RE: what are some of the pros and cons to an 87 v65

Honda VF 1100 discussion forum:


RE: what are some of the pros and cons to an 87 v65

RE: what are some of the pros and cons to an 87 v65 
DARC Jester said 2011-09-29 16:01 
 
Well, here are a few things you probably should know about any V65. First of all, they are fast as hell and will blow most Harley´s off the road. They have a boat load of power, this is a lot of bike. That´s a good thing...They also get a lot of respect because they were a big deal when they were built. They handle well,have a cool look and feel good to ride...Also good.

Now the bad...They are older bikes and you can´t find parts for them anymore. Make sure you have a pretty good feel for Ebay and keep your local motorcycle junk yard on speed dial. Since parts are kind of scarce, they are also not going cheap. There are very few after-market parts for this bike. It´s even a %&#!¤ to find saddle bags that fit the thing because the the seat doesn´t attach at the rear like every other bike, it has little tabs that have to go right where the throw over bags need to sit. You either need to totally modify the bags or find some kind of bolt-on mounts for bags...Oh, and did I mention that the pipes come up kind of high so you have to get smaller bags or else they will sit on the pipes and melt?

Also, most Honda dealers won´t work on bike that age, so you either better get to know how to fix it yourself, have a good mechanic type of friend or find a guy in your area that works on old Hondas.

And... everything in the design of this bike is crazy. Nothing is where it should be, nothing works like a V twin and everything you need to fix will inevitably be under or behind something else that you need to remove to get to the problem. The wiring is insane. Plus it´s a 4 cylinder engine...4 carbs to tune in sync, 4 carb kits. Make sure you get a copy of a service manual, because non of your Harley wrenching friends will have a clue what to do with one of these.

So, basically, if you really want one of these because you really like them, dig the reputation they have and really get into working on and maintaining them, they just rock! But, if you want a more hassle free and conventional bike with fewer headaches...Buy the Shadow.
 
 
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