83,84,85 Honda interceptors=What to look for?

H

HAFROD

New Member
Guys, I've always wanted a 1983,84, or 85 Honda Interceptor 700 or 750. I've been looking on my local craigslist with only one to check out but its over 300 miles away. Anyone ever owned one? Good bikes? Reliable? Problems? Faults? Anything I should look for?
 
Never had one myself (want one, though). I hear they're a colossal pain in the ass if anything goes wrong, but rock solid when they're running correctly. The V4 configuration means engine out of the frame and taken apart for everything except the simplest issues. Gear driven cams mean they have a pretty long life though.
 
I had a VFR750 first gear driven cam model and it was a gem. 110% reliable, good looking and a great bike to ride.
 
The early ones had some top end oiling issues that I believe were addressed with recalls. Surely not any issue with survivors. Also with the early versions, they used a 16 inch front wheel, which limits your tire selection.
 
Early versions did indeed have some top end oiling issues that often spun the lobe off the cam.
(I've seen several motors with the same damage when I wrenched at a shop 20 years ago)
Get a later model if possible, I believe they were correct from the factory by 85.


AWESOME bikes when they were sorted, though. Ergo's were designed for about a 5'10" sweet spot. at 6'1" I was a tad cramped.
The 16" front wheel as mentioned above is less than ideal. Not certain if it was retained throughout the run.
 
I read an article recently about how great these bikes are.... There was only one thing to really look for, the really early ones had soft cams that obviously could cause other issues. So if you find an early one either make sure the cams were swapped out or pass on it. But those were really neat bikes. I was lucky enough to ride one recently and had an absolute blast on it, the one I rode came on early, was a little soft mid range, but again came on gang busters up high. I liked the way it handled and felt stable at speed. I really enjoyed it once I caught up where it made power...
 
I ride with a guy that has a 83 sense new and its a love hate thing . It's has some mods done like 17 wheels off a CBR and a few other small things . When its running good its a great bike but when there's a problem it's a pain ! Over all nice bikes if well looked after !
 
Mine was this model
http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~john/vfr/specs/86-vfr750f.html

2132641727_50266749a1_o.jpg


that one is almost the same as mine but I chad a different Corbin seat on mine.

Best VFR made ie fastest. Can be updated with CBR wheels and forks. So pretty it makes other bikes sad.

83-85 were good if they had the came oiling mods, but try to get an 86 if you can.
 
Here's an '84 for $850:

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/mcy/4231521228.html

I looked real hard at a 500 a while back, but determined that it would cost too much in seals and gaskets to get it back up and running (it had sat). I still regret not getting it despite the cost :P
 
I have been looking at these bikes for about a year now. Have wanted one since 1992 but ended up buying a 1991 CBR600 at the time. Just a awesome looking bike!
 
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