1984 Honda VF1100S V65 Sabre
In May of 2003, Chris went on one of my Sabmag rides with me in the old California Gold Country near Jackson on Highway 49. Although the little V45 Sabre (750cc) didn't do too badly, I had the engine in the upper RPMs most of the ride, struggling under the load I was putting it through.
A few months before that trip, after finding their V45 Sabre short on power and comfort, Dave bought a 1984 Honda V65 Sabre (1100cc). This bike had the power (plus some) and was more comfortable for both his wife and him. So I decided that that is what I needed to do, get a V65 Sabre. I started looking and even bought one bike off ebay with only 16k on it, but found that the frame was tweaked. Then in November 2003, I bought this gem off ebay for only $1,675. And then paid $600 to have it shipped to the West Coast. It had just over 27,400 miles on it and with a little bit of work I had it running pretty good. I added the rack and back rest. I also put stock handle bars on it, all from the spare parts bike. I have put over 8,000 miles on it now and plan on putting many more.
I recently updated my V65 Sabre with the fairing I bought off ebay last June along with the tank, side covers, tail section and fender from my parts bike. I have always preferred the blue stripe to any of the other Sabre colors! I did this in conjunction with rebuilding my carbs and then proceeded to ride the bike up to Santa Barbara over Easter weekend for my niece's wedding. The bike ran great, which surprised me, since I have never had any luck rebuilding carbs in my life! I even got 41 mpg according to my bicycle speedometer. I must have done something right! (-:
In April 2005, I purchased a set of softsided saddlebags off ebay and I really like the way they look and mounting was much easier. Also, notice the red saddle? I obtained that from a friend. It's a "Russel Day Long" saddle. I used it for a 1,200 mile trip for Sabmag Arizona (SMAZ) gathering. After that many miles in just three days, I wasn't saddlesore at all. I will be having it recovered and go to black leather, but it is pretty comfortable over long hauls.
What it
did look like!