Tinkicker Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 (edited) Hope you find it interesting. Full resto finished Xmas Day 2019. I am into restoring bikes to their former glory and the VFR is one of two bikes that I immediately regretted trading in back in the day. 20 years later I remedied that mistake and bought another. I had to bide my time waiting for one with unmarked original paint and undamaged plastics as these are no longer available. Every single system on the bike was stripped, examined, reworked with new bushings, bearings, nuts, bolts and seals as appropriate. The only thing not touched was the core engine. VFR engines are noted for their bulletproof reliability and stills feels nice and tight at 25 years old and 31000 miles. Carbs were stripped and rebuilt as a precaution. As a result, it rides, and should be as reliable as the day it left the showroom in August1997. Some pics. I must be the only biker ever, to have junked Goodridge braided brake hoses and scoured the world for the original parts. A lucky find. Probably the very last brand new chainguard in the country. It appeared on ebay and was very hard won. I shudder when I think my highest bid was twice as much as the original Honda retail price. Luckily the bidding fell far short of that, during the last minute of the auction I was sweating bullets.. Restoring older bikes to as new condition is not a cheap proposition. The only parts at the rear that are not original are the rear sprocket which I can live with, and rear brake hose which is completely unavailable. Had to make do with a black jacketed Goodridge hose. Running out of time and I don't know if there is an image limit on individual posts yet, since I only just joined. I will post more later. A lot of parts just in this one pic. Every one separately sourced. I am not a nutter who takes close ups of bike bits. I had to take a lot of pics like this for the bike to be appraised by a Classic Motorcycle Appraiser to get a true value for insurance purposes. If I got knocked off and the old duffer who did it said its a good job its not a new one, I would be jailed for murder. Edited December 5, 2022 by Tinkicker 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Bloody lovely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkicker Posted December 5, 2022 Author Share Posted December 5, 2022 Ta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonio Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Oh. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkicker Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 (edited) At least with 31000 miles on the clock, unlike my DT175 with less than 2000 documented miles in 43 years, I am not afraid of adding to them. Original zorst, but to keep everything peachy over winter, I fire it up and run it till the fan kicks in to dry out the moisture collecting under the tank and bodywork, plus ensure clean and fresh fuel in the carbs. This is heavy on the silencer, with moisture collecting inside and promoting internal rot. To this end, I have been keeping an eye out for a period correct, stainless steel, Motad road can, so I can put the original away. Motad went out of business a number of years ago, so new cans are harder to source than rocking horse poo and all the old ones are scratched and dented. Mission accomplished in September and the best part was it was a buy it now or make offer listing. The seller knew it was a VFR can, but did not know which model it fitted. Luckily the pics included one of the box with the motad part number on it. Much research ensued and I eventually came across an old Italian shop listing with the correct part number and among the scattering of italian words "1997" and "VFR750" . Job done. Made offer and got it for a great price. Edited December 6, 2022 by Tinkicker 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkicker Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 A quick peek under the skin. Always a major milestone in any restoration. It is on life support but slowly coming alive. Wiring completed and dash fitted. First sign of life in months. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkicker Posted December 10, 2022 Author Share Posted December 10, 2022 (edited) Finished, all bar the gear lever rubber on Xmas day 2019. It was a long winter waiting for the road salt to get washed away and the roads to dry out. I've done about 2000 mies on it since. All the paint is original. I waited a long time to find one with undamaged paint and plastics, but paying well over the average for it was going to be cheaper than having everything painted. I have kittens moving it around the yard, those plastics are irreplaceable. Edited December 10, 2022 by Tinkicker 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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