but i recently acquired a 1985 Honda VF1000 and overall givin age and everything i feel it is in GREAT shape and pretty sporty beats the crap out of my 08 ninja i had.
I just need general help such as the bike was at somepoint painted yellow and i was told because it no longer has original paint (i personally dont like it anyways) that the bike loses A LOT of value is this really the case??
the bike starts cold on the first try EVERYTIME everything on the bike works perfectly all lights and such…
i also was wonder if there are any mods for this bike that are worthwhile?
Also the gas tank has a nice size dent in it and i found a couple on ebay but is there any good ways of getting dents out?
Hi daymeon, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your VF1000! This forum is not as busy as most, so be a little patient and you will most likely get the answers you need. I quite like the Yellow paint scheme, and to be honest, these bikes can be easily reverted back to original with a set of bodywork in the colour you want or just repaint it to original colours.
It appears that is has been painted professionally, shame about the dent. I think it is a great looking bike.
If it were collectible, the paint and repainting would have an effect, but only the VF1000R is collectible so far. that is not to say that they won’t appreciate in value simply due to their age and rarity in the future.
Enjoy, don’t worry about the paint and if it bothers you at some point, rectify it.
Regards, Tony Brown
Depending where it is & the shape (no creases), you can sometimes pull dents out with a decent suction cup tool, or possibly seal & pressurise the tank and pop it out that way (may not work). Otherwise I’d guess it’s either body filler, with or without getting it mostly knocked back to shape first, or swapping the tank.
I like the colour too - and you’ll never lose it in a carpark!
Yes I would go with Hippo on that, is that the dent on the top? pressurizing the tank is good when used as a combo with the suction cup, although I wouldn’t go above 25-30psi you may see the tank distort at higher pressures or even worse go with a bang!
You can gain more access by emptying the tank and removing the fuel gauge, I use a piece of 20mm round bar which is cranked and distorted and rounded to a nub on the end to suit access inside, apply steady pressure to the dent from its circumference, not the centre like it is tempting to do, this method is ok but you do risk denting from inside.
Another method is to use a body shop, clean out the tank, make sure there is no fuel or gas remains in the tank, strip back the paint back to steel, the body shop should have a stud welder and puller, this is done by tack welding studs to the dent, then attaching the puller to knock out the dent.
On a DIY basis if you have a mig welder, tack some 2" round head nails (head down) to the dent, make up a slide hammer with a drill chuck fitted, attach the chuck to the nails and gently knock out, grind off the nails carefully and if necessary repeat again.
You could practice on an old gas tank and put a few nicely placed dents in it if you are not confident enough to dive into the VF tank!
i will get a photo of the dent later today and post the picture.
i appreciate the advice the dent is almost perfectly uniform in fact literally no one even notices it…the dent is so perfect it appears the bike came this way
the only way i noticed was my dad actually said something and then when i felt the dent and realized it wasnt perfect did i realize it was not meant to be there.
And just as a side note am i the only one from america on here? lol I was thinking of trading the bike for a newer one but after consideration i love the bike its got more than enough power for me its plenty sporty looking and runs flawlessly BUT i would like to mod certain things as well
i just dont know what type of mods are safe or what aftermarket parts can fit it or for example is it possible to put an aftermarket wind shield on there? How can i spruce/shine my tailpipes more? id like to go with aftermarket grips and blinkers (a couple have been weather rotted and cracked at the rubber) I dont want to do anything that cannot be reversed back to original but would like to modernize it a little for my own personal preferences
hi daymeon, think the bike looks great in yellow, there are a few mods that can be done but personally i would run it for a while before altering anything,
there is one or two members from usa drop in from time to time
Hi daymeon! Im located in south west PA. The yellow looks sweet! It isnt too often you see a honda in yellow, I can warn you to look into a replacement rear shock like the ones on Daugherty Motor sports web site. My stock shock took a crap and I bought a 97 CBR F3 and made my own adapter (really easy since im a machinist!), the difference in handeling is amazing! I also installed a cooling fan jumper switch, UNI air filter, custom made stainless steel mufflers and a custom made “drill and tap” top end oil mod with stainless hard line and turned down banjo bolts. So far with just these upgrades it sounds great, runs great and there is a WRX that didnt realize exactly what a 30 year old interceptor is able to do when he TRIED to pass me! Good luck with the bike im glad to see someone else in the US with one.
Hi daymeon! Im located in south west PA. The yellow looks sweet! It isnt too often you see a honda in yellow, I can warn you to look into a replacement rear shock like the ones on Daugherty Motor sports web site. My stock shock took a crap and I bought a 97 CBR F3 and made my own adapter (really easy since im a machinist!), the difference in handeling is amazing! I also installed a cooling fan jumper switch, UNI air filter, custom made stainless steel mufflers and a custom made “drill and tap” top end oil mod with stainless hard line and turned down banjo bolts. So far with just these upgrades it sounds great, runs great and there is a WRX that didnt realize exactly what a 30 year old interceptor is able to do when he TRIED to pass me! Good luck with the bike im glad to see someone else in the US with one.
well i wish i had the ability to do some of those things lol but thank you for the tips and such
Sorry it took me so long havent been on the computer lately here are the pictures
Also i keep finding a lot of parts for the F1000R how interchangeable are the parts between the two?
It may just be shallow enough to have a “painless dent removal” guys get it out, sometimes they will push the dent from behind, or when faced with more inaccessible dents, they have a glue stick that they can use a small slide hammer on and when they want to remove the stick it is just a matter of pushing it sideways, in other words it can take a lot of lineal load, but very little lateral load. If you google dent removal in your area I am sure there will be guys who do this. They can be a bit negative about motorcycle tanks though, so I would suggest to them that you will bring the bike or tank to them so they can have a look before they dismiss it as too hard.
Tony
