Honda VF1100S Sabre V65

File:Honda-VF1100S-Sabre2.jpg
Honda VF1100
Manufacturer	Honda
Also called	VF1100C - V65 Magna, VF 1100 C - V65 Magna, VF1100S Sabre V65, VF 1100 S Sabre V65, VF1100S, VF 1100 S, VF1100C, VF 1100 C, VF 1100
Production	1984
Class	Power Cruiser
Engine	Four stroke, 90°V-four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder
Compression ratio	10.5:1
Top Speed	177 mph
Ignition	Digital transistorized
Transmission	6 Speed
Suspension	Front: Telescopic fork, 41mm air-adjustable leading-axle forks with 3-way adjustable rebound damping and TRAC Rear: Single shock swing arm, air-adjustable Pro-Link with remote 3-way adjustable rebound damping
Brakes	Front: 2x 274mm disc 2 piston calipers Rear: Single 279mm disc 2-piston caliper
Front Tire	110/90 -18
Rear Tire	130/90 -17
Wheelbase	1590 mm / 62.6 in
Seat Height	831 mm / 32.7 in
Weight	241.5 kg / 532.5 lbs (dry),
Recommended Oil	Honda GN4 10W-40
Fuel Capacity	21.9 Liters / 5.8 gal
Manuals	Service Manual

It could reach a top speed of 177 mph.

Engine

The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, 90°V-four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder. The engine featured a 10.5:1 compression ratio.

Drive

Power was moderated via the Multi-plate wet.

Chassis

It came with a 110/90 -18 front tire and a 130/90 -17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 274mm disc 2 piston calipers in the front and a Single 279mm disc 2-piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a Telescopic fork, 41mm air-adjustable leading-axle forks with 3-way adjustable rebound damping and TRAC while the rear was equipped with a Single shock swing arm, air-adjustable Pro-Link with remote 3-way adjustable rebound damping. The VF1100S Sabre V65 was fitted with a 21.9 Liters / 5.8 gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 241.5 kg / 532.5 lbs. The wheelbase was 1590 mm / 62.6 in long.

Photos

Honda VF1100 Honda VF1100 Honda VF1100

Overview

Honda VF1100S Sabre V65

Americans love performance, so Honda gained lots of fans with the V65 Sabre. The bike stood out from the crowd not only because of its record-shattering quarter-mile performance, but also because it was powered by a V-4 in a sea of inline fours. The 65? That referred to the motor's displacement in cubic inches; metrically, it packed a whopping 1098cc.

The Sabre was a high-tech performance machine that broke the mold. Not a cruiser, a standard, or a sportbike, the Sabre had a style all its own, and boasted the kind of stump-pulling engine performance that the inline fours of the day couldn't match. The powerplant featured liquid-cooling, twin-cam heads, a six-speed gearbox and a low-maintenance shaft final drive.

The chassis components were equally impressive; cast six-spoke wheels front and back, single-shock rear suspension and a beefy 41mm leading-axle fork with Honda's TRAC anti-dive system. On top of that, the Sabre was smooth, versatile and comfortable enough for touring.

Though the V65 engine debuted a year earlier in the Magna—a machine that featured a cross between cruiser and drag bike styling—the 1984 Sabre galvanized public opinion of Honda's newly minted V-4 engine configuration.

Until then, Japanese high-performance was defined by inline fours. Honda did offer V-4 400s for the Japanese market in 1982, but the V65s raised the performance bar with a broad torque range combined with a serious top-end rush. Four valves per cylinder, relatively mild cams, an efficient induction system with straight-shot intake tracts, clean-burning combustion chambers and a quartet of 36mm constant-velocity carbs gave the V65 Sabre its most powerful production motorcycle engine available. Pumping out a walloping 121 horsepower, the mighty Sabre could launch from a standstill to 50 miles per hour in just 2.31 seconds! In addition, the 90-degree V-4 package was physically narrower than the transverse four-cylinder engines. Though the V-4 powerplant may have been slightly longer than an inline four engine, the Sabre's forward bank of cylinders helped ensure sufficient front-end weight bias for excellent steering.

With its well-balanced chassis and muscular engine, the V65 Sabre earned a reputation as a versatile motorcycle that was fun to ride in more than just short, straight bursts down the drag strip. Californian Jim Newberry rode his Sabre to a fifth-place finish at the 1984 Iron Butt Rally and improved one position the following year, demonstrating that the bike was comfortable and reliable for the long haul.

Indeed, the Sabre proved the versatility of Honda's family of V-4s, which included machines as diverse as the custom V65 Magna and the Interceptor sportbike line. The Sabre's unique balance of performance and versatility became a hallmark of Honda's V-4 machines in the years to come. These virtues still define Honda's current V-4 models, the Magna, the ST1100 and VF800 Interceptor—machines that carved a niche in the marketplace as great streetbikes for riders who demanded high-performance without trading comfort and versatility.

Make Model	Honda VF1100S Sabre V65
Year	1984
Engine Type	Four stroke, 90°V-four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder
Displacement	1098 cc / 66.9cu-in
Bore X Stroke	79.5 x 55.3 mm
Cooling System	Liquid cooled
Compression	10.5:1
Lubrication	Wet sump
Induction	4x 36mm Keihin CV type
Ignition	Digital transistorized
Starting	Electric
Max Power	121 hp / 88.3 kW @ 9500 rpm
Max Torque	101.7 Nm / 10.4 kg-fm / 75.0 ft-lb @ 7500 rpm
Clutch	Multi-plate wet
Transmission	6 Speed
Final Drive	Shaft
Gear Ratio	6th 4.31 5th 5.16 4th 6.18 3rd 7.43 2nd 9.31 1st 13.19
Front Suspension	Telescopic fork, 41mm air-adjustable leading-axle forks with 3-way adjustable rebound damping and TRAC
Front Wheel Travel	145 mm / 5.7 in
Rear Suspension	Single shock swing arm, air-adjustable Pro-Link with remote 3-way adjustable rebound damping
Rear Wheel Travel	119 mm / 4.6 in
Front Brakes	2x 274mm disc 2 piston calipers
Rear Brakes	Single 279mm disc 2-piston caliper
Front Tire	110/90 -18
Rear Tire	130/90 -17
Wheelbase	1590 mm / 62.6 in
Rake	30.5°
Trail	94 mm / 3.7 in
Seat Height	831 mm / 32.7 in
Ground Clearance	152 mm / 6.0 in
Dry Weight	241.5 kg / 532.5 lbs
Fuel Capacity	21.9 Liters / 5.8 gal
Standing ¼ Mile	11.38 sec. / 120.36 mph
Consumption Best	44 mpg
Top Speed	177 mph