bobf@drutx.UUCP (FormhalsR) (07/23/85)
Scanning the want ads for a used motorcycle I have come across a large number of 1982 V45 Sabres for sale in the 1800 to 2000 dollar range. On the surface these appear to be a relatively good buy. Also I like the style of the Sabre line. Would some of the net.cycle readers comment on the positive and negative aspects of this particular bike. Specifically is there some design flaw(s) that are showing up that is causing a lot of people to sell these bikes now?
davidk@dartvax.UUCP (David C. Kovar) (07/24/85)
I had an '82 Sabre and loved it. (Sold it as I needed the money.) I'd
happily get another one. The only reason I can think of that they'd
be going for $1000-$2000 en mass is that the '82s needed a carb (I think)
modification that would run you a couple of hundred bucks. I know the
guy who bought mine and the only thing that he did to it was purchase
that mod, everything else has been beautiful. It's a very smooth bike
with plenty of power. And looks lovely. <sigh>
--
David C. Kovar
USNET: {linus|decvax|cornell|astrovax}!dartvax!davidk%amber
ARPA: davidk%amber%dartmouth@csnet-relay
CSNET: davidk%amber@dartmouth
"I felt like a punk who'd gone out for a switchblade and come back
with a tactical nuke.
'Shit', I thought. 'Screwed again. What good's a tactical nuke in a
street fight?'"
"Burning Chrome" by William Gibsonpetrick@lll-crg.ARPA (Jim Petrick) (08/06/85)
>Scanning the want ads for a used motorcycle I have come >across a large number of 1982 V45 Sabres for sale in the >1800 to 2000 dollar range. On the surface these appear to >be a relatively good buy. Also I like the style of the >Sabre line. Would some of the net.cycle readers comment on >the positive and negative aspects of this particular bike. >Specifically is there some design flaw(s) that are showing >up that is causing a lot of people to sell these bikes now? I personally agree, they are GREAT bikes, but from talking to a few mechanics, they tell me that the '82 Sabres had a few problems and recalls. The one I remember most is a problem with the camshaft. On some of the bikes, this part tended to wear out rather quickly. Honda had a recall to fix this problem, and my mechanic tells me that if the bike has >10K miles on it, either the problem has been fixed, or it probably won't happen to that bike. Another potential problem is the dashboard electronics. I don't remember the specifics, but I think some of the LCD stuff broke and was hard to replace (you had to get a whole new dash). There was something about the warning/self-test system being involved in this, but its been a long time, and the details are vague. On my bike the gas gauge acts up once in a while (it shows less gas than is there), but nothing is seriously wrong. I just fill up more often. Speaking of gas, be sure NOT to use regular in the tank. The V45 engine block is aluminum, and regular gas will destroy it in time. In case you were wondering about mileage, I get an average of 42 MPG for normal riding, and upwds of 55 MPG for long tours (which this bike is emminently suited for). My passengers tend to complain about the rear seat; it doesn't hold them in place very well. Depending on the company, this is either good news or bad. I tend to like my women pressed tight up against me. This used to be bad during fast stops, when they slam into your back, but I've gotten used to it and can compensate fairly easily now. I bought my Sabre 1.5 years ago, and it is the best bike I've ever had. It had >20K miles on it then, and now has about 27K miles. The only things that have gone wrong were the cam chain tensioners. There are 2, (front and rear). The rear one costs about $200 on up to have the shop fix it, and the front costs about $150. My mechanic friend (owns his own motorcycle repair shop) reccomended I not try to do this myself, since the engine is a pain to dismantle. He also refused to do it himself, since he claimed not to have much experience with V45 type engines. Before I bought my bike, I went to a few motorcycle repair shops and asked around about known problems with the bikes. They were more than happy to fill me in. You may have noticed that the above problems are mostly nit-picking. This is because I had to think quite awhile of problems. There just aren't many. I really love the fact that the bike requires almost no maintence; just change the oil every now and then, and possibly adjust the valves (front easy, rear tough). I could go on, but this is already too much. If you want more details, just drop me a line. Jim Petrick petrick@lll-crg.ARPA real address: 5343 Brookside Ct. Pleasanton, Ca 94566 (415) 462-8610