The Bike that started it ALL!!

THE TEN SECOND BATTLE

Honda's V65 Magna is an authentic 10 second motorcycle We re sure of it but unofficially so
Readers following the battle of the 10 second quarter know that the GPz1100 tested by Cycle last month ran 10 91. The Honda 1100F hovered at the 10 second threshold in January but didn't quite make it. Honda was confident, though, that the V65 Magna was a 10 second jet, and there was plenty of evidence pointing in that direction. First, John Gleason, professional quarter mile pilot, had taken the V65 Magna into the tens for Honda, a feat well publicized by the company. Second, Honda had every reason to believe that the Magna would turn out to be a 10 second bike in Cycle's hands - Mark Homchick (out of real curiosity) had run a pre production V65 through the traps at 11.06 seconds long before the magazine's test unit, a line production bike, showed up for evaluation.
Before Homchick could get our test Magna to the strip, he became the proud owner of an unwanted accessory: a plaster cast running from thumb to armpit. The cast had (and still has) optional features - stainless steel pins to immobilize a left wrist broken in a number of places and pieces. It was a bad break for Honda, too. As explained in February, it takes a deft touch to get a Superbike into the tens; only two or three journalists can, and MH is our quota. Honda had the weapon; Cycle, the broken trigger finger.
On the one hand, Cycle couldn't officially consider any quarter mile times outside the ones turned in by staffers. On the other hand, Mark's performance with 10 second motorcycles is much closer to John Gleason's than to other staff members'. If Gleason could take our test V65 Magna and put it well into the tens, it would clearly indicate that the V65 would be a 10 second bike in Mark's hands. And that would give our readers a much fairer picture of the Magna's performance than if we published an 11.3 figure generated by Buzz Buzzelli.
Gleason turned in a 10.84 second, 124.82 mph shot with the Magna. That's about 0.04 second quicker than he managed on the GPz1100 while coaching Homchick on ten second riding. The total run of Gleason's times on our test unit V65 were as follows: 11.29 @ 120.48; 11.14 @ 124.82; 11.13 @ 124.48; 10.92 @ 124.48; 10.87 @ 125.17; 10.91 © 125.17; 10.86 @ 125.00; 10.90 @ 124.65; 10.95 @ 124.30; 10.91 @ 124.82; 10.84 @ 124.82.
The Honda V65 is easier to ride at the strip than the GPz1 100 because the Magna has more mid range punch - note the dyno charts. This means it gets off the line more easily. Furthermore, most street riders will have the impression that the Honda is a lot stronger than the GPz1100 because of the V65's hellacious mid range power. And that's a fact. The V65 shows more horsepower than the GPz at every rpm level on the dyno charts, and the power is more broadly distributed. At the very top the V65 produces 105 horsepower at the rear wheel, a touch more than the 104 horse GPz. Only at 8500 rpm does the GPz edge above the Monster Magna. At 3500 rpm, for example, the V65 has an additional 10 pounds feet of torque. At 4000 rpm the V65 has over 10 horsepower and 14 pounds-feet on the GPz 1100. The V65 is, by a mile, the strongest stocker we've bolted to the dyno. Though most riders might find the Honda easier to deal with in the quarter, be as sured that getting a 10 second motorcycle into the tens is tough. If you doubt that, pay a visit to your local drag strip.
Unofficially, the V65 is a 10 second bike. Officially, it's the Horsepower King. You can take those numbers to the bank and deposit them.
When Mr. Pins and Plaster Homchick mends, we want to run our V65 Magna again to get our official figures. At that time, we'd like to gather all the 10 second contenders for a little high drama around the old drag strip
Christmas tree. We can hardly wait.