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Cruisers

1983Honda VF 500C Magna V30

28 fields on record

The 1983 Honda VF 500C Magna V30 is a Japanese cruiser with a 498cc liquid-cooled V4 making 68 hp. It weighs 180 kg dry and has a 6-speed gearbox.

Capacity: 498.0 ccm
Engine: V four, four-stroke
Gearbox: 6-speed
Dry weight: 180.0 kg
Seat height: 760 mm
Power: 68.0 HP (50.7 kW) @ 11500 RPM

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail5%

Cornering25%

City riding40%

Daily riding45%

Touring55%

Two-up50%

Track10%

Best for: Cruiser built for its class - everyday, practical use.
Built for: A cruiser from Honda, built around a 498cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for serious performance or off-road use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

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Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 760mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1983 Honda VF 500C Magna V30, with a relaxed knee angle of around 120 degrees and an upright riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 751-820 mm — Middle Ground →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Below average

The Honda VF 500C Magna V30 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 80.9% of the time, 2.1 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 39% of models.

This covers every year of the model.

Test records don't say which version a bike is, so this covers Honda VF 500C Magna V30 / Honda VF 500 F / Honda VF 500 F 2 together.

80.9%Passed first time

14.0%Failed outright

5.1%Fixed during test

30,000Typical miles

587Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

97.2%

10-20k

84.6%

20-30k

76.7%

30-40k

80.3%

40-50k

83.5%

50k+

68.2%

All years of this model.

Against its rivals · ranks 4 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Kawasaki Z 440 LTD	39 Below average	404
2	Honda CX 500 C	39 Below average	354
3	Kawasaki Z 440 LTD Belt Drive	39 Below average	404
4	Honda VF 500C Magna V30	39 Below average	587
5	Suzuki GS 450 L	33 Below average	563
6	Honda CM 400 T	17 Poor	380

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.