Thinking of Trading a 98 VFR for a 94 Magna

I had a 99 VFR 800 and loved it. In a moment of incompetence i traded it for another 2010 250R for the wife. She never got into riding her own bike so when we saw a 98 VFR we decided to get it.
Now that the back story is covered. I'm considering trading the 98 vfr for a 94 Honda Magna 750.
The only real problem with the 98 is it inst mine, I put 50,000 miles on my 99 and loved it. The 98 has 28,000 and runs well but I don't have a connection to it.

To the main point now that I have that out of my head. What do any of yall know about the Magna. I know the Magna and VFR share the same motor, its considered as a power cruiser?
Will it carry around 500lbs of rider and passenger with out struggling?
Im looking at a 94 magna and the KBB values are only about $50 off from each other. Im past my need for speed and don't feel that the vfr dose it for me anymore, maybe the new 1200 but im too cheap to spend that much. Im leaning tword a cruiser, the thing that has held me back from cruisers has been the waste of displacement. With a sport bike 750cc is a good size bike with some power, in a cruiser its just a start.

As always thank yall for any help

:tongue:



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I actually started my V4 love affair with an 83 Magna and can say that it was a great cruiser and performed very well for the task you have planned. It was actually my fathers bike but we got to share it, which is a long story, anyway I rode it almost daily, mostly to school and back and my father rode it weekends and touring trips. He would load it down with camping gear and sometimes my sister or mother would tag along. He would go to places like Zion, Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc. and I never heard him complain about the bike. I would actually take it out on the roads in Malibu and canyon carve with it! Much to the surprise of my friends on sport bikes, they thought they would leave me in the dust! All in all it was a great bike and I really fell in love with the Honda V4 motor and I personally don't think you can go wrong with it, but maybe I'm a little biased. Definitely take the Magna for a test ride and see how you like it, it is quite a bit different seating position than the VFR. Cruisers are not for everyone.

Cheers

Seems to me the Magna has carbs instead of FI.  I toured with one a couple of times and they have less power and a much smaller tank which was a real liability out west at least.

My wife has 99 magna.  Great bike, but it is still a cruiser with a v4 750 putting out around 76 hp I believe.  Every morning I have choice to ride the vfr or magna.  99% of the time choose the vfr.  I just prefer the sportier ride!  Or is it I do not like polishing all that chrome....lol!

I traded my 2001 magna for a 1998 VFR.  Best bike move I have ever made.   The magna has carbs.  The VFR is fuel injected.  The magna has 360 degree crank where the VFR has a 180 degree crank.   The magna was a great bike, but I never got used to the short fuel range.  The tank does not hold enough fuel for long distances. Every 100 miles I had to start looking for a gas station and that was annoying, especially when you are riding with other people that didn't want to stop, nor had too.  Stock brakes are mediocre as well.  The magna comes very lean from the factory, therefore it would surge at 4000 rpm.  I upped the jets and fixed this issue as well as added a  Vance and Hines exhaust.  Good luck in your decision :smile:

I had a 94 magna, and after owning the vfr I would never go back.  The riding position was not very comfortable as all your weight is on your ass. After about 40 minutes I would have a numb ass.  It was a great handling bike though, a lot of fun in the corners too.  I don't miss the carbs one bit, the pilot jets would gum up within a few weeks after cleaning them.  Also the tank is small, no fuel gauge either.  It got about 105 miles before hitting the reserve on back roads.  I wish honda would update the magna with the new 1200 motor, it would be a great power cruiser.

Since you've said that you loved your '99 for 50k miles, I have a hard time understanding your comment "...I don't have a connection to it" in reference to the the lower-mileage '99 model you have now. Does the '98 lack some of the farkles & accessories you had added to your '99 viffer?  

I've never ridden a 750 Magna, but twenty years ago I owned a '83 V65 (1100cc) Magna for a few years. While there were aspects of the big Magna that I liked a lot, if given the chance I would not trade my '98 VFR for another V65 in similar condition today.

The Magna's smaller fuel capacity mentioned by others can be a significant drawback if you intend to ride out in the country. However, the sounds produced by the Viffer's 180 degree crankshaft are so much sweeter (at least to my ears) vs. the Magna (360 degree) engine's comparatively flat exhaust note. While both the V-4 Honda engines are comparable in design, the aural "character" and performance provided by the 180 vs 360 degree engines are quite different.

Also, regardless of what KBB values may indicate, to me a '94 750 Magna would not equal in value to a '98 VFR800FI...or to a '94 VFR750 if the Magna & VFR are comparable in condition and mileage.

You really should spend more than a few brief minutes riding the Magna before making a decision. Also in case you may be interested in a V-4 power cruiser with slightly higher performance AND an exhaust note similar to your VFR's engine, you might want to check out a 1st generation Yamaha V-Max (1200 cc V-4). A V-Max sounds great and pulls hard, but like the Magna 750 these motorcycles also have a limited fuel range (only ~100 miles from the 4.5 gallon tank)..and any VFR will handle considerably better in the twisties vs. a stock V-Max.

I can say from experience though that "Mr. Max: can be a hoot in a straight line as the "V-boost" engages, but is not a capable canyon carver in stock form.

Either way, I'd still prefer my '98 viffer over any Magna or an early generation V-Max. I haven't ridden a late model V-Max though (1,800cc & ~ 180 hp)...   .



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I have both a 98 VFR and a 94 Magna. The only problem I have ever had on the magna is the starter clutch basket. I just changed that and am going to send the whole assembly to Seb as he wants to see if it can be repaired. If he can it is up for grabs for anyone that needs to do that repair. Again, that is the only problem I have ever had. Like others have said, it does basically have a VFR engine with some slight changes. It has timing chains instead of gear driven cams, it is carbed instead of FI, it has a 5 speed gearbox instead of a 6 speed, and it was tuned down a little to make more torque instead of power. It is a great bike and my wife uses it right now as her daily driver back and forth to work and school. She averages 38 mpg which is great for that bike, but, with a 3.8 gallon tank the range is a little short. Around 90 - 95 miles and she hits the reserve, then it is time to get gas. So, if you want to see a pristine 94 Magna and like to polish all the chrome, look at my gallery images and see one that just hit 20k miles. We have added some items since those pictures were taken so if you want to see some things like how a Memphis looks on it let me know and I will send some to you. I can not knock the bike, it rides and handles great, is pretty comfortable with the Sergeant seat, and has given us not trouble other than the starter clutch, I just like the VFR better. I say if you like it better, go for it. I hope this helps.

My first vfr was perfect, to me. I had a custom paint job the suspention tuned and it ran perfect. Being that i put all but 4,500 miles of the 50,000 something miles I knew that it was, could do and that id been there for it.
The new one has like 28,000 miles and its in good shape, but compaired to my old one it feels less powerful the brakes are squishie its suspinsion dosnt feel right.
I know I could put the time and money into this one to make it like my old one but Im just not willing to do that.
My wife ttells me I just saw The Love Bug too many times as a kid. I belive in the soul in the machean, to some degree or another. I know that any 5th gen vfr wont be good enough in my head, and with motorcycles so mush of riding is a head game.
So i think the only way not to compair my next bike to the vfr is to go in a diffrent direction.

Iv never had a crusier and i like them when theres as little crome as possable. So what power crusiers would yall suggest.
Personal traits, I hate crome, want power, handling, the ability to quickly make it comfortable for the wife, and be able do a good ride through the twisties and long halls.

What do yall think and again thanks for the help.

The first time you lean into a corner and catch a foot peg, you'll be wishing you were riding your VFR.

My mother told me if I had nothing good to say, then don't say it.  So, there you go.

wow.. i will trade ya a 83 shadow 1100 way cooler and more fun than the magna.
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You're kidding, right? Right?

No contest, I went sport bikes to dual sports to supermoto to cruiser to vintage to race replicas and I have landed at the VFR800FI and that is where I will stay for a long time. Its got it all. When the ass wiggles in a corner from frame flex you will wish you didnt swap. Save up for a cruiser but keep the VFR.

Hey, I'm the wife (from above by huntinggunns). I love my Magna!  I do like riding his VFR (since mine isn't ready yet) every once in a while, but it is not very comfortable.  I am vertically challenged, and have back issues that make the VFR kinda hard to ride for me.  I am looking forward to riding mine after all of the mods are made to it, but until then, I LOVE my Magna! It fits me great!  Also, the sound of it compared to the v-twins is soooo much better along with the four into four exhausts is just awesome!

Noooooooooooooo..........!