Jeff.Saunders wrote: Many of the early VF750/700 engines had issues eating cams. It was a massive issue for the factory - often replacing cams and all the rockers and more.
There used to be an external oiler kit available for these bikes. If this one is fitted with that, that's a good sign.
This one does not have the oil kit installed, but they are still available. I've spoken with a shop that fixes the cams/followers in these motors. They said that at 10,550 miles they are probably still fine as long as the oil was changed regularly with good oil. They said to use an oil high in ZDDP, and change it regularly and it will probably be fine for 20K. But no guarantees of course.
They said it was a combination of things, not just insufficient oil flow that caused it. High lift valves, with tandem followers put a lot of stress on the cam lobe. Check this page out....
www.motorcycleproject.com/motorcycle/text/v4_cams_what.html
Does that pass the smell test? There are two opposed camps on the vfr forum on the issue, those who do the oil mod and those who don't. Both sides seem pretty opinionated on the subject. I would like to know if an engine with the oil mod has had cam failure?
I also wonder if the problem really was the soft cams, what would black nitriding the cams would do? I've had forming dies done and they last and last with the nitriding where untreated I was wearing them out after only a few dozen uses.
