VF750FD - What to look for?

The Older Gentleman said...

Two bikes on the press launch, and they were pre-production bikes. All
those I know of survived many trouble-free miles.

I owned one, and because of that discovered a few others around our way.
I bought mine from a mate whose dad still owns and uses daily the one he
bought the same week as mine was registered back in 1986. His bike's now
a shed to look at, but he's had no mechanical problems at all.

 

The Older Gentleman said...

AIUI the fully faired F2 version that we got in the UK was always known
as the F2, right from 1984 when the first ones arrived on our shores.
They called it the F2 over here to differentiate between our fully
faired model and the half faired version sold in other markets. Honda
also used the F2 and F monikers on the CBX550 to distinguish between
half faired and naked models. It didn't denote a later improved model.

 

Thanks TOG, good stuff to know. V4s rock and why honda don't do a 750 (or
800 based on the latest engine) affordable sports bike is beyond me. V4s
have everything going for them - they seem to combine all the good bits of a
V twin with all the good bits of an in-line 4. What's more, the engine is
already basically there. Yes, a shorter stroked, lightly tuned VFR800 motor
in a modern sports chassis.... I can see it now...

 

I've heard of other failures. And I can't think of any press launches
(where most bikes are pre-prod machines) wit the same failure rate.

Like I said, it's such an incredibly rare bike that there's little hard
data. The mate with the VF1000 had one and loved it. What always put me
off it was the silly front brake.

 

BTW cheers Lozzo also.

 

The Older Gentleman said...

I only got mine to fade a couple of times. I even perfected wheel
changes down to a reasonable time. I admit it was a fucking stupid idea,
but it didn't detract from what was essentially a fucking good bike that
suffered bad press because of it's bigger sibling. The handling and
power delivery were sublime for a 1986 bike, I used to regularly race a
mate on his 350 YPVS and he was never able to lose me. I took it fully
laden with camping kit and a pillion to St Tropez and back in a long
weekend and did numerous long distance rides on it, all without
incident. Fucking excellent bike and one of my all time favourites.

 

Seems pretty well unanimous really.......

Exit, stage left............

 

Which model was Biz riding at the last EOSM? I always thought that was
a rather lovely looking bike, the bodywork follows the ally beam frame
nicely and said frame looks like something from Spondon.

 

It's the only old-style Honda V4 I never rode.

Googling for the 500's probs reveals that the early models were the
worst affected, and 1986 bikes were the best of the lot. I rode an '86
bike: fabulous power delivery and handling: a great bike to ride, but I
never trusted the thing. Not many people bought them either, because
(IIRC) they were damned expensive.

 

VFR750F-G, -H, -J or -K. Someone sad enough to recognise the minute
differences between the model years will be along soon.

 

Statto said...

It's a 1989/90 G plate, that makes it a K model.

 

Run away.[/QUOTE]

Sweet!

 

Being as how it was parked next to /my/ recently-acquired VFR, I had a bit
of a double-take moment at chucking-out time.

 

platypus said...

Yours was the red one.

HTH

 

OMFG! I went home on the correct bike!

 

My G plated CBR1000 was an "L".

 

SD said...

I can see what you're saying.

L is Honda and Suzuki's 1990 model year designation. G registrations
were from Aug 1st 89 to July 31st 1990, so an L model could have been
regd on a G plate, so could any number of outgoing K models. My 1990
model GSXR750L was registered on a 1991 J plate.

L model VFRs had single sided swingarms. Biz's doesn't, her's is one of
the last of the early models.