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 Dwight Johnson's 1983 Honda has been a real blast from the past for the Kelso man. Brenda Blevins McCorkle / The Daily News
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People and Their Wheels: Dwight Johnson's 1983 Honda V65 Magna
Friday, May 16, 2008 11:30 PM PDT
By Brenda Blevins McCorkle
Printable version
E-mail this articleBackground: Dwight was born and raised in Clatskanie. After he graduated from high school there in 1982, he went to work in Alaska.
He later left Alaska, then went back in 1990. He stayed there until 2006, then moved to Kelso. He owns the logging company, Blue Ox Logging. He is unmarried and has 20-year-old twin sons.
His wheels: A 1983 Honda V65 Magna he bought four years ago.
“I had one brand new in 1983, and I decided I’d better get rid of it,” Dwight said. “I only had it for a couple of months, but I was pretty sure (something bad) was going to ... happen.”
The bike, Dwight said, is “one of the original super bikes.”
“It’s 1100 cc’s,” he said. “They were just about race-ready on the showroom floor.”
The bikes are “absolute brutes,” he added, and boast 118 horsepower.
Dwight said he decided to try the bike again when he returned from Alaska.
“I’d gotten a little older and a little wiser,” he said.
The motorcycle’s original color was purple, so Dwight custom-mixed a charcoal tone for it. He then added three coats of clear, which he hasn’t buffed out. He also polished all the aluminum.
“The only thing I haven’t gotten to is the valve covers,” Dwight said.
Overall the motorcycle was in really good condition, he added.
“It’s always been garaged,” he said. “The previous owner took really good care of it.”
Too many bikes: Dwight said he enjoys what he calls the “sheer power” of the motorcycle.
“It handles so great too,” he said.
He often goes out riding with friends who have Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
“I drop one gear, and they’re just looking at my taillight,” he said. “I just smoke through the corners and hurry up and wait for them when I get ahead.”
The cycle also is well-suited for long journeys, Dwight said.
“My brother lives out in Goldendale, and the ride over there is just a gravy ride,” Dwight said, adding that the bike’s Corbin saddle rather than the stock Honda makes things a comfortable.
Despite the pleasure he gets from the motorcycle, Dwight said he plans to sell it.
That doesn’t mean he plans to give up on cycles, though. He has more than the one bike, and just decided he had too many, Dwight said.
“My family has always been into motorcycles,” he said. “My dad had a Harley when he was a kid, and when I was growing up, he and Mom rode around on a Kawasaki 750 LTD.”
Dwight also raced dirt bikes in the open class when he was a teen.
“It’s been a pretty good life,” he said. “I’ve had the time to get out on bikes and ride around and enjoy the great Pacific Northwest.”
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