RC24 VFR750 For Sale

[mangocrazy]

The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things:

Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings, and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings.

And why I'm selling my RC24 VFR750...



Basically it's getting too heavy for me to comfortably manhandle. It hasn't got heavier, I've got weaker. I also have been forced to the conclusion that I have too many bikes. Yes, I know; n +1 and all that, but I've run out of space.



Anyone looking for a standard 'as close as it can get to ex-factory condition' should leave right now. This is a very non-standard VFR that has been cumulatively modified over a period of 25 years plus. It's a 1988 model (FJ) that has 42,869 miles on the speedo. Here is the list of modifications from standard:

Complete front end (wheel, handlebars, forks, brake discs, master cylinder and calipers). Forks/yokes are RC30 with one-off handlebar mounts, wheel is a 6 spoke PVM forged aluminium (MT 3.62 x 17), discs are (I believe) kit RC30 parts, master cylinder is 16mm Brembo, calipers are axial 4-pad 4-piston items as fitted to Aprilia Factory and Ducati 999 models.





Speedo/rev counter is from the later RC36 models with speedo drive from gearbox sprocket (required because no speedo drive on RC30 front wheel). Mirrors are from a CBF1000 and actually give a view of the road behind, rather than just elbows.



Exhaust is stainless Motad headers and downpipes with custom link pipes and Carbon fibre cans (with db killers fitted, but still fruity). Regulator/rectifier is a MOSFET Shindengen item (I've had two of the standard items fail on me). Shock is a custom Ohlins put together by K-Tech over 20 years ago. It has rebound, compression, remote preload and ride height adjustment and is a 46PRCLS model. A Scottoiler is fitted to the bike.





Rear wheel is from a CBR600 F3 and has an MT5.0 x 17 rim. Tyres are Dunlop, Sportsmart 120/70R17 Front, Roadsmart 160/70R17 Rear. Rear brake caliper and disc are CBR600 items. The dual seat has been re-profiled and re-covered by Tony Archer and is a substantial improvement over the standard plank. The swingarm has mounting points for paddock stand bobbins welded on and bobbins are fitted.



The fuel tank has been de-rusted and epoxy lined and all under-tank fuel hoses have been replaced with ethanol-resistant Gates hoses. The fuel line has a quick-release fitting to make tank removal a lot easier.

The engine, you'll be relieved to know, is completely standard...

It will be a wrench to sell the old bus, as I've been all over Europe on it, but needs must I'm afraid. Anyone buying it will also get whatever spares I have for it (oil filters etc.) Pricing it is a bit of a nightmare; there are plenty of old VFRs around as Honda sold shedloads of them and VFR owners tended to look after their bikes, at least the initial owners did... I could absolutely make more breaking the bike for parts, as just the wheels, brakes and suspension are worth more than the market value of the bike, but I simply CBA.

So I'm punting it out at £1800 and we'll see if it moves. I'll be putting it up on the RC24 Facebook page in the next few days, but here gets first dibs.

[weeksy]

Where is it located for someone to view/buy ?

[mangocrazy]

It's in Sheffield, and it can also be viewed in Stafford by appointment. It doesn't have a current MoT, but will have before it's sold.

[Cousin Jack]

I swapped my VFR for exactly the same reason (too heavy to manhandle about).

I understand your reasoning but you WILL regret it. In the real world, especially for long main road trips, the VFR is as close to perfection as motorcycles get. And even 'light' bikes get heavy as you get old, so if you have to struggle, struggle with something worthwhile.

That's my twopenneth.

[Supermofo]

Good luck with the sale matey, that's clearly been loved.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

That's cheap for the spec, the front wheel and forks could be worth half what your asking for it

[mangocrazy]

I swapped my VFR for exactly the same reason (too heavy to manhandle about).

I understand your reasoning but you WILL regret it. In the real world, especially for long main road trips, the VFR is as close to perfection as motorcycles get. And even 'light' bikes get heavy as you get old, so if you have to struggle, struggle with something worthwhile.

That's my twopenneth.

Yes, I completely concur. The VFR has done the full length of France on the way down to the gaff more times than I can remember, sometimes doing the Caen to Beziers distance in one day. It's also been with me to Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Hungary. As an involving mile-muncher it has very few peers. I know I will miss it, and that's one of the reasons I've delayed as long as I have, but tempus fugit and it needs to depart Mango Towers for a new life.

I still have the Falco, the Duke and the LC so it's not bye-bye to biking, but it is the end of a chapter that's lasted 37 years.

[mangocrazy]

Good luck with the sale matey, that's clearly been loved.

Thanks, it's certainly had a fair few shed hours spent on it...

[mangocrazy]

That's cheap for the spec, the front wheel and forks could be worth half what your asking for it

Yes, it's really hard to set a value on a bike like that. It needs to find someone who gets what I was trying to do with it and appreciates the mods, so a very small target audience. The thought occurs to me that it might be a decent base for an Earlystocks race bike, although the regs seem to put a VFR750 cut off at 1987 (mine's a 1988). Then there's the question of whether the mods I've done will make it ineligible anyway. Who knows?

[Skub]

Pester @Tricky to buy it and race it.

[KungFooBob]

If the 88 model was the same as the 87, the Earlystocks will let it in if someone asked nicely... I think it's the front wheel that makes it ineligible, it's too small and too 'special' and the iirc they don't allow four pot front calipers.

[mangocrazy]

If the 88 model was the same as the 87, the Earlystocks will let it in if someone asked nicely... I think it's the front wheel that makes it ineligible, it's too small and too 'special' and the iirc they don't allow four pot front calipers.

The '87 VFR had 16" front, 18" rear wheels. The 88/89 VFRs had 17" wheels F & R. Still rubbish rim sizes, though; 2.5" F, 3.5" R

[mangocrazy]

The bike is up for sale on the Facebook RC24 VFR750 group, listed at £2000.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/122653300058

[mangocrazy]

Now on eBay classifieds at £1800. Anyone on here gets a discount.

[mangocrazy]

The VFR is now sold and with its new owner. This will be the first time since June 1989 (when I bought my first VFR) that I have been VFR-less.

No flowers, please...