Sabre-Toothed Sport-Toured

SABRE-TOOTHED SPORT-TOURED

PERSONAL PROJECT

HONDA'S 1985 VF700 SABRE did not redefine motorcycling. What it did was offer a standard-style platform that catered to a variety of riding styles.

Bill Andrews liked that idea, and having owned two other mid-'80s

Honda V-Fours, he bought the Sabre you see here. Only, when Andrews purchased it in 1985, the bike was a plain-Jane standard without any of its current sport-touring amenities.

Added touring capability was Andrews' first consideration. Hondaline color-matched luggage, acquired from a fellow Sabre owner for $200, bolted right on and has enough capacity for weekend travels. Next came the fairing. Purchased for $325 at a local dealer’s half-price sale, the full-coverage. CBX-based fairing blocks wind and rain, and provides a sporting twist to the Sabre's lines. Because both items were specifically produced for the Sabre by Honda, fit and finish are of factory quality.

Unhappy with the stock windscreen's height. Andrews placed a call to Rifle, resulting in a tinted screen, cut to Andrews’ specs, for $ I 80. Additional long-distance comfort came by way of a Corbin Gunfighter seat. Customized to Andrews’ needs, the $190 seat also included a backrest.

Metzeler tires replaced the stock Dunlops. an ME33 Laser (1 10/9018) up front and an ME88 Mara-

thon ( 130/90-17) in the rear. The addition of the Metzeler rubber cured the Sabre’s tendency to wander in freeway rain grooves and doubled tire life, reports Andrews. Heavier fork oil, a set of Stebel horns and red pinstriping completed the changes.

Although the bike’s glossy appearance may indicate otherwise, Andrews spends plenty of time in his Sabre's saddle, having amassed nearly 30,000 miles on his Sabre. Many of those rides are with fellow members of the Honda Sport Touring Association, of which he is California's assistant state director. At the club's recent national rally. Andrews’ Sabre received a silver medal for its near-perfect condition.

Although his $4000 investment might seem like small change compared to the cost of many project bikes, Andrews insists that the 700 Sabre represents his needs in a motorcycle.

“I haven’t ridden or seen a bike on the market that I like better than my Sabre,” comments the 46-yearold San Diego marketing director.

And the sport-touring Sabre fits right in with Andrews' philosophy for successful motorcycling: Buy a good bike, make it even better by adding your own personal touches and ride it as often as possible. “Modifying a bike makes it more yours,” says Andrews. “It individualizes the motorcycle, and I enjoy that.'’ —Matthew Miles