Topic: 1985 VF500 Interceptor

[Scott S]

 I have the opportunity to buy this bike. I want it. Badly.
 I need to wrap up a few things and make some room for it first, though.
 It's an '85 VF500, owned by my superintendent at work (really cool dude). He's owned it since 1986 and is technically the third owner, but owner #2 only had it for a few weeks and basically just flipped the title.
 All original except Kerker exhaust. Showing just over 22K miles.

 It hasn't been ridden in a couple of years but was stored correctly with tank and carbs drained. It would need minor stuff to get back on the road and a few things that I like to do to all my bikes, just to get to "square one".
 - He says he's never adjusted the valves  The actual valve adjustment is easy, but it's a bit of work to get to them.
 - At that point, I would have to do the coolant, and I would do all other fluids anyway (forks, engine oil, brakes).
 - Battery, obviously.
 - Rear tire is "new", will need a front.

 He's a reasonable guy. I can see needing to spend an easy $400-500 on it for fluids, battery and a tire. What's a fair price for this bike?

[calj737]

You can find them listed regularly in the $1500-$1800 range in good condition. Some, needing some work, are half that much. If you could buy it for $1200-$1500 I think you would have bought "smartly".

[MoMo]

They were great, fun bikes.  Go for it . Try for a grand...Larry

[Scott S]

 I was thinking around $1200. They don't seem to bring a lot of money, but everyone has nothing but good things to say about them.
 The very first one in North America, serial #18, and probably the best example anywhere, just sold at Mecum for $3,000.

[seanbarney41]

I loved my '86, but the affair ended violently.  Parts are very scarce, we are talking less valve cover gaskets available than certain sandcast parts type scarce.  No, the valve adjustment is not easy and if you get it wrong, it means a dropped valve(this is what happened to mine).  If it needs carb work, I recommend running away very fast.  Then, of course, there are the legendary cam and valvetrain perils.
 forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,141697.msg1606433.html#msg1606433
If you get it, I have some brand new parts that never got installed before mine blew up.  Handling is truly fantastic.

[MikeSimon]

Then, of course, there are the legendary cam and valvetrain perils.

+1. Really big issues with the earlier VFs. Do not underestimate. Many owners installed a separate cam oiling line.

[Terry in Australia]

They're fragile hand grenades, and make really bad boat anchors. Run, don't walk as fast and as far away as you can. I tried to tell Sean, but he had to learn the hard way............

[grcamna2]

That's a nice VF500F Scott I had one just like it,same yr. and also had an 86' which had smaller carbs,different CDi box tuned for more mid-range power,etc.I installed the mufflers from the 85'(like you have pictured)onto my 86' and loved it.I truly regret selling mine and really will enjoy buying another one next time I find one in as nice shape as that one  The powerband on the one pictured really does Wake-Up about 8500 rpm and pulls very strong until redline and runs strongly into the red ! The trick is to keep it from missing gears when you've got her wide open running in the red.. it wasn't designed to stay up toward 13K steadily  The 86' had a rev limiter and they will shut-down after like 11,500,the the 84-85' VF500F's didn't have a rev limiter !
I hope you get it and enjoy it. 

[RAFster122s]

I know someone who knows the CV carbs very well and works on them, he is in Sacramento. Not sure if the VF carbs would pose too much of a challenge for him. They are very hard to get to the internal circuits of the carbs if they have press in jets. I would think by '84-'85 they would be screw in style like the CX and GL bikes went to.  They get deposits that are hard and white below the jets and often in the emulsion tube and pilot jet circuit. The accelerator pumps usually need a rebuild (inexpensive) but like any Keihin carb you want to stay with OEM parts and not the aftermarket Crap.  Mike Nixon does GL and a few other bikes but he is $$$ whereas Larry is more reasonable. If you need the work. The only way to get the tiny circuits in the carbs is to put them in an ultrasonic after the jets are out and an industrial ultrasonic is recommended. It will work faster and more completely than the Harbor Freight cheap ultrasonics. They will usually do the work but you are going to be running them for probably an hours and they aren't big enough to handle a rack of carbs, they have to be broken down.

The VF bikes were gorgeous and that one looks very nice. $1000 would be a fair price and I would tend to max out at $1200.  Even with properly stored carbs and tank...it might not wake up in a good mood and take some $ and time to sort out.
Just like any bike, you fix it one step at a time...same way you would go about eating an elephant.

Good luck!

David

[ekpent]

  Those V4 carbs or so fun to work with that they even have different size jets in them along with different operating principles between the two pairs. Got be really organized and get the parts back where they came from.

[grcamna2]

  Those V4 carbs or so fun to work with that they even have different size jets in them along with different operating principles between the two pairs. Got be really organized and get the parts back where they came from.

I installed Dynojet and Factory jet kits in my 2) VF500F's and that helped;the change in needles really made them scream.

[seanbarney41]

RAF, what you posted is generally true...but there is nothing "in general" about these carbs.  DO NOT try to separate the 4 carb bodies.  We're talking about 2 downdraft and 2 sidedraft racked together in an alternating pattern.  Jets are all screw in, but like Ekpent said, quite likely to have different jetting for each carb.  The hard part is cleaning the extremely tiny vacuum passages that feed the cv diaphragm.  These carbs have no accelerator pump.

[eigenvector]

I don't know how different the Interceptor carbs are from the Sabre carbs (might be quite different), but my experience working with the Sabre was that the carburators weren't that tough to work on.  You ABSOLUTELY keep them isolated from each other - but you'd do that anyway.  I don't swap needles or jets between PD carbs either.  The jets are different - fronts run leaner than the rears, rears have different hole patterns due to the orientation of the carbs.

The rule on the Sabre's was/is that you assume the PO F'd up the order and got the jets in the wrong carbs.
Removing the carbs is the challenge - working on them, no worse than any other you've worked on before.  Again - we're talking Sabre here, not an Interceptor.  I'm making a big assumption that the V4 engine has basically the same carb for all models.

edit:  Incidentally - the 1100 Interceptor is another bike I'd love to get my hands on.  Gorgeous bikes.

[grcamna2]

I never worked-on or rode either the VF1000F or VF1000R Interceptors but I hear they are heavy and Very powerful.I owned an 86' VFR750F Interceptor w/ gear driven camshafts which is an excellent bike.I rode it from Cape Cod to Denver and back and loved it.The 90 degree/180 degree cranks V-four engine is very well balanced and I didn't feel any vibration from it,like an electric motor;that one sure turns-on nice above 7500 rpm 

[MikeSimon]

I owned a VF1000R and every time someone calls it an "Interceptor" I cringe....

[grcamna2]

I owned a VF1000R and every time someone calls it an "Interceptor" I cringe....

How did you like it ?

[Terry in Australia]

I never worked-on or rode either the VF1000F or VF1000R Interceptors but I hear they are heavy and Very powerful.I owned an 86' VFR750F Interceptor w/ gear driven camshafts which is an excellent bike.I rode it from Cape Cod to Denver and back and loved it.The 90 degree/180 degree cranks V-four engine is very well balanced and I didn't feel any vibration from it,like an electric motor;that one sure turns-on nice above 7500 rpm 

The VF1000F was a heavy, poorly engineered piece of sh1te but the "R" was much better, but as Mike has mentioned, will forever be tainted with it's older siblings bad name. The VFR750 is a truly magnificent beast, my 1996 model was the best of the best, and can't be compared with the VF750, which was another hand grenade, along with all of the VF models. 'Baroom, Baroom, KABOOM!"

[grcamna2]

I like that dark blue Terry;I had my 86 VFR 1st gen. painted the same color as that. 

[Terry in Australia]

I like that dark blue Terry;I had my 86 VFR 1st gen. painted the same color as that. 

Thanks mate, this one is so nice, was owned by a 71 year old who always garaged it, so (unlike a lot of bikes here in fcuking hot Oz) the plastics haven't faded or gone brittle, the screen hasn't yellowed, and the paint is still like new. I was going to sell it, but every time I take it for a ride I put it off for awhile........  

[grcamna2]

I like that dark blue Terry;I had my 86 VFR 1st gen. painted the same color as that. 

Thanks mate, this one is so nice, was owned by a 71 year old who always garaged it, so (unlike a lot of bikes here in fcuking hot Oz) the plastics haven't faded or gone brittle, the screen hasn't yellowed, and the paint is still like new. I was going to sell it, but every time I take it for a ride I put it off for awhile........

Considering it's a former 'Old Codgers' bike I think you should make sure that it's properly broke-in so everything operates smoothly.. especially the transmission.Does that model/yr. have the 36mm carbs.? I think the 93' did

[Duke McDukiedook]

Like Terry and others said those VFs had their issues but as long as you did regular maintenance on it and did not wring the crap out of the RPMS you should do ok with the bike. If you absolutely have to have it I would not spend more than $1500 if you can help it.

I am biased so I would say hold out for a VFR750 if you want a bike of that vintage.

[GV1390]

Scott, are you still pondering with the idea of buying this? Buy the darn thing already! Can never have too many motorcycles.

[grcamna2]

Scott, are you still pondering with the idea of buying this? Buy the darn thing already! Can never have too many motorcycles.

Did you make him an offer on it ?

[Scott S]

 Not yet. I've been on vacation and haven't seen him. And I need to sell something first.

[Scott S]

Spoke to the owner very briefly the other day, just passing each other at work. He threw out a number of $2,000, which seems high to me *in it's current condition*. With the known history, overall shape, etc., I'd probably be inclined to give him that if it were running. I'll talk to him more next week, but I feel like i need to get it for a few hundred less, since it'll need a battery and front tire, at the VERY least. Plus, I'd want to "base line" it and change the fluids, adjust the valves, etc

I have a feeling he's not firm on that price. And he's a reasonable guy. I might ask him to get it running....or I might explain that it needs a few hundred bucks just to make it road worthy again and offer something closer to $1500.