Hi everyone I would just like to say first how invaluable all the information on this web site is, it had helped me out quite a lot of times but I would like to pick your brains for a little while lol. I acquired my bol d’or off my uncle 2 years ago but he had owned it 17yrs beforehand which it has been well looked after. Well for the last 6 years of my uncle owning it, it hadn’t been used and was kept in a wet, damp shed. Anyway i came to the rescue and I wasn’t gonna let a child hood dream go, because this was my first ever motorbike ride at the age of 9.
Anyway sorry to bore you I’ve put a lot of money into this machine and it’s been well worth it.
(1) The front end has developed a rather bad WOBBLE when riding any speed really and this is when I take my left hand of the handle bar and as a result I’ve changed the following. Head stock bearing, wheel bearings, fork oil, wheel balancing. I’ve never met another vf1000 owner and I’m not sure if this it begining to be a normal thing or because my uncle was rather a large man and he done a little damage???Or could I do with a thicker grade of fork oil??? I’m using 10w at the mo. PLEASE HELP…
(2) Me and my wife have done a lot of fun loving miles with the vf but the rear shock seems to be getting a little sluggish and a little oil spits out now & again when I check the pressure. I now the part can be semi disassembled but does it really work???Or is there an aftermarket 1 that is just as good???.HELP PLEASE LOL…
(3) Last and defiantly not the least lol, are all vf1000 carbs compatible???Even those off a v65???
Well I hope I’ve not picked your brains too much and it will be great to catch up with fellow vf1000 riders, thank you and all the best. Ill pop some pictures on when i learn how to lol…
Hi, welcome to the site. These old VFs do get under the skin, don’t they! As for your wobble, You seem to have covered most possible causes, but have you checked the swinging arm bearings for wear? It may also be caused by your worn rear shock, it’s not a good sign if its losing oil as it means you are losing your damping control both on compression and rebound(if oil can leak out, the air definitely will). All original shocks will be getting worn now and the best bet would be to replace it with a Hagon unit. They make a monoshock for the VF and can even tailor it to your requirements(load carried, type of riding etc). They are a rebuildable, conventional coil spring and oil damped unit so no air leakage problems. As for the carbs, There are slight differences with just the VF1000s. A V65 is the 1100 if I remember, so I can’t help you on that.
Good to hear from another owner with a real love for these old girls.On your first query,what about your tyre?What make and age is it?10wt oil is what we use in our Boldor and FE,Im a boyish 17stone and both bikes handle my bulk with ease even when two up with PAJ and Jim Beam.Or is that three up?Its a long story.Rear suspension can be rebuilt,but if you want to try new,Hagon do a replacement in the UK as well as Wilbers in Germany.Both of these are available on Ebay.Carbs are a real joy,the more I work with them the more differences I find.I will be in a better position to answer once we fit a set of RE carbs we have cleaned and rebuilt to our Bol.Get back to us with your tyre info,tyre choice is very subjective but I have had simular symptoms with an older Avon which was resolved by a tyre change.Regards BIF
Hi, another check to make is on the head bearings, over tightening them can cause problems especially if you’ve fitted taper roller bearings. The torque setting is done using a spring balance attached to the end of the handle bar - it is covered in the manual.
Also check rear tyre wear, some makes and tyre combinations are more susceptible to this. The early pirelli radials were terrible for high speed woble - tank slapper (had these fitted to my VF1000FE in about 1985, lasted a month befor I got my money back and fitted metzlers)
I’ve luckily got a week off work and have already started to strip her down in the front sitting room(its a little nippy outside lol) Thanks very much lads for your feedback I’ve made my own little check list out of it. (Scratcher) I popped the rear shock off at 6 this morning and dropped it off at a not so local garage because I just don’t access to a hydraulic press and it only cost me £25, not bad…
(bif) my two wheeled mistress lol is the vf1000f2f (silver) 1985 which is fully loaded with a 3 box givi rack, because I use her in all weather, even the bad snow falls last year. I’ve fitted her with both front & rear with continentals which were only fitted 1000mls ago and braided brake lines which haven’t made a difference really. I know it’s a silly thing to say but my bike loves to ride in the rain and seems very smooth or I must be aquaplaning lol.
(vfcrazy) Thanks for the tip on the bearing I’ve added that to my check list lol.
I remember having a dial gauge kit I used a few years back so I’m going to check the discs to see if they have warped. Thanks again everyone I could spend all day just going on and on and on and on but you have lives lol.
Ill keep you all up dated on my little project.......
Saw the bike on Ebay and read your problem with the carbs.I have some spare carb bodies from an RF.These fit the Boldor for sure but require a bit of work.Let me know if they are of use.On the wobble front,what changes were made before the wobble set in?Any change with luggage on or off?Can you set up your dial guage to check runout on the front rim?
I’m a little embarrassed now mate you seeing my bike on eBay, but there is so much history for me to get rid of her I’m afraid + I was looking for a bike which pretty much had the same purpose as the bol d’or so I decided to keep her & to love her once more lol. I’ve checked both front & rear rims but the left hand front disc seems a little warped so that could be the problem, but before I slash out on some new front discs & pads ill finish off the other checks lol…
I would be well interested in your carb bodies thanks, just name your price lol…I’ve tried to contact this lad with 8 vfs but his email address doesn’t make sense. The carbs ran perfect before that Muppet looked at them, that’s why I’ve decided to do all the work myself and I’ve just ordered myself a set of carb balancers.
The bike runs perfect believe it or not with all 3 luggage boxes on & I prefer riding her with them on, but the only down fall is I can’t really filter in the traffic but there is still a wobble. When I first got the vf off my uncle in 2008 there was a wobble but it wasn’t very noticeable so fingers crossed.
Thanks for your help bif…
No worries,I think most of us have been at the should it stay or should it go stage before.I can have a look for a good lefthand disk in our store when I dig the carb bodies out.£30 for the carbs £15 for the disc plus the postage.Regards Bif
Thats great news Bif, you wouldnt happen to have a right side disc as well as thats getting a little warn, How would you like the payment because ive never used paypal without ebay could you talk us through it, that would be perfect.
Sorted carb bodies out,they all have their mixture screws fitted and are pretty clean.I have a pair of discs that look,good one measures 4.85mm the other 4.9mm.Email me at bif@vf1000.com to sort the money stuff out if you want to go ahead BIF