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shorthair88

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I think I'm going to pull the trigger on an 86 v65 magna this weekend. under 15k and in frickin GREAT shape, Iv'e always wanted one. I'll put it in the stable with my 85 max and maybe just maybe,???? wouldn't that be a nasty little mutt..lol..

Shorthair.............

P.S.
The V65 held the Guinnes book of world record for the fastest production bike for 6yrs straight.
 
I have an 83 V-65 with 21k on the clock that is second only to my Max in cool factor, you will now own two of the fastest production bikes of the 80s...........................:punk:
 
The V65's had some issues to watch out for. The oil system was poorly designed, and you don't get any oil to the top cylinder head much under 2000 RPM or so. It's not something gone wrong, they were all like that from the factory. Took Honda years to finally admit it and fix it. They tend to get a lot of cam wear.....usually evidenced by unusually large amounts of sludge/gunk in the oil.

Magna's also tended to run pretty hot. On my V30 the temp needle would frequently stay put right on the verge of the red zone(when the fan kicked on) if the weather outside was above 80 or so. Even on the highway it would never cool off enough to shut the fan down. From my time at v4hondabbs.com(lot of good info there, but there's a few assholes to watch out for), it seems this was even more of a problem on the V65's.

All Magna's also liked to melt the stator-rr connector under the seat also.

They're also known for the death wobble, just like the Max.

Don't get me wrong I loved my V30 and the bike was bulletproof reliable, but just like the Max's quirks of starter clutches and shift segments, the Magna's had their own bag of tricks.
 
Nothing like having many horses in the stable. I find I like at least 2 bikes. One very powerfull bahemoth for when I have the need for speed, and one for lightly wisking around town. Actualy I wouldnt mind 1 for every day of the week.:biglaugh:
 
Nothing like having many horses in the stable. I find I like at least 2 bikes. One very powerfull bahemoth for when I have the need for speed, and one for lightly wisking around town. Actualy I wouldnt mind 1 for every day of the week.:biglaugh:


NOW you're talking !
 
I looked long and hard at several V65's - very cool bikes. In the end, age factor of the Hondas, design problems mentioned earlier and the fact that the Max has that incredibly long performance record tipped the scale and I bought a near-perfect 2006 with 6500mi. on it for my daily ride. I'm very pleased with it. In my opinion, Yamaha did with the V-4 what Honda couldn't.
 
I'd buy another one in a second if it was in good shape. Have had three in the past, all mid 80's models. Only one of them experienced the cam wear issue but it is a KNOWN issue that can be prevented easily with a simple mod if you catch it in time.

They all had the death wobble bad....but can easily be tamed the same as the max.

My death wobble story on the v65 was being spit off the bike at 140 and living to tell. I didn't have a clue back then about curing a handling problem. I just "dealt with it" and paid dearly with a shitload of road rash.
 
I've had my max for 6 weeks now, and I'm getting tired of it. Most of my experience is on sportbikes, but I wanted something that I could sit up on but was still fast (knees shot). I test-rode the max on some smooth, straight pavement and was impressed. If I had given it a better test ride, I would't have bought it. It is all over the place in a turn - really scary. And if it is on rough pavement, it is REALLY scary. Get the speed up a bit and the handling just falls apart. I'm reluctant to try to fix this, as I don't know squat about it. The bike is in great shape, with 6500mi. on it (2006) and everything seems tight. I've read here about people changing fork springs and such, but I don't know enough to experiment. Is there a mod "package" that will really fix the bizarre handling this bike has, or is this just inherent to a bike that's this heavy and flexes all over the place when its stressed?
 
I've had my max for 6 weeks now, and I'm getting tired of it. Most of my experience is on sportbikes, but I wanted something that I could sit up on but was still fast (knees shot). I test-rode the max on some smooth, straight pavement and was impressed. If I had given it a better test ride, I would't have bought it. It is all over the place in a turn - really scary. And if it is on rough pavement, it is REALLY scary. Get the speed up a bit and the handling just falls apart. I'm reluctant to try to fix this, as I don't know squat about it. The bike is in great shape, with 6500mi. on it (2006) and everything seems tight. I've read here about people changing fork springs and such, but I don't know enough to experiment. Is there a mod "package" that will really fix the bizarre handling this bike has, or is this just inherent to a bike that's this heavy and flexes all over the place when its stressed?
If you do a search on this forum you will find all the fixes. You should post your handling concerns in a new thread posted by you and not titled V65, and you will get all the help you need to figure this out.
 
I've had my max for 6 weeks now, and I'm getting tired of it. Most of my experience is on sportbikes, but I wanted something that I could sit up on but was still fast (knees shot). I test-rode the max on some smooth, straight pavement and was impressed. If I had given it a better test ride, I would't have bought it. It is all over the place in a turn - really scary. And if it is on rough pavement, it is REALLY scary. Get the speed up a bit and the handling just falls apart. I'm reluctant to try to fix this, as I don't know squat about it. The bike is in great shape, with 6500mi. on it (2006) and everything seems tight. I've read here about people changing fork springs and such, but I don't know enough to experiment. Is there a mod "package" that will really fix the bizarre handling this bike has, or is this just inherent to a bike that's this heavy and flexes all over the place when its stressed?

It's not a sport bike and to think it'll ever be is not sane thought (not that you are)... It CAN handle damn well if setup correctly with fork springs and rear shocks. Frame braces make a HUGE difference as well as radial tires. You bought a bike that was designed in 1984 and still has basically the same characteristics of the original. (BAD) Front springs are a FOR SURE replacement and make a HUGE difference.

That being said, my '06 handles pretty well. Still not as neutral as my SV though.

Chris
 
I've had my max for 6 weeks now, and I'm getting tired of it. Most of my experience is on sportbikes, but I wanted something that I could sit up on but was still fast (knees shot). I test-rode the max on some smooth, straight pavement and was impressed. If I had given it a better test ride, I would't have bought it. It is all over the place in a turn - really scary. And if it is on rough pavement, it is REALLY scary. Get the speed up a bit and the handling just falls apart. I'm reluctant to try to fix this, as I don't know squat about it. The bike is in great shape, with 6500mi. on it (2006) and everything seems tight. I've read here about people changing fork springs and such, but I don't know enough to experiment. Is there a mod "package" that will really fix the bizarre handling this bike has, or is this just inherent to a bike that's this heavy and flexes all over the place when its stressed?

Not to further the hijacking of this thread, but I have the same bike and just bought it. 2006 with 9100 miles. The previous owner had upgraded the front fork springs and the bike handles great, rides great. Get it done. Mine is great in turns too.

To give the OP some credit, congrats on getting a V65. I used to have a V45 and it was a great bike, lot of fun to ride. Probably the best deal I ever got, I bought for $1200 and when I traded it they gave me $1600 credit for it 2 years later. I cleaned it up a bit which paid off. I always had a thing for the V65 too, but never saw many of them. They were rare.
 
I picked it up a few days ago, been cold here so I just got to ride it yesterday, That frickin thing really hauls the mail brother!!! oiling problem has already been addressed on my modle.

Shorthair........
 
:clapping:I had an 83 v-65 magna rode it from Fort Hood,Tx back to Alabama about 850 miles give or take. My advise is to find a better seat if you use it for long rides. I wish I still had mine I really miss it. The overdrive was great for the interstate(be nice if the max had one),mine also had the factory cable that pluged into an alarm system,though I never used it. Good luck with it I bet you'll really enjoy it.:punk:
 
post some pics. i kind of miss mine too. how many miles and what did it break you?
 
post some pics. i kind of miss mine too. how many miles and what did it break you?

Under 15k miles-Set me back 4,250$. I know it's a little steep, but it was local & in Fantastic condition, There were others I traveled to see for 1k or more cheaper but their idea of great condition and mine differ greatly.
Heres the only pic I have of it so far. kinda poor pic though.
 

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All of the 80's muscle bikes are kick-ass, that's why I have a few of each! The V65 Magna started it all in 83, and if not for that bike, the VMAX might have never been born! Sure, it's not as fast as the VMAX, but it's got great styling and that overdrive is nice for long rides. If you ever get a chance to ride a ZL900 or ZL1000 Eliminator, do yourself a favor and try it. You will LOVE IT! Every one of these bikes has a little character of it's own, I'm very lucky to have a couple of each! Your 86 looks great, if you're ever in need of any parts, let me know. I've restored 25-30 V65 Magnas over the past 5 years, I have a garage full of stuff! I also have an 85 in MINT condition with 6K original miles, she's a KEEPER!
 
Hey Tex,
The Eliminator is on my list of bikes to get, along with the 1979 cbx 1000!! I love that bike, ( not the bagger model though )
Can you help me with a solution to my luggage rack? cosmeticaly it looks like sh*t, thats why it's not on the bike. chromeing it is very expensive, I was kicking around the idea of powder coating it silver/grey & then adding a clear coat to it..any ideas????

Shorthair...
 

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