I currently ride a GS500E, and my ride:wrench time ratio has been pretty high. I'm planning on fixing her eventually, but in the mean time I want to have a bike that I can ride.
A friend of mine is going to be selling his 87 vfr700f2i soon becuase he replaced it with a new ducati. It has 40k on it, and he thinks it will need new plug wires and possible a new rear tire sometime in the near future. Otherwise its in good mechanical shape, and I trust him on that. It has been dropped at least once and repainted twice so its not the prettiest thing out there, but I'm not too worried about what it looks like. What would I be getting myself into if I were to buy it? Specifically, how hard is it to get parts for this bike, and how reliable are they after 40k?
Thanks in advance for your help.
goat, Apr 2 2005, 10:39 PMSpecifically, how hard is it to get parts for this bike, and how reliable are they after 40k?
I think you will be able to find parts. Tires might be a little harder. IIRC, the 87 model has the 18" rear and 16" front bias ply tires like my 86 Mini-ceptor had.
I've heard that Metzler discontinued their Comp-K bias ply tire, but they are still listed at Southwest Moto so it may have just been a rumor. They are probably the stickiest bias ply tire on the market. Some people have fitted CBR-600 front ends and rear wheels to the early VFR's so they could switch to modern radials.
I think the engine's hard parts will be reliable, but you will may need to change fluids along with hoses and other stuff that may have dry rotted over time if they haven't been taken care of already.
There's lots of guys here that have a lot more restoration experience than me that can help you more. I'm just bored and hate to see a post without a reply. :thumbsup:
tbzep, Apr 3 2005, 05:04 AMI think you will be able to find parts. Tires might be a little harder. IIRC, the 87 model has the 18" rear and 16" front bias ply tires like my 86 Mini-ceptor had.
I've heard that Metzler discontinued their Comp-K bias ply tire, but they are still listed at Southwest Moto so it may have just been a rumor. They are probably the stickiest bias ply tire on the market. Some people have fitted CBR-600 front ends and rear wheels to the early VFR's so they could switch to modern radials.
I think the engine's hard parts will be reliable, but you will may need to change fluids along with hoses and other stuff that may have dry rotted over time if they haven't been taken care of already.
There's lots of guys here that have a lot more restoration experience than me that can help you more. I'm just bored and hate to see a post without a reply. :thumbsup:
Metzeler still makes the 330/550 combination that will fit the older Interceptors. Won't impress :squid: types but will still get you from a to b and back again.
Used parts are getting somewhat rarer - not surprising since the bike is 18 yrs. old. Chuck Crites with Cobalt Racing still makes replacement fairings for it, and Dennis Kirk carries things like signal lights and mirrors that you might break. Most other parts you would probably have to buy new, including the exhaust system so don't flip it end over end....OK ?
Now the ever difficult question about price. I don't know a thing about what what a bike like that is worth and I trust my friend but I'm curious what other people think about the price. I realize that you can't tell how much a bike is worth without at least looking at it, but I'm just looking for general thoughts here. He's looking to get $1500 for it. The only thing that I forgot to include is that it will probably need a new rear tire soon.
Thanks for the input
I just picked up a 87 700.
its in need of a little work, carbs ect. but its in perfect running order (well we'll have to see, i may have screwed up the compression test) and i'm paying about 1500 for mine. but a quick note, my bike has never been dropped (stuff has fallen on it though) and its the origional paint.
so maybe he's asking a bit too much unless maybe he has improved the bike by upgrading the tires?
Deals are where you can find them. To one person, 1500 may be a deal, to another, you'd be getting ripped off.
I'd really try to get the price down because there will be some out of pocket expense to get this thing up to speed. Plus, if you ever fix the cosmetics and try to re-sell it, you may be hard pressed to recoupe what you put into it.
Hope it all works out for you. Oh, check Ebay and see what the going price is there and make your judgement.
:beer: