There is, they say, no substitute for cubic inches. That is, except for efficiency. Let an engine breathe, spin it hard and make it efficient, and who needs all those bulky cubic inches?

Thats the story of Honda's 750 Magna. Each of the liquid-cooled, 748cc V-4 engine's cylinders breathes through its own 34mm carb and four valves operated by overhead cams. It revs to 9700 rpm, which is screaming for a cruiser-style motorcycle, though unspectacular by sportbike standards. (Some current sportbikes turn as much as 15,000 rpm.) Combine that sort of engine intensity with the Magna's modest 538-pound wet weight, and you get a 750 that's capable of outrunning not only big twins but even Honda's big six, the Valkyrie. The Magna's low-12-second quarter-mile times confirm this is a genuine musclebike.