thing to do is replace the springs as a preventative measure.

Bear in mind that engines which have seen a lot of high rpm use will be most likely to have trouble. Those that are babied or just used to cruise around on are should be good for quite a while. When buying used you really do not know, do you?

Don't even get me started on cam chain tensioners!

 

Other than the valve springs, and the items mentioned above, what would you recomend to someone who has one of these bikes?

 

Usually by now the suspension is in need of attention. More often than not the suspensions are in bad shape because people tend to neglect this part of motorcycle maintenance. Usually the forks need a full rebuild. The shock is a big negative on those bikes too. If you are just starting out you might opt to leave it alone until you get used to the bike. It's probably something to look into in the future.

With any bike of this age there are going to be problems. Fuel pumps, regulator/rectifiers, fuel tank valves, etc. all are known to fail. These aren't necessarily design flaws but rather just parts that get worn out. Time has a nasty way of making things stop working.

 

Thanks Jamie,
This bike is for my wife who now claims she wants to learn to ride. Since I bought the bike in December I've only gotten to ride it once and didn't have any major complaints. There are a few things, probably related to age, (only has 12.4k on the clock) that need attention. Front brakes are a little spongy, vavles need adjustment, hesitates a little at about 5k in neutral... This is the first thing she will have ever riden on the street, so at the moment I just want it safe and reliable.

 

I know some people have gravity feed on there bikes. I have a fuel pump. Is it a big deal if you bypass the pump and use gravity feed?

 

Gravity feed works perfect. I do this to all of VF's almost as soon as I get them. Make sure not to use the stock fuel filter. If you want a filter (you don't need one, really) get a sintered bronze one that the dirtbike guys use.

 

Sir Jamie,

I was scared by the negative feedbacks on VF particulary on 83-84 750F like the one you mentioned above and one article I read copy paste below. I agree that there are prventable measures to avoid from buging down but the problem is, since the VF are old, there are few or none have parts for sales here in the Phi. There is one guy who likes to buy my bike at PHP75,000 (USD1,500) but i refused because that would mean I lost my XZ200 for nothing.(trade-in when I bought the VF at USD1,200 or php60,000). if you were me, what would be your decision considering those bad comments on VF750?

Thanks,
Nony Pestejo

WHAT HAPPENED TO EACH MODEL AND WHEN

1983-84: VF750F D E
Honda made a sportbike out of this one, and it was a good thing. A 750 that turned the day's litre bikes into dinosaurs. But it ate its own camshafts and cam chains. This is the model that really hurt for Honda, and for 1985 the company retreated to lick it wounds.

 

Thanks guys, this has been an excellent thread for me. Now for a couple of newbie type questions.

I’ve just bought an ’84 VF500 that runs but sounds, to my fairly untrained ears, like it’s got a dropped valve. I was told it had been ridden in this condition for about 20 miles. Would anyone like to comment on what other damage may have been done? Is there any chance at all that I’ll be able to just replace the valve and its springs and have a usable motor again?

Second question: I bought this bike as a winter project along with another, partly stripped, ’86 model with an engine which supposedly runs OK. If I decided to just swap the engines over for now, is everything going to be interchangeable or should I swap over the ignition system, carbs etc?

My mid-term plan is that I end up with a bike I can use for a few weeks while I re-build the spare engine – whichever that turns out to be – before taking the bike off the road for a proper restoration around January. Any thoughts would be welcome.

One last point – I’m in England so my bike may be different from the ones you guys are used to. Still haven’t worked out what the differences may be though. Thanks again all of you for a great forum.

 

The engines should be interchangeable. You might get the 86 engine in there and decide that's all you need to do.

Grins,