Honda VF1100 Sabre

Just how much motor can be stuffed in a motorcycle? Think about it. You can bore out most any engine a millimeter or two and stick in big pistons. Some can be stroked a little. An increase of 10 percent in displacement is reasonable.

Then there's the engine conversion, the 650 engine in the 500 frame, the small custom frame for a production engine. And sometimes a whole motorcycle is designed around a giant motor. We've seen V-Eights from cars stuck in two-wheeled frames. They sure are huge.

They're also impractical. Sort of like straddling a rocket, lighting the fuse and then trying to control the thing with a rollerskate at each end.

Honda's quickest, fastest, most powerful motorcycle is a little like that. It's also a very good motorcycle. But it sure is huge.

Consider some numbers. Weight of the V65 Sabre is 594 lb. Horsepower is 121 bhp at 9500 rpm. Put a good rider on the Sabre, let him launch the bike down a dragstrip, and numbers like 11.17 seconds and 120.37 mph come up. Top speed, as always, depends on how much room the bike has to accelerate in. The Sabre should be good for about 150 mph. Aftfcr only a half mile of acceleration it hit 139 mph. and it was stUiaccelerating. With the overall gearing of the V65, the rider shifts into high gear at 148 mph. This thing's capable of speeds the average single-engine airplane would be proud of. If it were legal, the Sabreliner could cross the country. L.A. to Day-tona, in 16 hours of riding time.

When it comes to power, the Sabre cannot be excelled. It is a match for any of the current megacycles in power.

How it uses that power is the story.

Honda makes four really big motorcycles. The Gold Wing is the touring bike, made for big loads and heavy-duty hauling. The l000cc Interceptor is the sportiest big Honda, with lots of power and a chassis made for the best handling possible. Between these two are the V65s, the chopperesque Magna and the semi-sports Sabre. These are the muscle machines, and the Sabre has more muscle than the Magna.

These four bikes use three different engines. The Gold Wing's opposed Four is the most different. The l000cc Interceptor and V65s use a 90-degree V-Four design, but with many different details. On the more sporting Interceptor the cylinders are more upright and final drive is a chain. On the V65 engine the cylinders lay more forward and there's a driveshaft.

Either way, the V-Four has a pair of overhead cams on each cylinder bank operating four valves, in every cylinder. Forked finger-type followers are used, with threaded adjusters. Link-plate chains drive the cams.

This is a compact engine. Not small but compact. It is liquid-cooled, with a single radiator perched in front of the engine. Water jackets in the heads and cylinders enable the cylinders to fit close together and the heads to be tightly wrapped. Instead of having bolt-on cylinders, as do most air-cooled engines, the V65 cylinders are cast into the crank-case. The crankshaft has two throws, both in the same position. Both forward pistons rise and fall together, and the upright pistons also move together. Those pistons fire alternately, though, one revolution apart. This makes for perfect primary balance, along with a slightly irregular firing order.

Power is transmitted from the end of the crankshaft, through a split, spring-loaded spur gear to the multi-plate wet clutch. The clutch is unusual for two reasons. It is released through a hydraulic system, and it has a partial sprag clutch design. On deceleration the clutci doesn't lock up solidly, so careless down shifts won't skid the rear tire.

Transmission is a two-shaft, six-speed affair, driving a shaft that powers the rear wheel. The ratio spread, first to top, is wide. In first gear, the Sabre could tow locomotives, or kill the rear tire trying. In top gear, the Sabre would be going 177 mph at redline if the engine had the power to pull such high gearing. It doesn't. There isn't a straightaway long enough, a downhill steep enough for that. A 30-knot tailwind might do it.

Between the cylinder banks are the carburetors, a set of semi-downdraft and semi-sidedraft CV carbs found only on Honda's V-Fours. Changes in the carbs, cams and exhaust system account for the greater power of the V65 engine in the Sabre than in the Magna.

Carburetor Venturis are 34.2mm in diameter, 1mm larger than the Magna carbs. Header pipes are 35mm in diameter, 3.2mm larger, and they lead to larger volume mufflers. Camshaft lift is 8.2mm, 0.2mm greater. The 230 of exhaust duration occurs 3 degrees later, and the 230 of intake duration begins 2 degrees sooner than the Magna's.

The mighty motor is all the two V65s have in common. They are very different motorcycles. Because the Magna has to look like a Magna, there's a tiny main gas tank, with an auxiliary tank under the seat. It has a waterfall-like seat and a small sissy bar and a pair of chromed shocks and big, tall handlebars. The Sabre is intended to be more functional. It's supposed to be more sporting. So it has a single shock rear suspension, with the linkage-controlled swing arm suspended by progressive springing and damping. The gas tank is bigger, and there's only the one tank. Handlebars are adjustable, with a normal range of positions. They are also round steel tubes, so any replacement handlebars can replace the stock bars. The seat is simpler, and, if not m level, at least it's more comfortable. I also a long way from the ground.

Once upon a time motorcycles onfft, came in single versions. There were mf' customs, no sport models, no touring models. If you wanted a touring bike you added the fairing. For a custom bike you changed the seat and handlebars and added some chrome. For sport, a rider changed shocks, handlebars, and tires, maybe did some engine work and that was it. The Sabre would have been the standard model, the bike built into all of these specials. It's a good, big, strong motorcycle designed to run straight down the middle of the road.

Middle of the road bikes don't get to hide behind extremism. Yet they sometimes suffer from their compromise. In the Sabre's case, the engine is so overwhelming that everything else is of little consequence.

The chassis, for example, does a great job of keeping the engine under control. But when a frame has to face the forces generated by a 121-bhp, 575-lb. motorcycle, it's a major accomplishment when tit doesn't fold in two. The Sabre's frame oes beyond that. It provides surprisingly good comfort, exceptional stability And if the agility isn't what you'd expect ^rom a 550, well, it's as good as you can expect from an 1100.

There are several shortcomings in the Sabre's general layout that the suspension must handle. Shaft drive, for example. Shaft-driven bikes with lots of torque have strong lifting reactions in the rear suspension. This can be controlled with an abundance of rebound damping, limited travel or a long swing arm. Compromise is what the Sabre does. The swing arm is as long as possible. Damping is adjustable to three positions. The difference between settings is a minimal six percent. Travel is a comfortable 4.7 in. Suspension arms connect the single shock to the forward end of the steel swing arm. The links ride on sealed needle bearings. The progressive nature of the linkage increases suspension rate 35 percent at full compression. The back end of the bike can be made to hop around, but all in all, it's a good solution.

In front the suspension handles a similar range of demands just as well. Travel is a moderate 5.7 in. Stanchion tube diameter is a beefy 41mm. Incorporated into the left fork leg is the anti-dive. Honda uses the brake rotor's twisting force to increase compression damping through an adjustable valve.

Like most anti-dive systems, the forks still compress when the brakes are applied, but not quite as much. At least the Honda system doesn't detract from brake lever feel, as do some other anti-dive systems. In the right fork leg is the adjustable rebound damping, with three stops. Setting number one has half the rebound damping of the left leg, number two is the same as the left leg damping and number three is 50 percent higher. A cast aluminum fork brace connects the sliders and reduces flex caused by the uneven damping. That brace also includes a small wing that ducts air to the radiator. Air fittings adjust preload.

Rake is 30.5, trail is 3.7 inches. This is a little less trail than the Magna uses, for a little less steering effort.

A little less steering effort than a V65 Magna doesn't make for quick and responsive handling, however. This is a giant-sized motorcycle. It's heavy, tall and enormously powerful. Controlling all this power and all this weight requires lots of effort and lots of care.

A little too much throttle and the su-per-torquey V-Four can make for a wild ride. Too little force on the handlebars and the Sabre runs wide in corners. It takes a few minutes to adapt to the V65 after riding anything smaller. Some things remain difficult to adapt to.

Shifting is notchy. This isn't one of those slip-from-gear-to-gear bikes. The lever takes twice the effort of some bikes, though it didn't slip out of gear. The clutch is slightly stiff and doesn't convey the same feel through the hydraulic lines that a cable provides. Riders accustomed to more sporting machinery complained that the pegs were too far forward, the bars too far back and the seat too something. They weren't comfortable. Riders who are happier on Shadows than Interceptors thought the Sabre was a nice compromise, a good all-around bike of  exceptional comfort. See how absolute we can be?

It's easier to be absolute about other things. The Sabre is wonderfully convenient. The choke lever is on the handlebar, and the engine fires instantly hot or cold. It can be ridden away immediately with just a little choke when it's cold. It is not a fussy motorcycle. The instruments are easy to read and useful. Round dials are used for speed and engine rpm, liquid crystals display engine temperature, gear engagement, fuel level and time of day. Take the Sabre on a trip somewhere and you discover what a marvelous convenience the clock is.

The fuel gauge replaces the petcock. Almost. Hidden beneath the right side cover is an on-off petcock, which doesn't get used because the electric fuel pump shuts off fuel flow when the engine isn't running. There is no reserve. Instead, the fuel gauge is there. Sure it works on cars, and it should be safer than having the engine sputter to a stop when the tank is low, but some riders still missed having a petcock with reserve.

Nobody could complain about the brakes. The anti-dive does its job of keeping fork dive under control. The lever is firm, the brakes strong and stopping distances short. As with most of the new motorcycles, the brakes don't limit the stopping distances as much as the tires do.

Not much maintenance is required on the V65, and what is required is easy to do. A small spin-on oil filter under the engine is easy to change. Valve adjustment is done with simple screw adjusters. Rocker arm covers are held with only four bolts and the rubber gaskets are simple to seal. Even the oil filler spout is uncommonly accessible, which requires a separate dipstick position by the clutch cover. Of course there is no chain to lube or adjust, no adjustment of the cam chains or points. Even a tire change shouldn't be difficult with no chain to attach and no shocks interfering with tire removal. Honda has worked at making the Sabre easy to maintain.

Mostly Honda has worked at making the Sabre powerful. That's what makes the V65 fun. Twist the throttle and the bike takes off like a rocket. It lunges forward from idle, from 3000 rpm, from 6000 rpm and from 9000 rpm. Redline is 10,000 rpm. If it's not the world's hardest accelerating motorcycle, and it's not, don't blame the motor. Blame a high center of gravity and shaft drive thjfe make for wheelies. Blame the less-than aerodynamic shape that lowers trap speed. The engine does its part.

Remember that this isn't a competition motorcycle. On a roadrace track the Sabre would get eaten alive by a 1000 Interceptor or Ninja 900 because the Sabre is not as quick handling. For drag racing a big chain drive bike like the Suzuki 1150 or Yamaha 1100 has an advantage because of their possible gearing changes and the Sabre's more-diffi-cult-to-ride shaft-drive chassis.

Away from racetracks, the Sabre's performance is great. Nothing can leave a stoplight quicker, or accelerate in high gear harder. It handles capably, with much more cornering clearance than the V65 Magna has, and only a little less than the best big sporting bikes. W things scrape, the pegs let the rider kno' the limits have been reached and it's eas to keep things under control. When corner ends, the throttle can be crackel and the Sabre can rocket away, oblivious to things like engine rpm. As long as it's not on a racetrack, the V65 is a great high-performance motorcycle.

What the Sabre can do that an Interceptor can't do is adapt to other uses. Honda sells the CBX-style fairing for the Sabre, and a set of hard saddlebags are also available from Honda. As a touring bike the Sabre is great. The 5.8-gallon gas tank can run 200 miles between fill-ups. Engine vibration is minimal, and it's a low-frequency rumble, not a frantic buzz.

The Sabre is one of a kind now. All the other factories make full-fairing touring bikes and sports-fairing racer replicas and Milwaukee-styled muscle bikes.

But only Honda makes a big, strong, comfortable bike that doesn't depend on a niche.

Source Cycle World 1994