Hi Everyone
I am new to the Forum, just joined after buying Two x VF1000FE [:)]
One bike has 19,000 miles on the clock, and is complete
It has been standing for 2-3 years, I am unsure as to its condition.
The Bike shop I have bought it from says that it just needs a Tidy, Carb Clean and brakes overhaul etc…where have I heard that before! [:D]
The other bike is a little Sadder, it has the engine removed and I do not have a clue why the engine was removed, so a Full Post mortem will need to be carried out on it once I get it.
I am collecting both bikes at the Weekend, and I can then have a good look at them both!
I have already ordered a New Battery and a Oil Filter.
I plan to change the oil & Filter on the complete bike before trying to fire it up.
Fingers crossed!
So onto a Question…
I have looked at many Bike Classified Adverts but I have not seen any VF1000F for sale, they seem to be getting a bit rare now.
How much would a fully restored VF1000FE be worth?
I want to know so I can decide what level to restore the bikes to.
If it is not worth too much it will be a waste of money to restore it to a high standard, I would rather just restore it to a Good Running and usuable standard.
Once I get the bikes, no doubt I will have a Ton of Questions to ask! [:D]
Hi Everyone
I am new to the Forum, just joined after buying Two x VF1000FE [:)]
One bike has 19,000 miles on the clock, and is complete
It has been standing for 2-3 years, I am unsure as to its condition.
The Bike shop I have bought it from says that it just needs a Tidy, Carb Clean and brakes overhaul etc…where have I heard that before! [:D]
The other bike is a little Sadder, it has the engine removed and I do not have a clue why the engine was removed, so a Full Post mortem will need to be carried out on it once I get it.
I am collecting both bikes at the Weekend, and I can then have a good look at them both!
I have already ordered a New Battery and a Oil Filter.
I plan to change the oil & Filter on the complete bike before trying to fire it up.
Fingers crossed!
So onto a Question…
I have looked at many Bike Classified Adverts but I have not seen any VF1000F for sale, they seem to be getting a bit rare now.
How much would a fully restored VF1000FE be worth?
I want to know so I can decide what level to restore the bikes to.
If it is not worth too much it will be a waste of money to restore it to a high standard, I would rather just restore it to a Good Running and usuable standard.
Once I get the bikes, no doubt I will have a Ton of Questions to ask! [:D]
Thanks
Andy
Hiya Andy and welcome to the site....whereabouts in the UK are you from then?
2 FE’s eh…“lucky” you…don’t think they sell for too much even after full restore…I have done mine for as little as posible…biggest outlay has been the frame a all black bits recoating…the final expense will be for the plastics painting. In between if you get your stuff from David Silvers in small frequent lots, even though your postage costs will be high at the end of the exercise, the small frequent parcels with bills will hardly be noticeable compared to a great big “hit” of an order…All kidology Andy…don’t worry just enjoy it…
What’s your history as you obviously know what you’re on with…Therefore for starters I presume you’re over 25 years old !
Got any photos of the bikes?
What did you pay for them if you don’t mind me asking?
Hi Tim
I am located in Leicester and I am collecting the two bikes tomorrow morning.
I bought the bikes thru’ Ebay and they cost me a total of £772 for both bikes.
I must have got carried away with the Bidding!
I don’t have any photos except the Ebay photos, I will finally get to see tomorrow what I have bought!..
How did you guess that I was over 25!.. I am 46 and been riding bikes since I was 16 when I started out on a Moped!
My bike history is very varied, I must have had every type of bike going from a SuperMoto to full tourers to Customs to full Sportbikes!
I am still unsure what standard to restore them to, I will wait to see what they are like in the Flesh!
I do have one advantage, I use a Powdercoating Company for my Bike business, and they charge me pennies to powdercoat stuff, so to powdercoat everything on the bike won’t cost me too much!
I Plan on restoring them over the Winter Months, I have a small business Unit and business gets a bit slow in the Winter.
So I will be able to ‘Tinker’ on the bikes in the Daytime [:)]
I will get some photos of the bikes once I have recieved them, and post them next week.
No doubt I will have a Ton of questions to ask!
Hi Andy,
I saw those bikes on ebay too. Hope they’re as described! I’m restoring an early VF1000FE at present and there is a serious shortage of the sort of original new parts unique to the VF that are needed to complete the job. For example, camchain tensioners(the springs get saggy),exhaust system parts(patterns are available) and most of the plastics are no longer available. As you no doubt know, metal parts can always be refinished(chromed, plated, p/coated)so they aren’t a problem, but plastic parts are hard to find new and the unpainted finish of the black plastic bits that fade with age can’t always be brought back to original condition. If you’re very lucky, the odd gem still turns up, but the regular sources of new old stock parts are running out of these sort of bits and pieces that make a full restoration possible. It can still be done(I’m trying), but it takes a heap of dough, a lot of time(I’ve had mine in pieces 2 years this November!) and not a little ingenuity to find ways to do it! But if you want to have a go, this is the best site for info and suggestions.
Good luck!
Chris.
Hi Chris
Thanks for the Info [:)]
Today I collected the bikes, It was a pretty painless exercise with the Luton Van and Tail Lift that I hired [:D]
Once I got them back, it gave me a chance to see what I had actually bought!
According to the guy I bought them from, the previous owner sadly was suffering from MS and was unable to ride anymore.
Front and rear brakes were working and not seized, but the brake Fluid is Black and will be changed out before the bike ventures out on the road.
First I checked the Oil Level, and the oil was topped up correctly and appeared very clean
I tried the clutch, and I could select all the gears and the clutch was working OK [:)]
I fitted a new Varta Battery and turning the Ignition on I was presented with all the corrrect lights! [:D]
All the Lights worked correectly and the indicators and Horn all worked. Sounds promising!
So I then turned the Kill switch off, and turned the motor over to circulate the Oil.
No undue noises came from the engine and the Oil Light went out as soon as the engine was cranked over [:D]
There was plenty of fuel in the Tank, so I tried to start it…
Nothing! it just cranked over [:(]
I think the Fuel has gone off, so next week I will drain and flush the Tank.
While the Tank is off I think I will remove the Carbs and give them a clean out.
Hopefully then the Beast will Live!
I got one Logbook with the complete bike, and a registration number for the engineless one, so I need to apply for a new Logbook. Fingers crossed.
The guy said when he went to collect the bike with the engine removed, he said that the engine was part in the frame, so he was not sure if the engine was coming out or going in!
The guy has removed one Cam Cover to have a look, and the Cams look OK and the camchain is also tight.
I need to check the other Cam Cover.
Questions
The complete bike has sometime had its frame Powdercoated, and it is missing the Frame ID Plate with the Frame Number on.
Is there another number stamped onto the frame anywhere else?
The Logbook matches the engine in the frame, and I have a Frame number in the Logbook…
What are my options for this problem?
When I was trying to start the bike, I was wondering if it has Wire Interlocks fitted to the Clutch and SideStand??
Do you have to pull the clutch in to get it to fire?
The Ignition Key on the Engineless bike will not open the Seat, the lock seems broken.
Any ideas how I can remove it without damaging anything.
Hello from Finland, Andy
What Chris told is very true, and even worse if the bike is F2, less built, different plastics etc…
Frame number is usually stamped in steering head, right side. The engine number is not necessarily same with frame.
Clutch shall be pulled, if the gear is on, but not when bike is on neutral, no side stand switch.
At least in my F2, ignition key fits ignition only, and there is another key for tank and seat lock/helmet holder. In my 750 S same key fits all three locks. And to mix it more, some of your locks may have been changed… The seat lock can be removed by opening the secure bolts with good lock pliers, if you’re lucky, or you may pull the wire by pliers, luck an patience needed too.
If your carbs are empty, it might take a while until gas reaches carbs, the petcock works with vacuum created by engine. For me, it takes time so start the bike after our long winters.
Hi dnapekko
Thanks for your input [:)]
I checked the bike today, and I can just make out a number stamped on the Steering Head.
I could’nt quite read it because of the Powdercoating and because the Fairing was in the way, if it is not too difficult to remove I will check it out tomorrow.
I bought a SparkPlug Socket today so that I can remove the plugs to check for a spark etc.
Hopefully this week I will be hearing the mighty roar of the V4 [:D]
Hi Chris
Thanks for the Info [:)]
Today I collected the bikes, It was a pretty painless exercise with the Luton Van and Tail Lift that I hired [:D]
Once I got them back, it gave me a chance to see what I had actually bought!
According to the guy I bought them from, the previous owner sadly was suffering from MS and was unable to ride anymore.
Front and rear brakes were working and not seized, but the brake Fluid is Black and will be changed out before the bike ventures out on the road.
First I checked the Oil Level, and the oil was topped up correctly and appeared very clean
I tried the clutch, and I could select all the gears and the clutch was working OK [:)]
I fitted a new Varta Battery and turning the Ignition on I was presented with all the corrrect lights! [:D]
All the Lights worked correectly and the indicators and Horn all worked. Sounds promising!
So I then turned the Kill switch off, and turned the motor over to circulate the Oil.
No undue noises came from the engine and the Oil Light went out as soon as the engine was cranked over [:D]
There was plenty of fuel in the Tank, so I tried to start it…
Nothing! it just cranked over [:(]
I think the Fuel has gone off, so next week I will drain and flush the Tank.
While the Tank is off I think I will remove the Carbs and give them a clean out.
Hopefully then the Beast will Live!
I got one Logbook with the complete bike, and a registration number for the engineless one, so I need to apply for a new Logbook. Fingers crossed.
The guy said when he went to collect the bike with the engine removed, he said that the engine was part in the frame, so he was not sure if the engine was coming out or going in!
The guy has removed one Cam Cover to have a look, and the Cams look OK and the camchain is also tight.
I need to check the other Cam Cover.
Questions
The complete bike has sometime had its frame Powdercoated, and it is missing the Frame ID Plate with the Frame Number on.
Is there another number stamped onto the frame anywhere else?
The Logbook matches the engine in the frame, and I have a Frame number in the Logbook…
What are my options for this problem?
When I was trying to start the bike, I was wondering if it has Wire Interlocks fitted to the Clutch and SideStand??
Do you have to pull the clutch in to get it to fire?
The Ignition Key on the Engineless bike will not open the Seat, the lock seems broken.
Any ideas how I can remove it without damaging anything.
Thanks
Andy
Hi Andy. Welcome to the world of old V4s…[:D]
A VF1000 that has been standing for 2-3 years WILL need the carbs cleaned out… Not maybe, deffo…
You’ve paid about the going rate for your bikes and I wouldn’t invest good money in them unless you intend to recoup that money by enjoying them to their full potential… By riding them…
When you turned off the ignition kill switch, you also turned off the fuel pump. After that you were trying to start with empty carbs… The fuel pump control circuit operates from the #1:4 ignition ignitor output. You can usually hear the fuel pump “cycling” if you flip the kill switch off/on a few times… When it stops cycling the carbs should be full and that’s the time to try to start her up… I’d expect rough running and maybe backfiring, but she should start up at least…
If you want to clean the carbs “properly” I’d invest in a small sonic bath (try the maplins website). Splitting the carbs from the plenum chamber is not for the faint hearted and should be done with the utmost care… Replacement fuel pipes (for between the carbs) can be bought via the USA V4 Bulletin Board http://www.v4hondabbs.com/ and are well worth the outlay… A half-hearted attempt at cleaning these carbs results in poor performance and future heartache… For the amount of bother removing and replacing the carbs gives most folks, I’d do it right first time… Split the carbs, strip the parts out, sonic bath the lot and rebuild with new seals…
On the engine that’s out of the frame… Check that the camchains don’t go slack when the engine is rotated… It’s a common problem caused by sticking camchain tensioners…
Hi Miti
Thanks for the advice[:)]
I have given the complete bike a checkover, and the fuel had definitely ‘Gone off’ it smelled like paint/varnish!
I emptied the tank out completely, and I will flush it out with new fuel when I get nearer to starting it up!
I also checked the bikes spark, and found that the two front cylinders are not sparking.
A quick check with the multimeter and one of the Pulse Generators is reading open circuit. [:(]
I have checked the Pulse Generators on the spare engine and they are both reading correctly.
So I can canibilise that one for starters (No Pun intended!)
But I will need to source a spare set sometime for the Spare engine.
Next I need to remove and strip the Carbs, a job that I am not looking forward to…
Next I need to remove and strip the Carbs, a job that I am not looking forward to…
Andy
Andy…go look on Flea Bay…there’s a set of carb manifold rubbers going cheap at the moment…From my recent experience the old rubbers will have hardened…and trying to get the carbs to slot back into them is nigh on impossible and full of heartache…I fooked about for ages…boiling them 'til they were soft…lubing them. [:(]Nah, don’t bother…get new rubbers…refitting the carbsis not the simplest of things to do amyways…but at least you have flexibility from the new rubber, to get the bastids ( cos that’s what you’re gonna call them, trust me) back on.[}:)]
Next I need to remove and strip the Carbs, a job that I am not looking forward to…
Andy
Andy…go look on Flea Bay…there’s a set of carb manifold rubbers going cheap at the moment…From my recent experience the old rubbers will have hardened…and trying to get the carbs to slot back into them is nigh on impossible and full of heartache…I fooked about for ages…boiling them 'til they were soft…lubing them. [:(]Nah, don’t bother…get new rubbers…refitting the carbsis not the simplest of things to do amyways…but at least you have flexibility from the new rubber, to get the bastids ( cos that’s what you’re gonna call them, trust me) back on.[}:)]
Trust me…[;)]
Oh yea, whilst it’s fresh in my mind…with the carbs out, fit and adjust ya throttle cables and fit ya choke cable…BEFORE you spend ages fitting ya carb bank…DAMHIKIJKOK[:I]
Hi everyone,
I did’nt find refitting the carbs too much of a problem, I removed mine to check them out because the bike had been stood about three to four years, luckily someone had drained the fuel out prior to standing[:D] so I gave them a clean anyway, I was dreading refitting the carbs after what everyone was saying about them[:(][V] my inlet rubbers are quite hard and will replace them later, it has been a while since I fitted them so I will try and describe it best as I remember, what I did was to lube the inside of the inlet rubbers, I then led the front two carbs in first at an angle and then wriggled them in a little so the rear carbs sat on to the rear inlet rubbers, the rear inlets should now only be partially in and looking as if they are at the wrong angle, I covered the carbs with clean cloths then laid a piece of wood across the top of the aluminium airbox to carb manifold to avoid damage, I then used a long prybar also wrapped in cloths (so as not to damage the frame paintwork) going from under the crossmember (underneath the seat where the green earth/ground strap is)to over the carbs using the piece of wood as a cusion for the prybar, the prybar should be pointing forwards and up, with gentle pressure down on the prybar it will push the carbs slightly further forward and down, the rear circumference of the inlets will not drop in as the inlet rubber will butt up against the carb outlet, I used an oil seal pick (with a 90 degree turn on the end) to pull the rear circumference of the rubbers out with light pressure still applied on the top of the carbs and plop!!! [:D] they should fall in… I then simply gave them a wriggle to make sure they were seated properly, then tightened everything up[8D]… I used a similar method on the Vf400FD some years ago and thought the VF1000 was going to be harder[:0]…
Also on a different note I have aquired some new replacement transistors for the TCI units, MJE5742g originally ETD41-035 when I get around to fitting them along with new capacitors and zenor diode I’ll let you know the results, I have some faulty boxes to try them on. Phil.
Thanks for the TIps Phil [:)]
I have been real busy this week, and progress has been painfully slow on the VF1000 [:(]
I started to remove the Carbs yesterday, first problem was I could not undo the screws to remove the Filter.
In the end I removed the whole unit by removing the front ‘Trumpet’
I will be able to get the screws out now I have it in my hand!
The Air Filter looks very second-hand and needs replacing.
When I removed the fuel pipe off of the Carbs no fuel came out of the pipe at all, it was bone dry.
That seems very strange after I was cranking the engine over last week, and it makes me wonder if the Fuel Pump is’nt working.
Reading the manual it says to undo all the clips and then remove the Carbs…
I did everything the manual said and made sure that the clips were all very loose, but the carbs seem very solidly mounted, they won’t budge a millimetre!
I assume that perhaps the rubbers have gone hard??
I did’nt want to apply too much force until I was sure that was the correct thing to do!
Any ideas anyone?
Yes they can be a sod to remove even when all the fasteners have been loosened[}:)][:(!]probably because of the hardening of the rubbers and the angle of the inlets, the way they oppose each other or whatever it is, I broke a proper sweat trying to remove them, I thought I might do some damage, I loosened mine off by the book (Clymer) and they were ok.
When you check your pump I should check other items as well, I had a problem with my pump, after going through a dozen things it turned out to be a CDi pickup (Pulse Generator) mentioned somewhere else in this forum, I had an intermittent fault on one, when the bike was cold (pickups showing 480 ohms)it ran ok, as soon as the engine started reaching operating temperature it shut down (Zero ohms) the symptoms of the bike when it stared breaking down led me to believe it was a fuel problem, the CDI shuts down the fuel pump so you cannot run the bike on two cylinders when one pickup goes down,
hi andy,the rubber carb manifolds (insulators)on my fe had gone that hard they actually split this year when i removed the carbs, bought some new ones from dave silvers and now they pop on and off with relative! ease, i think they were about a fiver each…well worth it…now i dont need the three foot prybar to remove the carbs,just the two foot one will do…I too had fuel issues similar to phil this year,went through a number of suspects (pump,relay,wireing)but the finger of suspission is now pointing towards the cdi or pulse genorators.
Thanks for the info [:)]
Sounds like I need to change the Pulse Generators over first before I suspect the Fuel Pump.
It sounds feasible that the Pulse Generator failed, and it was took off the road.
Then when I have come to try and start it, the fuel pump is’nt working.
I will be swapping the Pulse Generators over tomorrow.
If I get 4 x Sparks I will then see if the fuel Pump is working.
I will then have another go at starting it before I strip the carbs [:)]
Success, it Lives!!!
I replaced the Pulse Generators and changed the oil and filter at the same time.
Shorted the wires out on the fuel pump, and it was pumping fuel [:)]
One small problem was that I have not yet stripped the carbs and when I was priming the carbs the front left carb was leaking fuel slightly, looks like the needle Valve is sticking.
Anyway I could’nt wait any longer and pulled the choke and pressed the start button…
It burst into life immediately and sat there ticking over!
Not bad considering that it had been standing for the last 4 years or so! [:D]
I could’nt run it for too long because of the leaking Carb, but the engine sounded really nice.
Now I need to strip those Carbs…
Sounds good to me mate!!! Another VF breathes again!! It’s always good to hear them run for the first time, and smoothly too! Calms any fears of mechanical mayhem and now you know it’s gonna be worth the effort to continue!!!
Thanks Scratcher [:)]
I took the Carbs off yesterday afternoon, what a job that was!
The rubbers were as hard as rock, and the carbs didn’t want to budge a millimetre.
In the end I had to use a Hammer shaft as a lever against the frame member
I managed to get one moving a fraction, and it took me about 5 minutes of brute force to get the carbs off!
The ones on the spare bike seem reasonably pliable, so I will be fitting those when I refit the carbs after cleaning.
Hopefully when I get the carbs back on I can give it good run around the courtyard where my unit is!
