File talk:Fastest production motorcycle.png

For model years 1984 and 1985 Honda made an unpopular but brutally fast bike the VF1100S aka V65 Sabre. This bike was unpopular as you had to be at least 6" tall to ride one and have the muscle to handle a 600 lb (wet) bike. I submit it was the fastest bike in the world for the period from 1984 until the CBRXX in 1996.  And, until Yamaha made the VMax, it was also the quickest.

Stock this bike came with or without a fairing. In May 1984, Cycle World tested an unfaired version. "After only a half mile of acceleration it hit 139, and it was still accelerating. With the overall gearing of the V65, the rider shifts into high gear at 148 mph." Later in the article, Cycle World said, "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." Remember Cycle World's test was on an unfaired bike.

I never did a 1/2 mile test but I do recall the two I owned leaping forward on the 5-6 shift somewhere around 150. After that there was plenty more acceleration. The Speedo shown in CW's article read to 160. I vaguely remember a higher number. I just never thought about it much. It was fairly easy to bury the needle. Yes, I do know speedometers make errors that can grow logrithmically at high speeds.

The two I owned were both 85s. I recall a 10,500 RPM red line, not the 10,000 mentioned in CW. I also recall running the bike in the red more than a few times. The V65s I had used a 3 stage air box. The bike ran much better with filters and baffles removed from stages one and two.

I never ran mine against the Bimota mentioned but the V65s would leave Ninja 900 and 1100s behind, usually not without a good dice. Perhaps someone has better tests of this bike -- jetted right, intake restrictions removed, and with a fairing. Gerard6656 (talk) 03:47, 3 July 2012 (UTC)