86 VFR 750F Interceptor - For Sale
Brad Armstrong
I have a very nice 1986 VFR 750F Interceptor that I am quite reluctantly
putting up for sale, only because
$$ are low. This bike is a collector as I believe it is the only year that
was named both "VFR" and
"Interceptor" with the gear driven cams. It is the second generation
(super-reliable) version of the
exceptionally nice VFR line. The bike is Red, White, and Blue, and has a few
extras such as braided steel
brake lines, center stand kit, and a newly re-upholstered Corbin seat (with
higher quality vinyl than
Corbin uses). Also, a near new rear Metzler ME1 tire. The chain and
sprockets are in top shape. The
bike does have some small cosmetic flaws, but they aren't very noticeable
because some (non-bike type)
people have asked me if the bike is new. I never noticed them until I spent
those hypnotic-like hours
letting my gaze play over this beautiful machine in my garage. This bike looks
good! The price is $3,500.
There is 27K on the odometer which for bikes may not be low, but for this
engine it sure isn't high. The
bike feels like new to me, starting great and running very stable and strong.
And, of course, this VFR
750F Interceptor sounds terrific! The bike feels tight, has absolutely zero
rattles or shakes, handles and
looks like a million dollars, and definitely exudes loads of quality.
I'm attaching a document from Motor Cyclist Magazine, April 1994, In which
each member of the
magazine staff picked their favorite used bike of all time. Tim Carrithers
picked this exact bike and year
and wrote the following article.
Let me know what you think,
Brad Armstrong
br...@sierra.net
April, 1994, Motor Cyclist magazine, by Tim Carrithers:
1986 Honda VFR750F Interceptor
Eight years ago, there were two keys to Saturday morning bliss, and I had both
jingling in my hip pocket.
One fit the Cycle magazine (God rest its soul) garage. The other ignited a
red, white and blue Honda
VFR750 that lived inside. From the first time I watched Ken Vreeke disappear
around a Latigo Canyon
corner in a contrail of granulated fairing and indescribably delicious
exhaust music, it was lust at first
sight.
Spare me the bilge about practicality. Back when motorcycles went by
prurient names instead of
politically correct acronyms, this one was the Interceptor, man, ready to
intercept anything. There was a
spanking-new GSXR1100 in Cycles's paddock too, assorted Harleys and even an
FZ750 Yamaha fitted
with sticky Michelin Hi-Sports, but nothing made my gums sweat like the gear
whine and outboard-
motor-from-hell exhaust note that the Interceptor made when the slides snapped
open at 7000 rpm.
Nothing.
No doubt: That original 1983 Interceptor was a tough act to follow at
any speed. Next to that
predatory '86 VFR, the original VF 750 looked fat and silly. From its stiffer
and lighter V-4 pump that
drove its quartet of camshafts with whizzing gears rather than stretchy
chains, the 1986 Interceptor was a
different breed of cat.
Rolled up against anybody else's inline four, the Interceptor made
great midrange power. But the
real muscle lived up high, between 7000 and 10,500 rpm. Big surprise that
Honda tuned this one to
breathe hard on top, hard enough to deliver a claimed 104 peak ponies at the
180-degree crankshaft. The
beauty of it was that the free-revving route to that lofty summit was as flat
as Kansas prairie. And on a
stretch of smooth, Malibu Mountain pavement, that VFR was pure magic.
Steering was quick and light for a 508 pound motorcycle. And as long
as you could steer clear of
the bumps, stability was roughly equal to a Wells Fargo Bank vault's. But when
the Malibu Mountain
blacktop turned bumpy, the Honda's diabolical combination of flaccid springs
and hyperactive
compression damping had the front end wallowing through bigger hits.
The fix? Progressive Suspension Part No. 1129 fork springs and 10W
fluid in place of the stock
5W salad dressing worked wonders on the fork, swapping the non-rebuildable,
preload-adjustable stock
shock for something sportier kept the aft end under control at speed.
Armed with a 151-mph terminal velocity, no other stock 750 could match
it on top. And the VFR
ran within a hundredth of a second of Suzuki's GSXR and Yamaha's FZ at the
strip. That Kansas-flat
power curve allowed a choice of two or three gears in any particular corner.
Good thing, too, because that
test bike's six-speed hid more neutrals that a Swiss phone book.
Exploding the commonly held belief that truly stellar sportbikes must
by definition inflict equal
measures of pain and aggravation for every moment of twisty road brilliance,
the Honda was genuinely
comfortable. A roomy riding position and that soft suspension made it an
agreeable weekend companion,
whether the destination du jour happened to be Jack's Steak House or Yosemite.
Long trips like that guaranteed one thing: fill the fuel tank every
238 miles and the engine pretty
much ran forever. Honda's second-generation sporting V-4 proved to be one of
the most truly bulletproof
engines ever to wear the winged badge. The only Wrench Bulletins issued by
Honda to alert mechanics to
potential problems on the VFR concerned sticky seat latches and potential seat
cowl tab breakage. Can
you say "stone reliable"? Sure you can.
If attended to with regular oil changes and valve lash adjustments
every 8000 miles once top-end
tolerances settle down at 4000 miles, count on putting this one in your will.
That's pretty much how most of my VFR owning friends feel about their
bikes. Wave a check for
the bikes original $5298 and they laugh in your face. If you could find
somebody willing to part with a
clean example, expect to pay upwards of $3500. But good luck. If I'd been
smart enough to write a check
for that VFR750F eight years back, it'd sill be out there in the garage.
In case you haven't figured it out by now, motorcycles aren't rational
purchases. They press on
the pleasure centers of your brain with sexy lines, seductive sounds and your
eyes glaze over and the
checkbook comes out. And every once in a while, somebody builds one that's all
that and practical too.
Like the 1986 VFR. But here's the real test. Every time I remember bright
Saturday mornings with those
keys in my pocket, that eight-year-old smile breaks out all over again.
- Tim Carrithers
Stuart Ritchie
>April, 1994, Motor Cyclist magazine, by Tim Carrithers:
>1986 Honda VFR750F Interceptor
[...deleted...]
> Steering was quick and light for a 508 pound motorcycle. And as long
Hmm, that must be wet weight. My Honda Service manual claims 438 lbs dry.
Stuart
Steve Smead
...
: letting my gaze play over this beautiful machine in my garage. This bike looks
: good! The price is $3,500.
: There is 27K on the odometer which for bikes may not be low, but for this
: engine it sure isn't high. The
: I'm attaching a document from Motor Cyclist Magazine, April 1994, In which
: each member of the
: magazine staff picked their favorite used bike of all time. Tim Carrithers
: picked this exact bike and year
: and wrote the following article.
: Let me know what you think,
...
I fully concur with you that the '86 VFR 750 is an excellent bike - one of
the best pre-1990 years IMHO. I remember Cycle got a stocker to run a 10.95
quarter in '86 - pretty impressive. Collectable? I doubt it. And the problem
with $3500.00 is that nice low milage 900 Ninjas, FJ 11/1200s, etc.. of the
same era can be had for $2-3K. Those are tough competition for your VFR.
Then again, you may find a V4 fanatic...
BTW, the used bike prices the So CA mags sometimes quote are all much higher
than I can find around the Sacto, CA area. Dunno if So CA prices are higher
or if those editors just don't have time or the need to sniff out good deals.
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Steve Smead __=o&o>__
Email: sm...@htc3.rose.hp.com
'91 ZX-11 '86 FJ-1200 '86 YX-600 '75 H1 '68 CL-350 '80 TS-100
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