Topic: 1985 VF500 Interceptor

[Fezzler]

Those carbs are something.  Did they go back on a bit easier than anticipated I presume?

[Scott S]

Those carbs are something.  Did they go back on a bit easier than anticipated I presume?

It wasn't quite as bad as I was dreading, but I don't want to do it again. We tried the "tilted manifold" method first and that didn't work (yes....new genuine Honda manifolds). Then tried the method in the FSM and that didn't work. Went back to the "tilted manifold" method, lubed everything up with a little grease, and pried on the front of the carbs with a couple of long, flat blade screw drivers and they popped into place. I'd say we spent a couple of hours over all, getting cables attached and adjusted, carbs in, air box back on, hoses and stuff re-routed, etc.
 It definitely takes two sets of hands and I'm really thankful for the GF's tiny hands, patience and dexterity.

[Scott S]

Put in a battery and turned on the key for the first time since I've owned it. I'm not getting power to the horn, headlight, neutral light or tail light.
 I have brake light, but no tail light. Oil light comes on, engine turns over, dash lights work, turn signals and front running lights work.
 I checked the fuses and they look OK. I swapped out the spare fuse for the headlight fuse and still no power to the plug.
 Can you point me where to look next? I don't think I have any plugs taken apart on the wiring harness. I didn't go into the LH control

[Scott S]

You know, today I'm pretty bummed about this bike/project. I truly thought I was coolant away from firing it up and getting the bodywork back on.
 I'm not getting 12V to the headlight and tail light and can't figure out why. Then I noticed that the plunger in the aftermarket master cylinder (I know...should have listened) isn't retracting fast enough and the brake switch stays on.
 In an attempt to check the start switch to see if it's the cause of the no-headlight, I now have a dragging throttle, which wasn't like that until I opened up the RH control again. I see no real way to fix that or access the start switch without taking off a bunch of stuff and getting back down to the carbs. The carbs that I just had rebuilt and installed two days ago.
 So....instead of going for a ride in a day or so, I know have several things on the punch list that I don't know how I'm going to fix. Maybe I'll go work on my CB550 project. I can do those in my sleep.

[Scott S]

 I don't know what I did, but I just kept looking around and I got the headlight working. I do believe it was possibly start switch related. Though I couldn't access the start switch, I went back and played around with the RH control....mostly to get the throttle cables moving smoothly...and now I have Hi and Lo beam. Replaced the horn with a working one. Still no brake or neutral light. Where's the neutral switch? And both bulbs are on when brakes are applied. What to check next to get tail lights?

[Fezzler]

A wise man once told me working on motorcycles is like eating an elephant.  One bite at a time.

Being new to this, "eye on the prize" gets me through the learning curves and set backs.

That bike is going to be awesome when done and you are just the man to get it there and enjoy it!

[Scott S]

 I quoted you today. I've been using the eating the elephant metaphor quite a bit.

 But....the good new is, SHE LIVES!!!! And once it was running, all those weird electrical things started working. The headlight is still a little hinky. It's got something to do with the little switch inside that turns off the headlight when starting. The little spring/pin doesn't spring back as it should. I sprayed a little WD40 in there and I can make the headlight work. Hopefully, it'll get better in time.
 The engine sounds smooth as silk with zero valve train noise. No smoke or leaks. I'll keep tweaking the carbs 'til I get them just right.
 I had to bypass the fuel pump to make it run. I'm seriously considering leaving it bypassed and just unplugging it, unless someone can tell me why I shouldn't.
 It feels good to have a few things go right!

[Scott S]

The fuel pump doesn't seem to work. I'm OK with bypassing it, but I'd like to know the proper procedure for doing it. What to unplug, etc. Or....if it's really beneficial to run it, what replacement are you using?
 OR..... now that I've primed the carbs and made it run, should I try hooking it back up? I don't hear it doing anything. Didn't even see fuel in the filter until I bypassed it.

 Also, I've only got ~1700cc of coolant in it so far, including the overflow. I've ran it, burped it, squeezed the hoses, etc. It's full to the rim of the neck when not running and drops down some when it is. Should I continue trying to get the last ~300cc in there?

[Steve_K]

I had a mid 80's CBR600 and the fuel pump would malfunction letting the bike run, but the tach would double the RPMs.  I never did figure what was up til the pump blew a fuse.  BTW, Honda pumps are very expensive compared to auto pumps.  Car guy says it looks like a Honda car pump, but was unsure if the output psi is the same.  Fuel pump carbs have small values in the float.   Gravity carbs have larger because of less pressure.  In other words, it is possible that the carbs may not get enough fuel at higher speeds.
Steve

[Scott S]

 There are quite a few threads on deleting the fuel pump on the VF forums. In general, most agree that they're fine without it. Just make sure there are no uphill sections in the fuel line, and you *might* experience a little starvation if you're making a top speed run with low fuel level in the tank.
 Quite a few guys run without it.

 The relay is a known failure. I guess I could check it all out, but I'm inclined to unplug it all but leave it in place. If it doesn't run well without the pump I can go back and do something about it.
 The '86 model dispensed with the fuel pump but added a second fuel inlet to feed both sides of the carbs.

[Scott S]

I rode it today! Stayed in the neighborhood and kept it under 5K RPM, but so far so good!
The replacement front master cylinder works great but the switch is crap. Brake light stays on most of the time. And still no neutral light (and neutral is a tiny bit hard to find when coming to a rolling stop).
No complaints, though. I think I'll like it!

Even though I tested the fan during the rebuild and know it works, I never heard it come on. The temp was slow to climb and never reached halfway across the gauge. I did make several short trips and it's overcast and cool here today.

And I noticed that even though the '85 calls for 2 turns out on the mixture screws, it seems to like 2.5 better. I'll go through the procedure in the manual for setting them later on. At two turn out, there's a fine line between a 1,000 RPM idle (or barely above) and a 2,000 RPM idle. No air leaks...I checked. At 2.5 turns it sounds better and I can get an ~1,100 RPM idle or a tick more. I'll keep adjusting them until I can get 1,300 RPM or so, per the manual.

[toytuff]

Sweet bike! Love it.

[Fezzler]

Wow.  Awesome looking bike all dressed up.  What size is the front wheel?

[Scott S]

 16" front, 18" rear.

[Scott S]

 Fixed (for the most part) the front brake switch and neutral light. I was about to take a break from this thing yesterday, today I'm loving it!

[MoMo]

congrats, enjoy as it is a fun bike

[Scott S]

 I put about 135 miles on it over the last couple of days. One full tank of gas and then some. I found out where reserve is  .I also found out that I can lock up the rear wheel if needed.
 In mixed riding, with some idling and carb fiddling, some around town and some interstate (70-75 MPH for 70 miles or so), I got 45 MPG. I don't think that's too bad.

 The clutch sometimes has an ON/OFF switch feel from a dead stop, but period magazine articles report the same thing. The repro brake master works and the front brakes are good, but the return spring in the bore is weak or something. The plunger is slow to return and the brake light stays on too long. I just unplugged the wires for now. I've been talking to a guy that can restore and rebuild the stock ones. Not just kits, but media blasting, powder coating, new sight glasses, rebuild kits, etc. It's not cheap, at around $150/ea., but I'm seriously leaning that way. As I get older, I really appreciate genuine parts and stock stuff.

[ekpent]

 Congrats on getting it back on the road again. Very nice looking and unique machine.

[Scott S]

 Yeah...I'd say the packing was blow out. Replaced it with FMF 4-stroke packing and it's MUCH better now. Still has a nice, deep rumble but is much more mellow.

[Scott S]

 So this happened yesterday. I had ridden to a local shop to pick up something and noticed a tapping noise on the way over. I recognized it from past experience and, sure enough, the chain was tapping the center stand. I had adjusted it not long before, but chains can stretch, etc.
 I adjusted it in the parking lot and only made it a couple of miles down the road before I heard something again. Luckily, I was rolling to an intersection that angles across traffic. Not much more than a couple miles an hour. Went to pull out, there was a click/thud....and nothing. For a second, I though I had lost the transmission. "F%@#, this bike's junk now..."
 Coasted across the street to the sidewalk and the chain is sitting just as neat as you please on top of the chain guard. Zero damage to me or the bike. Not even a nick or scratch.



 I remember when I had the chain off for the rear tire replacement, and I thought then that something looked odd at the master clip. Almost like there were places for two of them, but I only removed one. The master clip was still in the chain. I can only surmise that maybe it had two at one point and one was lost over time?
 I got very, very lucky. Installed a new riveted chain today and back on the road!

[MoMo]

good to hear there wasn't any damage to the bike or to you. A lucky day

[scottly]

Yeah...I'd say the packing was blow out. Replaced it with FMF 4-stroke packing and it's MUCH better now. Still has a nice, deep rumble but is much more mellow.

You're welcome.

[grcamna2]

The carbs look nice Scott. 

[Scott S]

 Thanks! I'm glad now that I pulled them. I think I would have had headaches trying to run them as-is.

 The bike runs good and doesn't really need choke to start. I'd have to check where I ended up on the mixture screws, but it's further out than stock....somewhere between 2.5-3.0 turns. Sometimes, if I'm riding around below ~5K RPM in top gear, I can feel a slight surging. I'm learning that this thing LOVES to rev!
 It's pretty gutless below 5 or 6K, but really screams if you keep it on the boil! It's fun to ride, and it really wants to fall into the corners with that 16" front tire; a slightly different feeling in the twisties that I need to get used to.
 I'm considering having the stock front master cylinder rebuilt. I'm not 100% happy with the aftermarket replacement. Other than that, and looking for a couple of nicer turn signals to replace a couple of scratched up ones, I can't think of a single thing wrong with it. I really enjoy it.

[grcamna2]

Thanks! I'm glad now that I pulled them. I think I would have had headaches trying to run them as-is.

 The bike runs good and doesn't really need choke to start. I'd have to check where I ended up on the mixture screws, but it's further out than stock....somewhere between 2.5-3.0 turns. Sometimes, if I'm riding around below ~5K RPM in top gear, I can feel a slight surging. I'm learning that this thing LOVES to rev!
 It's pretty gutless below 5 or 6K, but really screams if you keep it on the boil! It's fun to ride, and it really wants to fall into the corners with that 16" front tire; a slightly different feeling in the twisties that I need to get used to.
 I'm considering having the stock front master cylinder rebuilt. I'm not 100% happy with the aftermarket replacement. Other than that, and looking for a couple of nicer turn signals to replace a couple of scratched up ones, I can't think of a single thing wrong with it. I really enjoy it.

Sounds good  You might consider installing the stock exh. system if you can find one cheap;a lot more mid-range torque and better mid-range acceleration through the gears especially the way that engine is tuned for top end power.