New Rider - 1983 Honda Magna v45 750

J

JMagnav45

New member
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Hi guys,


I'm 24 and recently purchased a 1983 Honda Magna v45 750cc cruiser about a month or so ago as a project bike. It will be up and running within a month, and I have some questions, as most of the advice I found on here was for sports bike drivers. I was hoping for some suggestions to some of the things I will be facing soon. Some are less important than others.


Protective Gear:
I am going to get head to toe gear as I have had my fair share of bike accidents growing up with a dirtbike, but I am having difficulty with the helmet. I love the look of the skullcap, but it kind of freaks me out how little it actually protects. Any suggestions on a helmet to suit a cruiser would be greatly appreciated, and possibly a link to a site.


I have seen the chest plate armour for bikers, and was wondering if I should invest in it as something to go under a jacket? Or do most jackets come with this plating built in?


I will probably be picking up some decent hybrid leather/textile pieces for the top/pants, but the boots are something I don't know much about. What are some key things I should be looking for/considering here?


Insurance:
I checked out the insurance post on this site and it left me with limited options. I will continue shopping around, but any suggestions for insurance would be greatly appreciated. I don't need crazy coverage, just enough to get it street legal. I have my G license, but none of my motorcycle licenses. I am going for my m1 later in the month, but so far most insurance companies have stone walled me when I stated I would be using an m1 for insurance atm, or they have ridiculously high quotes worth more than quadruple what my bike is worth.


Suggested Riding:
I plan on sticking to country and small town driving for the summer while I learn my bike and get comfortable with driving a bike in a world of cars and monster trucks. Are there areas/places I should avoid as a new rider? Anywhere that I should drive to for some experience?


Parking:
I always see people parking their bikes in really odd places, such as on curbs, or in blocked out areas of the parking lot. Are these bikes parked in towable zones? Any advice for parking in general would be appreciated as I don't want to come back and either find my bike missing, or find it knocked over by some guy who didn't check the spot first.


Extra precautions/advice:
As I own a larger bike, are there things that I need to know?
If there is anything extra that you can think of that I might need to know/should consider, please feel free to leave a comment. Advice is always welcome.






Thanks for reading all of this if you made it this far! Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Jordan

Picture of what my bike will look like eventually:
http://binatani.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/1983-honda-magna-v45-vf750c-wiring-diagram.jpg
 
Welcome, nice bike!

Well, it sounds like you have your head screwed on straight about being a new rider so that's a bonus! Starting on a bike like that, sure it's a 750 and you will be able to get yourself into trouble on it, but it's going to be a lot more forgiving than a sport bike obviously.

Check out Town Moto for gear options. They carry some really nice stuff, not usually cheap, but nice. For helmets, Bell make some nice retro-ish full faces that might be what you're looking for. Check out Biltwell as well.

Most street gear doesn't come with chest armour. In sport bike jackets there is usually a pocket in each side so you can upgrade it yourself. I don't think cruiser gear usually has that though.

For pants, another option may be kevlar lined jeans. I bought mine from Royal Distributing, they were on sale for a screaming deal and have kevlar from the belt line all the way dow to my shins, front and back. I have a Teknic pair that had knee armour as well.

For boots, honestly, my view on that is ankle protection and comfort. If you've got a pair of leather boots, that will do the trick to get you started.

Keep an eye on the Rides section of the forum, a lot of rides happen for newer riders. Join up with one of those and have some fun!

For parking, I will park in the hashed out areas of parking lots but that's about it. It's up to you if you want to risk it.

One last thing, if you haven't yet, sign up and take a course. That's the one thing you'll hear the most and there's a reason for it. That instruction will save your life! Take it easy!
 
I'm still learning my way around, so you can take all this with a grain of salt.
I opted for a full-face helmet because I've heard that a lot of riders land face-first when they crash. I chose an Icon Alliance; the Alliance and Airframe are both moderately priced. A do-rag would be a good idea underneath.
I want some kevlar jeans. Docs Leathers has about the best price I've found online in the GTA, and they carry extra-huge sizes.
BTW, the V45 was considered a hot fast bike in its era. A quick google tells me that they could do the quarter mile in 12 and a fraction. It is a whole different class of bike than a V-twin cruiser. It is enough bike to get you into trouble if you don't treat it with respect. I would love to have one:)
Get your M1 ASAP because there is a 60-day waiting period to get your M2 once you get your M1. M1 is just a written test, you can walk in and write it with no appointment; I think there is a handbook for sale everywhere that covers all the test material. The approved riding courses all include an M2 riding test; so, the course will give you your M2 if you pass (you will still need to finish the waiting period before you can upgrade your license) and it will give you a discount on insurance, which you are going to need at your age.
 
Get a white full face helmet. Make it easier for drivers to see you.
i had a black full face on my V65 Magna, which was sharder to see and slightly warmer.
Some come with a flip down shade now if you want more of an open feel. Look for fit and protection, above all else.

Gauntlet gloves are nice, as bees then can't go up your sleeves, and get angry when they reach your armpit.

Boots you want some ankle support, possible protection in front, comfortable. My go to boots right now, are some $30 Walmart leather non steel toe work boots, with custom insoles, as I need to do a ton of walking in them. I've waterproofed them with Snoseal. Also, the should be able to go under your rain pants, so that you don't fill them with water when it rains.

People tend to get a back protector before a chest protector, and the chest protector can be added later. Insurance is going to be high, as it's a big bike to start with.

Best to stay out of downtown Toronto. Try a large empty parking lot when no cars are there and practice your slow speed stuff.

I always park over by the luxury cars near the back of the lot, where there are less issues.

The course is always good to take. You get to try things out with someone else's bike.

Don't get overconfident and start horsing around, course or not. Accidents tend to happen, when you first start out, taper off for a year or tow, and then dramatically increase again around the third year when people get cocky (or possibly switch bikes), they then slowly taper off again.

Good luck, have fun!
 
I'd bet do it with Dan may have influenced the magna purchase here. If I'm wrong, check him out on YouTube. He's got an awesome magna, CBR 1000 and camaro.
 
Em_5ive said:
I'd bet do it with Dan may have influenced the magna purchase here. If I'm wrong, check him out on YouTube. He's got an awesome magna, CBR 1000 and camaro.
Click to expand...

Haha nope, I had been keeping an eye out for a nice but reasonably priced bike for about 6 months when I stumbled across this one. It had sat for a few years in this guys garage as it needed clutch work. He just never got around to it, so I ended up getting it for $400. I had always loved the look of cruisers and when I saw the ad I pretty much just fell in love instantly. After replacing the battery, pulling the carbs and ripping apart the clutch, it didn't need anything crazy besides some new plates and to tighten the timing chain. The carbs need a serious cleaning but for all that they are definitely salvageable with some TLC. The gas tank was full of sediment and an oil treatment to stop the rust as the previous owner had attempted to remove the rust before selling it. I cleaned the oil out, and set to work flushing the tank with diet coke, and then 8L of vinegar. After about 2 days of letting the vinegar sit, I emptied the tank and flushed it with some CLR to remove any lingering rust/sediment. Finished her up with a good sealer from Royal Distributing. The tank looks amazing now, and is ready to be filled. I'm currently waiting on my clutch plates to arrive and then it should be good to go. The body has some minor surface rust, and the chrome has seen better days but I can work on getting her pretty once I know that she is road ready.


Here is a picture of her after removing the seat, the sissy bar, the air intake, the rad, and the tank. The carbs are free but still sitting in the bike in this picture. They are out and fully apart atm. I will be sure to post more pictures :)

http://s12.postimg.org/8jvcxbc0t/Bike_no_seat_or_sissy_bar.jpg
 
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