v4 hondas

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:26 am

bought a vf750 sabre a couple of months ago as a do up project(it was so cheap i couldnt refuse it)now ive always heard horror stories about the v4 engines and what a hassle working on them is.WELL pleasantly surprised i had to get the carbs off to replace the float bowl rubbers,after a bit of head scratching i manage to wangle them out with the help of a pry bar,thinking they would be an absolute sod to put back in but they actually went in quite easily with a bit of wiggling and shimmying about then i set about doing the valve clearances again it was an absolute doddle,remove a few parts and there they are in front of you.NOW comes the bit that has got me stumped a little,how can i balance the carbs without mr hondas special tool the adjusters seem to be in a real arse of a place(i set them as best i could while i had them out on the bench but they need a little bit more fettling) any ideas Idea

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:22 am

Go here for inspiration, etc.

Jamie Daugherty

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:14 pm

I wouldn't sweat the V4 horror stories you hear, unless it's an early release '83 V45 Interceptor. They were the real culprits.

Not to say you shouldn't take care of that Sabre because the top end of that motor does still have some slight oiling issues. However, if you keep a good quality oil in her and change it regularly, you should be fine.

A lot of the V4 guys run Shell Rotella and I tried it too. My big Magna did run cooler and shifted great.

Another big thing to is to watch the over heating on a hot summer day in traffic. An aux switch for the rad/cooling fan is a good and simple upgrade.

Good luck!

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:09 pm

if this is what you are referring to:
you are gonna need it.
It's been many years since I have done one but I don't think there is any other alternative.

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:27 pm

The V4's are a solid motor. The early 83's 500's had troubles with the cams pitting. I know they liked to blow up as well. The 86 vf500f I rebuilt had pitting on the cams as well but it never skipped a beat. One thing I found troubling was the availability of gaskets through Honda. They discontinued the rear bank head gasket. I had to purchase a complete kit from Athena for $200 for that one gasket. I'm not sure if the Sabre suffers from being cut off by Honda as well or not.

The valves on those V4's I believe are tappet style at least the 500 I had was. I got away syncing the carbs without any special tools. I don't remember how but I remember only using what I had in my toolbox.

The power delivery of the V4 is almost seamless plus they sound cool imo.