Cycle 1983,  Honda V65 Magna
By SabMag Scandinavia, www.honda-v4.com, 2005

reasonably expect.
For sheer visceral attraction, nothing beats the 1100 engine. By far, it's the V65's best feature, and motorcyclists who buy the V65 on looks will quickly find themselves enchanted by the 1100's performance.

The V65's power is irresistible. The 1100 Vee would make an ideal starting point for a full fledged, pavement ripping sport bike; and while the VF750F Interceptor is a gorgeous piece, the 750 can't have 1100 punch. You have to wonder how many ways Honda can find to use the V65. A VF1100F is an obvious possibility, and the 1100's broad powerband, six speed gearbox, driveshaft and excellent vibration control also make the V65 a wonderful platform on which to build a full dresser. But for now, Honda has taken its premier performance engine to the streets to create a stoplight to stoplight blockbuster extraordinaire…..


Stored from v4honda.com by SabMag Scandinavia
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The gastank provides access to the air filter. Working conditions are cramped.

The paper filter requires changing only every 8000 miles.

Second, Honda had every reason to believe that the Magna would turn out to be a 10 second bike in Cycle's hands - Mark Homchick (out of real curiosity) had run a pre production V65 through the traps at 11.06 seconds long before the magazine's test unit, a line production bike, showed up for evaluation.

Before Homchick could get our test Magna to the strip, he became the proud owner of an unwanted accessory: a plaster cast running from thumb to armpit. The cast had (and still has) optional features - stainless steel pins to immobilize a left wrist broken in a number of places and pieces. It was a bad break for Honda, too. As explained in February, it takes a deft touch to get a Superbike into the tens; only two or three journalists can, and MH is our quota. Honda had the weapon; Cycle, the broken trigger finger.
On the one hand, Cycle couldn't officially consider any quarter mile times outside the ones turned in by staffers. On the other hand, Mark's performance with 10 second motorcycles is much closer to John Gleason's than to other staff members'.

If Gleason could take our test V65 Magna and put it well into the tens, it would clearly indicate that the V65 would be a 10 second bike in Mark's hands. And that would give our readers a much fairer picture of the Magna's performance than if we published an 11.3 figure generated by Buzz Buzzelli.

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