I guess it's official now.

A little over 3 years ago in a public forum near you I typed this:

Quote
deckeda
Not ready to buy, perhaps never will be ready. But I'm interested in something lighter and slow, for putzing around town and backroads, no freeway needed.

Like a moth to flame I'm attracted to '70's "ULMs" (so-called universal Japanese motorcycles) and the Honda CB in particular.

I've also leered at a few '70s enduros. 125cc? Wouldn't bother me. 250cc twin? Hey let's not get fancy.

Apparently I got fancy and bought a mint 1982 Honda CM200T. These early cruisers occupy an odd place in history, with Japanese makers trying to chase H-D without success. Bikes like this and the larger 250/450 variants of course quickly became the Rebel lineup, a series of bikes I've never had any interest in.


The colorway on a Biltwell Gringo S ECE Spectrum should be OK with the bike's colors, because why not? The helmet is one I was interested in for other reasons, too.

Congrats! When I got back into riding a few years ago, I snagged an '81 Honda CM400t. Love those old style Hondas. Enjoy! And while I'm at it, I might as well recommend another forum to peruse (and join): [www.vintagehondatwins.com]
I found them very helpful.

Quote
wurm
... And while I'm at it, I might as well recommend another forum to peruse (and join): [www.vintagehondatwins.com]
I found them very helpful.

Thanks. I'm already there. Started from some ex-pats of hondatwins.net (sounds vaguely familiar to Dealmac-MRF)

I have about a month to get some gear together, take the MSF basic and so on. The bike needs me to clean the carb and get new tires for it. The rest appears to be pristine.

Good resource for your parts needs - [www.davidsilverspares.com]

I started out riding early 80’s Hondas. Reliable as an anvil.

So far I have owned around 17 motorcycles from various manufacturers. Currently own a Honda Goldwing, Triumph Speedmaster and an older Kawasaki ZX11. Love motorcycles as much as Macs.

Enjoy the ride.

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)

Thanks, Z

Basic Rider Course happening in 2 1/2 weeks.

my only bike at the moment is a 225cc, so welcome to the small displacement club! I got up to 60mpg in general riding.

---

Hurts like a bastid...

Get a Honda Magna V65, and let everyone else riding V-twins chase you.


==

Quote
Buzz
Get a Honda Magna V65, and let everyone else riding V-twins chase you.


==

I've always wanted the Sabre.

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Hurts like a bastid...

Quote
mrbigstuff

Quote
Buzz
Get a Honda Magna V65, and let everyone else riding V-twins chase you.


==

I've always wanted the Sabre.

Mmm, chocolate camshafts, yum!

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I had a V65 Sabre, VF1100S.


Not mine, but a clone.

Of all the bikes I've owned, that was my favorite.

90º water cooled V-4
shaft drive
six speed with O/D
gear position indicator

If Honda brought this back tomorrow, I'd own one.

One of the most beautiful bikes Honda ever made, right down to the understatedly elegant 4-into-2 exhaust.

Relatively quick, more speed than I need, and a very brisk roll-on in OD.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

There are lots of "old Hondas" I wish they still made. Classic look as far as I'm concerned. Still like the parallel twin look, but not a fan of the body fairings being added to everything. Alas, time marches on. Nearest I found a couple of years ago when I was looking again was what I ended up buying; a 2005 Suzuki S50 with only 5k miles on it. I wasn't looking for a V-twin and did NOT want a Harley, but I did want shaft drive. I'm still very happy with it and have managed to put another 10k miles on it in the two seasons I've owned it.

And I'm sure I don't have to remind you, deckeda, you're invisible out there on the road.

I had the V65 Sabre's little brother, the V45 Sabre. Very sweet machine. My 1982 model had the 85MPH max speedometer (which, ah, sucked--a lot). The 750cc engine was capable of a lot more speed. I had pegged the speedo in 4th of 6 gears, and it just wanted to walk away from everything else on the road.

At idle, it was quiet and nearly totally vibration-free. I balanced a quarter on edge on the transmission case while it was idling, to the amazement of several bystanders (no additional salt crystals or dirt needed).

I had the bike for 10 years and sold it to my brother, who rode it for another 5, before selling it on to some youngster who wanted to pot around in the woods...

I still have my motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license.

Thanks for the memory jog

---

=TC

Some of the best engineering comes from Suzuki. I heard they’re quitting GP racing, a bad omen for their consumer lines.

Since we're posting bike pics -

Quote
Z
Since we're posting bike pics -

Better start prepping for its Golden Anniversary party pretty soon.... we wanna see invites for when Covid's over and done with.
I remember when I thought those were fast; until I stretched my arms on a buddy's then new Kawasaki Z1 900, and then stretched 'em a bit more a few years later on a another buddy's KZ1000. My dream bike was a red Magna V65 like this....



but I've had to live vicariously thru others since the mid 1980's....
though, like TheCaber, I've maintained the motorcycle endorsement on
my driver's license since The Beatles were on their Magical Mystery Tour.
==

Yup, just four short years away from being a semi-centenarian!

I know that there were some yoshimura-prepped versions that could outpace the 900s and 1000s back in the day, but anything modern will now smoke all of them with comparatively little effort, so... I'll enjoy my sedate, 408cc life.

Google says that’s a ‘76 CB400, Parakeet Yellow. I dig the 4-into-1. Nice!

Yup, the googles did not lie to you. The (un)important question is, what color should I do up my spare tank in?
OEM blue?

White?


Perhaps Gulf liveried?

Two wheels? What a bunch of pikers...