Thought you might like to see the beginnings of my VF500 project which I actually started 14 months ago but had to put to one side when my CX500 Café Racer beckoned to be finished ( after 4 years of tinkering )
Its amazing how small the little 500 is and if she does develop the 72bhp she is alleged to have been made with from birth, she should be quite a neat mover.
looking good martin, are you going to be re-building the vf500 as standard.
Badly need to get moving with mine or yours will be finished first.
An order went off yesterday to Silvers for all the front end bits needed plus side covers for the radiator.
I have a few days off coming up so hopefully I will be able to keep up
Regards Bif
Hi Bif, Pete,
I will be keeping her as standard. Mainly because I think she looks lovely in that form anyway. I don’t know of any short comings they had apart from perhaps brakes which have improved amazingly over the intervening years.
Bif, I had to part with £150.00 to Wemoto’s ( yes I was sobbing as I did it) to get 6 x brake pistons and seals so they’ll be wrapped in pretty Christmas paper and given to the misses on the 25th ;D ;D ;D
Had to turn the downstairs shower cubicle into a little spray booth ( its got an extractor fan in it) with newspaper stuck up the walls. Worked really well but “er indoors” wasn’t amused. No sense of adventure that women.
Shame you didn’t say you needed Pistons,I still have some in stock stainless steel at £11 each(that was what they cost me for a batch of 12.
Interesting use for the shower I must say,I tend to use the dishwasher oven and granite worktop for motorcycle related persuits only when my better half is away for the weekend or at the hairdressers (usually best part of a Saturday) giving me time to cover my tracks.
Regards Bif
The 500’s are nippy. When mine was in the bike shop a couple of years ago, one off the mechanics came over as I was leaving asking about the 500. He had taken it for a test ride after they had completed the work and he reckoned it was better than his CBR600.
Had mine set up on a Dyno and it was perfect,but not anywhere close to 72hp.
57 rear wheel hp and was good for 120mph on the clock,used it for classic bike trackdays,great handling but rubbish brakes for track use,just over heat too quick.It was the fastest VF500 i had and i had 4 in all.Really good bikes.
Thanks Crooky,
I believe the japs changed the rules on measuring engine bhp. The brits used to measure at the back wheel, then the japs started to measure at the gearbox output but finally measured at the crank end, hence the massive differences in power verses the brits back in the '60 and '70s.
Don’t care, I’m looking forward to trying out the beast.
Is that the caliper bracket you were after on eBay just now for £10 Martin?
Bif
Yes - thanks Bif, he split it off from the caliper for me.
Been spending a few days on the F2 500. She’s coming along nicely but what a bugger those two rear headers are to fit ! IU had to remove the rear suspension strut to access the 10mm inner nuts for the collars. The radiator is very snugly fitted also but when you stand back and take an overview of the frame and engine you can see what a beautifully tailored set up the whole thing is. Compact and purposeful would describe it. I’ve got the wiring to wrap round next which with the help of my new manual should be reasonably straightforward ( famous last words).
Anyway, some photos for those who might be interested.
top job martin,
Rear headers, yep done that one before, they are just as awkward on the 1000, i once fitted the engine forgetting to put the headers on first, then had to remove suspension and swing arm to get at the studs, pain in the buttocks…
Is there much work to do on the body work or is it in pretty good order ?
Looking very nice indeed Martin,I really must give this retirement thing a go it seems to free up a lot of time!
Are you sticking with the period tires too,I removed the lasertec front from my wheel to polish and paint,loads of tread but harder than the proverbial fallen woman’s heart.Looking for a suitable replacement once my wallet recovers from the cost of having the polishing done
Regards Bif
Thanks chaps. The tyres are both coming off and will be replaced when money allows. My son and I have just bought 2 x Honda NC750X’s. His is red and mine white. They’re both 2nd hand and from opposite ends of the country. We got his from bandit country ( south Yorkshire ) near Hull and mine from Exeter. Just need to sell a few of mine - NOT any VF’s though, to finance it.
Good work on the little VF, Martin! I hope the NC750X is better than the NC700 I tried two years ago because I found it gutless at any speed with the rev limiter.
Thanks Fred. If you’re riding an NC expecting it to be a mighty powerful and thrilling machine then at 54bhp you’re bound to be disappointed. That’s like driving a ford focus and expecting it to drive like an RS Turbo.
The NC has been designed from the drawing board as a touring / commuter bike which I feel it completes very well. Obviously its 75mpg is its strong selling point but having said that its still has plenty enough oomph to sail down the road and nip in and out of the traffic.
Mine doesn’t have the DCT box which is actually very nicely ( and cleverly) put together and works extremely well.
Horses for courses
Martin
