I bought a 95 magna 12 years ago. I thought I would sell it after a few rides but I was wrong. Riding pleasure, seating position, acceleration everything is perfect. I have a motorcycle that I will never sell.
Nice one. I need to do something about my wheels too eventually, the lacquer has peeled and tarnished quite badly. I'll probably get them powder-coated eventually, or maybe go wild and swap to spokes as I've seen done online. Who knows haha
i got the same bike, 96 in yellow. the front brake issue is mitigated with ebc hh brake pads and a steel braided brake line. After doing this I have no problem locking up the front tire in testing. Honda used a larger diameter disk in the front instead of going to a dual smaller disk. Also by the manual the rubber brake lines are only good for 2-4 years, after that they need to be replaced like the tires. So using 20 year old rubber brake lines seriously negates braking performance from what it originally was from the factory. Also cleaning the front master cylinder revealed a whole bunch of rust in it and the brake system. You cant expect a rusty brake system to actually perform at the edge, yeah it slows the bike down, but not like it did when it was new. The most mind blowing thing to me is that the old manuals used to tell you the valve clearances and adjustment procedures, whine the manuals for the new motorcycles simply tell you to refer to an authorized repair shop.
I think mine has had new lines, I actually don't remember off the top of my head, but I'll definitely be looking into some better pads when they come up for renewal.
Oddly enough, I just came in from the shop from starting the bikes that haven't been out in a while. Took a seat and found this vid. Have a few newer bikes (Tuono, Diavel V4 , assorted Ninjas) but chose the 2000 Magna to take a short ride on. God she still puts a smile on my face. Agree with your review 100%. Only 16K miles in 24 yrs. Never a problem, just routine maintenance. Had a new 94 Magna and spent 2 weeks/2 up in the Mountains touring. Ahh, good times.
Alright, I think I've seen enough commentary on the Honda VF750C; I must get one!! Thanks for a thorough and encouraging review. I owned the second generation "super magna" and, although I loved the design, I found it twitchy around town and at lower speeds. By the way, that bike was designed by Arlen Ness, a Harley customizer, for Honda and I thought he hit it out of the park (but many not, hence it was only produced for two years; go figure!). Carb cleaning is an Achilles heal for magnas and the first two generations are a challenge. From what I can tell, the 3rd gen. should be easier. I understand rectifiers are also a vulnerability. Still, I'll take a red or black 3rd gen Magna, please!
i was going to do a carb cleaning on mine but by the time i took the air box off and looked and how the carbs were set up, i didnt want to get into it. So i did a seafoam gas additive and changed the spark plugs to a hotter irridium plug and the bike came to life like i never expected. Carbs dont always need to be touched even if the bike isnt starting. Do the plugs first.
I've owned 3 Magna's since 1987, why? Because I've never found a bike that I like better. The combination of comfort, power and looks hasn't been beat.
Great video! So glad you made it! I have a 96 magna in yellow also. Love the color, love the bike. Bought it new and I never wanted anything else. You covered all of its good and bad traits very well leaving nothing to add. Plenty of parts and Magna's in Texas but you may never need any since the bike is so well built.
OEM exhaust is pretty much not available in the USA you would have to cut the original out to install slip-on mufflers awesome Honda I've owned a 1995 for about 8 years no issues besides I had to replace the voltage regulator and fuel pump diaphragm
Oh really, that's worrying as I was under the impression the states had more accessible levels of spares than we do over here. The stock exhaust doesn't sound bad, but it's just too quiet for me really. I recently rode with a couple of friends who were on a Harley Sportster and a Buell respectively, and I definitely felt like a quiet afterthought in the tunnels.
Love my Magna, 98 model, 112,000k and still rides like new. Yes tank capacity is a bit limiting and front brake needs improvement , but power, handling, looks, gearbox, comfort are excellent. I’m about to do a brake service, better pads, rebuilt calliper and master cylinder and braided line. I suspect that will all make a huge difference.
I'm from Denmark. I have one just like yours, same year and colour. Its an awesome bike. I have just been cleaning the carbs/rebuilding and will be putting it all together again next week...can't wait to get back on the road again. 😁
I get around 30mpg in city riding on my magna, i get close to 45mpg when riding out of town.. Seems kinda steep to me , but yeah.. i still love the bike.
Ooh, yeah to be fair I don't do a whole lot of urban riding these days so my averages are perhaps up a little. My friend that I bought the bike from was getting mid 30s I think, so I think it likes to be run.
A great review. I own a 1996 Magna and love it. The only negative for me is indeed the range as I wish Honda would have put a larger tank on it. Other than that it's perfect for me.
The Sportster will have more options for customisation, and arguably more character in a way, but I would think a less engaging ride. Tough choice for sure, with enjoyment from both bikes.
I have been tempted by the Magna but the lack of fuel capacity always put me off. I sold on my Eliminator 900 for the same reason. Scarcity of parts in the UK is also a concern. I have owned 2 Shadow 1100 ACE, which were grey imports. When I was side swiped by a car, it took me 6 months to get replacement parts and they came from the US. The Magna is still an amazing bike.
The fuel capacity is really inconvenient yeah, it's definitely the biggest issue with the bike. How did you like the Eliminator, aside from the range? I've quite fancied them for a while too, scratching a similar itch for a sporty cruiser.
@@haxan6663 Hmm, that's a shame. I like the look of them a lot but I'll have to give one a test ride at some point; I'm not really interested in a point-and-squirt bike.
@TheSpectre223 Kawasaki did make a 750 version but I am not sure how many of them were sold outside of Japan. I remember reading a rave review of one in the UK but I have never actually seen one.
@@haxan6663 I hadn't even heard of the 750, much less seen one. I've not seen a 900 in the flesh either though, just the little ZL600. I have been tempted by the 600 more than once, there was one for sale recently not long ago which I checked out at a bike meet. It was yellow, so it would have looked cute next to the Magna in my garage, but ultimately they are a very small bike and I think I'd be a bit Donkey Kong on it.
I'm currently riding a 99 shadow 750 ace deluxe which i love but the lack of power or aftermarket performance options has led me to look at the magnas. Great review I'm really tempted to jump over to that. I'm just torn between these more reliable super magnas and the older more powerful v65 models that were absolute speed demons. But I've heard it's hard to find parts for those when they do break down and they're not as reliable at this point as the super magnas from the 3rd gen.
Parts is a big concern for sure, though that will vary from place to place so it might be worth asking around some of your local garages and seeing what their perception is. For reliability I don't know enough about the engines to say either way, but in theory the older models shouldn't be that much more unreliable; they're all carb'd V4s after all. I'd love a V65 if I could, at least to try for a season alongside my current one, but you won't be disappointed with either. I've previously owned a Yamaha 1100 Virago and a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic, and the Magna wipes the floor with them both for performance and handling.
@TheSpectre223 my brother is getting a vmax and he's pushing me for the v65. Which I see his points. In my area you can buy a v65 for 1500-2000 bucks running and around 3000 for a real pretty stock one. For that cheap I could always buy a parts bike or two. My whole plan is to chop the frame weld on a hard tail and I've found 39mm forks that are 6 inches longer than the stock magnas. I'm gonna turn it into a chopper. The 3rd gen you can just buy a bolt on kit but it's not that hard to piece one together for the older one
Great review of the Magna, love my 94! Any chance you have the part number for the front headlight cowl? I've been trying to find a suitable one for ages!
Thank you mate! I will try to get back to you with the part number at some point, but infuriatingly I seem to have lost the paperwork for that cowl, despite having it in my office only a few weeks ago. If it turns up I'll comment again, but I've just turned my house upside down and haven't found it yet!
@@Jerryosu83 Hey bro, I think I found that part number at last, it's 08F70-MZ5-810 and described as a 'bikini fairing'. It's still a rare part but I hope that helps!
@@TheSpectre223 thanks for getting back to me, I actually found one in the US a few weeks ago off another youtuber! A hard part to find for sure. I have it installed on my bike now 👍
@@TheSpectre223 yuup. 87, in blue, the 700 cc variant.. it has some missingn things from the exhaust and it needs new tires (they are from 99).. the price is kinda high for me.. still an old bike with limited parts even in europe.. 3200€ but it is what it is. 14k miles since 87 makes it almost brand new haha
I bought a 95 magna 12 years ago. I thought I would sell it after a few rides but I was wrong. Riding pleasure, seating position, acceleration everything is perfect. I have a motorcycle that I will never sell.
Very few bikes compare to them for sure!
I bought my 1994 Magna in 07 and still have it. I repainted it, polished the wheels and forks and made it mine. Awesome bike.
Nice one. I need to do something about my wheels too eventually, the lacquer has peeled and tarnished quite badly. I'll probably get them powder-coated eventually, or maybe go wild and swap to spokes as I've seen done online. Who knows haha
I just purchased a '94 Magna as my first bike. It's good to know many are still on the road.
*Canadian :P
Yeah they're still kicking. They were built so well that even when there's small numbers like there are over here, they endure.
i got the same bike, 96 in yellow. the front brake issue is mitigated with ebc hh brake pads and a steel braided brake line. After doing this I have no problem locking up the front tire in testing. Honda used a larger diameter disk in the front instead of going to a dual smaller disk. Also by the manual the rubber brake lines are only good for 2-4 years, after that they need to be replaced like the tires. So using 20 year old rubber brake lines seriously negates braking performance from what it originally was from the factory. Also cleaning the front master cylinder revealed a whole bunch of rust in it and the brake system. You cant expect a rusty brake system to actually perform at the edge, yeah it slows the bike down, but not like it did when it was new.
The most mind blowing thing to me is that the old manuals used to tell you the valve clearances and adjustment procedures, whine the manuals for the new motorcycles simply tell you to refer to an authorized repair shop.
I think mine has had new lines, I actually don't remember off the top of my head, but I'll definitely be looking into some better pads when they come up for renewal.
Great bike. Maybe a forever bike.
Quite possibly yeah, as much as anything can be in my Goldilocks garage
Rebuilding 2 - 95' Magnas currently. Glad to see your content!
Nice! What sort of state are they in, both saveable or will they be boiled down to one good one?
Oddly enough, I just came in from the shop from starting the bikes that haven't been out in a while. Took a seat and found this vid. Have a few newer bikes (Tuono, Diavel V4 , assorted Ninjas) but chose the 2000 Magna to take a short ride on. God she still puts a smile on my face. Agree with your review 100%. Only 16K miles in 24 yrs. Never a problem, just routine maintenance. Had a new 94 Magna and spent 2 weeks/2 up in the Mountains touring. Ahh, good times.
That's a nice sounding collection you have there, and I'm glad that the Magna can still hold its own against the others. Great bikes!
Alright, I think I've seen enough commentary on the Honda VF750C; I must get one!! Thanks for a thorough and encouraging review. I owned the second generation "super magna" and, although I loved the design, I found it twitchy around town and at lower speeds. By the way, that bike was designed by Arlen Ness, a Harley customizer, for Honda and I thought he hit it out of the park (but many not, hence it was only produced for two years; go figure!). Carb cleaning is an Achilles heal for magnas and the first two generations are a challenge. From what I can tell, the 3rd gen. should be easier. I understand rectifiers are also a vulnerability. Still, I'll take a red or black 3rd gen Magna, please!
Go for it, you definitely won't regret it!
i was going to do a carb cleaning on mine but by the time i took the air box off and looked and how the carbs were set up, i didnt want to get into it. So i did a seafoam gas additive and changed the spark plugs to a hotter irridium plug and the bike came to life like i never expected. Carbs dont always need to be touched even if the bike isnt starting. Do the plugs first.
I've owned 3 Magna's since 1987, why? Because I've never found a bike that I like better. The combination of comfort, power and looks hasn't been beat.
Great video! So glad you made it! I have a 96 magna in yellow also. Love the color, love the bike. Bought it new and I never wanted anything else. You covered all of its good and bad traits very well leaving nothing to add. Plenty of parts and Magna's in Texas but you may never need any since the bike is so well built.
Thank you so much mate, I really appreciate that comment. Happy riding on your Magna!
Greetz from the Netherlands. I own since 16 years a 1988 750cc Super Magna. Reliable and fun. More range would be nice indeed.
Hey, thanks for the comment! Always good hearing from fellow Magna owners
OEM exhaust is pretty much not available in the USA you would have to cut the original out to install slip-on mufflers awesome Honda I've owned a 1995 for about 8 years no issues besides I had to replace the voltage regulator and fuel pump diaphragm
Oh really, that's worrying as I was under the impression the states had more accessible levels of spares than we do over here. The stock exhaust doesn't sound bad, but it's just too quiet for me really. I recently rode with a couple of friends who were on a Harley Sportster and a Buell respectively, and I definitely felt like a quiet afterthought in the tunnels.
Love my Magna, 98 model, 112,000k and still rides like new. Yes tank capacity is a bit limiting and front brake needs improvement , but power, handling, looks, gearbox, comfort are excellent.
I’m about to do a brake service, better pads, rebuilt calliper and master cylinder and braided line. I suspect that will all make a huge difference.
I'm from Denmark. I have one just like yours, same year and colour. Its an awesome bike. I have just been cleaning the carbs/rebuilding and will be putting it all together again next week...can't wait to get back on the road again. 😁
Excellent! Happy riding once you get it back together
I get around 30mpg in city riding on my magna, i get close to 45mpg when riding out of town.. Seems kinda steep to me , but yeah.. i still love the bike.
Ooh, yeah to be fair I don't do a whole lot of urban riding these days so my averages are perhaps up a little. My friend that I bought the bike from was getting mid 30s I think, so I think it likes to be run.
i have one for 2 yrs already. front right cylinder misfires at low rpm. even if its not in 100% condition, i still enjoy it a lot 😁
A great review. I own a 1996 Magna and love it. The only negative for me is indeed the range as I wish Honda would have put a larger tank on it. Other than that it's perfect for me.
Thanks mate, and yeah just a couple more litres would make all the difference!
I love mine Magna too, but thinking about switching it to HD Sportster, but also thinking that I will regret this dicision
The Sportster will have more options for customisation, and arguably more character in a way, but I would think a less engaging ride. Tough choice for sure, with enjoyment from both bikes.
I have been tempted by the Magna but the lack of fuel capacity always put me off. I sold on my Eliminator 900 for the same reason. Scarcity of parts in the UK is also a concern. I have owned 2 Shadow 1100 ACE, which were grey imports. When I was side swiped by a car, it took me 6 months to get replacement parts and they came from the US.
The Magna is still an amazing bike.
The fuel capacity is really inconvenient yeah, it's definitely the biggest issue with the bike. How did you like the Eliminator, aside from the range? I've quite fancied them for a while too, scratching a similar itch for a sporty cruiser.
@@TheSpectre223 incredibly fast. I wasn't too keen on the handling on anything other than straight roads. I didn't enjoy it and sold it after 6 weeks!
@@haxan6663 Hmm, that's a shame. I like the look of them a lot but I'll have to give one a test ride at some point; I'm not really interested in a point-and-squirt bike.
@TheSpectre223 Kawasaki did make a 750 version but I am not sure how many of them were sold outside of Japan. I remember reading a rave review of one in the UK but I have never actually seen one.
@@haxan6663 I hadn't even heard of the 750, much less seen one. I've not seen a 900 in the flesh either though, just the little ZL600. I have been tempted by the 600 more than once, there was one for sale recently not long ago which I checked out at a bike meet. It was yellow, so it would have looked cute next to the Magna in my garage, but ultimately they are a very small bike and I think I'd be a bit Donkey Kong on it.
Lots of cruisers have tanks and a range in that ball park.
I'm currently riding a 99 shadow 750 ace deluxe which i love but the lack of power or aftermarket performance options has led me to look at the magnas. Great review I'm really tempted to jump over to that. I'm just torn between these more reliable super magnas and the older more powerful v65 models that were absolute speed demons. But I've heard it's hard to find parts for those when they do break down and they're not as reliable at this point as the super magnas from the 3rd gen.
Parts is a big concern for sure, though that will vary from place to place so it might be worth asking around some of your local garages and seeing what their perception is. For reliability I don't know enough about the engines to say either way, but in theory the older models shouldn't be that much more unreliable; they're all carb'd V4s after all.
I'd love a V65 if I could, at least to try for a season alongside my current one, but you won't be disappointed with either. I've previously owned a Yamaha 1100 Virago and a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic, and the Magna wipes the floor with them both for performance and handling.
@TheSpectre223 my brother is getting a vmax and he's pushing me for the v65. Which I see his points. In my area you can buy a v65 for 1500-2000 bucks running and around 3000 for a real pretty stock one. For that cheap I could always buy a parts bike or two. My whole plan is to chop the frame weld on a hard tail and I've found 39mm forks that are 6 inches longer than the stock magnas. I'm gonna turn it into a chopper. The 3rd gen you can just buy a bolt on kit but it's not that hard to piece one together for the older one
@@YerGoodBuddyKeith Ah yeah, the V65 will be a much better match power wise to a Vmax
the only thing i dont like about the 3rd gen magna is the fuel tank. it would be easier to customize if it can take cheap aftermarket tanks
Great review of the Magna, love my 94! Any chance you have the part number for the front headlight cowl? I've been trying to find a suitable one for ages!
Thank you mate! I will try to get back to you with the part number at some point, but infuriatingly I seem to have lost the paperwork for that cowl, despite having it in my office only a few weeks ago. If it turns up I'll comment again, but I've just turned my house upside down and haven't found it yet!
@@TheSpectre223 No worries! Thanks for trying to locate it! Not the end of the world, ill find something suitable at some stage :)
@@Jerryosu83 Hey bro, I think I found that part number at last, it's 08F70-MZ5-810 and described as a 'bikini fairing'. It's still a rare part but I hope that helps!
@@TheSpectre223 thanks for getting back to me, I actually found one in the US a few weeks ago off another youtuber! A hard part to find for sure. I have it installed on my bike now 👍
can't wait to get my first bike.. not this one but the super magna.. 14xxx miles.. it's almost brand new 🫠
Ooh with the upswept exhausts? Tasty!
@@TheSpectre223 yuup. 87, in blue, the 700 cc variant.. it has some missingn things from the exhaust and it needs new tires (they are from 99).. the price is kinda high for me.. still an old bike with limited parts even in europe.. 3200€ but it is what it is. 14k miles since 87 makes it almost brand new haha
Yeah that's crazy low, what does that average out to, 380 miles a year? Brand new haha. I'm sure it'll be worth every Euro once you get riding it.
@@TheSpectre223 i'll try to make it a historic vehicle so i can save some cash on insurance