Two-Wheeled Workhorse
Article's Headline: 9,000 Miles
on a 1987 Honda Magna.
I
t’s
a gray morning in the San Fernando Valley, and a sheen of
moisture covers nearly everything. Even the birds have
decided to postpone the beginning of the day, so there is an
eerie silence in the usually dynamic and noisy suburb of Van
Nuys. I turn the key in the Magna, choke it and hit the
starter. Instantly the engine roars to life as it has
countless other mornings over the past six months. I idle it
down and towel the dew off the seat, mirrors and
instruments. With my shoulder bag diagonal across my chest
like a dispatch rider, I set a course for the Rider offices.
The Magna is enjoying the freedom from traffic, pulling
steadily and quietly.
Not since the ‘86 Yamaha V-Max
has there been a motorcycle as utterly reliable as the 1987
Honda Magna at Rider. No repairs, major or minor, were
required on this bike. Nine thousand miles and not a drop of
oil was added or needed. Even the tires have half of their
tread remaining. The engine fired up without hesitation
every time I hit the starter. Some bikes react badly to
being taken for granted. They loose their edge. They break
down. Not so with the Magna.
I have to wait at a signal before
entering the freeway and notice a construction worker waving
at me and shouting something.
“Hey buddy! Are those pipes
stock?”
Yeah.
You have to get used to answering
questions when you ride the new Magna. Never have I gotten
this kind of response from the public. On the freeway, in
the canyons, at shopping malls. At the stoplight now, I see
a man in a BMW 320i signaling me.
“Is that an ‘87?”
Yeah.
Honda really put together a
stunning package with the ‘87 Magna. A lot of the curbside
critics called it a Harley clone, but they weren’t paying
attention to the look. And a “V” configuration is not a
Harley exclusive. Never was. The new Magna uses the same
90-degree, V-4 engine configuration of previous Magnas, but
the frame and bodywork are all new. The old Magnas were
boulevard cruisers. The new Magna is styled after that
relatively new category of motorcycle, the muscle bike. With
an extended front end, those upturned exhausts, a solid rear
wheel, racy-looking yellow ignition wires and a
ground-hugging frame, you can almost smell the exotic fuels
and burning tires of a pro-stocker.
Function followed form in this
case, though, as that solid rear wheel is actually a heavy
two-piece unit, and its sole function is to turn heads, not
ETs. The four-into-four exhausts are angled for aesthetics
only, not performance. They actually came in hand once after
an unexpected downpour, though. I was riding through
numerous puddles on the way home when I misjudged the depth
of one at a busy intersection. Oh man, I can’t stall here!
The Magna was bulling its way through a foot of water when I
looked down at the exhausts. They were sticking up out of
the water like snorkels, avoiding the flooding that could
have caused an embarrassing stall. This probably wasn’t what
Honda had in mind, but it worked!
“Wow, that bike looks pretty
fast!”
Yeah.
Even though most people mistake
the engine for an 1100, the Magna’s mill is bored to a
torquey, tariff-beating 699cc. A new cam, tapered inlet
ports and the same digital ignition found on the Hurricanes
produce a claimed 80 horsepower that makes freeway on-ramps
and stoplight heroics a breeze. Like most cruisers, the
power is centered in the low and mid-range. Snap the
throttle open and the Magna pulls steadily to 8,000 rpm,
then fades as it approaches the 10,000 rpm redline.
I have to stop for gas after I
leave the freeway. The 3.4 gallon fuel tank is only good for
about 135 miles of in-town riding before hitting reserve.
The gas station attendant looks at the bike and asks,
“Does it handle?”
Yeah.
When I first saw the extended
front end, the last thing I expected was good handling.
Although its not a canyon bike, the Magna steers lightly at
any speed above a crawl. The front suspension has no
anti-dive or rebound adjustments, which is unfortunate since
the front fork is a little soft and the bike noses down on
hard brake application. This doesn’t upset the handling too
much, though, and the soft front end is partially
responsible for the cushiony ride. The rear shocks are
adjustable for spring preload only. I found the second notch
was best for my 165-pound body in the city. The Magna took
on chuckholes, washboard freeways and Bott’s dots with nary
a whimper. The handling is further enhanced by the frame
design, which slings most of the Magna’s 538-pound wet
weight down low, an improvement over earlier Magnas which
felt a little top-heavy.
Also like previous Magnas, the
power is sent to the rear wheel via shaft drive, which
requires less maintenance than a chain. Ordinarily, I
dislike shaft-driven motorcycles because of the jacking
effect that occurs when the throttle is rolled on and off.
But because of the long swingarm that contributes to the
Magna’s extensive 65.4 inch wheelbase, this was hardly
noticeable.
For stopping, Honda chose to go
with a large single disc on the front gripped by a
twin-piston caliper, and a rod-actuated drum in the rear.
Some effort is required to bring the front wheel to lock,
but the action is linear and free from grabbiness. The rear
drum is predictable and more than adequate to help haul the
Magna to a halt.
“Say, that bike looks
comfortable!”
Yeah.
The laid-back setting positions
of cruiser-class bikes usually lead to lower back pain for
me, but the Magna’s pullback bars are coupled with a neutral
seating position that allows you to rise on the pegs over
serious dips and debris, thereby transmitting the shock to
your legs instead of your lumbar. The main footpegs are in a
bad location for me, causing a foot-numbing bend at the
ankle, but I achieved long-range comfort by using the
passenger pegs and sitting in a “jockey” position. The seat
looks good and feels better. It’s soft, and broad in the
beam to get you over miles of highway without complaint from
down under. Sitting at stop signs and lights is an all too
common occurrence in L.A., but you can keep your feet flat
on the ground due to a new low 27.8-inch seat height, over
an inch lower than the ‘86 model. My passengers would have
liked a grab rail, and some tie-down points in back for
luggage would have been appreciated.
“That bike looks great!”
Yeah.
Its real hard to keep from
checking out your own reflection in the storefront windows
as you cruise. Honda spent a lot of time on the aesthetics
of this bike. What look like air cleaners are only covers
for the radiator lines. Those exhaust pipes look like they
came straight from a quarter-mile run, and undoubtedly
inspired most of the comments the Magna received.
Unfortunately, these dragstrip-inspired pipes prevent the
use of saddlebags, and I was forced to use a backpack or
shoulder bag most of the time. The finish on the Magna is so
well executed, I hated to risk a scratch by lashing a tail
pack to the fender or using a tank bag. This low cargo
capacity prevented taking the Magna on any extended tours,
restricting it to short trips and around town use.
But around town it went! I
motored the Magna around Los Angeles and the surrounding
area enough to cross the nation three times. Nine-thousand
miles of backroads, freeways and downtown Los Angeles’ own
motorized roller derby. Never a hesitation. Always quick
response and quick handling. And compliments. Lots of
compliments. Even at Willow Springs Raceway spectators were
drawn away from the race bikes to the Magna.
I pull into the Rider parking lot
at the same time as one of the mail room employees. Rather
than walk straight into the building, he trots over to where
I am removing my helmet and gloves. He sees a lot of
hardware in the Rider lot, and it takes a lot to impress
him.
“Do you like the Magna?”
Yeah.
