1981: Honda unveils an entirely fresh take on motorcycling's future. It all centered around a V4 engine concept that the the company hoped would be the Next Big Thing. And the two models they chose to introduce this amazing new powerplant were the 750 Sabre roadster and this bike, the 1982 VF750C Magna cruiser.
Late last Fall, the owner of this Magna, Charles, approached me with the idea of finding and refurbishing a first-year Magna. This bike, production number 9705, was soon located in the suburban Chicago area and the work began.
Over the winter months many emails were exchanged and many decisions were made as to the direction and extent of the build. First up was to get the bike running, beginning with the carburetors and basic tuning. Along the way it was discovered that someone had installed the starter clutch incorrectly causing the ignition timing to be 90-degrees off. Once we had a running engine the rest of the systems could be dealt with....one by one. Ebay parts arrived regularly as did OEM Honda bits. Stripping, painting, polishing, powder coating, fitting and fidgeting.
Slowly the project took shape. Charles added a few custom touches — white piping on the refurbished seat, gold-colored braided brake lines, along with lowered handlebars with aftermarket grips. Choosing the color was surely a tough decision for Charles, and he eventually settled on a Mazda color, Phantom Purple, a dead ringer for the original Candy Maroon. The gorgeous paint work was applied by Steve and the crew at Steve Nick Customs in Woodstock, Illinois and the custom covered seat is by Marty and Marie at C. M. Wiltberger Upholstery of Silver Lake, WI. They are the icing on this cake.
I wish Charles many happy miles on his stunning Magna.
Click here for the Flickr photo album.
Over the winter months many emails were exchanged and many decisions were made as to the direction and extent of the build. First up was to get the bike running, beginning with the carburetors and basic tuning. Along the way it was discovered that someone had installed the starter clutch incorrectly causing the ignition timing to be 90-degrees off. Once we had a running engine the rest of the systems could be dealt with....one by one. Ebay parts arrived regularly as did OEM Honda bits. Stripping, painting, polishing, powder coating, fitting and fidgeting.
Slowly the project took shape. Charles added a few custom touches — white piping on the refurbished seat, gold-colored braided brake lines, along with lowered handlebars with aftermarket grips. Choosing the color was surely a tough decision for Charles, and he eventually settled on a Mazda color, Phantom Purple, a dead ringer for the original Candy Maroon. The gorgeous paint work was applied by Steve and the crew at Steve Nick Customs in Woodstock, Illinois and the custom covered seat is by Marty and Marie at C. M. Wiltberger Upholstery of Silver Lake, WI. They are the icing on this cake.
I wish Charles many happy miles on his stunning Magna.
Click here for the Flickr photo album.
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