1986 Honda V65 Magna

Owner: Sean Brogan, Writer/Producer
Location: Los Angeles, CA

The Story: Brogan found his Honda six years ago on a spontaneous trip to a family friend's garage to "check out a bike for sale." It had been sitting in heated storage for a decade, its first owner having hung up his helmet to raise a family. Unfamiliar with the model, Brogan and his father assumed it was similar to a Honda Shadow cruiser: big, heavy, sluggish, and safe. A good starter bike. It wasn't until after money was exchanged that a Google search revealed otherwise.

He'd actually purchased a terrifying 1100ccs of high performance engineering. In fact, the V65 Magna was the fastest production motorcycle in the world from 1983-1986, (the result of a power-cruiser Cold War against Yamaha's V-Max). It's extremely powerful, going a quarter mile in just under 11 seconds. Overzealous throttle twisting turns the front wheel into an ornamental accessory, and Brogan, being a sane person, is positive he'll never get close to experiencing the bike's near-180mph top speed. To say the engine is big is an understatement. It doesn't even fit in the frame.

Brogan had it shipped from Boston to LA, and even though it's technically an antique, it's only logged 20,000 miles. He loves it because at the end of the day, it's a really impressive machine. It's not sexy, it's not stylish, it's scary. And it's still above his skill level this many years in. However, despite its power, it's remarkably quiet. It may not wake up his neighbors in the morning, but it could still beat a Ferrari in a drag race.

Future Plans: He has no plans to sell it, and since it's never going to increase in value like a Harley or a Triumph, he can ride the hell out of it guilt-free. While it may not be the safest choice, it's the only bike he's ever had and he feels like any other bike would just be a downgrade.

You can see Brogan's bike featured in videos from Charney and Drop Trou. Check out this original ad for the Magna from 1983.