Other features include extremely
wide, moderately swept-back handlebars, a wide seat with a detachable pillion, a circular halogen headlight, separate tach and speedometer, O-ring chain
and a transferable 12-month unlimited
mileage warranty.
Selecting a color scheme for the
new Magna created few problems for
the two teams. They settled on black,
red and yellow versions of the Magna.
The philosophy was that bright red
would satisfy the more outgoing and
sportier riders; black would please the
more conservative, and yellow would
(Above) The new Magna is powered by
the same 16-valve, water-cooled, V-4
engine that powers the Honda VF750F
sport bike, but there are some significant
differences, such as a lower compression
ratio, chain- rather than cam-driven
camshafts, four separate exhaust pipes,
and a 360-degree, versus a
l8O-degree, crank.
(Right) No doubt about it, the Magna is
wide, but comfortable. The gas tank
holds 3.7 gallons.
(Below) A single 316mm disc brake
handles the stopping chores up front.
appeal to those who wanted something different. Initially, yellow raised
a few doubtful eyebrows, so only a
few were produced in that color at
first. But the demand for the yellow
Magna has since risen to nearly match
that of the red model, according to
Honda.
Sit on the Magna for the first time,
and your first thought is that it's wide very wide. Looking down at the gas
tank, you'd think it holds 50 gallons,
when in reality, its capacity is only 3.7
gallons. The tank is definitely wide, as
are the handlebars, which gracefully
reach back towards the rider, and these
features combine with the extremely
low and wide seat to make the Magna a
very comfortable package, indeed. The
rider sits fairly straight up and down,
and the seat gives some support in the
lower back area.
Igniting a cold Magna engine is simple: Pull out the choke knob on the left
side of the engine; turn the key in the
ignition, which is located a few inches
forward of the choke, and hit the starter
button. The big V-4 engine immediately
roars to life and warms up quickly.
The Magna isn't what we would call
a loud motorcycle, but it certainly produces a noticeable, low and authoritative rumble from the four pipes. It
sounds like it wants to get somewhere
ina hurry.
Roll on the throttle and the Magna
responds by surging forward at an
alarming and ever-increasing rate of
speed. But unlike most big V-twin cruiser bikes, just when you're expecting the
23
