Maggie’s Story
This will be difficult for many to understand, but I’ve always had this inclination to assign personality characteristics to objects, such as vehicles. I imagine them as being aware and having almost human-like feelings. When something is wrong, affecting performance, I assign an illness of some kind to the situation. This also means I have trouble ending my relationship with a vehicle. I still miss my 1968 GTO, my 1971 Yamaha 650, my 1975 CB750 Honda, my 1975 Toyota FJ40, and even my 1974 VW Super Beetle. I wonder if they’re still out there, and what may have happened to them. This is Maggie’s story.
In 1985, I was riding a 1981 Honda CB900F, commonly referred to as the Kenworth of motorcycles. A friend of mine was riding a 1984 V65 Magna, to become known as Maggie. (This bike was originally sold by Fay Meyers Honda at the West Colfax location on April 30, 1984). The problem with this Magna was, he was scared of it.
One evening, he got caught in a rainstorm near my house. He came by, parked it in my garage, and had his girlfriend pick him up. It sat in my garage for a few weeks and the fall weather was setting in. He asked me if he could leave it there and if I would ride it once in a while to keep it running. I did. Once every couple of weeks I took her out to blow the cobs out of her. Finally, after a few months, he called me and asked if I would like to buy it. It only had 1800 miles on it and he offered it to me for $1800. I took it!!! I officially purchased it on June 26, 1986.
For anyone reading this not familiar with the Magna, a little background from Cycle magazine’s March, 1983 edition. “If you talk horsepower, the Magna speaks your language. Its horsepower translates directly into an immediate gut wrenching rush unmatched by any other production street machine. To a man, the Cycle staff raved about the engine. With its wonderfully potent and flexible powerplant, this big four is a strong and willing worker that hums along happily at 1500 rpm or sings fortissimo at the 10,000 rpm redline. The best part of the V65 is a mid-range punch that would do justice to Larry Holmes. Whack the throttle open at 5000 rpm in first gear and the front wheel claws for the sky while the Magna catapults forward. These antics are interesting enough when you’re mounted on an open class motocrosser but when a 589-pound motorcycle with a wheelbase of nearly 63 inches takes off like a carrier based F-14, it gets your full attention.”
During their testing of the Magna, Cycle‘s rider was able to turn a 10.84 second, 124.82mph quarter mile. Top speed in 6th gear overdrive calculates out to 173mph!! This translates to a 0-60 time in the 3 second range! I sold my 900 and rode that black Magna for 20 years! I rode it all over the Rocky Mountain West. On the highway, it was the most comfortable bike I had ever ridden.
The only drawback to it was the relatively short wheel-base made it a bit uncomfortable two up, and the relatively high center of gravity made it difficult in a crosswind. I camped, fished, and carried cameras on it for 20 years. Years ago, I personally had this Magna up to 140! Never again! I dearly loved this bike.
By 2005, I was realizing that when traveling on the Magna, if I had an issue anywhere other than a major metro area, getting parts could be a problem. I had been looking around at alternatives. When I first sat on a VTX1800C in 2002, I knew it could be that alternative. After riding one in 2005, and feeling a similar kind of power that my Magna had, I took the leap. I bought a new 2004 model at Cycles of Boulder.
In 2010, the company I was working for closed. My Chevy pickup needed a transmission. I couldn’t justify keeping both bikes when I needed the money to make repairs to the truck. I made the hard decision to let the Magna go after 24 years. I advertised it on Craig’s List, and it went fast. I sold it in May, 2010. I’ve always regretted letting it go.
Since that time, I’ve become a lifetime fan of the Honda VTX1800. I honestly believe it’s the best V twin engine ever put in a motorcycle. It’s an amazing bike. It now has 96,000 trouble-free miles, and still runs great. I added a second 1800C to the stable in 2020. It’s a 2003 that had 8200 one owner miles on it. I switch back and forth between the two, pulling a trailer with the 2004.
Recently, I found myself thinking about the Magna, and wondering if it was still out there. I ran a VIN search, and from what I saw, it appeared to still be licensed. I did a search for the buyer from 2010. When I sold it, he was living in Fort Collins. I discovered he had moved out onto the prairie, to Last Chance, Colorado, about 70 miles east of me. I took a chance and texted him to see if he still had my bike. I got a text back from someone telling me that it was no longer his phone number. I did another search and found a more recent number and tried that. After waiting a couple days with no reply, I kind of gave up. I assumed he had probably sold it years ago.
On Sunday, September 1, 2024 at 6 a.m. I received a text from yet another number. “Hi Bob this is Curtis. I got a message from my nephew that you are looking for a black 1984 Honda V65. Is this the one?” He attached a photo and she looked just like she did the day I sold her! My heart almost jumped from my chest!
This began a back and forth arriving at him agreeing to sell her back to me. It became obvious that from 2010 to 2015, he loved and enjoyed her as much as I did. Maybe even more. He took some great trouble free trips on her, including the Blue Ridge
Parkway and the Florida Keys! Like I said, the recent picture he sent me looks as good as the day I sold her. The only change appears to be a tool bag on the front forks.
In 2015, Curtis bought a 40th anniversary edition Honda Goldwing. From then on, the Magna pretty much sat parked, much like when I bought my first VTX. He last licensed her in May, 2017. When he bought her, she was running a little rough from sitting, and he had to have the carbs cleaned. It sounds like I’ll have to do the same.
Now I’m getting ready to drive the 75 miles east to bring her home. Installing a chock in my utility trailer. Getting ahold of a mechanic that I know does great work on older bikes, Rick Steele at Steele’s Motorcycles, to do the carbs. He came highly recommended by a friend that has an ’85 model Magna. Getting oil, filters, a battery, and spray polish. To say I’m excited is an understatement! I frick’n can’t wait to take her out for 25 or 30 miles. It’s gonna feel like I stepped into a time machine.
I managed to get the trailer ready on Saturday, September 7, 2024, and Curtis said it would be OK to come out on Sunday. I hitched up the trailer, loaded up my best friend Bertie, and off we went. After getting a bit lost, since Last Chance, Colorado is in the middle of nowhere, we pulled into his driveway. Curtis was outside and I was shocked at his appearance. Turns out, he’s suffering kidney failure and is on steroids. I parked the truck and trailer and after the initial greetings, I stepped into his shop.
His shop is full of trucks, cars, and motorcycles in various stages of repair, and all are covered in a thick layer of greasy dust. I looked around, and my heart dropped! Maggie was sitting between a Honda 750 chopper, a Harley, and a Shadow. She was also covered in the same layer of oil and dust. All four turn signals are hanging down by the wiring. The license plate is from 2017. The closer I looked, I spotted all the small blemishes she had when I sold her, but thankfully, nothing else.
I attempted to remove some of the dust from the seat and climbed on her. I immediately felt this rush of familiarity. I pushed her off the center stand and rolled her out to where I had the trailer backed in. The tires were close to flat, so I inflated them to 35 lbs or so.
Thankfully, Bertie was with me as Curtis has very little strength. The three of us pushed it up onto the trailer and into the wheel chock. We tied her down, spent a few minutes visiting with Curtis, and started for home.
The trip home went well, and I dropped Bertie by the house and headed to the car wash.
I pulled into the bay far enough to get the bike in and sprayed her off with the pressure washer. Still not perfect, but getting there. When I got home, we pulled her off the trailer and I parked her in her old spot in the garage. The more I look, she has no scratches or dings that weren’t there when I sold her. She had 45,000 miles total, so Curtis only put
10,000 miles on her in 14 years. He did a round trip from Fort Collins to Key West, a round trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I believe another trip to Texas. That would pretty much account for all 10,000 miles. He assured me she was running great when he parked her, and she had been meticulously maintained. The clutch, the brakes, and the shift lever all feel good and work smoothly. I feel positive that when the carbs are done, all fluids are changed, and a fresh battery is installed, she’ll run as good as ever. I’m going to spend a few days cleaning her up, then load her back on the trailer and take her down to the Steele’s.
I installed a new Yuasa battery, changed the oil and filter, changed the rear differential oil, and found the fuel leak to be at the exit line from the gas tank. I confirmed with Rick that he’s ready for me to bring her on Saturday, September 28. Rick isn’t very optimistic due to the age of the bike. He’s going to run a compression test on Tuesday, October
2nd. If it’s not good, he doesn’t want to do the carb job. At that point, I’ll need to go pick her up, and find an engine re-builder. I’m determined to bring Maggie back to life if necessary!
Rick texted me the compression test results on October 3rd. She tested strong and even across all 4 cylinders! We’re a go on the carb rebuild. He suggested I get a new main fuel line, and the carb manifolds. I called Fay Myers Honda and connected with Kyle Thompson, a parts manager. He was able to order everything new from Honda in California! I picked up the parts and dropped them off at Steele’s. So far, so good.
During the service on the Magna, Rick determined there was some rust in both the main and auxiliary gas tanks. He recommended cleaning and sealing both tanks to make sure nothing could break loose and make it into the fresh carbs. The product he uses, POR-15, requires a four-day cure time. I also decided to have him replace the tires since I’m pretty positive the rear tire was the same one that was on it when I sold it. The Dunlop K-491’s are no longer available so I’m going with a set of Dunlop 404’s.
December 6th and Maggie has been in carburetor ICU for 2 months now. Rick texted me a video of her starting up and running and said she’s ready to go! December 7th, I rode her for the first time since May, 2010. The ride was I-25 through Denver in heavy
Saturday afternoon traffic. The only issue I had was the shift lever had been adjusted down and I was having to work at getting my boot under it. That was an easy fix. The power I remember is still there! Quick, but well-behaved. All that’s left to do is the front turn signal stems and fork seals.
It’s not often you get a chance to go back and undo something you regret. I’ve always regretted selling my Magna. Hard to believe, but Maggie is home!
–Robert Johnson, Denver, CO
Thanks for the letter you sent in which you detail your efforts to reunite with your old friend, Maggie. Finding a bike you sold decades ago is, well, many of us would like to have had your success. (Where’s my ’65 Super Hawk, my CB750K0, my ’93 ZX-7?) –Ed.
