VFR750 for £500 off a mate. What could possibly go wrong?

[UnspeedySam]

So yeah, I sold my ZX-6R to Doovy a few weeks ago and the money has been burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted a streetfighter, but I've always wanted a V4 and a good friend of mine has had this 1994 VFR with about 70k miles on the clock sat under a cover outside his house for over a year. He said I could have it for £500, so why not!?

He bought it for similar money off a guy who had had it for a few years. This previous owner had ridden it for a few years and then taken it off the road to have it (not very well) resprayed white, put new Maxxis tyres on it and then discovered it had started running like crap and sold it cheap.

My friend then bought it and shortly after began a love affair with a Fazer 1000 so the VFR never got touched. Until now. *read that in Jeremy Clarkson's voice*

I've bought the bike and got the fairings and documents home but the bike is still outside my friend's in Portsmouth. Marmalade has kindly offered to help me get it home but he's a busy guy so it'll probably be some time this coming week.

The plan is that there isn't really a plan. I'm going to get the fairings back on, wire up the original clocks (wiring has been bodged for a now broken digital jobbie) and replace the inlet rubbers (already purchased by my mate) in the hope that's all it needs to get back on the road.

The bike already runs on all cylinders, just badly. So it is almost certainly something carb related, even if the rubbers aren't the cause. I hope...

After it's road legal and running nicely I'm tempted to make it a matte black streetfighter type thing, given that the new paint job has already peeled off part of the front mudguard and cracked on the tank.

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/13162239_10155241593483973_1229587221_n_517.jpg

I quite like this kind of thing, but probably more ratty and bodged:
https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/website6.jpg
Source: https://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53741&page=12
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Riding: Does an Audi estate count?
Fixing: Honda VFR750 RC36 '94 and MZ ETZ 251 '90
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01,Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[Shaft]

"What could possibly go wrong?"

Ask Robby, he bought my RC24 a bit over a year ago, so he should know.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[UnspeedySam]

[Shaft]

Don't think he's had any assploding problems, but the fuel pump deaded pretty quickly and I believe there's been various other fuel issues, along with suspension woes.

Ask him, he'll tell it like it is.

edit: If you've got it right, it's a jewel of a motor, you won't be disappointed.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Robby]

I've just sold that RC24. I'm now certainly keeping away from Honda V4s, they share that special bit of loathing I normally reserve for Kawasakis.

Expect trouble from:
Inlet rubbers
Fuel pump
Reg/rec

Seeing as you're doing the inlet rubbers, get the carbs really clean, you don't want to have to ever remove them again. Balance them too, because if the clutch is still rumbling after balancing, your starter clutch has cracked its housing. Expect to burn your hands during balancing the carbs.

If the tank is rusty (and it will be after standing for a year) do not petseal it. You'll just seal over the mesh on the fuel pickups. Phosphoric acid is your friend - but if it has a fuel sender, that won't work after the acid treatment. It probably doesn't work now though.

Chassis and suspension wise, my swingarm was somehow loose. Yours is the single sided job, but still make sure its tight. I think you need a special castellated socket for that. Rebuild and re-grease the rear suspension linkage, the grease will just be dirty water by now. If ti has air-assisted forks, make sure they have some air in if you want to go round corners.

You didn't get a bargain. Have a look on ebay to see what barely-running VFRs are worth.

Once you get it all sorted you'll have a heavy bike that's good at fast A-roads. Not good for going slowly, and likes to drink fuel. Fun on the right road on the right day, but mine wasn't fun to live with the rest of the time. Ditching the fairings could be a good idea, on my early one they caught side winds like a sail.

[UnspeedySam]

Pretty bad experience you had there.

Seriously though, thanks for the information. I need to get/borrow some carb balancing guages and I will clean out the carbs as a matter of course but I think I'll leave the tank alone and see how I get on with some fresh fuel first.

Suspension linkage is not a bad idea. The shock looks pretty past it, so swapping it out is on my list for the relatively near future after it's on the road.

Pretty sure the forks on this model (RC36-2) are normal and I'm hoping they've improved some of the issues since the RC24.

Looking online, for an RC36 I paid about right. I'm happy with the price for the condition it's in anyway.
____________________
Riding: Does an Audi estate count?
Fixing: Honda VFR750 RC36 '94 and MZ ETZ 251 '90
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01,Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[UnspeedySam]

Project progress update the first: She travelled 25 miles on Marmalade's trailer today and is now in my carport. I know what I'm doing this weekend!

Thanks to Marmalade for finding time in his busy schedule of riding all over Europe to help me out.

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/img_20160609_202749.jpg
____________________
Riding: Does an Audi estate count?
Fixing: Honda VFR750 RC36 '94 and MZ ETZ 251 '90
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01,Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[Holdawayt]

Please don't paint that matte black, it's the laziest, ugliest way to spray a vehicle in my opinion. It's not much harder to whack some lacquer on it and polish it up.

Each to their own of course, but I really don't think it'll look good.

[Gone but not forgotten]

Good luck with the carbs, my next door neighbour in Chester used to have the 750 & it never ran "quite" right!
Here's some VFR related history for when you throw the carbs against the garage wall/door/bench!!
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2013/may/may2313-used-guide-honda-vfr/
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Mick