Picked up a New Honda

Hello everyone. While I am awaiting a new tire and changing out my belt and roller weights with Dr Pully 24G I decided I was going to pick up another bike to teach my Fiance how to ride. Of course, I chose a bike that I felt she could handle that I would also like and that we would not want to get rid of. After long nights of research I decided upon the VF750 Magna. Since I don't care about having a Harley I felt the Magna offered everything that I would want in a bike along with being manageable for my 5' 6" 125lb lady. As it turns out the bike is probably faster than any other cruiser besides a Vmax on the road regardless of engine size. The good thing is that this power is manageable with RPM much like my old vtec Civic Si and Prelude. This bike has definitely cured my need for speed so that I can just appreciate the Silverwing so much more than before I bought the Magna. I had to drive out to San Diego to pick up the used cruiser and being that I had never ridden a motorcycle before I learned by driving back the 6 hours to Phoenix. The Silverwing feels like a cheap toy in comparison because of all of the plastic and the way it handles bumps and pot holes but the wind protection and ease of driving made me really wish I was driving my scooter those 400 miles and while I love the Magna, I cannot wait to get these maintenance items fixed and get back on the Silverwing for my daily commutes until I get a big fairing/windshield and a much more comfy seat. I was wondering if anyone else out there has any experience with the Magna 750 that they could share and what everyone thinks about having one of these bikes in their stable.

Thanks for reading.

The Magna 750 has been a Honda staple for years. It is solid, dependable and everyone I have talked to both current and former owners really liked them. A good windscreen is a must and there is alot of accessories for farkling.

Bob

Well the bike is certainly quite naked and I would love to get one of these http://rifle.com/Cruise%20Tour%20Fairing%20Honda%20Magna%20%28%2794-%2703%29-P2386.aspx

I think it would add a great look to the bike and then I need to get a Mustang Wide regal seat because we are planning some serious touring on both bikes once the weather starts to cool here in the southwest!

Glad to hear the Magna is everything I heard it was before buying it. I happened to get mine for $1900 and with only 28,000 miles on the clock. Coming from San Diego it has a little superficial rust on some replaceable parts, including the exhaust but no leaks of any kind and it has a $650 custom paint scheme of deep purple with pearl flames on the tank, just had $800 in carb work and brand new Dunlop tires front and rear. I felt that I got a smokin deal. The bike is scary fast from 6,000 to 9,700 RPM

They're top heavy, handle poorly, but go like a bat out of hell.

There are some oiling and cam lobe pitting issues.

Valves are a bit tricky to adjust, but no shims, just screw and jam nut adjustment.

Everything you want to know about it is here:

http://www.v4hondabbs.com/index.php?act=idx

and here:

http://www.sabmag.org/

It sounds like you got the bike for the cost of the work recently done on it and the new tires.

I like it a lot actually and I have about 1,000 miles from my ride back from San Diego plus the nice ride across 89a from Wickenburg to Prescott. I think the 80's models might have been top heavy but not so much the 3rd generation Magnas. Mine in particular feels lighter and less top heavy than my Silverwing and their weight is nearly identical. I have noticed some idle issues and a slight miss on two of the cylinders so might need some more carb work done and one I have the Vance & Hines exhaust plus the Dave Dodge jet kit I'll get all that done with the valve adjustment. This is definitely a cure for the acceleration deficit I experience on the Silverwing so I can occasionally just take this out and get all that out of my system. Thanks for the insight and links folks. All that will be helpful. If I can figure out how to post picks from my prescott trip I will put them up here from my windows phone. We met a couple riding an HD night train so I have pretty cool pictures of their bike too.

Sorry, I just realized from the topic title that yours is a 1995. I believe that the cam and oiling problems were fixed by then, as well as the later models having a new frame.

Your idling problems may require a re-look at the jetting. When using the
V & H pipes, the only real way to get the jetting spot-on is to use a dyno in conjunction with reading the plugs. That requires an expert. Like you say, all the specs must be within factory tolerances before beginning dyno tuning. The spark plug gap and valve clearances need to be checked first. Have fun.