Honda had much to celebrate in 2019.

1. Happy Birthday! Mr. Honda formed his new company in 1948, with the first motorcycle produced the following year, the 98cc Dream D-type. That makes 70 years of motorcycle production.

2. The first modern Superbike appeared in 1969, the CB750, which marks 50 years since that milestone. I was just entering the sport at the time, and remember well the impact of that bike. 750cc was a big motorcycle back then, and my first thought was that if Honda came out with a smaller version I would buy it. They did,..and I did, the CB500. Both were jewels of design and build quality in a time of shaky British twins and archaic American iron. The CB750's significance would be hard to overstate — it ushered in a completely new era of contemporary motorcycle design, look, quality, power...even public perception. And it came at possibly the most opportune time in history, just as the Baby Boom generation was coming of age. I know, I was one of 'em. So, happy 50th birthday to the modern motorcycle.

3. Honda Motor Company is the world's largest producer of internal combustion engines, some 14 million units per year. They're also the largest motorcycle producer, and in 2019 they built their 400-millionth bike, an impressive accomplishment by any measure. And the ubiquitous Super Cub, in production since 1958, is the largest-selling vehicle ever made, hitting 100-million units a few years ago.

Soichiro Honda would be proud.

Today marks the mid-point of meteorologic winter, at least for those riding on the upper half of the globe. Our winter season has been fairly benign so far, but that doesn't exactly mean we're out exercising our bikes.






​But in this virtual world we can ride along anytime via the magic of the interwebs. Below we have a nice ridealong with YouTube's V4 Rider on his 8th-gen VFR800. Turn it up!

The Honda V45 & V65 Sabre
I made mention of the Honda Sabre in the previous post. I don't cover the Sabre/Magna models in detail on the Historical page but they were both important models in the V4 lineup, after all, they were the first two V4 models introduced in 1982. The 750cc V45 Sabre (VF750S) ran through 1985, and was joined by the "tariff-buster" 700cc in '84 and '85 — the reduction in size was accomplished by destroking the engine. A tooth was also added on the clutch gear to compensate for the reduction in torque.

An 1100cc version joined the range in 1983, known as the V65. The 45 and 65 designators are a reference to the cubic inch displacement of the two engines — a classic marketing move. All the Sabres were gone after 1985, though the name was resurrected in 2000 for a new line of V-twin models.

While the standard Sabre was graced with an ungainly but very 80's square headlight and no fairing, two very cool options were available from Honda to turn the naked bike into a viable sport tourer. These included a sexy, swoopy headlight fairing, notably with a round headlight, together with a set of compact but stylish saddlebags. These same items were first developed for the last two years of the CBX.

Shown to the left is a fully-optioned Sabre in factory colors.

I've always thought that the fairing equipped Sabre is one of the most handsome bikes of the era. But it's no light-weight, and its bulk, combined with an old-school steel tube frame and skinny forks with lazy geometry, resulted in a rather ponderous handling machine, much more at home eating miles at a relaxed pace, the mellow hum of its V4 setting the mood.

V4Dreams reader Andrew R. contacted me a while back with a few questions on his 1987 VFR700 F2 in Candy Wave Blue. He happened to mention that he'd fitted some Honda bags on the bike. Here's the result.

The bags were originally fitted to a VF750S Sabre, but Andrew was able to modify the mounts in order to adapt them to the VFR. These bags were also used on the '81 and '82 CBX.

Andrew searched the country for his blue VFR, finally locating this one in Cincinnati. He's gradually bringing the bike up to his standards while keeping it on the road. Kudos for thinking outside the box on this project.

I came across this custom fourth-gen RC36 on the RC36 Facebook page. It was built by Giosue Cavalli from Bologna, Italy, and was styled after the Mick Doohan 1994 500GP championship-winning Honda. Giosue has added some special farkles to his build, including RC30 rear brake, Brembo front discs with four-piston calipers, magnesium engine covers and adjustable fork internals. Even titanium wheel lugs. Beautiful and functional.

Giosue chose his hero well. Mick Doohan is an Australian motorcycle racer extraordinaire. After a debilitating crash in 1992 he lost the full use of his right foot for braking, and would thereafter race with a special hand-operated brake lever. But his drive to win wasn't diminished. From Wikipedia:
"In 1994...he won his first 500 cc World Championship. Thereafter, until 1998, he dominated the class, winning five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. In 1997, his most successful year, Doohan won 12 out of 15 races, finished second in another two, and crashed out of the final race of the season at his home GP while leading by more than six seconds. In June 1996, Doohan was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the sport of motor racing."

After another serious crash in 1999, Mick announced his retirement from racing. One of the greats of our sport.

SOLD: $2850 via eBay auction

From Salt Lake City, Utah, this 1985 VF1000R shows 28,500 miles and is impressively complete. The seller states the paint is not original with poor paint lines and scuffed mufflers. Looks like a decent 20-footer, and would make a good starting point for a restoration or a daily rider. In either case, I don't think the buyer will lose any value on this one. Well bought.

These don't come up very often, if ever, and haven't been be available from Honda for a very long time.

This is a fourth-gen new old stock windscreen, part number 64200-MZ7-000ZA. Our seller has it priced accordingly, $120 including shipping. But, if you're in need of a nice screen to compliment your beautiful 1994-97 VFR, then your options are limited. I've only found sketchy used ones or Chinese aftermarket items. Here's your chance.

SOLD: $5000 via eBay auction
Sold on Christmas day with 24 bids, this first year VFR1200 DCT went for an even $5000 in a no-reserve auction.

The bike shows 34,000 miles and sports a boatload of farkles — custom seat, radar detector, Puig screen, Werkes Competition muffler and more. I spoke with the seller and he assured me that, despite having some miles under its tires, the bike is in excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition.

The holiday season is arguably the worst time of year to sell a vehicle, but this auction shows that buyers are always out there for a nice example at a fair price.

SOLD: $2550
The fourth generation (1994-97) of the Interceptor series would be the last of the 750cc models. A major remake brought us the 800cc series in 1998, ending the carbureted era of the VFR.

This 1997 sold recently via eBay auction for $2550 after five bids. It's a very nice-looking example showing only 16,000 miles and claiming to be a very original bike. The photos show pristine-looking bodywork with everything in its place, along with a new slip-on muffler and the passenger footpegs deleted — the original parts are included. This seems to be an exceptional fourth-gen VFR and reinforces what I always say: used VFRs are the best value out there in used motorbikes.