Faults:

Radiator was damaged when I purchased this bike. It appears the previous owner tried to pry the radiator cap off! The neck was severely bent and the mating surface with the cap looked as if a hammer and pliers were used to bend it back. The dealer I purchased from made good by replacing it with a radiator from another '94 Magna he had for sale. All is well since.

Like other Magnas of this era, the motor surges in the 2000-2500 RPM range. It is easily fixed, as others have noted, but is no more than a small annoyance. So I'll probably not apply the jet shim fix until I have to open it up for other work. The surge is hardly noticeable if you go through this RPM range relatively quickly.

General Comments:

This bike exceeds my wildest expectations. It is big enough to take into the Chicago-area rush hours, but light enough to cruise comfortably around town. These are precisely the characteristics I was looking for.

My Magna is completely stock, yet the seat is very comfortable for 2+ hour rides for my 60 year old body. It is definitely more comfortable than the 1978 CB400T2 I owned previously for 15 years - which was an excellent bike in its time.

Acceleration? Let's just say that the first time I test rode a '94 Magna (not the one I purchased), I was glad the road in front of the bike shop is wide and not heavily traveled. With a small crack of the throttle, I used a bit more of the road width than I planned. In my day to day riding to work, I've only needed to use this quickness once to stay out of trouble. My son, who owns a 1986 VT700C Shadow, is seriously jealous!

Braking is very effective with the new brake linings this bike came with. It remains to be seen how it holds up with wear.

Fuel economy, in my view, is very good. In the nearly 1,000 miles I've put on, I am getting consistent 48-49 MPG - in about a 60/40 mixture of town/highway riding. I am very happy with this, but wish Honda had left the 6th gear overdrive in place that they used in the 1984-1986 Shadows. This would have been very effective on kicking the highway mileage up another 7-8 MPG.

Faults:

No failures. Some of the very early 94 Magna's had a slight knocking sound at idle when the bike was leaned to the side, including mine. This is caused by the cams shifting to the side, and the end of the cam shaft rubbing on the journal at either end of the cam shaft. It is corrected by removing the journals and drilling two small holes in the journal to allow more oil to lubricate the end of the cam shaft. Search for the Honda service bulletin for instructions. I did this myself. As far as I know this wasn't a wear issue, just a fix for a mildly annoying noise.

Some of the early bikes also had a lean spot in the lower revs which would cause the bike to surge slightly. This is easily corrected by purchasing four plastic shims from Dave Dodge Racing for about $5 and slipping them over the end of the needle on the diaphragm. Completely fixed the problem without doing a full re-jet of the carbs.

General Comments:

My first real street bike was a 74 CB750 that I resurrected after sitting for nearly 20 years. After about three years I sold it and bought an 82 V45 that I got for a steal at $550. Three years later I had a guy offer me $1700 for it. I had been considering upgrading to a third generation Magna, so I took the money. About two weeks later I found the 94 that I only paid $2700 for. I could sell it today for $3500.

These bikes are fantastic. Not perfect, but you won't find a better combination of power, handling, reliability, and looks in another bike.

I'm quite short at 5'5" and the low seat height is great. Taller riders complain about the ergonomics and often switch to forward controls. The seat is a little too soft for long rides, but still better than my 82, and better than most. The Corbin seats are fantastic (they feel hard at first but don't let that fool you) but pricey. The stock Corbin's also push me too far back to reach the bars comfortably. However if you really want a Corbin and are willing to go to the expense, I hear you can go to the factory in California and they will custom fit a seat for you.

My yellow Magna gets lots of comments from other riders. In spite of what my wife said after I brought it home, even guys are impressed by the color (nobody knocks Corvette Yellow, do they!). The only addition I've made is adding a small Hondaline sport windshield. Something slightly larger would do better preventing my head from being buffeted above about 60 mph.

These bikes are well built, as trouble-free as you'll find, and require little maintenance. I consistently get 45 mpg around town. I would buy another in a heartbeat.