Hundred Pound Hound!

Started at last! Will he finally get a project finished?

- Daryll Young & Bertie Simmonds

OK, I’ve not done much for the last year on my £100 Hound Project VFR apart from get you lovely people to vote on a colour scheme but I’m about to change my mind.

The change has come thanks to the fact that I really need a relatively practical bike to use day-to-day. The idea of getting it painted up in these classic VF colours is great, but I want to get this bike sorted ASAP. Needs must and all that…

To recap, a mate bought this VFR750 F-R about eight years back. It stood for two years until I bought it in 2016. The rear tyre was flat, no battery and the thing had failed an MOT thanks to a knackered shock. It had 40k on the dials and dull paintwork. It was unloved but I paid just 100 notes for it.

Under the surface I knew that around £760 had been spent on it over the preceding five years, including that vital reg-rectifier replace me and Motad stainless down pipes. I’d also managed to get a replacement shock for the original – a superb YSS Z-Series from Wemoto, as well as a battery, and a chain an sprockets and some LS adjustable levers from Performance Parts Ltd I managed to get some Hyperpro fork springs from them too which I’m going to use with some soon-to-come Liqui Moly heavyweight fork oil.

So I’ve got some parts, I’ve got some idea now as to what to do and I want to get the thing stripped to see what’s under those dull fairings. Much as I love the Kar Lee-inspired bodywork, I’m just thinking of a tidy up in black with some silver graphics to be honest.

With my garage being full of crap, I got the bike to CMM friends IDP Moto in Silver stone to rip the fairings off it and sneakily leave it with them while I sought some parts. After I made the tea, Daryll made the notes while me and IDP’s Craig Prior stripped the thing down…