Reanimating a greybike RVF400 (NC35)

[RVFRick]

Hello fellow Barfers! Thought I'd share the rekindling of a motorcycle obsession.

In 1999 I retired from sportriding: newlywed, baby on the way, new house, new job, dotcom craziness, etc. a change in responsibilities. Goodbye motorcycles, hello parenthood.

Fast forward 16+ years the itch to ride came back: big time. For the past 4 months a bedtime routine of trolling bike porn on raresportbikesforsale.com, eBay, cycle trader, Craigslist, etc...must get anything with two wheels + motor. Dual-sports, cruisers, Vespas, Groms, electric bicycles, CB-1, Ducatis, electric skateboards, Ruckus, etc. Basically anything less castrating than my '09 Odyssey (mind you, adorned with an STi badge good for 5hp :teeth).

A night like any other, one last browse though the CL listings before knocking off.
I read a listing that says "1995 HONDA RVF400 NC35 (los gatos)"
My head pops of the pillow.
How old is this listing? 15 minutes (rubs eyes)? 15 minutes! And it's nearby here in California!!!!!!

Mumble to self "Do not f' this up! Do no f' this up! Do no f' this up! Do no f' this up! Do no f' this up!"

Jump out of bed, run to phone and text. Remember it's after 10pm by now.

Me: "Interested in your bike. Can I check it out tomorrow?"

5 minutes feels like a lifetime. 10 minutes an eternity. Should I call him? Kinda late. But he did post the ad not too long ago. Don't piss him off I say. Calm the f' down (counts to 20). Go to bed and check your phone in the morning. If it's meant to be it's meant to be. Nah, he certainly has buyers already lined up 20 deep (like trying to win tickets on a radio show).

Text message chime never sounded so good.

Seller: "Sure, how about 11am tomorrow?"

Me: "11 it is. Send address."

Holy crap!!!! :thumbup.

Needless to say, I was like a kid on Christmas eve. Could barely sleep.

Next morning spring out of bed and put on my best hubby act and take wife out to her favorite breakfast place. I casually ask if we had any plans for the day. No? Well how about we head over to Los Gatos later in the morning to look at something I saw on Craigslist? What is it, well, er, um, a...ahem...it's a motorcycle. Mind you she's not a fan of motorbikes, yet she surprisingly replies "okay". :thumbup:thumbup

to be continued.....

 

[1962siia]

opcorn Congrats!

 

[Maddevill]

I hope you bought it. I used to import NC30s and NC35s and they are sweet, sweet bikes. My wife had a NC30 for awhile too. Nothing sounds or handles like those bikes. Keep us posted.

 

[NoTraffic]

Can't wait to hear the story unfolds . .

:leghump

 

[RickM]

sub'd

 

[Whammy]

I sure hope you are picking this up now!:thumbup
I'm searching CL:teeth

 

[easter bunny]

I can't wait to hear what 10 years of back fees are going to cost.

 

[RDT]

subbed as well. Congrats

 

[khan]

damn the "to be continued" bit

 

[thenewwazoo]

Awwwwwwwwww yeeeaaahhhhhhhh

Here's mine last Saturday :ride

 

[HeatXfer]

I can't wait to hear what 10 years of back fees are going to cost.

EDITED
OP has obviously bought it but here's a breakdown of expected costs:

160% of current registration fee ($46 x 1.6= $73.60)
$100 CHP late fee
$100 Reg late fee
Vehicle license fee: 0.65% of your motorcycle's value (Conservative est @ $4k = $260) Thx 1962sila
County/district fees: Between $1 and $19 each; vary by location.
Use tax: Between 7.5% to 10%; varies by county.​

 

[1962siia]

OP has obviously bought it but here's a breakdown of expected costs:

160% of current registration fee ($46 x 1.6= $73.60)
$100 CHP late fee
$100 Reg late fee
Vehicle license fee: 0.65% of your motorcycle's value (Conservative est @ $4k = $2600) Can that be right?
County/district fees: Between $1 and $19 each; vary by location.
Use tax: Between 7.5% to 10%; varies by county.​

Looks like you used 65% instead of .65%

 

[Phanuel]

We all know you got it, where are the pitchers?!

 

[HeatXfer]

Looks like you used 65% instead of .65%

Doh! Corrected, thanks

We all know you got it, where are the pitchers?!

I want to hear it

 

[Phanuel]

Can I ride it so you can hear it?

 

[thenewwazoo]

Can I ride it so you can hear it?

You joke, but I had one hell of a time trying to find someone to ride mine a bit so I could hear it before I went to Laguna Seca. I've still never heard the damn thing at full song from anywhere but the seat. I imagine it sounds nice...

 

[PetrieJ]

:leghump

 

[greasem0nkey86]

You joke, but I had one hell of a time trying to find someone to ride mine a bit so I could hear it before I went to Laguna Seca. I've still never heard the damn thing at full song from anywhere but the seat. I imagine it sounds nice...

I'll volunteer every time! :thumbup:laughing

 

[Phanuel]

You joke, but I had one hell of a time trying to find someone to ride mine a bit so I could hear it before I went to Laguna Seca. I've still never heard the damn thing at full song from anywhere but the seat. I imagine it sounds nice...

Idunbelieveit.

 

[RVFRick]

:rideWhere were we.... yes, wrapping up a typical Saturday morning breakfast at Philz Coffee on Middlefield (large Tesorra medium/medium and an almond croissant, toasted). Mmmm. Making a special day even better.

Quick text to Marc, the seller, to check that someone didn't snipe me. Get text back confirming show time.

At 10:55 we pull into a dilapidated industrial strip and search for the correct unit. It's the one at the end of the the lot. The parking lot is empty. Crap is he a no show? Is this the right address? On cue, a car pulls in and parks. A guy gets out and warmly greets Jessica and I. "Hi, I'm Marc are you Richard?" Yup. "Do you want see the bike?", he asks. Well if you insist.

We go into his large well-equipped cabinetry shop and there she is. Sitting quietly in the dimly lit garage. Me = grinning idiot. It's real and gorgeous. Jessica even thinks it's cool. As cool as it looks in all the online articles and reviews it's even cooler in person. I walk around and appreciate the compactness, proportions, form, fit, function, paint, graphics and condition. My heart is racing and I am in lust. Yeah it needs TLC but so does any diamond in the rough.

Marc opens the roll up and I wheel her outside into the sunlight. Brilliant. I straddle the bike. It's perfection. Marc relays the bike's history: he bought it in 2005 or from a seller in SF. It was in pieces as it seems the owner came to the realization that it was smarter, faster and cheaper to get the horsepower he sought by buying a larger displacement bike. I wonder if he regrets his decision.

Marc buys it for $4500. Since it's in pieces, he brings it to Mike Norman of G-Force Engineering to put humpty dumpty back together again. I have since googled Mike and see that he is a subject matter expert on engine design and engineering. Having developed trick replacement parts for the NC35 engine and having getting his dream job working for Honda North America doing cool engine dev work. Too bad for me he's no longer in the Bay Area as I could use his help. Anyways, knowing that he wrenched on this NC35 adds a bit of glow.

As for the missing key. The last time the bike was operational was 2010 when Marc's friend rode it at a track day at Laguna Seca. How generous and trusting is that! BTW Marc recently sold two of his VFR400s on eBay (wonder what other toys he has!). Back to the story, at the end of the day the key was nowhere to be found. Gone. Lost. Ran away. Haul bike back home, park in garage, let it sit for 7 years collecting dust & cob webs, but no rust as far as I can see.

So here we are. Marc is reprioritizing and hoping to find a good home for his baby. It's a standout of all the rides he's ever owned and there have been many. He says it's the only bike he's ever owned that fits like a glove and becomes a part of you. He discloses that the bike was last registered in 2006 and there will be DMV back fees. In my mind I wave it off as no big deal. What's a couple hundred bucks or so, right? (more on DMV later).

I ask if there are any spare parts, turn signals, manuals, paperwork, etc. He disappears to search of them and then comes back with a box. We sort through it. Hayne's manual, title, rear sets ... what's in this box? We discover a complete key set ignition, gas cap, seat lock. "Oh man, I don't remember buying these. Hmm, maybe I should keep the bike". He's kidding, right? He hands me the box, and says "Here ya go. This should help you get her running again and if you ever decide to sell her give me a call first". No doubt.

We negotiate price for all of 5 seconds. He's had other callers willing to offer more but I surprised him when I replied w/in 15 minutes of his posting going live. He's giving me first dibs. Shake on it. Marc offers to tow it to my home and complete the transfer at 2pm after running some errands and getting his trailer. I offer to go get cash now but he says not to worry.

Reconfirm 2pm rendezvous and head off to lunch. Meanwhile I'm thinking I should have brought cash and concluded the deal then. Having uncovered the spare lockset would he change his mind? No deal until the pink-slip is signed. Jessica tells me I'm being paranoid.

Come back later to see if she was right......