Please educate me on 83 Honda V45 750. SoCal bike people?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Anyone know any good links for an 1983 Honda V45 750?

issues, areas of concern? Good bike salvage places in SoCal?

Anything special about these motors/bikes?

My dad picked up a bike in someone's backyard for a couple hundred bucks. Looks to be a fun Christmas vacation project..

[motion]

Hey Jared,

I bought one new in '83. They are an awesome bike and were revolutionary at the time. I really haven't kept up with them, but I do remember they had problems with cam oiling bolts. IIRC, they weren't moving enough oil up into the heads. There was a fix, and I'm sure most bikes have had the update. Other than that, they are a great bike. Fingpilot (Mike) probably owns 10 of them and will chime in soon

[scottmandue]

I don't know much about maintenance but my friend had the V65 (1100cc ?) version.

We would trade for the weekend my eighteen foot Hobie cat (one of the fastest, meanest sailboats at the time) for his V65 (one of the fastest, meanest motorcycles at that time).

Holy crap that bike was fast! The suspension technology wasn't spectacular but I remember taking it to the twisties... slow and smooth around the corners... then point and squirt past anything that got in my way in the straights. The engine is so quite and powerfully it is like driving an electric motorcycle.

[fingpilot]

Actually, I do have several of these.

The vaunted oil feed problem plauged Honda for years. After '84 or '85 in some models, they did an engineering refresh on the heads and oiling system, made the cam gear driven, and got a lot more oil to the top end. There is a kit ($290) to do the job yourself, but very few people have done it, including me. The secret to minimizing the damage is to religiously change oil every 3k, limit the time spent idling when hot, and changing the fan thermostat to kick on at a lower temp. OK, past that.....

Spectacular performance. The V45's (the 700's and 750's) and the V65's (1100cc's) are low CofG, compact, typically shaft drive (x-cept for the Interceptors), six speed gearboxes (OD for 6th), water cooled, Electronic CDI ignition, smooth and responsive.

Parts are really abundant on evilBay because there were so many produced. Of my 20+ bikes two of my fav three are V45's.

PM me if you need help with something.

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

i had one, traded a john deere lawn mower for it, rebuilt the carbs, and rode it for a couple years. very comfortable riding position, leans back. It was the cruiser of the Honda line in 82-3.
looks like a v-twin configuration, but it is a v-4 cyl.

it can be a b**** to get the carbs out, but it CAN be done, just keep trying. i know i had a small stick of strong oak that i kept for that purpose, about 1" x 1 1/2 inch X 10 " to pry them in and out of the bike. they only come in and out one side. some sites describe loosening the engine mounts to remove the carbs, but that is NOT necessary.

rear luggage rack is sought after option. the driveshaft is great, like bmw and yamaha.
the oiling problem was for the cams. some had a problem, and some did not. there is a huge following online, something with Magna in the name. 82 and 83 were the only years early in honda history with the driveshaft. that is when the engine was 750 cc, rather than 700 cc that it became when they scaled it back in 1984, and went to chain drive, to reduce costs, and come into the US without the added tarriffs to 750cc plus bikes, to protect Hardley davidson.

the drive train was also used on the Honda sport bike that year.

they are fun bikes when all is running right, but the small peanut tank makes for frequent trips to the gas pump.

you will outgrow the power, but the engine sounds sweet.

anyone needing the 1984 up 700 cc Magna engine with tranny should contact me about the one in my garage, would be great for a chopper or go kart.

[speeder]

How about say, a 1986 interceptor 700 or 750? Would that have the problem? I do remember those being great bikes, are they on the heavy side for a sport bike?

How come you have so many of them?

[fingpilot]

Dennis,

'86 was after the mid'85 mods. Probably not an issue. As TSP said, some bikes showed the problem, some did not. The only way to tell was to pop the valve covers and look for pitting on the cams. The front one is easy, but the back one is two-piece, and a PITA to get off. Of course, the back cams were the first ones to show. Once the cause was discovered, everyone changed the way they rode the bike, and went on with life. I think the whole deal has been overblown. I had one bike that lost compression after 35K additional miles after I bought it with 28K. I found a pitted lobe in a rear cylinder (flat cam), and I bought an engine off of eBay for $120, and spent a day changing the entire thing.

Not a big deal. I have so many of them because it is an incredible value for the buck.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I have an '86 VFR700. Very nice bike; light, well-balanced, decent though not specatular brakes and suspension. Could use a bit more oomph, though, and cleaning the carbs is a nightmare.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Just found out it's a Sabre V45, he told me he drove it from L.A. to Wrightwood today. "Froze my ass off but it was worth it. Does 100 in third. needs brakes and shocks. motor fine."

This will be a fun holiday