1984 Honda VF500C Magna V30 from United States of America

Summary:

This bike is extremely good value with a low purchase price and a low cost of operation

Faults:

I bought the bike used for $100.00. It needed regular service items; chain, sprockets, battery and fork seals. Also needed the seat recovered.

General Comments:

I love this bike. It is much lighter than my previous bike. This allows it to be easily maneuvered.

The V4 engine runs very smoothly and economically (>45 MPG).

My only slightly negative comment regarding this bike would be the small gas tank (2.9 gallons) that does not have a reserve feature. The cruising range is about 110 miles on a tank. The bike does not have a fuel gauge, so I use the odometer and fill up every 100 miles.

But the bike is very comfortable.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th June, 2010

18th Mar 2012, 18:38

My 1984 Honda Magna V30 (bought it new in 1985 as a college student, and still have it) came with a 3.7 gallon fuel capacity, and it has an "automatic" feature that I actually like quite a bit, rather than running the carbs dry and having to switch from 'on' to 'reserve', either while coasting down the road, or having to pull-over and do it "safely"...

Yes, the main tank has around a 2.8 gallon capacity, and the reserve tank under the seat is about 0.9 gallons. When the main tank is dry, the "reserve" kicks in 'automatically' and a big red "FUEL" light on the dash lights up... hard to miss if you're regularly scanning your instruments... If you do not see this light come on... make sure the bulb is not burnt out. When the "FUEL" light comes on (usually around 130 miles) I figure I have about 40 miles to find a station.

7th Jul 2013, 12:46

I have a 1984 Honda Magna 500. Should the reserve switch be in the on or the off position when the fuel tank is full?

After a long ride my bike died. My error, I was out of gas. I noticed that the reserve switch was set to "on" the whole time.

Now I am unable to get my bike to stay started, even with a full tank of gas.

Can you offer any help?

3rd Apr 2014, 15:41

Use a really good carb cleaner! Clean the carbs as they may have got trash in the jets.

21st Jul 2014, 23:40

Bud, just clean the carbs good and you will be good to go.

This is my 3rd bike; I used to ride sport bikes before, but got tired of it. Now I would never trade my V30, not in a million years.

And also make sure that some piece of rust or something out of the tank is not stuck in your fuel line; that can also be a tricky problem, but is easily fixable.

Good luck.

6th Jun 2016, 22:21

How much did all the repairs cost after you purchased the bike?

15th Apr 2018, 21:38

This fella does not realize these bikes have a 0.9 tank under the seat for reserve that is powered by a fuel pump. These aux tanks sometimes have a relay that fails or a fuel pump failure.

15th Apr 2018, 21:48

Fix the fuel pump or the fuel pump relay, under the seat and get 0.9 of a gallon more gas; this is the reserve tank.

1985 Honda VF500C Magna V30 from Canada

Summary:

Accellerates better than most cruisers, and handles better than any of them

Faults:

Replaced the chain one year after purchase, tires (naturally), repainted bike.

General Comments:

I bought this bike because of its smaller displacement as a starter.. it's now 4 years later and I still own it with no intention of replacing it.

I've ridden many other bikes in the mean time, but in all honesty am disappointed in the common v-twin cruiser. This little 500 runs faster than any 750 cruisers I've come across, and keeps pace quite nicely with litre (+) bikes.

If you have a chance to get a V65 (1100), go for this bike first, but don't pass up this little gem because it's quiet and humble!

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th May, 2010