$2,000
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Category
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Engine
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Posted Over 1 Month
1985 Honda Sabre VF700S, 1985 Honda Sabre VF700S with 47,950 miles. Bike is in overall good condition runs and drives great. The Honda VF700S Sabre Years produced (U.S.): 1984-1985 Total production: N/A Claimed power: 76hp @ 10,500rpm Top speed: 121mphEngine type: 699cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke V-four Weight (dry): 224kg (494lb)MPG: 28-48 Price then: $3,398 (1985) Price now: $750-$2,000 Available for just two short years from 1984 to 1985, the Honda VF700S Sabre was a touring bike that followed the V45 Sabre. It represents an interesting chapter in motorcycle history as one of a group of Japanese motorcycles referred to as the Tariff Busters. In the early 1980s, Japanese motorcycles were a thorn in ailing Harley-Davidson's side, and in 1983 H-D successfully lobbied for an International Trade Commission tariff to quell the overseas invasion of 750cc and larger motorcycles. Known as Section 202, the tariff was aimed squarely at Japan and levied a heavy penalty on bikes of 700cc capacity and over. It was expected to slow the Japanese onslaught and give H-D a leg up in the market. When protestations against the tariff failed, Japanese manufacturers responded by introducing new bikes with engines that fell just under 700cc. Honda responded by sleeving down its moderately successful 750cc V45 Sabre to 698.9cc. It was, by any measure a taunting, in-your-face rebuff to the new tariff. A technological tour de force when introduced in 1982, Honda launched the V45 Sabre with great fanfare. With its compact, 750cc liquid-cooled V4 engine bubbling over with features such as double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and shaft drive, the V45 Sabre was supposed to be the spiritual heir to Honda's CB750 of 1969: it was not. While there was no questioning the V45's technical prowess, it failed to illicit the same excitement as the original CB750, and in fact was greeted only warmly by the buying public. With styling carried over from the V45 Sabre, the VF700S Sabre presented a sport bike image, something for hustling through corners and burning up the road. The menacing, blacked out finish suggested speed and grace, and the stretched out front fork gave the bike a long, hungry look.
