Hey everybody, I just bought my first bike, ''86 vfr700, in December from a guy who laid it down once, and don't know to much about bikes; thus I've got a couple of questions. 1. Will a 160/60/v18 rear tire fit on the stock rims, or should I stay with the 130/80/v18 tires? 2. How often should I change the oil? 3. On my bike, the rear turning signals are a lot smaller than any others I've seen on other interceptors, are mine aftermarket? 4. On the 86 vfr700's was there a center stand built on to it, and if so was it optional or standard? Because it looks like when it was laid down, they just ripped of what seems to be the remains of a center stand, but I'm not sure.
quikwick, Feb 19 2006, 01:11 PMHey everybody, I just bought my first bike, ''86 vfr700, in December from a guy who laid it down once, and don't know to much about bikes; thus I've got a couple of questions.
1.� Will a 160/60/v18 rear tire fit on the stock rims, or should I stay with the 130/80/v18 tires?
160 is too wide. You can go as big as 150/70-18 without trouble, there are a few tire Mfgr's still making that size, google for it. You can also use a 120/80-16 front instead of a 110/90-16.
2.� How often should I change the oil?
Anything less than 3000 miles is a waste of time/money and resources.
3.� On my bike, the rear turning signals are a lot smaller than any others I've seen on other interceptors, are mine aftermarket?
Probably. The '86 had quite large signals, same size front and rear. There are aftermarket exact copies of the stock Honda turnsignals for considerably less, if you feel inclined to replace them.
4.� On the 86 vfr700's was there a center stand built on to it, and if so was it optional or standard?� Because it looks like when it was laid down, they just ripped of what seems to be the remains of a center stand, but I'm not sure.
The centerstand was an optional accessory. You had to purchase it separately. I paid about $130.00 Cdn for mine back in '86. There were about 5 other small pieces besides the stand itself. Good luck finding one today. The stand and the seat cowl are the Holy Grails of the "86-'87 model years.
If you need fairings, they can be had, unpainted, from Maier plastics, or there's a guy on EBAY who makes fibreglass copies of the original parts. vfrchuck is his username. Airtech also makes 'glass fairings, but they require drilling and there's no headlight cutout.
There are a few side fairings on EBAY right now, both original and artermarket. Do a search for VFR 700, or honda interceptor and with a little searching you will find them.
I tried getting in touch with VFRchuck about 10 times with no response. He does seem to have activity on EBAY, but wouldn't respond to my questions about a rear seat cowl. The rear cowls do appear on EBAY every once in a while. $75 seems to be the usual price, but it is rare to find one with the pad on it.
I've never seen a center stand on EBAY, and I've been looking every day since I bought my bike. So far pure unobtanium.
Center stands were not standard on the 86/87 VFR. The guy who owned mine previously actually laid down $500 at the time of purchase for the dealer to install the optional factory stand.
Turn signals are horrendously large on this model. I have replaced mine and if you want them they are mint and I will part with them for $50 + shipping for all 4.
I have contemplated removing my center stand as my 87 is no longer my primary ride and may be headed for track use. IF I do I will throw it up here first.
Edit: 130 rear tires are actually oversized for the stock rear rim and is the biggest you can go with.
quikwick Hay welcome to the world of owing a very old bike! Its a wild world man full of really dumb questions and a very steep learning curve! But there is good news! Our bikes are rare! very rare! and they sound freaking great! so every time you drive by people are always looking at you thinking "what the hell was that!" "sounded like what would happen if a P-51 and a cake mixer had a love child!"
As for the tires, no clue dude i'm just going to get what ever fits on the bike. probably the dunlops. Currently i have Metzler lasers up front and another metzler on the rear but from what i have gathered Metzler no longer makes the rear tires! woo freaking hooo.
As for the oil change, hit up your local sprallmart and pick up a jug of the synthetic Mobil 1. Thus far it has worked great for me! Now as to how often? I'm a nut so every 2500 miles.
As for replacement plastic....good luck! VFR chuck is the only guys i know of who makes replacement parts for our bike. Only catch have yet to find any one who has actually bought any thing from him! So i have no idea what the fit is.
shahram177, Feb 19 2006, 03:44 PMAs for replacement plastic....good luck! VFR chuck is the only guys� i know of who makes replacement parts for our bike. Only catch have yet to find any one who has actually bought any thing from him! So i have no idea what the fit is.
I know Chuck was kinda difficult to get ahold of when I did my CBR wheel conversion way back when, maybe add him to your EBAY "Favorite Seller's List" and whenever anything of his gets listed, you'll immediately get an email notifying you.
He does have a job and another life, it doesn't surprise me that folks can't find him half the time. rolleyes.gif
"But there is good news! Our bikes are rare! very rare! and they sound freaking great! so every time you drive by people are always looking at you thinking "what the hell was that!" "sounded like what would happen if a P-51 and a cake mixer had a love child!""
shahram177, Dude you slay me, I'm still laughing! biggrin.gif
Alright, thanks guys. I've actually got a relative that I can buy a center stand from for a decent price, I'm just debating if I really need it or not. I think I might put one on since it has the left overs of one already. The white fairings are all new, the guy before me laid it down and replaced those fairings, I'm just saving up money to get a new paint job.
Synaptic Misfire, Feb 19 2006, 02:27 PMEdit: 130 rear tires are actually oversized for the stock rear rim and is the biggest you can go with.
Actually this is not entirely true. I hve Dunlop EliteII 140/70B18s on my rear right now and they have clearance. Doesn't seem that anyone is making this particular size anymore so when I replace them I am going with the 501 130/80-18s.
I think Bias ply is the only kind available for these rim sizes... at least I haven't seen any labeled as radials. I've seen "Radial Tread Patterns on Bias Ply" listed as a selling point on some of these tires...
Yes thats what I thought. And the number of available manufacturers that make tires for this bike is getting smaller every day! I'm going to pick up a set of Dunlops soon.
Synaptic Misfire, Feb 19 2006, 03:27 PM Edit: 130 rear tires are actually oversized for the stock rear rim and is the biggest you can go with.
Nope, that was the stock size. Check your owner's manual or the sticker on the chainguard.
140 is quite doable, 150 is the limit of what works well, 160 is too far gone.
I owned one of those puppies for 14 years and ran all those tire sizes on the stock rims. Well, not the 160, a friend with the identical bike did that and I rode it. Not good. Too pinched in and you'd never wear all of the tire to the edge.
Successor to the K591 sport tire, the V-rated GT501 features bias-ply construction and incorporates a radial-style tread pattern for contemporary styling and a larger footprint.
An optimized profile creates a larger contact patch for increased cornering confidence, with smooth side-to-side transitions.
Increased tread-to-void ratio delivers superior grip in dry conditions, with no loss of grip in wet weather.
Increased center tread depth provides improved wear characteristics and enhanced water clearance.
I've got an '86 and am running 12/80-16 front and 150/70-18 Michelin radials on the stock rims. They work fine. Both sizes were available from michelin last time I checked (in the MacAdam radial line, I think).
I originally had a 160/60-18 on the back, but took it off cause it was worn out and looked to be too much for the rim. It cleared the swingarm fine, but a little piece on the inside of the plastic chain guard had to be trimmed out to miss the edge of the tire. No big deal if you are really want to do the bigger tire, but I just looked dangerous to me on that skinny rim.
You may also want to check out the latest from Metzeler - their new "Lasertec" line, which is the replacement for the older ME33 and ME55 tires which, from what I've heard (never tried 'em!), were well regarded. Available in stock sizes for the '86-'87 and others....
And Bridgestone still makes decent bias-ply rubber - the BT45....just specify the stickier V compound.....
I think the Macadam line is still available...at least from the surfing I have been doing today smile.gif Looks like the Bridgestone Battlax may be an option (I had these on my ZX6R back in 1992) as well as the Pirelli Sport Demon.
Curious though...I read that you should not do radial pre 1990 without some modifications to the bike's steering geometry? Is this the case or am I just reading it wrong?
I don't think there is any reason not to use radials on these older bikes, if that is what you want to do. The handling on mine with the radials seems just fine, but then again, I've never ridden it on anything but radials so I don't really have anything to compare to. It certainly handles better than my CB-F, which is on bias plys. They seem a little harsher over small road imperfections, but maybe that's just in my mind.
Some people do seem to imply that using radials on an older bike like this will create a problem, but I am not aware of anyone who has tried it actually reporting any trouble with them. There are a couple of other members here that have used radials on these older VFR's as well, maybe they have something to add to the discussion.
wow i was expecting more blood from this discussion! but thanks guys! god i'm leaning towards the radials! But then again the Dunlops look good and they were OEM on the bike.....? AndrewNS, do you have any pictures of these tires on your bike? Maybe an upclose picture to see how it looks and how it fits? thanks!
I used the BT45's on my SecaII that had a 130 70 18 out back. It worked wonderful, got great mileage out of it and was quite sticky. I would recommend them, but I never tried anything else.
Those Dunlops look good, I'm ordering them next week and will have them on the bike in about two weeks, depending on shipping and getting time to run it to the shop. I'll take some pics of those dunlops on my bike.
I'm starting a new posts for some exhaust, which I need also.
yah they do look dam good! and the price looks good to! Each will set you back about $130ish wish is a steal when you consider free shipping and what not. But like I said I wonder if my local stealership will install? I'll have to call up and ask?
I run the BT-45's 120 front and 150 rear on my 86 F2 and they so far are great and also not expensive. I used to use the metzeler comp K's but they cost a lot more.
shahram177, Feb 24 2006, 09:26 AMbut after further review the cucumber award will have to be taken away!
Tire, front: 110/90V16 Tire. rear 130/80V18
those you posted were Front 120/80V16 Rear 150/70V18
will these fit on the bike?
Yes they will. I ran those sizes on my '86 for years before I switched to 17" wheels.
Not quite optimal for the rim width, but they DO fit, it's not dangerous, I put thousands and thousands of hard riding miles on those tire sizes and I'm still here, never crashed.
You'll feel a difference in that the bike will seem like somebody installed power steering without you looking. In a good way. That's how I remember the switch from bias to radials.
As far as bike geometry, I never changed a thing. The front tire drops the front end by 3mm and the rear tire raises the back by 1mm. Of course this is theoretical based on the mathematical sizes and not actual mounted measured values. Basically, it's a wash as far as tire height/diameter is concerned. Practically identical.
And the wider 150/70-18 rear will clear your chainguard and brake torque arm just fine. A buddy once put a 160/60-18 rear on his and it rubbed the chainguard and almost rubbed the brake arm. It was so close that you could put a 5 dollar bill in there but a 10 wouldn't fit. It did however rub on the chainguard.
And yes, Honda doesn't recommend those tires in those sizes. They also say not to modify your exhaust system and only use Pro Honda oils and always have your bike worked on only by an authorized Honda dealer. Preserve nature, always wear a helmet, etc, etc.
well sorry i have been away for a while. Spoke to Bike God NICK! (who is a silent member of this group) and i now have his blessing that i can use these radials on my bike. he's not a big fan of the upgrading the rims but he feels that upgrading the wheels is ok. The reason given involves allot of math and allot of RVD calculations relating to unsprung mass. So new radials here i come. with regards to my stealership. I'll just tell them that this is what i want and if they don't want to mount them then they can co and pound salt!
veefer800canuck, Do you have any pics of your bike with these tires on them? Just a little worried about room. Took a good look at the bike yesterday evening and i'm 100% sure they will fit but just want to see a picture to be sure. thanks!
shahram177, Mar 27 2006, 02:38 PMveefer800canuck, Do you have any pics of your bike with these tires on them? Just a little worried about room. Took a good look at the bike yesterday evening and i'm 100% sure they will fit but just want to see a picture to be sure. thanks!
No I don't, just pics after the 17" rim swap with a 160 rear and a 120 front. And in order to get the 160/60-17 to clear I had to trim the chain guard and also the rear brake torque arm. Even then it was tight.
But I assure you that a 120/80-16 front and a 150/70-18 rear will fit.
I ran a Dunlop K700 rear in the 150 size and a K591 front in the 120 size for years before I did the wheel swap. No issues.
But don't even think about a 160/60-18 rear. It rubs, I've seen it on another '86 VFR. sad.gif
No i'm going to order those Michilans mentioned above just wanted to make sure. Like I said I gave the bike good once over last night and there is room but its hard to judge how much room you really got there! so its Front 120/80V16 Rear 150/70V18
shahram177, Mar 27 2006, 07:46 PMNo i'm going to order those Michilans mentioned above just wanted to make sure. Like I said I gave the bike good once over last night and there is room but its hard to judge how much room you really got there! so its Front 120/80V16 Rear 150/70V18
its true its true! I can have radial tires that fit my bike and they are ZR rated! I'm the luckiest guy in the world! . . . . Well ok not as lucky as the guy who found the meteorite but still lucky! And with the extra 20mm I'll conquer the world!
quikwick, Feb 19 2006, 02:11 PMHey everybody, I just bought my first bike, ''86 vfr700, in December from a guy who laid it down once, and don't know to much about bikes; thus I've got a couple of questions. 1. Will a 160/60/v18 rear tire fit on the stock rims, or should I stay with the 130/80/v18 tires? 2. How often should I change the oil? 3. On my bike, the rear turning signals are a lot smaller than any others I've seen on other interceptors, are mine aftermarket? 4. On the 86 vfr700's was there a center stand built on to it, and if so was it optional or standard? Because it looks like when it was laid down, they just ripped of what seems to be the remains of a center stand, but I'm not sure.
Thanks.
1. the wider the tire the slower the handling as the chassis was made for the130/80/18 tires.. I would go no wider than a 140/80/18..
2. oil change every 3,000 miles...and oil filter....
3. sounds like aftermarket turn signals, . people changed them because of the big rubber stalks that Honda put on the bike would sag after a few years .
4. the center stand was an option as most people removed them when installing a aftermarket exhaust system...
The 86 VFR700 is a sweet machine and very dependable and great fun to ride all day..Good luck.. Post some pics for us...
End of thread · 50 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 29 May 2006