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HONDA
MAGNA Article's
Headline: The original muscle bike gets longer, lower - and
more muscular
Performance
test results.
V-twins
have taken over the cruiser market. One by one, the fours
have been pulled out of the various Japanese cruiser
lineups. No more Maxims, V-Max, LTDs, Customs, Maduras or
Suzuki GS-Ls. What remains are a couple of fours that flaunt
their performance advantage over the slower paced twins.
Kawasaki has its Eliminator. Honda has dropped its 1100
Magna but reworked the 700 Magna with a longer, lower, more
customized look that emphasizes performance.
The engine is not greatly changed from
the 700 Magna it replaces, but the Magna chassis and styling
have been completely revamped to create a new Musclebike
look and improve ergonomics. Every place your eyes fall you
find some new styling twist. The wheelbase was stretched
almost 4 inches to 65.4, and the seat was dropped over an
inch to just 27.8 inches off the road. Combined with these
profile changes are a raft of styling ploys and details to
give the 700 Magna a home-built hot-rod appearance.
A clean, traditional fender is set on
long-looking 39mm fork stanchions, which now bolt to a
center axle, and the 19-inch front wheel is narrower (a
2.15-inch width instead of 2.5) than the ‘86 Magna’s . The
TRAC anti-dive system of previous machines was eliminated to
clean up the fork’s look and reduce cost, and one large disc
is used instead of the dual discs on previous models. The
front end was steepened 5 degrees to 25 degrees from
vertical. The chrome headlight was hidden one-point mount to
the lower triple clamp. The speedo and the oversized
electric tach are cased in chrome, set off the wrinkle
finish black upper triple clamp. The bullet shaped turn
signals look like custom parts.
Under the 3.4 gallon teardrop tank, two
imitation air boxes flank the big V-4. The airbox on the
right houses the cooling system thermostat: the left was
empty on our 49-state version but holds the evaporated
emissions canister for California machines. The engine is
finished in a natural aluminum, but the radiator is black in
an attempt to make it inconspicuous, an effort thwarted by
its size. Yellow plug leads with yellow caps look like a hot
rodders touch. Beneath the engine a small fairing sweeps
back to the rear of the engine like a piece for the
pro-stock dragster. Part of its purpose is to conceal the
tangle of plumbing for the four exhaust system, which
includes a maze of crossovers to equalize flow and send
pressure waves where the engineers want them. The exhaust
system emerges in four straight 3.4-inch mufflers, two of
which brazenly jut up each side of the bike.
Lavishly louvered side panels catch the
eye as it sweeps toward the solid aluminum disc rear wheel
and the fat 15-inch tire, which was widened from the 140 to
a 150/80 this year. To avoid cluttering the wheels clean
look, the rod operated drum rear brake is fitted. Beneath
the swooping two piece saddle, the VHD (Variable Hydraulic
Damping) shocks, duck-tail tailpiece and fender brace look
as though they could have come right out of the
Harley-Davidson’s styling department. Nestled under the
trailing edge of the tailpiece are two small round
taillights. The Magna is available in candy red or candy
blue.
With such a heavy emphasis on styling,
you might expect the Magna to have some significant
ergonomic or manageability problems, but there are none/
From a riders point of view, the 1987 Magna is actually a
significant improvement on the last 700 Magna we tested back
in May 1985. The seat-bar-peg relationship creates a
comfortable, alert posture without bending you into a
laid-back position that can wear you out on long rides.
Although the footpegs are slightly forward, you can put
enough weight on your legs to keep your rump from signing
off in short order. The curve, slightly narrow saddle is not
ideal for cross-country travel, but it’s adequately padded
for casual touring if you can stop when you begin to get
sore. It’s not so low that average or somewhat
taller-than-average riders feel cramped, but most
short-legged riders can reach the pavement at a stop.
The handlebar’s moderate rise is enough
to offer solid control and comfort at all speeds, although
you must hold yourself against the wind on
the highway. For long rides at highway speeds, a windshield
or light fairing would improve comfort significantly. The
soft, oversized handgrips are a comfortable fit for most
American fists. Vibration is negligible, even though the
engine is no longer rubber-mounted. Passenger accommodations
are less comfortable, though they are entirely satisfactory
for around-town jaunts.
The ride is about average with a single
170-pounder aboard. Although you feel small bumps a bit more
than usual, the Magna suspension does a competent job of
coping with medium to large bumps. The fork offers no
adjustments unless you are willing to change the oil, and
the VHD shocks only allow preload changes through five
positions. The settings picked offer pretty good compromises
for riding solo, but big bumps overwhelm the shock when a
passenger joins the rider.
With such a long wheelbase and six inches
of trail, the Magna steers somewhat slowly but without the
awkwardness of the more raked-out front ends used on many of
the V-twin cruisers. Some testers commented that they
preferred the Magna’s traditional handling feel and response
to the lightning-quick steering on some sport bikes or the
low-speed awkwardness of greater rake. The Magna’s steering
is predictable and precise and responds to modest handlebar
pressures at all speeds. Stability’s excellent whether
chugging along at four mph in traffic, making time on the
open road, or slicing through a corner. The Magna tracks
smoothly and predictably and is fun to ride on a meandering
back road if you don’t demand the maximum steering response.
The Dunlop’s on our bike, an F24 front and a K555 on the
rear, provided good but not outstanding traction in the dry
and only average traction on wet roads. Bridgestones are
also fitted to some bikes. The Magna offers adequate
cornering clearance for all but the most aggressive
twisty-road racers.
Although hard use while descending a long
series of tight switchbacks can fade the front brake
slightly, it provides more than adequate power and plenty of
control in other situations. We didn’t miss the anti-dive
system at all.
Driveline changes this year were limited
to slightly stouter clutch springs, a needle bearing
replacing the bronze bushing for the countershaft’s first
gear and a final drive shaft that’s 30mm longer than the ‘86
models (which was longer than the ‘85 machine’s). There
seems to be slightly less lash in the six-speed gearbox and
shaft-final-drive system than there was in the last 700
Magna we tested, although the Magna still has more than
average. The lash - at least on our test bike - is most
apparent when you slip the clutch while rolling along
slowly. That scenario often causes the driveline to
repeatedly take up and release the lash in rapid succession
with a noisy banging sound. That was our most significant
criticism of the drivetrain - and the bike. There is a
little rise and fall of the chassis with changes in power
setting, but the lengthened drive shaft has reduced that a
great deal. Shifting is smooth and positive, and locating
neutral is easy. The clutch pull is light, and the clutch
engages progressively and predictably.
The Magna uses a variant of the original
90-degree Honda V-4. A series of small changes give the
engine more power and torque than last year’s VF700C, but
the same basic engine is used. Although valve and V angles
and the dimensions for bore (70mm) and stroke (45.4 mm) are
the same as for the interceptor, virtually none of the same
parts - especially the major ones like crankcases - are
used.
This year’s Magna has reshaped ports and
bigger intake valves (27mm instead of 26mm in 1986). The
compression ratio has dropped from 10.5:1 to 10.2:1. The
intake valve opens five degrees earlier and the exhaust
valve
closes five degrees later; but valve lift has gone from 8.25mm
last year to 7.55 this year. A very sophisticated digital
ignition system supplies the spark, carefully tracking
engine rpm, adjusting spark advance and firing every other
revolution. The computer used is similar to that in
fuel-injection systems and has the capability to handle much
more complicated tasks than just ignition timing.
This tinkering and tuning in conjunction
with the new exhaust system have yielded more power at lower
rpm. Peak horsepower is up to 80 bhp (from 77 last year) at
the crankshaft, but it makes it at 9500 rpm, 500 rpm below
where the ‘86 Magna peaked. Peak torque is up almost 8
percent - again at lower rpm, 7500 instead of 8000. Redline
has been dropped to 10,00 rpm from 10,500.
Our bike (a 49 state model) started
immediately when cold and settled into a steady idle with a
minimum of choke. It pulled away cleanly, even when cold,
and accelerated smoothly from idle. It began to flex its
muscle at 4000 rpm, pulling right to redline without a
hiccup. The ‘87 Magna’s best dragstrip run, corrected for
ambient conditions was 12.20 seconds at 108.2 mph. Our 1985
test bike’s figures were 12.48 seconds at 107 mph. The new
machine turned in a 69.9mph average on our 50mph, 200 yard,
top gear roll-on test; not a bad figure considering that it
is handicapped by its tall overdrive top gear. Its
performance certainly makes it the king of the 750-class
cruisers, although with twice the valves and cylinders, the
Magna should have an advantage.
Unlike some of the V-twins, however, the
VF700C requires valve adjustments. It uses screw-type
adjusters. Other servicing details are simplified. The
hydraulic clutch never needs adjustment. Coolant is easy to
check by simply popping off the right side panel, which also
provides access to the fuse box. Chores such as tire changes
are complicated by the absence of a centerstand (although it
has helped reduce the Magna’s weight, which is down about
five pounds this year).
The Magna’s finish and detailing are the
usual excellent stuff we’re used to from Honda. Everything
matches and fits well. The only glitch in the appearance is
the ugly chromed welds on the handlebar where it’s fitted to
the elbow going into the clamp. Chrome is used more
sparingly than on the V-twins, but the bike still glitters
from many corners. Details like push-to-cancel turn signals,
the rubber sidestand safety tab, quartz-halogen headlight
and even license-plate bolts that come with (and match) the
bike mark Honda’s attention to detail. The ignition lock is
placed under the right side of the tank, and a seperate fork
lock is provided, making it twice as much work (compared to
an integrated lock system) to lock up the bike when you park
it - and twice as much work to steal it.
 At
$3998, the Magna’s price is up $500 from the price of the
VF700C of a year ago, but up just $100 over what the VF700
was selling for at the end of 1986. That’s right in line
with other bikes’ price increases. The facts that the Magna
is the only Musclebike remaining among the 750cc cruisers
and that it’s significantly better than last year may help
make the higher price tag easier to swallow. One big-eyed
owner of an older Magna put it this way: “ That is the bike
I always wanted!”
"OFF THE RECORD" Section
-----A few years ago everyone was
pointing out that cruisers have become the new standards.
The point was that cruisers were the most popular of all
classes of street bikes. Well, I’m here to tell you that
this one even works like a standard-style machine - and
that’s high praise indeed. It offer the natural riding
position and comfort of a standard. It has the pleasant
steering characteristics of a standard - neither high-speed
hyper nor rumble-fish floppy. It makes good power over a
wide range with a good compromise of bottom-end chug and
high-rpm snap. The styling is a bit overstated for my
tastes, but I don’t really mind how it looks when it
functions this well. -Art Friedman
-----As in the case of Yamaha’s funky
Fazer, I’m not overly fond of the 700 Magna’s looks. The
four pipes hanging out of the rear end and the swoopy,
flared styling of the side panels and rear fender bring to
mind the hot-rodded ‘57 Chevys with bulbous rear tires. But
I am quite fond of how the Magna works. It’s plenty fast,
has nice, comfortable ergonomics, is suspended well enough
and handles competently despite its rather long wheelbase
and severe fork angle. It took me a while to get used to the
Fazer’s looks, and I suspect it’ll take me some time to get
used to the Magna. But that doesn’t mean I don’t ride it. I
do. And I have fun in the process. -Mitch Boehm
-----The new Magna is pretty swell. The
motor is great, the chassis is more than competent for its
intended uses - even the single-disc front brake works
better than I would have expected. But function isn’t
everything, especially in the performance-cruiser class.
Looks are what sell these bikes. The Magna’s basic lines are
fine, and I like the details on the forward third of the
chassis. But those Captain Zoom side covers, the
chopperesque rear fender and the bizarre upswept quadruple
pipes kill it for me. Perhaps the Magna should come in two
flavors: tasteful and original recipe. -Dexter Ford
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