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Review

In the middle of nowhere, on a long stretch of Route 66 a biker stops to refuel his silver shining custom at a Texaco gasoline station. The local radio announces a hot day and plays the Beach Boys.
This American way of riding is the video theme Honda have used to introduce their latest Magna. Style, chrome and sound match perfectly the American custom image, so it's hard to believe that at 250cc the V-twin has a smaller capacity than a can of Budweiser.
The coast road of the Izu Peninsula has nothing to do with Route 66 but the little Magna cruises there at ease. It's not Californian weather but Tsuyu, the Japanese rainy season. Still the ride is a joy.
The Magna is long, low and wide. The view over the large handlebars and the little chrome headlight is a delight. There's no tacho to help shifting, just enjoy the low pulse and beat of the V-twin. At idling speed my ear cannot believe it's only a 250. At low and mid revs the sound remains deep and superb. The V-twin is surprisingly torquey, enough to bring decent acceleration on a twisty road or in the city. The sound, feel and slight vibration of the V-twin are just right to enjoy the slow lazy ride required of any American custom-style bike.
 Brakes are not very powerful but largely sufficient, stability at low speed superb and the chassis is strongly built. The little Magna is a relatively heavy bike but manoeuvrability is good and U-turn ability surprisingly easy considering the very long wheelbase.

Once you rev it the V-twin screams and moves in a sporty fashion. Dr Jekyll becomes Mr Hyde and the Magna is denatured. By cruising gently up to around 100km/h and short shifting it at mid range the little Magna acts like a big one. Asking more of it is like pouring sake into a Coke. It may be fun but surely spoiling both.

If the joy of the ride is much higher than expected then the pleasure of the eye is overwhelming. Flat wide tank, big short twin side exhausts, huge plain rear wheel - look at any detail and you will not guess it is only a 250. It's not only a question of style and size but also quality and material: Chrome, beautiful finish and detail, the 250 Magna looks a superb piece of craftsmanship, a real custom. I would have liked less design references to existing custom shapes, colours and volumes, and more Honda identity and all new design. Still, the V-twin is beautiful and gives a feel of visual emotion like a custom bike should.
In keeping with its 750cc brother, there has been no technical compromise. The engine came from the basic Xelvis which is a well proven 10,000rpm motor. To achieve the right feel and sound, the crankshaft was altered, a bigger flywheel used, longer gearbox ratios and new valves and springs substituted for old, and, most importantly, a totally different carb setting utilised. The torque curve is incredibly flat for such a small engine.
'The project started in 1992 when we realised the strong increasing demand for custom bikes worldwide. It was just after we made the Big One (CB1000) and we wanted to bring a new class of custom, more aggressive with speed feeling ...' announces the young team in charge of the project. The 750cc Magna is for export while the 250cc is to satisfy older customers who wish to come back to motorcycling in a relaxed, unstressed, way.
I must admit I was sceptical about Honda's challenge to create a 250cc custom bike with the macho feel, spirit, pulse, torque and sound necessary to make it 'real', not just a little copy of a myth. Honda's know-how helped them succeed. The Magna V-twin perfectly matches Japanese road and traffic conditions as well as the old, wealthy Japanese targeted customers. Honda will export some to Australia but I wonder if European customers are ready to pay so much (30 percent more than a Virago) for a 250cc.