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Vf1000r

11K views 41 replies 17 participants last post by  gts455 
#1 ·
#2 ·
I almost bought one of those the year I bought my 700 Interceptor. They had one in the showroom that was a year or so old but never sold. Kicked myself ever since. Some of the early V4s were hard on the rear two cylinders because of insufficient oiling and heat. There are some mods you can do to solve it involving upping the oil supply to back two. I would really be tempted if I were on the left coast. Looks to be in really good shape considering the age.
 
#6 ·
That CB1000F is pretty nice for sure, but again for anything other than collecting you could come out a lot better with current machinery. You can get a bulletproof 919 for less money and ride the living snot out of it from touring to commuting to even trackdays if need be for the rest of your life without a single problem. Old Honda's streetbikes are just problematic...
 
#9 ·
I hear you LDH.
I'm not looking for reliability or commuting. I was just looking for a project, but not too much project. And something old and cool.
I think I'm over the VF1000R. I'm more inclined towards an 80's VFR 700 or 750.
btw, I'm a little confused: is it a 700 or a 750?
 
#12 · (Edited)
btw, I'm a little confused: is it a 700 or a 750?
There were actually both. RC24 was the 750 If I remember right. The 700 came in those funky years when we were helping HD survive the Japanese imports. There was also the rc45 but save your pennies if you can find one. It won't be cheap.


Here is the 750 rc24
 
#10 ·
That 919 in that ad looks great!

The VF existed in both 700 and 750 cc builds due to 1983 import tariff taxes on anything over 700cc's. This was brought about because Hardly-Ableson who once dominated Flat Track Racing was getting their asses kicked unequivocally by the Honda 750's so they whined like little bitches until the government did something about it.
 
#14 ·
The VF models had a reputation for chocolate camshafts. I don't know of the differences between models and which were the worst for that problem though.
What did happen was that with the RC24 & RC36 models, the 750 engines (& probably the US 700's too) are bullet proof. No cam wear problems, gear driven cams too.
I'd choose a 750 over an older VF1000 given the choice.

Then again, Duckhunter - you already have a project on the go, so get that one completed first!! :D
 
#15 ·
J-dog, I own a 1984 VF500F (My first streetbike, and is the only reason for still owning the bike) A b@@@@d to work on, parts are available on e-bay, etc. After F-3 frontend , and a fox clicker shock. It is coming around to be "A" bike.
I would consider something more reliable.
 
#16 ·
TNRC51- That's a great photo. too bad they didnt include the VF1000R that you can see in the background.
I'm liking the 86 VFR so far. I saw a couple of them for sale in the LA craigslist, looks like a project might be had for around 1500 -2000...
 
#19 ·
Yeah, Germany got a few. Trying to find one so i can bring it back to the states when i move back. There are some floating around for about 4-5k which is actually REALLY cheap for sportbikes here in Germany. New S1000RR go for 26k and used 998's go for 10-15k.

Mike you have any experience with the older VFR400 NC24's? There are bunch floating around in HRC red white and blue for about 2-3k. Not as pretty but i don't have a large bike budget right now.
 
#21 ·
I'm actually a little curious and partial the the 400. I see they have plenty of BabyBlades in UK - CBR400r (Or is it rr?).
But that's an I4 correct?
I love the idea of a 400 v4!
I'll look into that - thanks GTS and LDH.
 
#22 ·
The CBR400RR is a great little bike and looks fantastic with the gullarm etc, but overall they are kinda lackluster. I'd rather have an old CBR250RR over the 400.

Having said that you can still find 91-93 GSF400 Suzuki Bandit's in good condition in this country and those little bastards are fierce for a 400cc machine. They don't handle as good as an FZR400, but they pretty much outrun any similar 400cc machine (and quite a few larger bikes too for that matter) on pure performance numbers.
 
#23 ·
I have an 85 VF1000R that I rode daily before buying the RC. It is a very heavy bike but like the RC it draws a load of attention. The V4 is. Great motor and the gear driven cams sounds a little like the RC with the whine. I love the bike and enjoy the ride since it was the granddaddy of sport bike and put all the tariffs on Japanese bikes cause it was knocking the shit out of Harley's lol. I like the 7 layer fiberglass fairings all though it does cause the weight increase lol.
 
#24 ·
I have an 85 VF1000R that I rode daily before buying the RC. It is a very heavy bike but like the RC it draws a load of attention. The V4 is. Great motor and the gear driven cams sounds a little like the RC with the whine. I love the bike and enjoy the ride since it was the granddaddy of sport bike and put all the tariffs on Japanese bikes cause it was knocking the shit out of Harley's lol.

To the best of my knowledge the VF1000R had no battles against a Harley powered anything ever. It was the Honda RS750 & its predecessor the NS750 that were slaughtering the Harley's in the dirt track scene.

I'm also pretty sure the GPZ900 was literally in the showrooms prior to the VF1000R, but I am willing to concede defeat on that if someone can prove otherwise as I was working at a Kawi shop at the time and didn't have much use for Honda's back then :)
 
#25 ·
LDH, I was surprised to see you were so big on the 919 as it didn't review very well and having non adjustable suspension. I was considering selling my 749 I'm using for a street bike and picking up a 919 for street use. Would you do the front end swap and put a shock on it or leave it alone and just ride it for what it is.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I bought an NC30 for my ex-wife back in the day. Very cool bike aside from the lack of power. It would change direction with spectacular ease. I'd love to find another one as my current GF wants to learn to ride. Perfect bike for that. If you have an inkling for one of those I say go for it. that was a cool bike!!

Mine...


One I saw at Barber...


It's RC30 big brother, just because...
 
#29 ·
Yeah i figured. i have emails out on 2 NC30's a few hours away. Both are clean and have about 25k on them. One is the HRC red white and blue, the other is black and gray.

I think either way its the bike for me. Price for a clean one is about what i can spend. rare, but small and fun and not too expensive. Plus i'll be able to bring it back no problem.
 
#30 ·
Sounds good. Take a good look at them for damage from being dropped as usually they do suffer from this - maybe a bargaining point. I know a company in the UK who can make replica decals inexpensively, so as long as it's in good condition - you can restore it.
Red ones with black decals are also nice. My least favourite would be one with white wheels - too much cleaning, but then they are the classic colours...

Let us know how you get on, buddy. :)

BTW - I hope the Impreza catalogue arrived OK.
 
#31 ·
ive owned a vfr400 nc30 and cant say enough about them. a nice little growl and when you do the needle jet mod theres a nice little amount of torque thatll accelerate off any roundabout and it'll rev freely up to 14,000 revs, with no blank spots.

and the stig is right, they can corner amazingly at any speed. a real good bike to have some fun with, if your a newby and make a mistake and start to go wide, mid corner, and it can easily be corrected. the nc30 is very forgiving.

fitting an aprilia rs250 rear shck one of these will transform the handling better still. and theres lots more to do to them. i spent a serious amount on mine and it was so good my bro bought it off me when i bought my rc51.
 
#32 ·
Being 275 lbs at the time I didn't ride mine much as it was really for the wife anyway, but one thing that always stuck with me about that bike was the way it changed direction. With most bikes when you weave back and forth on the lane it really just moves you sideways back and forth. With the nc30 it actually turned and drove towards one side and then turned and drove towards the other side of that makes sense.

Really was a neat bike and I'm gonna be a little jealous when you get one. But check the us laws where you want to bring it home to. It was a sunofabitch getting it registered in AZ. Being a Grey market bike the Vin wasn't long enough and mvd told me to go away. I had to get pretty creative to get a plate for it.

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#35 ·
but one thing that always stuck with me about that bike was the way it changed direction. With most bikes when you weave back and forth on the lane it really just moves you sideways back and forth. With the nc30 it actually turned and drove towards one side and then turned and drove towards the other side of that makes sense.
You'd love my VTR250, you can weave in and out of the lines on the road at 85mph and never touch a single one of them. She tops out at 126mph, but for a 25 year old low displacement bike she does quite well.



 
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