| Welcome to the Midwest... |  |
| Chris Josephes ~ St. Paul MN I'm a 27 year old Unix systems administrator from St. Paul, Minnesota and new to the sport of motorcycling. I found an 84 v30 Magna and after getting some advice from friends (and other Magna owners on the net) I decided to got for it. I haven't regretted that decision and I hope to keep this bike for as long as possible (but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to put an early 80s v65 in my garage either). Bike: 1984 V30 Magna |  Chris Josephes |
| Mike Walt I'm a nut. What else would you call someone who lives in an area where there is 7 months of honest-to-gawd winter and owns 8 bikes? I have owned at least one VF model V-4 since October 83', when I bought a brand new 83' V-45 Magna for 2795$. I upgraded to a 84' V-65 Sabre with 350 miles on it on Halloween day, 1985. I fitted the Sabre with a Hondaline fairing (new in box: 400$) and Krauser bags. During this time, I acquired an 86' VF 500 Interceptor for my wife Connie. I had the Original Beast(tm) until 1992 when I sold it (forgive me lord) to buy a 750 Katana. I quickly tired of the Kat and purchased an 86' VFR 750 in 1993. In 1996, I discovered the Sabmag list and the urge to own another V-65 became terminal. I bought an absolutely immaculate 86' V-65 Magna (since sold to Tony Donisi) in July of 1996 and a beautiful loaded V-65 Sabre in May of 1997. I could probably afford to buy a single newer bike, but why? I can't forsee a time when a Honda V-4 isn't parked in the Walt garage. Bikes: '85 V-65 Sabre '86 VFR 750F '86 VF 500F |  Mike Walt |
| Martin C. Peters ~ MI I am currently a 25 year old student at the University of Michigan doing my best to escape with a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. I returned to motorcycling last January after a 7 year lay-off. My only previous bike was a '78 CB400 so my '84 V65 Magna "The Demon" was quite a step up in all realms. Honestly the bike was an impulse buy but has since become part of me. I cannot leave anything mechanical alone so with the help of the SabMag list I have wrenched my way around almost every aspect of the bike save the transmission. It may be blasphemy but I enjoy wrenching as much as riding. I put 10K on the bike this summer with trips to Vermont, New York, Missouri, and Chicago more times than I care to count. So far my record day is 800 miles but I aim to beat that next season. Bike: 1984 V65 Magna |  Martin C. Peters |
| David Ryder ~ Cleveland OH Yes, *I'm* that guy from Cleveland everyone seems to refer to. I got
into motorcycling in '96, and, with my characteristic fervor toward
any hobby, was soon engrossed in all aspects of it. I use my
motorcycle as my main transportation, riding something like 15k per
year, rain, sleet, fog, or rabid pit bulls notwithstanding. By day, I'm a
computer geek for a construction engineering firm in Cleveland. The
Ryder stable includes a 91 ST1100 (The Silk Stiletto), and my
girlfriend Janine's 93 ZG1000 Concours. |  David Ryder |
| Nate Saltus ~ Decatur, IL Hey Maggots! This list is great! I've learned so much about my bike from you smart, friendly people. I lucked on to my '85 V65 Magna in late summer of '96...my first bike. Since then I've put on a few miles and a few of the mods that I've read about on this list:
So for all the people who've offered knowledgeable answers and all the people who didn't flame my dumb questions, thanks. Bike: 1985 V65 Magna |  Nate Saltus |
| Michael P. Tesch ~ Far West DuPage County, IL Born in '53 I am now 44 yrs. old. I have worked for over 27 yrs. as a cartographer with my current title as Senior GIS Compilation Supervisor. I am married and have two daughters, both now married. On July 2, 1997 I became a grandfather and believe me, my grandson, Jack Matthew Felumlee, gets plenty of attention and affection. I used to ride an altered Honda 305 bored and stroked to 350 when I was in Jr. High and High school but quit because I couldn't control myself and got into trouble too many times. The most embarrassing was the time I was clocked at over 100mph and had no thoughts of pulling over. As the lights went on I went WOT and instantly ran out of fuel. The officer was very nice actually and after putting fuel in the tank followed me home and talked to my folks with me red as a beet. I was 14 at the time. I rode off and on for a few more years but realized I was not in control of myself and after several friends were severely injured riding like I did, I quit riding. Many years passed but my love for bikes did not disappear. Thinking that with my additional years I may have gained some maturity, I bought an old beat up Yamaha 400 SX from my wife's little brother about 3 yrs. ago for about $300. Did some work on it but realized I did not want a small, air-cooled engine. A year later I had decided I wanted a Honda V65. It just seemed like the perfect bike to me, especially in my price range. After test driving a Magna and unable to talk the seller down to what I felt acceptable, drove over to seller that had a big Sabre. I took it for a test ride and the handling felt so far superior I bought it right then. I have done repairs and alterations to this bike and am very happy with it. I ride to work whenever it's not raining, snowing or ice on the roads and it is above freezing. I sometimes ride in colder weather but only when there is no other vehicle available. I sometimes take my wife for rides but to tell the truth I do not feel comfortable with passengers. I do not like feeling responsible for their safety. The SABMAG group is fantastic. I have met a few of the members and the combined knowledge and wisdom of this group concerning bikes in general, but especially the V4 family of Honda bikes has helped me learn a lot and avoid unnecesary problems. Bike: 1984 V65 Sabre |  Michael P. Tesch |
| Phil Ross ~ Columbus OH My first ride was on my best friend's Honda Trail 50 back in 1970. Proportionately, it fit me about like my V65 Sabre does now. My dad says that he knew from that time that I was going to be a rider. He didn't exactly encourage this interest, so my early riding was pretty clandestine, on whatever I could borrow. Looking back, I'm glad I learned the basics on dirt. I've had a number of bikes since that first ride, and most of them have been Hondas. I went through a string of CB750Ks in the 1980s. The last several have been V4s: a V30 Magna in 1990, a VF700 Magna in 1996, and a V65 Sabre in 1997. And my girlfriend Edi finally got tired of riding pillion,and got a 250 Rebel for her first bike this year, after acing the MSF course. I'm so proud. :^)> In real life, I'm a research historian for the USDA Forest Service on the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania. I love my work. Though it's pretty here, the roads aren't all that interesting or well-maintained, so I find myself taking off to find fun roads every chance I get. My favorites are in the southern Appalachians mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, where I lived for many years. I've been gravitating more and more to long distance riding in recent years, and between the Magna and the Sabre, I rode about 28,000 miles this year. Winter is long and ugly here, so I ride while I can. I'm also one of the Sabmag listadmins, and I maintain the Compleat(tm) SabMag Links Page. It's been a rewarding experience participating here, to say the least. I've had the privilege of meeting and riding with many Sabmaggers, and I count several among my best friends. Looking forward to meeting more of you this coming year! Bikes: 1986 VF700 Magna 1985 V65 Sabre |  Phil Ross |
| Sam Woodson ~ Columbus OH This is my 1984 Honda V-65 Magna. This is my 3rd motorcycle. The 1st was a 1985 V-65 Magna, I had it for about 1.5 years and sold it when I bought a 1986 Mustang GT Convertible. Then about 2 years ago I sold the GT and wanted a motorcycle again. So, I found a good deal on a 1985 Honda NightHawk 650. I paid $1,000 for it. Cleaned it up, rode it for 3 months, put some miles on it and sold it for $1,500. However, I was spoiled and NEEDED a V-65 Magna again. After looking at several bikes, I finally found a NICE one. I paid $1,050 more for it, but I am much happier with it. I've had 3 different rear tires on the bike. The stock Bridgestone Qualifier, that was replaced with a Cheng Shin Hi-Max. I was quite happy with the Cheng-Shin. I got over 10k miles with it. I wanted to check out other brands though and bought a Kendra Challenger K-657. I am also happy with this tire. I am waiting to see how many miles I get out of it. Then I'll decide if the next tire will be another Cheng-Shin or Kendra. The front tire was also the stock Qualifier. I replaced it with a Bridgestone Spitfire. I am also happy with this tire, but I will probably give Cheng-Shin or Kendra a try next time. Bike: 1984 V65 Magna |  Sam Woodson YWS#009 |
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