VF1000FE + F2 Engine + FE Carbs – Idle Adjuster Access Issue

[xmako]

Hey fellow VF enthusiasts!

A while back, I picked up a 1984 VF1000FE project bike that wasn’t running. The previous owner had done quite a bit of restoration work over the years but couldn’t get it to run cleanly past 3000 rpm.

Turns out, he swapped the engine for a VF1000F2 Bol d’Or (1985), but kept the original FE carbs. After some research, I discovered that the starter clutch also needed to be from an FE to match the ignition system properly. Swapped that in, and now the bike fires up and runs great—except for one thing…

The idle is too low, and the engine stalls the moment I drop it into gear.

I’ve been trying to adjust the idle but had a hard time even finding the idle stop adjuster knob. So here’s my question:

On the FE carbs (1984), which side of the bike is the idle adjuster knob supposed to be accessed from?
In my current setup, the right side is completely blocked off by the F2 cooling pipes and thermostat housing. I’ve seen that the F2 carbs have a knob on the left side for easy access, wish I had that!

Is there a trick or special tool for adjusting the FE carbs with the F2 engine setup? Or maybe a creative workaround someone’s figured out?
Cheers!

[DonR]

@xmako

After some research, I discovered that the starter clutch also needed to be from an FE to match the ignition system properly. Swapped that in, and now the bike fires up and runs great—

I wonder what the differences are with regard to the ignition.

[Smithy1]

The '84 FE runs twin igniter boxes whereas the '85 FF only has a single…so possibly the pick-ups and starter clutch pick-up points are different.?? One box on the FE runs cyls 1&3 + tacho, the other does 2&4. The one box on the FF does everything ignition wise.

The FE idle screw should be on the right side…reasonably easy to get at under the #4 carbie…until, as you have… all the FF cooling crap in the way…I wonder if you could fit the RE idle screw to them..?? It’s just a simple bracket etc.. This is easy to get at on the left side under the #1 carbie. You should also be able to resurrect the FE cooling setup on the FF engine…the engine’s are basically the same apart from the line bored cams/heads etc…

These are my RE carbies and are obviously shown upside-down…but you get the idea.

Smithy.

[xmako]

Thanks Smithy for the great reply, it’s all crystal clear now.
What I found out is that the pick-ups for the FE and F2 have the same article number.
And here’s an image of the starter clutches. In the back F2 and in front FE.