Well I’ve just discovered this little corner of the web, and thought I’d introduce myself.
I have an '84 ‘Intercepter’ masquerading as a genuine UK bike, I aquired about eight years ago now.
I’d been looking for a GPZ900 or an FZ750 at the time, but whenever I managed to get through on an ad, they’d always been sold.
I’d come accross a viffer in one of my local dealers, next to a GPz750 Turbo that I was humming and harring about - it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, and to my mind they wanted too much money for it, and this bloody animal attacked me while I was trying to see if there was any signs of an oil leak from the Kwak’s blower.
Intregued, I had a closer look, which I wish I hadn’t had. Thing had obviousely had a heavy front end shunt, and not been well fixed, and they had dressed up the HONDA decal on the tank in tippex! When I enquired the price, I left the shop, stunned.
So, a few weeks later I was still searching, and had come accross grey import Yam FZ700 in a dealers in Stoke. Not exactly a GPz900, but almost an FZ750, so I went to see.
Should have packed my sunglasses. Dang thing was a dog. Not only was it ratty as heck, it had been given a flourescent yellow paint job with black decals in some sort of homage to Kenny Roberts, trouble was it looked like a demented wasp on an acid trip.
So, standing back and attempting to re-adjust my eyes to the gloom in the barn, November Papa Yankee, loomed into focus.
Closer inspection revealed that it wasn’t bent, which was a good start, more over, apart from a pretty threadbare back tyre, it was in pretty good shape. So I gave it a bit of thought.
‘Interceptor’ badging indicated US oragin, as did the lack of hero blobs on the left hand foot pegs, which I pointed out to the dealer on the floor who insisted that he hadn’t got a clue what I was talking about.
“We go round roundabouts clock wise, in this country, if we are going to grind things out, we’ll tend to do it on the right hand side, not the left - things an import” I insisted.
“Genuine UK Log Book” he replied.
Hmmm, lets see, ground down left hand hero blobs, ‘interceptor’ body work, federal warning stickers every where, Lockheart oil presure guage, supertrapp mufflers, and no dip switch - its a US spec bike.
“Been rebuilt” he replied “Second hand body work from a US model”
Err, yes, and the engine, switch gear, wheels (Mags not comstars), and most of the rest of it, in fact, just about everything I guess but the left dipping headlamp!
But, it was straight and tidy and not rusty or siezed, and the price was realisic and negotiable, so I rode it away a week later.
And for two and a half years it was my pride and joy. It aquired a set of hard luggage and took me to the Isle of Man for TT Fest, and every where else I could. Even discovered that if you forget about ‘hanging off’ like you would on a 750 or something, and treat it like a big dirt bike and push it down into corners, it would even go round them with some kind of aplomb, if not much grace or finesse!
Even wrote an owners opinion on it for the UBG, which for some mysteriouse reason they actually published about two years later!
Then two events saw it dissapear into cold storage. First was a death knock from low down in the motor. The other was more terminal. Marriage.
Poor old girl was trailored to a mates where she was put up, pending me getting the credit card paid off and the mortgage into order etc… And five years later, the barn was threatened with being pulled down, so she was trailored back and uncerimonialy abandoned in my back garden.
Ah well, thinks I, better find out what that knocking was all about…
Which is where I am now. Looking at a partly dissassembled V4 thinking “What Have I started!!!”
And trying NOt to look at the state of the cycle parts which seem to have cronically deteriorated in the intervening time… lets get the motor sorted first!
Actually, most worrying bit was inspecting the belly pan - I must have been riding like a LOON in my youth to get scrape marks that deep - on the side of it!
Any how, that’s my tale
Any thoughts or advice greatfuly recieved - looks like jobs going to end up a fairly major resto job now rather than a quick teardown and overhaul. She’s probably far beyond economical repair in more sensible minds, but what the heck, she’s by baby, so worth it to me whatever. Shouldn’t have neglected her for so long in the first place - I blame the wife! (which the bikes outlasted btw)
Looks like something not to healthy in the bottom end at this stage - cams on the front bannk look OK, and even the cam chains dont look in too bad a shape, but front LH piston seems able to moove by about 2mm in the bore without the crank being turned!
Guess I have a LOT of cleaning, degreasing, polishing and painting to look forward to.
Read a fair bit over the years about US oil feed mods, any-one over here got any experience of them, think its worth it while I have the motor apart, or maybe just fitting an aftermarket cooler?
Not looking forward to facing the forks; stantions are totally shot with pitted rust, and I guess that the brake calipers’ll be siezed, and gawd only knows what’s going on or not with the anti-dive.
Rear shocker’s another item I’m not looking forward to looking at - damping control has never worked - Guess its the original - wondering whether its even worth looking at it or if to try and save up for a replacement - any suggestions in that department - heard that there was a French company (‘Foule’?) did an air shock that was compatible, but was warned not to try and fit a coil spring shock becouse the prolink monoshock set up had been designed with a strange rising/reducing linkage to suite the rising rate properties of an air shock - any one else heard about that - theory seems to make sense, but I dont know if it’s true.
anon for now then.
Firstly welcome! Apologies as I think you posted just before my forum server crashed and I’ve only just restored it. The forum is usually pretty quiet.
I think I’ve seen your UBG article, an American 'ceptor in the UK, quite a rarity! Glad to here you are still sticking with it. From the regs here you should get pointers on the parts you need. I was fortunate enough to put an american shock on my FE at the start of the season this year. We still have the old one which may be able to be reconditioned, otherwise ebay remains the main source of spares for the vf1k, the ebay search on the site usually produces good results.
Unfortunately it seems like the VF1000 is in a bit of a slump value wise with a lot of bikes including F2’s and R’s not selling or going for a song on ebay this year wheras a couple of years ago they were realising the best part of two grand. Hopefully this will change when the bike achieves it’s true classic status, especially with the dwindling numbers that are on the road in the UK.
Thanks again for posting, good luck with your yanky doodle 'ceptor!
Peter.
Hiya Teflon,
Just read your ‘history’ - good luck and stick with it! [:D]
Any progress?
Not much progress, I’m afraid.
Bits have been re-orgainised with a view to geting seriouse about the rebuild, but the closest workshop facilities I can aford are twelve miles away, so bits are stil in staka boxes.
Then I got a tax rebate and thought “GREAT! I’l get on with the bike!”
Spent a few hours puting together a parts list on the Dave Silver Spares web site, and ended up blowing the budget three times over!
Bemoaning my fate on another forum, an e-quaintence ofered me an ex-dispatch hack CB750 ‘Retro’, for not a lot of dosh.
Moon and back mileage, and ratty as heck, but a bit of fetling and a couple of cans of gloss black, and thing’s serviceable as a stop gap.
Got to sort out a divorse settlement, then maybe I can put a garage up, save up some more pennies and try again!
Hi Teflon…only just read your history…and update…fook me , we’re all brave buggers on here aren’t we…I’ve basically done something similar and David Silver and his missus send me Christmas cards now!![:D] Don’t think I’ll ever recoup what I’ve spent on it since strip down…but that’s not what I did/am doing it for…it’s my enjoyment/labour of love etc…and I can’t wait to hear that bloody rumble/roar when I get her going again
At least I have a large garage in the back garden with power…Christ I don’t envy you if the nearest workshop facility is a dozen miles away[:0]
Stick at it Teflon…where you from then ?
Tim
This time tomorrow it’ll be yesterday