wow after watching this video i will just save the money and let a certified honda mechanic rebuild my carbs vfr700- 1986.. you seem like a pretty good mechanic and still had all kinds of problems and had the tools to do it.
Eh, theres just one of the sync screws that's a bitch to get to. I've heard the specific Honda tool makes quick work of it compared to the motion pro 90° one I used. That was nearly all the frustration.
@@matttriestodothings ya if this was inline 4 carbs no worries i can do them in my sleep but the V4 OMG -i have the shop manuel for the bike but still looks like a tough day-- glad you got it running nothing like the classic bikes they have soul-- i almost got that bike when i was a kid but went with a ninja 600-- That stock red white and blue on that vf500f was awesome--
Thanks Spook. Yea it's starting to get closer to rideable. Hopefully a few weeks. I need to work out the front end alignment and then pull off the centerstand because I couldn't work out a bump stop since the Vance and Hines exhaust doesn't have one. A few other housekeeping things and then, fingers crossed, I should be able to roll!
I myself did PLENTY of cussing too when I did this sync last month on my 1986 VF500F. For starters, I initially had the vacuum hoses flipped between cylinder #4 and #3...which was no help at all! After correcting that, it went much better. Be glad you don't have the 86 because the book says it has to be within 40mg. I wore a headlamp on my head, and used that Pit Posse screw driver with the straight slot bit and laid on the floor. The Pit Posse comes with two different heads. The standard one is really short, and that's the one I used to reach that screw you were cussing. With that tool, you can just go directly to it. I am going to have to do the sync all over again after I get these carbs rebuilt so maybe I will film it to show that aspect of it with the Pit Posse tool. I'm also have the parts now that I ordered to rebuild the petcock, (both the valve and the vacuum assembly). Mine in its present state does NOT turn off, (nor does the reserve work as it should since it's always on reserve). Does your petcock shut off?
I just pulled the petcock off before I put the tank on last weekend. I previously de-rusted the tank and tried to swish out all the old gas. That's a bugger getting that tank dry... Anyway, my petcock appears to be operating correctly with ON/OFF/RES. What's interesting is that in the manual I read something that led me to believe that reserve actually operates like a PRIME and is not controlled by the vacuum operated petcock. I should have just tested that while I was in the garage but I only noticed it after I had it on the bike. If I pull the tank back off I'll verify. I've heard better things about the Pit Posse tool. I've just had good luck with motion pro in the past and decided to go with it. Granted, it's not really the tools fault. It did what it's supposed to... It's just damn near impossible to hit that #2 screw. Another guy on vfrworld said he had the exact same experience as me. I'm interested to see if you film the sync with the pit posse. Granted, I realize it's pretty damn difficult to show how it actually will work. I really think if I get a slightly less stiff bendy screwdriver that'll be best.
@@matttriestodothings When I pulled the petcock, I hooked a hand vacuum pump to it and tested it as per the Honda shop manual. The vacuum operated valve worked in that it moved the rubber stopper off its seat when vacuum was applied. BUT that rubber stopper must have been too worn out because when I went to remove the tank again a week later gas dumped everywhere. The 1986 that I have did away with the fuel pump, so perhaps the reserve works a bit differently. But mine is presently just pulling from the bottom of the tank which is not good considering the tank's age.
Hah. I've heard the Honda 07908-ke70000 sync tool is much better for this than the 90° motion pro tool I purchased. Unfortunately, that thing is also like $75, so I probably won't be buying it anytime soon.
I used a US pro angled driver and can get to all 3 screws from LH side. Also, next time the carbs are off the bike, paint the tips of the screws in white or tippex, makes them easier to locate. I found my fronts never go out of sync. Only the rears need a tweak every now and then. Also I bought 3 of the brass take off stubs and stuck BMW K series rubber stub caps on them - just easier next time. Great vid though. They are a pain to work on but worth it for the noise alone.
Love this I have an 86 interceptor my only problem is with the fuel tank I have a filter put in but it kinks the gas line so I gotta find a way to route it
Interestingly, the 1986 went to gravity feed where the 1884/5 have a fuel pump. Even more interestingly... a lot of owners turn their 84/85 into gravity feed to eliminate the variable of a fuel pump. This is something i'm considering doing when I put my bike together again. The '86 I believe has a little different fueling setup with larger diameter lines and different fuel pipes. I love the idea of going to gravity feed only though if a fuel pump is unnecessary.
I will hopefully be installing my rebuilt carbs over the winter, so this video answers a lot of my questions. I was thinking of attaching a flexible typre turning device to the troublesome carb before installation. Wonder if that is feasible? @@matttriestodothings
OMG. This is like a ground hog day for me. I went through the same problems 3 years ago. I ended up buying a small micro bendable screw driver kit at harbor freight. It was small enough to weave its way through the mess to get at the #3 synch screw. It did slip off a few times but ended up working. I sold that bike after restoring it. I just bought a 1986 yesterday. Im a sucker for punishment. Does your exhaust have the big chamber box removed that connects the headers to the exhaust?
I wish I would have found a bendy screwdriver to hit #3. I'm still going to keep my eyes open for one that might hit it because it is a challenge with the 90° driver to say the least! The Vance and Hines exhaust system on this bike does not have the collector box type of thing that comes with the stock exhaust. I believe that's what you're referring to.
so where are you on this bike now? I picked up a project 1985 VF500F (more of a project than I expected) and i am trying to assess if this is a rabbit hole i want to go into. not sure if your videos are helping me understand... or scaring me. lol.
Hah. The bike was running well, but I am going to be modifying the petcock to operate without requiring vacuum this winter. With a bench sync you can actually get it pretty close. That #3 carburetor screw is just tough to hit. I highly recommend making an introductory post on vfrworld.com and posting to the 1st-2nd gen forums with specific questions about your project. You'll get a lot better insight there than anywhere else I've found.
thanks for the tips (and the vids!). i was hoping to *ride* the bike more than *wrench* on it, ha! but it smokes like a choo-choo and the idle is all over the place and cuts out. (this is why you don't buy sight unseen on ebay - no matter how "low" you bid lol)
@@chazwazzum Absolutely been there, so I feel for ya. The VF500F is my favorite bike I've ever ridden, and my favorite one that I have in my garage. There's something special about them. But they can be complex little pricks at times if you're having to troubleshoot them. Hopefully you're able to diagnose the issue relatively quick. Maybe you've got some choke plungers that aren't returning in and are causing excessively rich conditions. Best of luck!
The coils are OEM. I just have new NGK wires I cut. I bought them from Billys Out Back when he was still selling them--I'm certain you could get them elsewhere if you're not certain about the condition of yours. I think I might finally have a color match liquid for the yellow fairings... we'll see how some spraying goes tomorrow. We shall see!
@@matttriestodothings living the dream 😎🏍️. I got my vf500 on the road. It's been the journey. It pulls slightly to the left so im gonna try the strategy a revzilla video taught me about straightening twisted forks. The difficult thing is gonna be keeping it from going forward off the centerstand. Happy vfing
@@TravisDoesGames straightening the forks on them can be a bit of an episode in patience. Don't forget to loosen up that top triple nut when you're trying to straighten em up. To be honest I still am not certain I've ever gotten mine perfectly straight.
You know how rare it is to see these bikes for sale...so what are the odds that there is a bike on Ebay right now with the SAME (custom) color as your bike? I thought it was yours at first, as it said "carbs just serviced" ha...but the wheels are not painted.
Hah. The paint job on this bike doesn't have long left. I love yellow and want to redo it, but this bike was painted pretty hastily. It's all falling off. My favorite part is that the previous owner carved his name into several spots of the paint job in hidden areas, so I know who did it! Once I know it's mechanically sound I'll get to the cosmetics. That's cool to know there's another yellow 500 out there though. Maybe you ought to pick it up? 😎
@@matttriestodothings I'm the process of buying a Multistrada, so one VF500F is going to be enough project for now! Here's the yellow bike in case you missed it: www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Honda-Interceptor/303586458270?hash=item46af29ba9e:g:zokAAOSwqnFewyPh
@@2006jonascord holy shit. What are the odds the same canary sorta dreary yellow was sprayed on another 500? And that bike is within 100 miles of me. The two have to be linked by someone, somehow. Alright that convinces me I need a belly pan. I have no idea what they were doing with the spray job going halfway up the windshield, lol. Thanks for sharing this!
@@mmotorcycles9497 hiding a note or something along the lines that "if not sold by 'x', this motorcycle is stolen" is one thing I've heard of. To help dealerships or whomever identify stolen bikes. Besides that, not sure.
I purchased the bike in 2007(or 8, can't remember) with the fairing on it already. I believe it is a Telefix fairing. There are a few different full fairings for this bike--but I think they're getting harder and harder to come by. I haven't had it on the bike in quite a while. I'll get it back on when I'm done tinkering which... never really ends.
@@markvasquez5234 hah, touché. There is, but I didn't install the springs because they interfere with with the exhaust. Sorry it's been a minute since I shot this video. The bike no longer has a centerstand on it and I use a paddock stand. If I could install the centerstand, I would.
Gotcha. Yeah I noticed your exhaust right away and it looks good. I can't stand the stock exhaust tips so I was curious to the brand and what mods might need to done. Appreciate the response. Keep up the good work
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
wow after watching this video i will just save the money and let a certified honda mechanic rebuild my carbs vfr700- 1986.. you seem like a pretty good mechanic and still had all kinds of problems and had the tools to do it.
Eh, theres just one of the sync screws that's a bitch to get to. I've heard the specific Honda tool makes quick work of it compared to the motion pro 90° one I used. That was nearly all the frustration.
@@matttriestodothings ya if this was inline 4 carbs no worries i can do them in my sleep but the V4 OMG -i have the shop manuel for the bike but still looks like a tough day-- glad you got it running nothing like the classic bikes they have soul-- i almost got that bike when i was a kid but went with a ninja 600-- That stock red white and blue on that vf500f was awesome--
It really does sound nice when it idles properly, nice and comprehensive work.
Thanks Spook. Yea it's starting to get closer to rideable. Hopefully a few weeks. I need to work out the front end alignment and then pull off the centerstand because I couldn't work out a bump stop since the Vance and Hines exhaust doesn't have one. A few other housekeeping things and then, fingers crossed, I should be able to roll!
I myself did PLENTY of cussing too when I did this sync last month on my 1986 VF500F. For starters, I initially had the vacuum hoses flipped between cylinder #4 and #3...which was no help at all! After correcting that, it went much better. Be glad you don't have the 86 because the book says it has to be within 40mg. I wore a headlamp on my head, and used that Pit Posse screw driver with the straight slot bit and laid on the floor. The Pit Posse comes with two different heads. The standard one is really short, and that's the one I used to reach that screw you were cussing. With that tool, you can just go directly to it. I am going to have to do the sync all over again after I get these carbs rebuilt so maybe I will film it to show that aspect of it with the Pit Posse tool. I'm also have the parts now that I ordered to rebuild the petcock, (both the valve and the vacuum assembly). Mine in its present state does NOT turn off, (nor does the reserve work as it should since it's always on reserve). Does your petcock shut off?
I just pulled the petcock off before I put the tank on last weekend. I previously de-rusted the tank and tried to swish out all the old gas. That's a bugger getting that tank dry... Anyway, my petcock appears to be operating correctly with ON/OFF/RES. What's interesting is that in the manual I read something that led me to believe that reserve actually operates like a PRIME and is not controlled by the vacuum operated petcock. I should have just tested that while I was in the garage but I only noticed it after I had it on the bike. If I pull the tank back off I'll verify.
I've heard better things about the Pit Posse tool. I've just had good luck with motion pro in the past and decided to go with it. Granted, it's not really the tools fault. It did what it's supposed to... It's just damn near impossible to hit that #2 screw. Another guy on vfrworld said he had the exact same experience as me.
I'm interested to see if you film the sync with the pit posse. Granted, I realize it's pretty damn difficult to show how it actually will work. I really think if I get a slightly less stiff bendy screwdriver that'll be best.
@@matttriestodothings When I pulled the petcock, I hooked a hand vacuum pump to it and tested it as per the Honda shop manual. The vacuum operated valve worked in that it moved the rubber stopper off its seat when vacuum was applied. BUT that rubber stopper must have been too worn out because when I went to remove the tank again a week later gas dumped everywhere. The 1986 that I have did away with the fuel pump, so perhaps the reserve works a bit differently. But mine is presently just pulling from the bottom of the tank which is not good considering the tank's age.
You've convinced me, I won't bother until it breaks!
Hah. I've heard the Honda 07908-ke70000 sync tool is much better for this than the 90° motion pro tool I purchased. Unfortunately, that thing is also like $75, so I probably won't be buying it anytime soon.
I used a US pro angled driver and can get to all 3 screws from LH side. Also, next time the carbs are off the bike, paint the tips of the screws in white or tippex, makes them easier to locate. I found my fronts never go out of sync. Only the rears need a tweak every now and then. Also I bought 3 of the brass take off stubs and stuck BMW K series rubber stub caps on them - just easier next time. Great vid though. They are a pain to work on but worth it for the noise alone.
Oh that's brilliant on the painting the screw tips. I have the carburetors off the bike now and will absolutely do that!
Just about to have to do this myself. Thanks for the vid, dude, big help.
Absolutely. Hope it goes nice and easy for you.
Love this I have an 86 interceptor my only problem is with the fuel tank I have a filter put in but it kinks the gas line so I gotta find a way to route it
Interestingly, the 1986 went to gravity feed where the 1884/5 have a fuel pump. Even more interestingly... a lot of owners turn their 84/85 into gravity feed to eliminate the variable of a fuel pump. This is something i'm considering doing when I put my bike together again. The '86 I believe has a little different fueling setup with larger diameter lines and different fuel pipes. I love the idea of going to gravity feed only though if a fuel pump is unnecessary.
And then the Motor Blew up!! Very Good video
Hah, I'm always worried it might happen! Thanks man.
I will hopefully be installing my rebuilt carbs over the winter, so this video answers a lot of my questions. I was thinking of attaching a flexible typre turning device to the troublesome carb before installation. Wonder if that is feasible?
@@matttriestodothings
Thanks, that was handy for my vf750
Sure thing Carl. Good luck with the 750.
OMG. This is like a ground hog day for me. I went through the same problems 3 years ago. I ended up buying a small micro bendable screw driver kit at harbor freight. It was small enough to weave its way through the mess to get at the #3 synch screw. It did slip off a few times but ended up working. I sold that bike after restoring it. I just bought a 1986 yesterday. Im a sucker for punishment.
Does your exhaust have the big chamber box removed that connects the headers to the exhaust?
I wish I would have found a bendy screwdriver to hit #3. I'm still going to keep my eyes open for one that might hit it because it is a challenge with the 90° driver to say the least!
The Vance and Hines exhaust system on this bike does not have the collector box type of thing that comes with the stock exhaust. I believe that's what you're referring to.
so where are you on this bike now?
I picked up a project 1985 VF500F (more of a project than I expected) and i am trying to assess if this is a rabbit hole i want to go into. not sure if your videos are helping me understand... or scaring me. lol.
Hah. The bike was running well, but I am going to be modifying the petcock to operate without requiring vacuum this winter. With a bench sync you can actually get it pretty close. That #3 carburetor screw is just tough to hit.
I highly recommend making an introductory post on vfrworld.com and posting to the 1st-2nd gen forums with specific questions about your project. You'll get a lot better insight there than anywhere else I've found.
thanks for the tips (and the vids!).
i was hoping to *ride* the bike more than *wrench* on it, ha! but it smokes like a choo-choo and the idle is all over the place and cuts out. (this is why you don't buy sight unseen on ebay - no matter how "low" you bid lol)
@@chazwazzum Absolutely been there, so I feel for ya. The VF500F is my favorite bike I've ever ridden, and my favorite one that I have in my garage. There's something special about them. But they can be complex little pricks at times if you're having to troubleshoot them. Hopefully you're able to diagnose the issue relatively quick. Maybe you've got some choke plungers that aren't returning in and are causing excessively rich conditions. Best of luck!
favorite bike? woah! we have similar taste - I've always been curious about SV650's as well. but 80's Hondas are definitely cool
What ign coils do you have? Are they not oem? Do you have original coilpacks?
The coils are OEM. I just have new NGK wires I cut. I bought them from Billys Out Back when he was still selling them--I'm certain you could get them elsewhere if you're not certain about the condition of yours.
I think I might finally have a color match liquid for the yellow fairings... we'll see how some spraying goes tomorrow. We shall see!
@@matttriestodothings living the dream 😎🏍️. I got my vf500 on the road. It's been the journey. It pulls slightly to the left so im gonna try the strategy a revzilla video taught me about straightening twisted forks. The difficult thing is gonna be keeping it from going forward off the centerstand. Happy vfing
@@TravisDoesGames straightening the forks on them can be a bit of an episode in patience. Don't forget to loosen up that top triple nut when you're trying to straighten em up. To be honest I still am not certain I've ever gotten mine perfectly straight.
You know how rare it is to see these bikes for sale...so what are the odds that there is a bike on Ebay right now with the SAME (custom) color as your bike? I thought it was yours at first, as it said "carbs just serviced" ha...but the wheels are not painted.
Hah. The paint job on this bike doesn't have long left. I love yellow and want to redo it, but this bike was painted pretty hastily. It's all falling off. My favorite part is that the previous owner carved his name into several spots of the paint job in hidden areas, so I know who did it!
Once I know it's mechanically sound I'll get to the cosmetics. That's cool to know there's another yellow 500 out there though. Maybe you ought to pick it up? 😎
@@matttriestodothings I'm the process of buying a Multistrada, so one VF500F is going to be enough project for now! Here's the yellow bike in case you missed it:
www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Honda-Interceptor/303586458270?hash=item46af29ba9e:g:zokAAOSwqnFewyPh
@@2006jonascord holy shit. What are the odds the same canary sorta dreary yellow was sprayed on another 500? And that bike is within 100 miles of me. The two have to be linked by someone, somehow.
Alright that convinces me I need a belly pan. I have no idea what they were doing with the spray job going halfway up the windshield, lol.
Thanks for sharing this!
At least you’ll know not who to go to for the next paint job. Why would someone carve there name in the paint? Weird
@@mmotorcycles9497 hiding a note or something along the lines that "if not sold by 'x', this motorcycle is stolen" is one thing I've heard of. To help dealerships or whomever identify stolen bikes. Besides that, not sure.
Yoyoyo..... saw the thumbnail in one of your other videos, how'd did you get ahold of the full fairing that wasn't available to us Yanks?
I purchased the bike in 2007(or 8, can't remember) with the fairing on it already. I believe it is a Telefix fairing. There are a few different full fairings for this bike--but I think they're getting harder and harder to come by.
I haven't had it on the bike in quite a while. I'll get it back on when I'm done tinkering which... never really ends.
Mines an 85 but I'm sure this will work for it
84-85 pretty much the same. 86 saw some changes including the carburetor, so beware of that if you're picking up parts.
Lmao with the good luck trying it yourself
What exhaust do you have there? Any modifications needed?
It's a Vance and Hines. You won't be able to keep a centerstand on with this exhaust.
Is there not a center stand on the bike in this video?
@@markvasquez5234 hah, touché. There is, but I didn't install the springs because they interfere with with the exhaust. Sorry it's been a minute since I shot this video. The bike no longer has a centerstand on it and I use a paddock stand. If I could install the centerstand, I would.
Gotcha. Yeah I noticed your exhaust right away and it looks good. I can't stand the stock exhaust tips so I was curious to the brand and what mods might need to done. Appreciate the response. Keep up the good work