It was nice here Friday so I took my V65 Sabre for a 500 km run along twisty coastal roads. It's supposed to rain all weekend, so I'll get back to the real world and tackle this problem. Based on the helpful advice y'all have given me, here's my to-do list:
V65 Sabre is probably one of the best values in big bikes anywhere. You can buy one cheap, ride the daylights out of it and sell it for almost what you paid. Ive had mine for about 10 years and plan on wearing it out. In those years I've put about 45,000 miles on it (about 70 grand on the clock)and its been a pleasure to ride. My Magna has about 75,000 miles on it. They got a lot of bad press back in the day but those problems could be overcome and they have only left me stranded once and it was more my fault than the bikes. Yes they're a bit on the heavy side but that helps to make them great road bikes. They're not the fastest bikes on the road anymore but they can more than hold its own. After riding with several groups over the years I've had people ask me several times is, "What is that thing?"
...Back to the regularly scheduled program...
You sure did a great job on your restore. My CB750 is low miles but it wasn't stored the best for its life time. You are to be congratulated on your project. It sure came out nice! Problem is, you've raised the bar a little higher than I'll ever be able to clear. Well Done!
Thanks! As you know, there are some incredible bikes and projects on this site, so I felt the bar was already unreachable for me. This truly is a great site to visit when you need inspiration.
And I couldn’t agree more about the Sabre and other V4s. They were years ahead of their time. They’re no longer king of the hill, but they’re still very impressive to ride. I had a friendly street drag with a Harley (don’t know what model) a few weeks ago and it wasn’t even close. I slowed down after about a half mile and he pullled up beside me, looked a couple of times at my side cover to figure out what I was riding, then gave me a thumbs up. These bikes get a great deal of respect from people who know about them. It’s a nice feeling to be cruising along the highway at 75 mph, listening to that low V4 rumble and knowing you have more torque at your disposal than you could ever need. My garage is getting full, but I can’t imagine ever parting with old “Sully”!
I had one of those friendly runs with a Challenger the other day. It was one of those two lane turn lanes with the second lane merging into one. He was behind me so I don't know what kind it was but he decided he wanted to go around me before the lanes converged. I wasn't going to have any of that. I opened the magna up and pulled away. We gave each other the thumbs up as I was turning into my neighborhood.
I'll have to say, if there is a sleeper bike anymore its the magna. People just assume they are harleys so it's easy pickings. I still get, "what is that thing?"
My FIL said he raced a HD up this long hill years ago and got to about 90 by the top, that was on his (now mine) CB750, I said that I use that hill to see how my V4s are running. I should be about 120 by the top. "Your bikes will go that fast?" I said that's 4th gear, I got two more. I do enjoy the CB but when I have the urge to go fast, its on a V4.
I just love riding old bikes. I love the nostalgia and the sound of them. Nothing sounds like the CB with four pipes sticking out the back.
Time to go warm up the old iron for the trip to work. Question is, which one?
