1985 VF500F Interceptor (Part 3)

J.A.  For part three of this restoration, I have decided that with the engine out, I may as well strip down the bike completely and start from scratch.  For those of you who missed part 1 and 2, here they are:
Part 1
Part 2

Now that everyone is caught up, lets continue.

For those who are first-timers at a frame-down restoration, let me just tell you that preparation now will save you many headaches later.  That means you should have many bins to put things and you should keep your screws fairly organized so as to not mix them up.  Some people like to order things from back to front or front to back, but I like to organize it by what needs to be put on first as I reassemble it.  This will save you lots of time and energy later when it's a lot easier to make mistakes.

Again, like in motor removal, be methodical.  If something doesn't want to come out easily, then either it's not time for that piece to come out yet, or you forgot to remove a bolt attaching it.  I don't think there is much of a step-by-step manual for this, so start with the easy things like the battery box and work your way through the bike until everything is off.

Make sure to be delicate with the wiring harness, as you really don't want to destroy it and have to take it all apart and troubleshoot it.  It is a huge pain, and not too fun really.

The rear fender cage piece on this bike is a large unit and requires some finessing to get it off.  You can use some force to pry it from its metal cage, but you should not need anything more than your hands and some elbow grease.

Be careful disconnecting the rear brake assembly from the foot peg.

The headlight assembly can come off as one large unit, making sure that all of the wires trailing to the cables get removed before you yank the assembly off the bike.

Now would be a good time to place the bike on a jack as the last couple steps involve removing the two parts that hold the bike on the ground: the rear end and front end.

Be slow on the front end, as it takes a lot of work just to separate the forks from the frame.  First you must remove the fuse cover and loosen the steering stem nut.  The next step involves removing the bolts holding the top triple tree clamps in order to get to a Torx head bolt hidden up in the risers.  After that bolt is removed, you must remove another bolt securing the risers and a C-clip on the forks preventing the risers from being removed.  The same method applies for the other side as well.  Once the top triple tree is removed, you can take the remaining two nuts off and slide the steering stem out of the frame.

Place the front end is a safe place for the time being.  In order to keep it upright, ziptie the brake lever in the closed position to apply brake pressure to the wheel.

Once the front end is removed, all that is left is the frame.  Clean it up, paint it, and put everything back together, nice and clean.

 Man that little bike sure takes up a lot of garage space.

My plan for the restoration is to have a red bike with white panels, lucky enough, there is a photo of what my finished product basically should look like.

 We'll see how it turns out.  Painting the frame is my next project.