1983 Honda Magna v45 750 thoughts?

[Beowulf]

I got this bike in trade for a rifle. So far i really miss that rifle. This thing has been a pain. Left me stranded three times. First the clutch
Acted up. I bled the slave cylinder now i got great pressure. The carb is flooding and im trying to adjust it.

I feel i got taken but maybe im just being pessimistic.

Po connected fuel with heater hose and bailing wire. I corrected that.

 I find my v7 so much easier to live with. I know its newer and fuel injected.

Anybody have experience with these? Good bad or otherwise?

[bad Chad]

37 year old water cooled motorcycle, what could go wrong?

[Ncdan]

I had a new 83 Honda manga in 83. The 750 and 1100 were extremely well engineered bikes and both were fast!
I didn’t keep mine very long because I didn’t like the ridding position and traded it back yo the dealer got an 82 500 Silverwing gL interstate full dresser, even trade.

[Ryan]

Love the motor. Well, similar motor in my two interceptors. Great midrange, with a good top-end rush. Don't know about the Magnas but early Interceptor cams would spawl so take a look at those first. If the cams are good, rebuild the carbs and have fun.

[s1120]

They were a awesome motor!  Looks were up for debate..  You know.. the Nevada syndrome..   When they get old, and things need to be fixed, things get hard though!!  Not a easy bike to work on..  The good news is the bones are good. If you fix the problems right as they crop up, you will have it sorted soon. You know... Like a Guzzi.. :)

[Two Checks]

82 has the cam problem. They fixed em for 83 I am told. My brother put a lot of miles on his with no problem.
With a passenger the front gets light.
They were pretty durable bikes.
Most people got tired of the feet high and forward seating position. Many got parked and never ridden again. Don't know why.

[bodine99]

Had a 83 V-45 from 86 -98 great bike,daily rider about 25 miles rt. be very careful on the carbs. You can get the bowls off. The entire rack is a hassel.
Sparkler socket 18mm I think. I used an old straight plug boot stuck on a wood dowel for plug reinstall. anti-seize and care to not cross thread

[Perazzimx14]

37 year old water cooled ugly as a bastard cat motorcycle, what could go wrong?

Fixed it for you.

[chuck peterson]

Mr. Honda said it was the perfect motor..90 degree V4.

Magna...chopper-ish version

ST1100-1300 sport touring

VFR...sport, roadracing

Interceptors....80's, road-racing, racing schools

Any others places that v4 was used? Yes, different spec insides, but V4 90 degree..

[Chuck in Indiana]

I had a V4 back in the day. Honda fought that cam problem for a long time. They oiled the top end after the oil came from the transmission, and there wasn't much pressure. I drilled and trapped into the main gallery for top end oil pressure and plugged the other off.
Getting that carb rack out was a job for Job.    Getting it back in was worse. Oh.. don't mix up the carb parts.. they aren't interchangeable. 
Heaven help you if you drop something trying to adjust the valves.
Sweet engine once you get it going, though.

[Beowulf]

Fixed it for you.

I got to admit i hate the looks. This made me laugh.

I found the needle popped out on the carb. The bowls were full of gas. I think this definitely is a carb issue. Im not looking forward to popping these carbs out.

[drawnverybadly]

V4 Carbs were a huge pain to get sorted out but oh so important to get right if you want it to run correctly. I would go for a full rebuild of the carbs www.billysoutback.c om will have everything you need to rebuild your carbs. I would also just spring for a new set of rubber carb boots from ebay instead of trying to use the old rock hard boots.

https://youtu.be/GJ8qcUGXFqI
Here is a Part 1 of a 14 video series that goes through the carb rebuild step by step

I wouldn't worry about the cams or engine problems, that was isolated to the V45 Interceptors which used different cams than the Magna.

And be careful especially if you're used to the V7, the old Honda V-4s were beastly 10,000rpm engines that could easily overpower the frames and brakes of the Magna if you were careless.

[Darren Williams]

Back in the early 80's, I had a 1982 V45 Sabre. That was my sport touring bike and I put a lot of miles on it commuting and traveling over to the Ozarks. Only problem I had was the starter/generator brushes broke apart. The starter failed right at the beginning of a 3 day weekend trip to Arkansas. Being young and unstoppable, I figured no problem, I can push start it and continued on toward Arkansas. it was later I realized the dual function of the unit and that the battery was running down without being recharged. That was an adventurous weekend trip, connecting a battery charger and extension cord every time I stopped.

That was the only repair I ever had to do to the bike. The engine was very versatile with good low end torque and a real kick when spun up in the upper RPM range. I thought it handles really good, but what did I know back then.   

[oldbike54]

 Watched a guy flip one over backwards launching it at a drag strip in Arkansas .

 Dusty

[Darren Williams]

Watched a guy flip one over backwards launching it at a drag strip in Arkansas .

 Dusty

Wasn't me!  I babied mine. Never rode it hard, well except maybe on days that ended with a "Y".

[Muzz]

Son had a 750F V4.  Went like stink.

He was barreling along one day at 220kmh and suddenly thought, "what if the front tire blows".  The more he thought about it the more nervous he got.  Sold it and has been on Harleys ever since.   He never had any trouble with it while he had it.

[Ryan]

I was at the Seattle auto show, looking at a Magna as a possible replacement for my Kawasaki triple, when I saw a movie playing on the screen behind it. It was late 1982, and the bike in the film was the Interceptor. I was smitten, and that was the end of cruiser lust for me.

[Darren Williams]

In '82, I had been riding my almost new 1981 KZ 550 for a season, as my first street bike after riding dual sports since 14 years old. Full disclosure, my first bike was a '65 Honda S90 of my father's that he let me start riding when I was 11 or 12 and I couldn't wait to get a trail bike like all the other kids had. I had bought it from a guy that had just bought it new and then decided he couldn't afford it. I got it cheap, like half what he paid with less than 2000 miles on it and only 4 or 5 months.

But when I had the KZ, I was lusting after the new GPZ 550. The bikini fairing, and better suspension, along with the racy looks had me sold on it and I was plotting the move up. Means saving all my pennies. Then the stars aligned and I left riding green (the Kawasaki brand) going back to red (Honda).

There was a red 1982 V45 Sabre setting in the front yard of a farm house across the street from the factory I work at. It had a for sale sign on it. Of course I had to stop and ask about it. Turns out this older farmer's daughter had gotten this almost new bike, less than a year old with 2600 miles, in a divorce from her husband and her father was selling it for her. It was a really low asking price, so I had to jump on it fast. I had to get a loan against my car to get the money, then sell my KZ. It all took less than a month to make the trade up, finally selling the KZ, with no out of pocket money.

I set that Sabre up for sport touring, which back then I did know was a thing, and rode it over 60,000 miles over the next few years. I had that bike until a dog put me down at speed and tore the bike up so bad I sold it for parts. The Sabre changed my perspective on motorcycles. I think for the positive.

[Beowulf]

Thanks fellas. Im gonna see if i can take the bowls off today and what im working with.

[kirby1923]

Damn Darren, your,( or You're for the grammar critics!), positively snake bit when it comes to hitting critters.

I bought a new V45 interceptor in '83 and except for the cam galling problem, which Honda fixed w/upgraded hardening and oiling,(I installed the kit myself) it was bullet proof until I sold it at around 60K.

Tight to work on but if you take your time and have patience it will pay off. I never had to fiddle with the carbs but have on the latter Vs as I still have a '97 VFR, last of the mechanical carbed machines, and still love riding the thing.

[SIR REAL ED]

Watched a guy flip one over backwards launching it at a drag strip in Arkansas .

 Dusty

Memories...... At a drag strip in upstate NY era 1980ish: 

I had my Yamaha XS750SE Special racing against a 900 Kawasaki.  We both moved into the water pit, did a burnout, his bike went sideways and he dropped it.  He got some help getting it up, proceeded to turn it and headed to the water pit (apparently he felt the need to finish his burnout).  He clamps on the front brake in the water pit and drops the bike again.  Again he is helped up.  We get to the starting line.  Since his bike was quicker, I got a half second lead on the lights.  I got a good run and was waiting for his to blow by me at the end.  Never happened.  I later found out he flipped it over backwards on the starting line.

I had fun that night.  I suspect he had less fun.

A guy down the street has a V65 Magna.  He is a collector/hoader and it has been sitting out in the weather for about 20 years now.  Has not moved an inch.  About 17 years  ago, I asked if he was interested in selling it.  He was not.

[Moparnut72]

The only experrience I had with these was a Sabre. I was riding from Sturgis back to Denver on my R75/5. I was running well over the speed limit, a very deserted road. A guy on a Sabre passed me but dropped back and passed me again. He was having fun with me, little did he know that there was major road construction up ahead, about 30 miles of gravel road. I droped the speed a bit but not too much. I never saw him again. Sorry for any typos it is hard to type on a keyboard with that and a Yorkie in my lap .
kk

[Beowulf]

Doesn't look terrible. Needles move fine. But im cleaning the piss out of it.

[Beowulf]

Being the novice i am does anyone think this might be enough crud judging from the pics to cause problems?

[Ryan]

Yes. It doesn't take much varnish to clog jets ams emulsion tubes. That same film of varnish that coats the bowls coats everything else that was in contact with the fuel. From the looks of it, the bowls were full and you will need to carefully clean and examine.

[Perazzimx14]

Might soak the carb parts (alloy, brass and rubber) in PineSol for 24 hours. Get you a gallon of it and 4 plastic containers each big enough for the offending carb. PineSol makes varnish its bitch but will not harm alloy's brass, rubber. After 24 hour simply rinse the parts in hot water and maybe a gently scrub with a tooth brush for the really stubborn stuff.

Do not put cadmium plated brackets or screws in the PinSol for a long duration as it will strip the cadmium plating. If this does happen its not the end of the world simply rattle can the freshly stripped art the color of you choosing. 

[SIR REAL ED]

Being the novice i am does anyone think this might be enough crud judging from the pics to cause problems?

The last two posts are good advice.

If you are a novice I would suggest only taking apart one, two, or three carbs at a time.  The carb that is untouched may be an invaluable visual reference when it comes time to re-assemble.

[Beowulf]

Might soak the carb parts (alloy, brass and rubber) in PineSol for 24 hours. Get you a gallon of it and 4 plastic containers each big enough for the offending carb. PineSol makes varnish its bitch but will not harm alloy's brass, rubber. After 24 hour simply rinse the parts in hot water and maybe a gently scrub with a tooth brush for the really stubborn stuff.

Do not put cadmium plated brackets or screws in the PinSol for a long duration as it will strip the cadmium plating. If this does happen its not the end of the world simply rattle can the freshly stripped art the color of you choosing.

Thanks for the tip. Im definitely going to use it. I took the top and bottoms of the carbs cleaned the residue of why carb cleaner. Took out the needles and jets and cleaned those. Will see if it makes a difference.

[jared p]

That was actually my first bike. Bought it for $800 out of Albuquerque. I absolutely loved that bike, until the engine seized and grenaded haha. But besides that, it was great. If I could I'd pick up another one. To be fair though, I never had to repair anything on it, basic maintenance until it failed.

[Ryan]

Don't overlook the passages in the carb body. Some are tiny, but when they clog you will have problems. I chased an off -idle stumble for a while until I discovered a tiny little hole just downstream of the throttle plate that was plugged. It allowed just enough extra fuel when the throttle was cracked open to keep things smooth. The carbs are a pain in the ass to get in and out, so extra careful now means you don't have to do it three times.