Bikes

 

Home
Up

 

Before Pic #1. This is the pic that I used to make my decision to by this particular bike as it was posted on Ebay.   Ebay pic #2. Notice the small canister mufflers and headers. The right muffler stuck out the back 8 inches furhter than the left. I fixed it...

    Here is my current favorite pastime, cruising on a nice bike.   I had always wanted a V65 Magna and finally got in a position where I could get one.  The pictures above are of the bike as it was listed on Ebay when I bought it.  I won this one one Ebay in January 2003, drove to Columbus Ohio to get it and was really disappointed when I got it home 1200 miles later and got to look at it in the daylight.   It needed a lot of attention.  Shortly after picking it up, I blew out both my knees and found myself with tons of time on my hands.  I stripped the Magna and went to town fixing it back as nice as I could.  I found most of what was needed online on Ebay.  I now have aver $4000 invested in this magna.  It should be worth about $3200 - $3500 on the open market.  I spared no expense with the new parts... new gas tank, new side cover, new Dunlop D205 Radial tires, new battery, new turnsignal mounts and light assemblies, new headlight, new grips, new front fender, new Jardine muflers, and a Oil Mod that re-routes the oil supply to the camshafts.  I buffed, polished and clearcoated all the aluminum parts making them look like new.  I put over 100 hours in restoring this bike.  There are still several things that need attention but they are all minor, the right side cover needs a new sticker, some of the bolt heads need buffing, the rear valve cover seeps a little, the temp gauge intermittantly works (was working fine before my disassembly of the instrument cluster for cleaning and polishing).  

MVC-113S.JPG (48156 bytes) Pearl Siren Blue has to be one of my favorite colors. It was overcast when I took these pics. Under the sun, you can really see the shine.  Right Side V65.JPG (60353 bytes) Looking good. Right Side Engine 2 V65.JPG (53119 bytes) shiney, shiney, shiney. Notice the two braided stainless steel hoses snaking their way to the heads. This is part of the Oil Mod that makes sure this engine lasts forever.
Back V65.JPG (57078 bytes) I really need a nice garage. The bike is stored under an easy up under a new cover.  Headlight and Gauges V65.JPG (52756 bytes) Blue Zenon bulb in the headlight really light up the road at night. All the turnsignals are new.  Left Side Engine 2 V65.JPG (49718 bytes) Notice the polished aluminum parts. They are good as new.
Back Wheel V65.JPG (58356 bytes) New Dunlop D205's have about 500 miles on them. The Mufflers are Jardine and rumble just right.  Front Wheel V65.JPG (51521 bytes) The tires still have the tits on them. The fender is a really nice used one I found on Ebay for $85.  Right Front V65.JPG (59632 bytes) Dang this bike looks good...
Odometer V65.JPG (42517 bytes) Only 25,242 on the clock...  Tank and Controls V65.JPG (53653 bytes) That new Honda Tank really shines.  Seat and Backrest V65.JPG (49273 bytes) Seat looks Great!!
Jardine Mufflers sound GREAT!!  KG Slider backrest in the box  KG Slider Front Veiw
KG Slider Rear Veiw. Notice one bolt missing on upper left cormer of backrest mount. Will be easy to find and replace.  HondaLine Engine Case Guard  Right Side of Engine

    This has to be the fastest bike I have ever been on.  The 125 horsepower at the rear tire along with a 580 lb weight and a 6 speed transmission really make for a terrific horsepower to weight ratio that scares me.  I am a sport touring rider.  I don't care about reving the motor out running wide open from stop light to stop light.  I prefer a nice smooth winding road that I can comfortably keep a 45 - 60 mph pace on.  It has rarely seen more than 5000 rpm but is super strong all the way to the red zone on the tach.  The previous owner installed the headers.   They really help this bike breath.    I recently bought another bike, a new 2003 Honda ST1300 ABS.  The Magna is for sale.   I have parts that I bought for this bike that never made it on it.  A KG Slider driver's backrest in 90% condition, and a pair of front rotors also go with it.   The backrest goes for $275 on Ebay when you can find one and new rotors from Honda are $700 each , after market rotors are $350 each.  I have a nice pair of used rotors that I intended to use to fix the slight brake vibration from the current front rotors.   It is a blast to ride and has been stone reliable.  I have driven it to work every day the sun is shining since getting it together.  I hate to see it go but since getting the ST1300, I have found myself ignoring the Magna.  I can only ride one at a time anyway.  It needs a good home with someone who will appreciate what it is, a really good example of a classic muscle cruiser.  See this bike listed on Ebay soon. 
    Update, I sold this bike and all the extras I had for it on Ebay to a really lucky guy from KY.  I rode it to Huntsville to meet him in 24 degree weather in February.  Yes, I really wanted one last ride before handing it over to the new owner.

 

MVC-035S.JPG (33218 bytes) 

I bought this bike in Aug 03 from a lawyer in Marrietta GA.  He had the bike listed on Biketrader.com.  The top box was included with the deal.  He had ordered it from england but had not installed it yet.  One word describes this bike... SWEET.  Smooth torque from the V4 comes on at idle and pulls to redline.  I added a Cee Bailey windshield that was 2 inches wider and 4 inches taller than stock then sold the old one on ebay.  I also added the factory fairing and mirror wind deflectors which made the pocket of quiet air a little bigger for both me and Vicki.  We toured the mountains around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge several times on this bike.  As far as I am concerned, this is the perfect motorcycle.  We were in the planning stages of a Key West ride and Vicki gave me an ultimatum... buy a Goldwing or buy me a Tahoe for this trip.  I put out the word that this bike was on the block for sale and one of the guys I work with jumped on it.  He now has added blue strobes and a siren and escorts funerals on it.  I am now the proud owner of a 2005 30th edition Pearl Yellow Goldwing.
 
Yep, had 236 miles on the clock when we left out for Key West.  We averaged about 300 miles a day, taking only the beach roads and state hwy's down the west side of Florida and back up USA1A up the east coast.  Got home 10 days later with 2700 more miles on the bike.  The Goldwing has to be the most comfortable motorcycle there is to ride.  It still will haul ass with 0-60 of 3.8 seconds.  The St1300 was faster at 0-60 with 3.4 seconds.  I added a tall Tulsa windshield, the CB, and a trunk organizer right off.  I recently installed a luggage rack to give us a little more room for necessities.  I do miss my ST1300 but not so much as to want to go back to it. 

Just got back from doing the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway, and a chunk of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was great.


I still get to visit the ST1300 at work everyday....
Info to follow soon...

 

Send mail to foprange@bellsouth.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: October 03, 2005