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1985 VF700F

It looks like it could be a combined bowl vent to me, but I've never touched any of the V4 carbs. If it is, I'd guess the idea was to keep fuel vapors out of the atmosphere.
 
God I love this lathe.

Lost a bushing for the throttle linkage, apparently https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12...qM8gzD67zK1OKqZI&referringSource=articleShare here.

Why fret over the unobtanium part when you can make it yourself?

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-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
I did not - the lathe doesn’t have a gearbox or thread dial (yet).

It’s one of those projects in the way back of my head to upgrade from a 9C to a 9A


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
It looks like it could be a combined bowl vent to me, but I've never touched any of the V4 carbs. If it is, I'd guess the idea was to keep fuel vapors out of the atmosphere.

Oh Joy!....You have a California equipped model.... :rolleyes:
Reasonably sure ancientdad is right, and that hose relates to the "Smog" required parts and plumbing.....
 
My CBR600 engine Hornet has those same vent tubes, open to the atmosphere. I assumed that they were there to equalise the air pressure above the diaphragms in the CV carbs. Strange that no filter is fitted, you'd think that dirt could get drawn in as the CV carb slides dropped.

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Loads of other pipes in this pic, disconnected fuel hose, vacuum hose for PAIR system, various coolant hoses, but the hoses in question can be seen at the top of the photo, tee piece with wire clips.

( PAIR system was a sort of smog control, introduced air into the exhaust system on the over run. Swiftly removed on my bike )

MKj7z5M.jpg
 
Success with the VF.

Soaked the carb boots in rubber Renue and they were able to be pressed in with some persuasion.

No more warming the engine up for five minutes - it takes throttle right away. Still need to gauge synch everything, but I’m well happy with it.

I still think I have a coolant leak somewhere and possibly internally fouled radiators, but I need more time to hunt that down

Overall very responsive across the band.

The 350 on the other hand, oof.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
Anyone have thoughts on cleaning buildup out of cooling systems?

CLR and distilled water?

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Lots of white buildup in there - can’t believe I haven’t looked.

Can I run it through the engine? Or is there some other way to get rid of the crud that I’m sure is inside the block and head?

Autofocus didn’t pick it up well - but there’s a ton of little white crystals. Makes sense why the engine maintains temp while moving but rockets up when stopped/in traffic.

-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
Thanks - that’s about what I was seeing too. I have a bunch of the regular CLR, which I think would be fine for the rads, but it seems like I should be fully flushing this thing.

God knows what else is hiding deep in there.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
As with any older engine that has had some buildup in it for a while, you have to consider the possibility of thin spots in the radiator and possibly other metal circulation tubing that might have some corrosion-weakened thin spots, like old freeze plugs, that could pop once you use a chemical cleaner. Hopefully the buildup is mostly on the surface and hasn't compromised anything.
 
This is why I was thinking of going with something softer.

Maybe just baking soda and distilled water.

I’m assuming those white crystals are calcium deposits.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
Going to go the CLR Route, sometime next week.

In the mean time - carb synch. Before:

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After:

https://vimeo.com/714619060

I feel like I could get it tighter, but I want to wait until I can adjust the pilot screws - I’m going to grab one of those timing lights with a tach.

My non-contact (which Is wildly accurate but requires some reflective tape) won’t work on the flywheel while it’s running on the VF - too much crankcase vapor and oil spewing everywhere use while running.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
Ugh. I know. I’ve tried finding a way to rotate it on Vimeo to no luck.

If I’m reading the centerline of the needle flutter well enough in about 45mmHg out from the base to the rear right.

Within spec, but not perfect.

Front left is 30mm out and rear left is almost spot on, maybe 5-10 off.

Much more in depth than “stick your hand next the back of each muffler and if they feel the same you’re good [emoji38] “


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
While I’m waiting for the 350’s repair, I had some spare time to hack away at the tasks for the interceptor.

It took about two hours to get the mufflers off - the entire exhaust needs to be removed to get the oil pan off, which I want to spend some time poking around it to look for any debris or signs of trouble.

The mufflers were practically glued on. Had to remove the passenger peg brackets to get more space to work them back and forth and all around until they finally pulled loose.

Originally tried a ratchet strap tied to the exhaust bracket but it would just pull the lift or the bike instead of yanking the muffler back:

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This is what the collector looked like after removing the worst of the rust with a wire wheel:

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It’s spray painted with some high heat spray paint I had lying around now, and will go right back on after I drop the oil pan and have a look around.

I’ll also be doing the David dodge oil mod to increase the oil flow to the top end, as well as changing the steering bearings and doing some fluids.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
I guess every group has the little mods and tricks they've learned to apply over the years since the bikes were built. V-4s, you gotta love them until some parts of them have to be worked on. :eek:
 
All back together, and the oil pan looked pretty darn clean.

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It is not fun getting at some of those tighter spots like the rear header exhaust clamps, but there’s a certain angle where almost everything works.

I can’t for the life of me get the left hanger on the collector to line up with the thread on the engine, but it’s so secure right now that jacking the collector up moves the entire bike.

If I ever have to pull it again I’ll try addressing it differently, but for now I’m leaving well enough alone.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
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Tightly arranged for the era, imagine what some modern bikes must be like. Every time I think about the evolution of bikes over the last 40 years it reminds me how glad I am to have been the most personally involved during what might be the golden age of it all, during the rise of higher tech engines and horsepower but prior to the level of overall complexity that followed.
 
during the rise of higher tech engines and horsepower but prior to the level of overall complexity that followed.

Yes, but modern bikes require less maintenance, for example oil change intervals, valve adjustment intervals etc.
 
Yes, but modern bikes require less maintenance, for example oil change intervals, valve adjustment intervals etc.

Which is fortunate considering the additional effort it takes to accomplish those things regardless of the longer intervals. I remember very well, draining the coolant and pulling the radiator on my '84 VF700F just to do the valves on the front 2 cylinders. But then you also have to live with the style they build and sell in those more reliable modern bikes too, where they all look like road racers combined with the rear suspension of a motocross bike. It's unfortunate that there aren't more retro-designed bikes built and sold with all the modern reliability and longer maintenance intervals, yet something of a compromise for those of us who don't want to ride around on a bike with clip-ons and a passenger sitting one floor above us on the seat behind us.

Sorry for the detour Ed.

[/highjack]
 
Lol no issue, and yes - my girlfriend prefers the 350 over the 700 - she loves the extra power in the V4, but hates the riding position, which isn’t even elevated, but it’s leaned far forward.

Anywho.

Productive day today - got the oil mod installed, hopeful that this will keep the cams running for a very long time:

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Trying to figure out why the throttle isn’t returning when the bars are all the way to the right. Maybe it’s just some adjustments, who knows.

Also waiting on a new battery - the piece of junk mightymax battery puked up a bunch of acid even though it’s sealed, and now won’t take a charge, and is sitting at 9V so adjusting the valves becomes a pain - usually I just blip the starter to get the cam moving. The gasket on the alternator is fussy so I’d prefer not to remove it.

I’m assuming the dead battery is what’s causing this:

https://vimeo.com/753100355


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
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Yep, not enough amps to fully engage the solenoid. Interesting oil mod, I somehow thought it was some internal adjustment made but it's an add-on product. Couldn't quite tell where the lines went though.
 
They intercept where the old ones were, but they come directly off the filter (discharge side of the pump), instead of passing through the same passageways the transmission gets it’s oil from.

Cuts out a bunch of pipe and brings everything direct to the heads. More than enough folks with old interceptors have done it to make me comfortable that I’m not stealing oil from the transmission.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
They intercept where the old ones were, but they come directly off the filter (discharge side of the pump), instead of passing through the same passageways the transmission gets it’s oil from.

Cuts out a bunch of pipe and brings everything direct to the heads. More than enough folks with old interceptors have done it to make me comfortable that I’m not stealing oil from the transmission.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F

Cool, sounds like a good idea and the transmission shafts are typically ball and roller/needle bearings so they'd survive more easily
 
Yup! Hardest part was getting the carbs back in after pulling them to get the banjo in on the front cylinder head.

And digging around on the inter webs I found service bulletins about cam adjustments. Turns out Honda made this little tool to counteract the cam chain pressure, and most actually adjust while the lobe opposite the one you’re adjusting is at max lift, which does always put you on the base circle of the adjusted lobe.

Kind of explains why I would go back in and seemingly find the adjustments way off even though I made them a few hundred miles ago.

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Thankfully everything came together tonight. I’m ignoring the clutch for now, and seeing if better oil (Mobil 1 4T full synthetic) helps quiet things down in the right cover.

Need to fill the coolant system - I’ll fill with distilled water and baking soda to see if I can get the last of the crud out of the radiators, flush with distilled only one last time and then finally fill with the coolant that ‘ll be in there for the next 20,000 miles.

Do need to do steering bearing, but that can wait for another weekend.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
Took it out for a spin today and after a stuck float issue that left me with a big old puddle of gas on the floor it pulls great.

I have coolant leaking from somewhere that needs to be figured out, I’m hoping it’s not from the rads I *just* had done.


-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
Oh, and here’s the before and after of the radiator - not perfect but it’s progress.

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-Ed
1972 CL350
1985 VF700F
 
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Ugh, that's the sad part about cleaning radiators internally, it often reveals a weak spot and springs a leak. You could attempt to solder it but I'd take it to a radiator shop since they specialize in a proper repair.
 
Well, the crack was soldered successfully, and two more pinholes opened up.

Whoopee.

I’m going to try and find a place to send it out to.


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Happy to say that the radiator seems to be all patched up. A guy from the VFRWorld forums hooked me up with the guy that did his in TX.

What I can’t figure out, is why whenever I let the bike sit for a bit, fuel pours out of the carburetors but eventually stops.

It’s got all of the trappings of a stuck float, but it’s coming from higher than the overflow port - though there’s a dribble coming from there, too.

Could be the fuel tube o-rings, or it could be the carb gaskets.

Unfortunately it looks like the carbs will be coming out *again* to get this sorted.

Really hoping it’s a quick easy fix once everything is apart - I’d love to get some riding time in on the interceptor before it gets too cold up here.


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And of course when I’m setup to record and have lighting to try and spot the leak - nothing.

O rings or gaskets must’ve sealed up from having fuel in them.

I think I’ll kick this to a winter project and just make sure to run the bike every week or so until then.

I did get the starter relay replaced tonight, so all wasn’t in vain.

The OEM one had a fusible link that’s tough to come by out in the world, so I had rigged up a standard in-line fuse holder to some wires crimped to the terminals… it was… functional but not beautiful.

The caltric replacement has a modern in-line fuse built into it. And is much cleaner.

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Old setup:

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yeah, the old lead "fuse" was a crappy idea. That goes back to the early Gold Wing and the CBX, I remember thinking how fragile they looked. Never did like the whole consolidated power connection/fuse box/solenoid thing but that newer version looks decent.
 
My (sold now) XRV750 Africa Twin where I did put 260.000 km on the odo, got me stranded two times. Once it was a rusted choke cable elbow piece (steel) so the choke cable did stick to it (full open) and once that annoying starter relay fuse like the one you show. For some reason Honda thought is was a good idea to face the fuse and connection point faced upwards, mounted in a position where, with heavy rain, water could protrude into the contacts of the fuse. I was riding an empty German Highway, on speed, with heavy rain (showers), in the dark, when suddenly the engine cut out. I was happy that my Iphone had a long lasting flash light and that I had my Swiss knife on me, so I did cut out the burned wires, re-connected a few until the normal 12 V was working again, but I did not have a starter, it was completely burned away. I very nice German Police car stopped and after explaining what happened, they pushed me until I could start the engine again. After coming home I repaired the damage, and put a rubber cap and lot's of WD40 on top of it, and never had any problem again.

I really miss that bike, brought me everywhere through Europa. One of the best modern twins Honda ever build. This bike paid for all my classic Honda's. I used the bike for work (we didn't had company cars) and I got 0,29 cents per ridden km. I calculated that after 15 years I roughly did 200.000 km for work, around 60.000 euro. Fuel consumption was low, and I did all the work on the bike myself. Where other people bought a new bike every two to four years, I kept this bike and made it perfect (Ohlins rear shock, Wilbers front springs, Laser exhaust, BT45 tires etc)I still have an excel sheet with all the data cumulated over 15 years from new. I remember that I had to go every Monday for two years in a row, to Koln, a city in German. It was around 250 km one way, so 500 km in one day.

My XRV.jpg

Sorry for breaking in your nice thread, it brought back some memories, just from a picture of a starter relay...
 
No sweat! This thread is sort of whatever comes to mind. I have a “main” thread on VFRworld for this bike.

This is more of a spot for me to keep being chatty with all of you while I work on a non-VHT.

I feel you on the fuse, albeit a different cause. This li’l guy:

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Popped on me because of a crappy override switch that dead shorted the battery to ground whenever the circuit closed from the radiator thermo-switch if the switch was in the “off” position. Poor design.

Normally wouldn’t be a problem *if* this were a 30A auto fuse (I forget the acronym) but good luck finding this old piece anywhere. Glad to have a regular fuse there now (and not Jerry-rigged)

Thankfully the seat covers the top of the side fairing where this relay/fuse combo sits. I suppose if this VF makes it to Germany I’ll miss out on the authentic pushed-by-German-police experience ^_^


- 1972 CL350
- 1985 VF700F
 
Glad to say the fuel leakage issue didn’t rear its head this weekend.

350 miles of windy mountain and farm roads in PA and western NJ. Rain this AM damped things a bit, and this tank isn’t as nimble with a passenger and a 50lb (I have no idea how her stuff weighs this much - it’s not from my junk) riding on the back for sure.

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- 1972 CL350
- 1985 VF700F
 
Managed to stretch the interceptor’s legs in upstate NY last week - put a few hundred miles on it and noticed when hot (temp gauge about 1/2 to 5/8 way up) it would get wheezy when leaving from a stop - and actually stalled as I was pulling back into my garage with the clutch pulled in.

I did have the carbs out to fix a fuel leak from the crossovers and a small coolant leak, so had to re-sync but didn’t mess with the fuel mix again.

Could this be caused by a Lean idle mix?

I’ve noticed it stumbles in the low-mid range (just off idle to about 5,000 rpm) until warm (temp gauge about 1/4-1/3 of the way up).


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