My goofy friend was a motorcycle guy like me. He had a 350 honda when I met him. One day he called me to come see the new bike he bought. His face had a look of shock from feeling how fast it was. Then he said, " for a 650 this thing is crazy". I told him it was not a 650 but 1100. He thought the 65 badge ment 650
Yep, that would be 65 inches my friend. I think they just thought that’s what Americans wanted. It’s actually like 67.something which is kind of weird that they wouldn’t go with the bigger number
I had a V65 Saber was my first street bike that was an 1100 that had a top end of about 165 miles an hour and Overdrive I love that bike I wish I never got rid of it
Hi Ken! Awesome bikes! I have a super clean all original 1985 but it has the blue stripe in place of the red stripe! They are crazy super fast! Me being an old Honda Technician it has been maintained like clock work....not every mechanic knows how to adjust the valves on these correctly which is the life of the cams on these! These bike are not seen alot but are eye openers when you climb on and twist the grip!!! Nice find you have!
I had a VF1000R. What you say about the cams n this series of engine is absolutely correct. It got wrecked by a truck reversing over it so I put the motor in a VF750 F chassis, that was a blast! In 70 thousand miles, I never had any camshaft issue. In the end, it broke the gearbox! I have a more recent V4 Honda, a VFR 750 R RC30. A different universe of a bike.
@@aaronwetzel1981 The Sabre was a little quicker than the Magna in the 1/4 mile. I thought that might be because of a weight difference but I can see that if it's tuned different that might have been it.
Ah yes, the '84-'85 V65 Sabres! Incredible bikes! I had a '84 V65 Sabre that I bought in 2003 and kept it for 4 years, putting over 26,000 miles on it. Fun bike to ride! Before that I put over 120,000 miles on 3 different VF700/V45 Sabres. Lots of maintenance was required anytime I was about to do a long ride, and decided to sell the V65 Sabre and my last V45 Sabre, after buying a 2005 ST1300. Between November 2005 and today, I have over 396,000 miles on 5 different ST1300s. (Three I still own). In some ways I wished I could have hung on to the V65 Sabre and my last V45 Sabre (a 1985 Canadian model), but finances wouldn't let me. It's nice to see these bikes still on the roads! Two Thumbs Up!
I had a 1985 V45 700 for about 10 years. Then I bought a 2002 ST1100. Loved them both! Just got a 2023 Vulcan s, my first cruiser. Honda only had a Rebel 1100 DCT automatic (yuck). Ride safe!
I have a V65 Sabre and i freakin love it! Super smooth and Uncomfortably Fast! The HP was 121 Crank HP not wheel. It mostly likely had just over 100WHP.
And that’s totally enough. Almost every time a really get on it, it spooks me a little. Then I think about how insane it must be to ride a Hayabusa with 220 hp. Probably a lot of fun actually but, I don’t need that much go/trouble.
I had a V45 and it was plenty powerful. It was comfortable to ride and could haul ass on the highway. I don’t know what it’s top speed was but it could cruise at 130 km/h quite comfortably. Unfortunately, I had to sell it in 1997 to cut expenses since I was supporting a wife and two kids. I still miss that bike.
@@LEOhopeful In the mid 80's cruising "comfortably" at 130 km/h or 80 mph was decent performance as was the low 11 second quarter mile time that this bike could do. That's why the V65 Sabre was in the Guiness World Book of Records and this was clearly stated in the title of this RU-vid post. You must not know your bikes very well if you don't recognize that this is one very impressive bike even now and more so back in the 80's.
Man I'm really glad you just throw out a number for parts and labor, because I put about 5 months of my own time into A 1985 V65, and mine was a shaft drive which only had 13000 miles. I have to come see this one to do a comparison
Owning 4 Honda VFR Interceptors I can tell you ..when you get on the LONG open roads all you saw in those days were Harleys , BMW'S and the VFR'S and SABERS . Everything else killed you after 500 miles . I rode my VFR'S from Chicago to Key West and from the East Coast to the West ...AND LOVED IT ! PK
I have a 1984 Sabre v65 and it is an absolute beast !! I couldn't ride last year, so hopefully This summer will see me and my wife back on it.... I have the backrest, luggage rack and a trunk on mine.... It was that way when I bought it, and those things are so handy..... My wife loves for us to go riding for local trips.... We are both 59, and this is the perfect bike for us..... Comfy for both of us, and an ass haulin muscle bike when it's just me !!!
Picking one of these up today that was loved and kept up by the previous owner, kept out of direct elements since her death. Getting it for an unreal price and hoping to get it looking this nice soon. Wasn't sure I wanted it until watching these videos.
Still have mine and they're rare in the UK. Agree with your assessment, fantastic GT motorcycle that will take you miles in comfort but then it also just makes you want to be a hooligan at traffic lights. Great bike for putting a smile on your face. Not sure you're right about the speed though the VF1000R was definitely quicker.
I've only had the great pleasure of SITTING on one but can tell everyone here, that seating/bar position was one of the most comfortable riding profiles I've ever been in. And it's low-maintainance SHAFT-DRIVE!!
"The chain in those handcuffs is high-tensile steel. It’d take you ten minutes to hack through it with this. Now, if you’re lucky, you could hack through your ankle in five minutes. Go.” - Max " what are you gonna do with the other 5 gears? " Back To The Future
I still have my '84 V65 Sabre..had it painted the red and white color scheme of the '83 CB1100F..turns heads where ever I go. Also have an '04 VFR 800 VTEC..amazing power from both V4s.
Yo Sr!! Please do a demo of the rare 85-86 Yamaha XJ 700, (which were developed to get around our U.S. tariffs on Japanese 750cc bikes) I owned one back in the early 2000's but had to sell it 'cause I needed the money. -Had know idea how much of a rare classic these shaft-drive beasts would end up being.
the v45 was my first streetbike.sold it to a buddy when i got my 1st HD he wiped her out fortunately he was ok.decade later found a v65 in bargain news and scored for 1500$ she burned oil and was romped but got a few seasons out of her.great bikes great memories.i would buy another!
I have one of these(an 84) that I got as a basket case three years ago. It's identical to this one and the second one I have owned. The first was 30 years ago with the same paint and also had the optional "Hondaline" fairing, which in my experience is the only way you can go 177 mph. I never went that fast on it but when I first opened it up I shifted in to overdrive(OD on the gear indicator) at 9000 rpm and saw I was going 150 mph and it redlines at 10000. After that I didn't need to know what it's top speed was. My newly restored V65 does not disappoint even without the fairing it's a blast. I have to remember my age when I ride it!
Interesting machine which I never knew existed. In th 90s I worked in an import shop here in England, every 3-4 months the owner would fly over to LA and fill up a 40-foot container with full-power V-Maxes, GL1500s etc. We started bringing in Honda V65 Magnas (like one of these but styled more like a chopper) and everyone who tested one said it was even faster than the V-Max. We couldn't import enough of them! Shaft drive, this looks like it could get you across the US from coast to coast just checking the oil and tyres
I went over to the US in the late 90s, stumbled on a very affordable used V65 Magna in a local paper and went on a memorable 5-state road and camping trip for a few weeks. Super reliable and suprisingly versatile touring bike...very easy, comfortable and capable ride...not necessarily the high-revving, agressive speed monster that marketing made it out to be, an incomplete picture perpetuated here by Ken's words, burnouts and launches. I went on to live in the US for several years, and the V65 became my daily driver...just brilliant in that role...never an issue with it. I only regret selling it for peanuts when I moved back to Europe.
i remember falling in love with one of these when my grandma took me out to waffle house as a teenager and i remember thinking it was so weird to love such an old bike before my time but it makes so much sense now
I had the V45 Honda Magna, 6 speed shaft driven! It was a great bike until the gears were meshing at the wrong time causing tire lock up. So I ended up selling it and the guy who bought it, fixed it and sent it over to Russia. Great bike, will never go chain again.
Sabres are wicked badass freind mine had one I use ride alot they Handel very good thr comfortable n you can ride long way excellent HP to weight ratio
I remember as a kid reafing about this and then the vmax. I could never imagine ever riding one. Many years and bikes later a friend of mine bought a vmax.... I remember taking it out expecting to be shocked, but modern bikes are just so fast and technically advanced that the old girl seemed like a tractor... It was quick... But the zx10 I'd been on begore it would destroy it in every way.... Still fun though but never as fast as I expected..
Yes bro you just gave the best tutorial on this bike I've ever heard bro you really total pro n doubt thr,s anyone that can match yr overall motorcycle knowledge bro I still want work for you big bro ! Bro I'm badass hand bro ! I prove it if you HV me chance let me come work for you first month free
Yeah, I bought one new in ’84. I rode it all over central Cali. It’s the only bike I almost fell off of. No kidding, when I first had it, I jack rabbited away from a stop sign, and damn near slid off the ass end of it. It was a magnificent beast. I sold it because I was drinking at the time, and thought I was going to kill myself on it. But, I did manage to survive three years or so of riding it. I’d really like to own another one, now that I’m a bit more civilized in my personal life. My Triumph T120 is a big, powerful bike. But it is a wimp compared to that V65 Sabre.
Now this one looks identical to the one i bought brand new zero miles in 1985, the bike was a 1984 leftover though, was like flying a jet, 0-60 mph in 2.68 secs. 2nd gear wheelies set the front wheel down at 110 mph in 2nd gear ....
Had a new one out of the crate in 87. Reno Honda couldn’t do a simple carb rebuild and actually told me to sell it as they could not work on it. Sold it in 2010 not running. I told the trooper who pulled me in Myrtle Beach I couldn’t get the bike out of third. I was over the speed limit in 2nd. 5 gears and one extra I called Over Dose. It lit up as OD, not 6. Same bike went from North Carolina to South Carolina to Nevada to Kent, Ct and back to Nevada. Someone’s running it still I’m sure. FYI, your Sabre is missing the silver cap that pops into that hole in the side of the frame on either side. 🎃
I've always loved the Honda V4s, but I've been put off from buying them because those carbs are a bitch-and-a-half to mess with and with my luck and budget, I'd get one that needs messing with.
You are going to need a lot longer roads than that!! I used to ride on the highway at 70, and see other cars in horizon. I would hit the gas, and in one minute, I would be passing them at 145 mph! By the way, have you tried 0-55 in 2-3 seconds in first gear? I sold that bike because I was afraid of it. It was the devil... Telling me to, "go faster! go faster!"
I have a twin to that bike except mine has the upper and lower fairings and doesn't burn oil like that one. Almost mint condition with only 10k miles on it. I sent you guys an email about possibly trading it and 2 of my other bikes for something of equal value and never heard from you yet. I understand you're busy, but that was about a month ago I sent the email and still haven't heard anything yet.
@@KaplanCycles Will do, no big hurry, I was just curious because I sent a very detailed email explaining each bike and never received any word back. Who is senior director? Ken Jr.?
@@brianzaborowski2724 Too busy or disorganised to read a convenient and carefully-crafted email from a willing customer at their leisure within a month and instead resort to processing business leads on the fly using phones and text messages 🤷♂ People and companies have just lost the plot with regards to resource allocation, workflow and organisation. Such a shame.
You couldn't do a wheelie on this bike if you tried. Engine is too heavy. Handle bars are too far forward (sport model). Patching out yes and many times by accident esp on snow or ice (and biting the dust).🛑
Rebuilt the carbs on my V65 Sabre because of a fuel leak. The third time I found out it was the fuel suppy pipe in the carbs which broke. Refitting the carbs is a nighmare, specially doing it three times.... Took me and my retired car mechanic neighbour 3 full days and a lot of swearing....
