85 VF1000R Restoration Reboot prt.1 - Introduction
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.พ. 2023
- This is the first video in a new series covering the restoration reboot of a 1985 Honda VF1000R. I first restored this bike minus the bodywork over 8 years ago but due to conflicting projects never finished it. Over the years the bike got pushed around, robbed of parts and generally neglected. But I've decided enough is enough and plan to bring this amazing bike back to showroom condition over the next 6 months. This first video is longer than normal but introduces the project and covers the earlier restoration. Going forward this series will focus more on the bodywork repair and paint process, which is the lions share of the remaining work to be completed.
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Very Nice workmanship, she looks 1985 brand new. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your videos. Thanks for sharing.
My dad had one of these ....i can remember hanging on for dear life riding pillion lol ... 😅
Priceless memories!
@@garyt.8745 he took it to the tt and scared the shit out of himself on the mountain ... ⛰️ came back and brought an xt350
I'm originally from the UK Cheshire but have been living in the USA since 1989, these bike have been so underestimated and now are starting to get the recognition they deserve, a nod to all the V Honda area the grand daddy of them all. I 've watch them go from no one wanted them to now they are highly desirable. I bought mine about Six years ago as an unfinished project from another enthusiast and like you have been sitting waiting for that burst of energy to start the restoration. Your videos might just do the trick she's going to be done in Rothman's colours and has the none US tank which in my opinion is far better looking. Thanks for posting and I look forward to following your resto. Cheers Romano
I seriously considered the Rothmans paint scheme, it looks awesome on the VF. If I was to do another one I would go for it 100%. Good luck with the resto, just go for it 😀, once you turn that first spanner you’ll get the buzz!
All Japanese bikes (indeed almost all 70's & 80's bikes) have been under appreciated over the years. But that's normal, they are only now reaching maturity.
For context: back in the 70's as a teenager, I bought a 1957 Villiers 250 scrambler for £10. Today it would be worth 5 figures probably. I also remember purchasing a 1973 GT380 Ram Air, for £15. Worth £6-7K now....
I Just check the vin plate mine is number 258. Where in the USA are you located I'm in Florida West Palm Beach@@MCSR52
@@romanoguttadauro6116 I’m based in California about 1hr south of San Francisco, near Santa Cruz. Several of my bikes have gone over to Florida, know some awesome collectors in that area!
also 6:42 to 6:52 does not look familiar, it might be like that on the US model, but I don't recall fuel pump and filter , or mounting like that on the Euro model.
infact that may not even be the fuel pump as I don't see any wires coming out.
looks like 2 weird metal cylinders that were not present on the Euro version and probably added for US emissions regulations.
11:25, now that i've seen were that junk goes, i presume the US version did not have a lower radiator.
seems like madness as much cooling is essential on these v4s even in colder climates.
Hi I keep coming back to your video as it is a great reference tool for me as I didn't take many photos of mine. You have dine a great job. Couple of questions about sourcing parts.
I need a rear hearer heat shield and a rubber radiator twin tan cover , mine are both stuffed Did you put on NOS units?
If you mean the heat shield for the rear headers, I’ve only ever found one NOS part and that’s on this bike. You can find used parts on eBay but they usually need re-plating or ceramic coating if you are not looking for exact OEM finishes. The rubber fan shrouds are unobtanium, I had to repair the original that was on this bike. You just have to keep searching the websites until one pops up.
as the restorer pointed out the rubber fan/carb shield part is unobtanium and always perished or totally gone on all VF1000.
I have however found you can buy a roughly bone shaped black silicone dog feeding mat at Aldi, which you can cut in half and remarkably have 2 spares which fit almost factory perfectly after you cut little rectangles into it with a scalpel for mounting/hooking ( assuming your frame hooks are not rusted off) around the edges, it even has an identical lip around the edge, which can be trimmed off were not needed.
as for the exhaust shield, make your own out of a piece of stainless steel and a rounded hammer, assuming you can still use the bolts to the downpipes to mount it.
@@elvisburgerking8675
Thanks for the lead, don’t know if we have one of those in New Zealand but I am sure I will find something.
Thanks for responding
Thanks for your reply,I have only just seen it. I have not commented before but your is such a good project. I will try to post something myself. Where do you source parts from. Looking forward to your next post.
The VF1000R is not the easiest bike to find parts for. But for common parts like the fasteners: www.babbittsonline.com/oemparts/l/hon/505409f9f870021c54bed280/1985-vf1000r-ac-parts
For used parts I use US & German Ebay, but maybe for you the best source of parts would be Yahoo auctions in Japan. I use www.easyauctionjapan.com/
They provide a very good web interface for the auction and they handle all the domestic and international shipping for you. Here is their search for the VF: www.easyauctionjapan.com/search.php?key=VF1000R&new=1&typeofshop=0&signenglish=&jte=&language=en
13:28 if the adjuster is silver then levers should be silver, i think bar ends should be silver too if levers are silver.
if adjuster is black levers should be black like on the FF and F2F, on most R all these parts inc yolks were silver or gold.
Hi Mike here from New Zealand. I have one of these and am doing just the same as you. I am not doing as much as you as mine was pretty good before i started. Did you get the rear Shock rebuilt as mine is pretty soft but still rides ok and does not effect the handling. I would like to contact you to share ideas.
Hi Mike, if your shock is leaking then a full rebuild is required. I'll publish a post with a link to a webpage showing the process and add some photos of the rebuild procedure as detailed in the shop manual. However if the shock is good and just tired there is a less invasive solution. Gently release the air pressure from the Schrader valve (ATF will also come out). Then unscrew the inner valve holding the hose over a container to catch the shock ATF. Turn the shock upside down and try to pump as much of the old ATF out as possible. Measure the amount that comes out, as you will be replacing the same amount with fresh ATF. Using a large plastic syringe or a funnel that fits in the hose, slowly fill the shock in the upright position with fresh ATF, the same amount that came out (factory is 320ml from empty), it will take time as the air has to come up the same hose. Then refit the valve and pressurize the shock with a foot pump or air line, do not exceed 43 PSI. I went this route with my shock because I want this to be 100% OE and it performs fine for what it is.
@@MCSR52 yep, draining, rinsing and replacing fluid usually works on bikes with less than 50,000 miles, and you can go slightly higher than 43psi, i owned and raced 3 of these bikes FROM NEW and they only handled well with 43-45 psi in the rear and 6-10 psi in the front, and max rebound damping, infact slightly higher viscosity oil in front forks is recommended. I was also many Kg lighter back in the 80s, so now maximum settings are essential otherwise it would be grounding out far too often when driven hard.
Underrated? In the 80's it was a jewel, a highly exclusive jewel. Rockinghorse shite, back then. You had waaaaaay more possibilities of getting your hands on a used CBX1000 than a new VF1000R.
Agreed 👍
sorry that should be a fan cover
Great job, but somehow Suzuki slabside parts have sneaked in 7.22
Wow, what an amazing catch! I'm genuinely impressed as it only appears for a few seconds. Yes indeed there is one photo that sneaked in from my Skoal Bandit GSX-R750 project. Should I remove it or see if there are any other eagled eyed viewers out there :)
@@MCSR52 Leave it in, I'm looking forward to your slabside restoration,I love these bikes
@@ralphharrison1274 Did you check out the Skoal Bandit video? You might have also seen the 86 GSX-R1100 in the background, that comes after the VF1000R. It’s originally Red/Black but I’m thinking Skoal Bandit or Yoshimura colors, any thoughts?
@@MCSR52 just watched the Gsxr 750 restoration and I'm very impressed how it turned out, it looks fantastic as for the 1100 I think a Yoshi replica is the way to go
are those parts really green?
Right now they are olive green due to a powder coater mix up, but they were supposed to be cadmium green, which is closer to satin black with a tinge of green. I haven't found anyone who can replicate this finish very well in California but I have replicated it on fasteners and small brackets by having them Black Zinc coated and then letting them fade in the sun. This was the technique we used on the RZ500 restorations and it looked almost factory. Not sure if we can really do this on these larger parts but I may give it a try. An alternative is to Cerakote them, and try to find a color match as close as possible to the original.
@@MCSR52 believe it or not black brush on satin paint from the pound shop is indistinguishable from factory finish.
silver rattle can spray paint also from the pound shop is indistinguishable from factory frame paint.
Good afternoon. I have so many questions I would love to ask you
I’ll always try to answer questions where possible. I suggest contacting me directly by email at “andyr999@comcast.net”, that way we can also exchange photo’s if there is a specific project you are working on.
Why did you paint some of the parts that green color? 🤮
Originally I was trying to mimic the dark olive green from the factory but it didn’t work. You will see in the later videos that I stripped all those parts back and went Cerakote satin black, which was closer to the original. Always experimenting, trying to replicate the original coatings as closely as possible😏, also looked worse on camera than reality.