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Safety Dance posted:The high CG really doesn't affect ridability once you get over 10 mph. Having a taller bike means it's slightly harder to get a foot down to stabilize yourself if, for example, you're doing a three-point turn. I've experienced that effect once or twice twice, notably when doing a three point turn on a trail in the woods -- I tried to put a foot down and it was like, "Oh no, where's the ground?" and the next think you know, I'm standing awkwardly next to my bike which had decided to take a nap. Thanks friend. Much appreciated. Went to sit on it today. Turns out the guy was blowing a bit of smoke about the thing. It's a 2001, and it's got 4300 miles on it. I was not dismayed! 
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Mar 30, 2013 22:44
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theperminator posted:After all that messing around looking at different nakeds we went to a dealer today and she's put down a deposit on a VFR800. AWESOME. I might be right behind you on the VFR. I'm looking at a '99 800 also.
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Mar 31, 2013 14:48
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I am getting old so I am looking for a small to mid size cruiser (500cc - 1000cc). Brand not terribly important but I prefer Hondas. I would prefer a water cooled V-Twin and shaft drive. Budget is around $4000. Just wondering if anyone had anything that they love or hate. Bike would mostly be used for commuting and highway/interstate rides.
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Apr 1, 2013 19:38
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Just gave that recommendation in the Harley thread.Halo_4am posted:(The) Suzuki Boulevard C50 (does) a fantastic job at pretending to be a mondo cruiser while still being easy on the ponies and weight. Assuming it's not your first bike the V-Star 950 is a pretty slick babby touring cruiser to those specs as well (except for the low maintenance belt drive vs the requested low maintenance shaft drive). Honda doesn't really have anything that fits that bill in that displacement. They, like most other manufacturers don't bother to make a good highway capable cruiser until you get to 1100-1300cc range. Everybody had a race to build the bigger engine machine and took all the overdrives and solid bagger capabilities off anything less than 1000cc's and branded those as starter bikes. You can throw bags and mods on the Shadow 750's and make do, but you'll still be limited by their fuel range and feel their strain at 80mph. The global economic downturn has changed the tune and the 2012-2014 lines are starting to get filled out with highway ready <1000cc cruisers, such as Honda's CTX700, but none of those are going to be in the 4k budget for another few years at least. The Triumph Bonneville line would be something to look at too, but IMO the C50 blows it out of the water. I have a soft spot for Triumph too so I don't say that lightly. Halo_4am fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Apr 1, 2013 |
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Apr 1, 2013 19:49
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I got to drive around my friends 2005 Boulevard 800 and it was mighty fine riding. It was my first time riding a cruiser (having my feet way out front was weird) but it was really comfy and got to drag my pegs on a few corners.
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Apr 1, 2013 21:56
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Halo_4am posted:Just gave that recommendation in the Harley thread. Thank you for the suggestions. Not my first bike, been riding for 5 years, but mostly on sportbikes and standards. I'm comfortable on the bigger cruisers but I just don't feel the displacement is necessary. The Suzuki's do fit the bill but for whatever reason they are rare around here (Northern WI). I guess I didn't realize the V-Star 950 had a belt drive, that would be great too, just trying to avoid a chain. The Bonnie is something I had not even considered, could be interesting. I really like the Shadow Phantom or RS but they are out of my price range. I would estimate this bike would be ridden 90% of the time around town and the rest on country highways, so a full bag dress would be excessive. A windshield and a couple bags would take care of the highway equipment.
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Apr 1, 2013 22:30
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Gweenz posted:The Suzuki's do fit the bill but for whatever reason they are rare around here (Northern WI). You live in Wisconsin and you're trying to figure out why it's hard to find metric cruisers in your area? 
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Apr 1, 2013 22:37
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Gweenz posted:I am getting old so I am looking for a small to mid size cruiser (500cc - 1000cc). Brand not terribly important but I prefer Hondas. I would prefer a water cooled V-Twin and shaft drive. Budget is around $4000. Just wondering if anyone had anything that they love or hate. Bike would mostly be used for commuting and highway/interstate rides. The Vulcan 900, Vstar 1100, and Boulevard C50 all seem to fit your requirements. Here's a local (to me), recent ad for a Vulcan 900 that looks like a decent buy: 
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Apr 1, 2013 22:37
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We actually drove to WI from Chicago to snag that particular C50. Got it from Road Track & Trail at Big Bend. The displacement isn't necessary, but the cruiser market doesn't care much for specs or honest measurement of things. Bigger is better and all of the bells and whistles that work just fine around a motorcycle sized engine moved up and out of that engine class to accommodate demand for things larger than what you can find in a Honda Fit. It's nice that some high feature, mid-sized cruisers are coming back, but your options for something in a cruiser frame with less than 1000 cc's are limited unless you reach back to the 80's until the last couple of years. Everything in between with few exceptions is huge if you want a good trans and creature comforts. In the sport bike world Honda put fuel injection, a 5 gallon tank, linked ABS optional brakes, and 6 gears around a 600cc engine. In the cruiser world they gave us a VLX with a single carb, 2 gallons, drum brakes, and 4 gears. If they actually put the CBR600RR in a cruiser frame nobody would buy it because it would be viewed as a girly bike. Another suggestion would be the late 90's to early 2000's Honda 750cc Magna. The V4 powerhouse is awesome, but it's not exactly maintenance free and I don't think there's much in the way of highway options. It's also pretty limited on fuel range.
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Apr 1, 2013 22:59
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what do you guys think about this as my first bike? http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/mcy/3700814107.html i like the aesthetic of the vintage honda bikes and it's decently priced.
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Apr 1, 2013 23:05
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Great bike if you're mechanically handy and keep up with the maintenance. I wouldn't trust what he says about the tires, and would replace them along with the chain and oil as a matter of course. e: you could get one of those for like half as much if you shopped around and hit the right deal, but in a hipstery place that's a normal price Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Apr 1, 2013 |
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Apr 1, 2013 23:10
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Halo_4am posted:The displacement isn't necessary, but the cruiser market doesn't care much for specs or honest measurement of things. Bigger is better and all of the bells and whistles that work just fine around a motorcycle sized engine moved up and out of that engine class to accommodate demand for things larger than what you can find in a Honda Fit. For cruisers, you might as well ignore displacement and shop on physical size and features unless you really care about a particular displacement. More displacement may not be necessary but I don't see how it's a bad thing when you can pretty much spend the same amount on a 500 vs an 1100. When I think of cruisers and displacement, the primary consideration is revs at highway speed. The bigger ones turn less revs which means a more relaxed freeway experience, less fatigue (I rode a 4speed Vulcan 1500 3000mi to and from Sturgis let me tell you about RPM and fatigue), and more miles at the end of the day before you're looking for a place to sleep.
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Apr 1, 2013 23:12
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Sagebrush posted:e: you could get one of those for like half as much if you shopped around and hit the right deal, but in a hipstery place that's a normal price He's on the same CL as I am and there's a guy around here who buys up anything like that in remotely good shape almost as soon as it's listed, throws some wax on the paint and relists it for 3x as much, his listings take up drat near a whole CL page. Really irritating. Also a ridiculous percentage of bikes like that also have half-done or failed cafe conversions, at least that one's still got a good-looking seat on it. Personally I'd say that's too old for a first bike. Without riding experience (unless you're already a wrench) you're not going to know what's normal and what's a symptom of something wrong. Plus it's a heck of a lot of money for what it is. If you really want a Honda UJM look for a smaller early '80s one or a Nighthawk that's just un-hip enough to escape the cafe reseller. If I was dealing with NYC streets on a constant basis I'd prefer a supermoto or something more plated-dirtbike style.
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Apr 1, 2013 23:35
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Snowdens Secret posted:He's on the same CL as I am and there's a guy around here who buys up anything like that in remotely good shape almost as soon as it's listed, throws some wax on the paint and relists it for 3x as much, his listings take up drat near a whole CL page. I'm curious now, can you give a few examples of his more egregious listings?
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Apr 1, 2013 23:49
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:I'm curious now, can you give a few examples of his more egregious listings? http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/mca?zoomToPosting=&query=914-588-0548&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk= I dunno maybe the guy really is doing top-notch resto work but what I'm suspecting is that he does a really good clean and wax job, swaps obviously broken stuff off and sells at nutty prices to Brooklyn hipsters. Like a Mitchell's Mausers of '70s CBs. Meanwhile here are two '70s Hondas that might be better deals, just from the first page of CL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/mcy/3717019360.html little banged up this one, but cheap http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/mcy/3717115774.html no pic, who knows and more in my neck of the woods: http://nwct.craigslist.org/mcy/3707688393.html Accessories!
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Apr 2, 2013 00:21
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Sadly the guy sold the Bandit before I even had a chance to look at it. The only other naked one I found for sale with a title is at a dealership for around $5k  There is a 2001 1200s I found, but they don't mention the miles are on it and I haven't heard back from the seller.  I found a bone stock 2005 Sv650 posted on a local rider forum for $3k. It has around 1,500 miles but was dropped by the first owner and has a small dent in the tank and a bit of scuffing. The seller won't budge at all on the price, but it seems reasonable for the year and miles, even with the cosmetic damage.  There is also this;  It's not much more expensive than the Sv but it's significantly more powerful than the Bandit. I'm mostly split between the Sv's, while the 650 is newer and has almost no miles it does have some cosmetic damage and a price that isn't negotiable. I used to ride a Gen1 so I know basically what I'm getting. The Sv1000 seems like a great deal for the price and might be able to knock it down a bit. I was surprised when I checked the specs and saw it had 120HP, I have no idea what to realistically expect from that. Obviously it's much more powerful, but how does the power delivery compare with the sv650? Which one of these seems like the best choice as a second bike?
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Apr 2, 2013 05:27
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Anarchist posted:Sadly the guy sold the Bandit before I even had a chance to look at it. The only other naked one I found for sale with a title is at a dealership for around $5k If you're not a total dong you should be able to step up to the liter bike and be fine. Honestly I wouldn't buy the 650 just because I don't trust the guy who drops a bike and then lets it sit forever to actually maintain it.
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Apr 2, 2013 06:05
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Power delivery for the SV1000 is pretty linear and not that bad from what I've heard. It's a liter twin, so the main difference is you don't lose acceleration when two-up. 0-60 compared to a properly tuned 650 v twin is about the same. My main gripes with liter bikes is they tend to suck fuel-- about 35mpg compared to a fuel injected 50mpg with the 650. I had an SV650 and I currently own a Bandit and I honestly think that I'd hold out for a B12 over an SV1000 given a choice between the two and only if you can't find a 600.
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Apr 2, 2013 06:49
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Don't get the 1000, it goes fast and makes you dead.
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Apr 2, 2013 08:09
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I never road before, but I think I'd like to eventually get into big cruisers. However, as I was told in the harley thread, I should just get a cheap beater before I buy something expensive. So that got me thinking, if I'm going to get a bike I just plan on loving up, why not get a dual sport? Would that be a good choice for a newbie bike? I think off roading would be fun and there are some trails close to where I live. Would I be better off learning to ride mostly off road? Edit: I plan on getting the correct gear and taking the safety course before I buy anything.
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Apr 2, 2013 12:11
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Haggins posted:I never road before, but I think I'd like to eventually get into big cruisers. However, as I was told in the harley thread, I should just get a cheap beater before I buy something expensive. Kay Ell Arr Six Fiftyyyyy! Oh yeah!  Hell yeah!  For real though, a KLR650 is a good beginner's bike if you're not a dong and at least a little tall. It can hold its own on the highway (up until around 80mph when the ride gets janky because the whole front end is a giant sail). It's decent off road too, not as good as a dedicated dirt bike, but better than your average BMW R1200GS. If I were you, I'd take the MSF class or your local equivalent, get an early-2000s KLR or something similar, ride it for a while (you're probably not going to get bored of it after a year), evaluate what you want out of a bike, flip the KLR for what you paid for it, and move on.
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Apr 2, 2013 12:48
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Sounds good to me. What should I be looking to spend on it? Is this a good deal? http://charleston.craigslist.org/mcy/3663299757.html
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Apr 2, 2013 13:41
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Snowdens Secret posted:http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/mca?zoomToPosting=&query=914-588-0548&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk= i was actually searching with a higher minimum price than those bikes to filter out parts listings and stuff, but i'll take another look. there's also this one company i found doing restorations, which i'm sure is a great deal more hipster than the upper east side, but has anyone checked them out? http://worksengineering.com/category/news/sales/
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Apr 2, 2013 14:54
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Snowdens Secret posted:http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/mca?zoomToPosting=&query=914-588-0548&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk= Nothing but a Craigslist vulture. I hope people aren't paying his prices. Unless, of course, they are hipsters then they are getting what they deserve. That "Works Engineering" place is just as overpriced. $2500 for a ratted out cb360? Glad I don't live in New York.
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Apr 2, 2013 17:33
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Haggins posted:I never road before, but I think I'd like to eventually get into big cruisers. However, as I was told in the harley thread, I should just get a cheap beater before I buy something expensive. You can get a cheap beater cruiser if you want. If you consider $3000ish to be cheap, you can ride a Vulcan or something like that inside your budget. http://charleston.craigslist.org/mcy/3639413276.html http://charleston.craigslist.org/mcy/3718286940.html But yes, a dual sport would be a sweet first bike too. KLR650s are big, but they are tame enough to generally keep you out of throttle-related trouble. I would - and have - put a newbie on my XL175.
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Apr 2, 2013 17:35
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So I had a bite on my 83 Shadow with a trade request for a commuter option. Even trade for a 2001 Buell Blast P3 with 20k miles in good condition. All I know about the Blast is that the 250cc version was openly advertised by Buell as better off being crushed into a cube instead of sold or ridden. Is the 500 any good? It will be on the highway but during rush hour traffic so it might see 80mph on a holiday commute, but otherwise it's city riding. Parked in city traffic ontop of a buzzy air-cooled engine doesn't sound super appealing, but I do like the idea of a new bike for 'free'. Would you rather have money in your pocket or a Buell between your legs?
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Apr 2, 2013 19:56
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Halo_4am posted:So I had a bite on my 83 Shadow with a trade request for a commuter option. Even trade for a 2001 Buell Blast P3 with 20k miles in good condition. There wasn't a Blast 250, only a 500. - 35HP, so it probably will be able to reach 80, but unhappily. - I also hear the fit and finish isn't that good but I've never seen one first hand, and I wouldn't care about that for a commuter bike. - 20K miles seems much, singles wear out relatively quick. I had a 600CC air-cooled Yamaha single and it was supposed to be rebuilt every 20K miles. - The engine is very reliable though. - For commuting it'll be good on gas and the belt drive and lack of valve adjustments will be sweet. - Perhaps most importantly, it's a tiny bike, so if you're used to a V-Max and fit that well, eh... They were only sold in the US; I'd have loved one as a first bike. I really like my 'full size' Buell but it wasn't put together to the highest standards. At 20K miles though all that sort of stuff will have been taken care of. Edit: as far as the trade goes, it's probably alright value, but why not keep riding your Shadow instead? High Protein fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Apr 2, 2013 |
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Apr 2, 2013 20:17
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High Protein posted:There wasn't a Blast 250, only a 500. I hadn't realized there was no 250. I remember reading all sorts of comparisons to Ninja 250's but I guess that's just due to the beginner's bike market. A single cyl straining hard to reach 80 doesn't sound very fun at all. Maybe commuting on a Blast is a bit of a tall order. I hadn't realized they were built to be simple and durable though... the goal of this bike is not to compete with a V-Max. It's to be something more fun than a train or car ride to work, and something that I won't be overly upset about when a cab driver parks on it. I'll hate having to put money on it or take time to work on it as much as an econobox car. I'm going to do my best to not get overly attached to it, and treat it like the red-headed step-child I never had. Looking to firmly differentiate the daily rider from the 30mpg babied dream bike which I'd be crushed to find knocked over or vandalized. I'm not expecting to be happy with the performance, but I'm hoping to not be miserable because of it. Why not just keep the Shadow? 1. It's not great for fuel range. Roughly 100-125 miles to reserve light so that's a gas station just about every day. 2. Been on it for 7 years and mostly just looking for something new. 3. First bike and I'm hoping to see it off to a good home... not subjected to what I intend to put this bike through. Halo_4am fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Apr 2, 2013 |
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Apr 2, 2013 23:23
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Covert Ops Wizard posted:If you're not a total dong you should be able to step up to the liter bike and be fine. Honestly I wouldn't buy the 650 just because I don't trust the guy who drops a bike and then lets it sit forever to actually maintain it. The first owner had it serviced at 600 miles, dropped it, and then put it in a garage until the person selling it now bought it last year. So the story goes at least. There is no paperwork for service, and that is a point of concern. With only 1500 miles it seems to me that there shouldn't be much wrong due to lack of maintenance. I could be totally wrong with that mentality though, it seems like most CL bikes don't have any paperwork to back up maintenance and at least with low miles there should be less that could go wrong. The only other comparable sv650 I've seen is an 03 with 14k miles for the about same price. http://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/3704445373.html I know the '03 has some differences from the '04+ models, are the changes significant enough to take into consideration? The guy who posted the Bandit listing was just lazy and never took the ad down after he sold it, oh the joys of CL. There is another one posted near me for about the same price, http://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/3700907011.html Same ad has been posted multiple times a day, all over the place and I just get a bad vibe from that. I might go check it out either way if nothing else comes up. Are there any tell tale signs to look for to see if the bike was abused/stunted/wheelied all over the place? I'm going to pass on the sv1000, while I'm a pretty conservative rider I think 120 hp is a bit much for my experience level, especially after not riding for a year. Thank you guys for all the suggestions and help. I don't have many friends who ride so your input is greatly appreciated.
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Apr 2, 2013 23:28
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If you're a conservative rider, 120hp just means you don't have to do a ton of gear shifts in town. Truthfully a v-twin isn't the same powerband as an I4 with similar horsepower and you'd come to love the extra torque for puttering around. Although while I still agree with you about a 650, a liter twin isn't that much of a difference-- same with a Bandit 1200. If you're approaching bikes with a safe mindset like you have, you're already heaps and loads above people considering these larger bikes and you'll definitely be fine.  Bikes only go as fast as your throttle hand wants to go and there's a reason people regularly tour/commute on Hayabusas and ZX14's despite these bikes being absolute monsters. That said, I miss my SV650. Given all options, holding out for one would definitely be a great choice.
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Apr 3, 2013 00:07
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Ok, I have a bike purchasing vs fixing conundrum that I’d like to run past you CA goons in order to gain a little insight. Last year I bought a 2003 KTM 525 MXC with an unknown amount of hours which was barely running. The previous owner left the bike sitting for a year, so I figured the carb needed to be cleaned. Talked him down from 3k to 1.5k, cleaned the carb, slapped a Baja Designs light kit on it and rode the hell out of it from March until August. Unfortunately in August it developed a horrible bottom end rattle. Drained the oil and found gold. Upsetting being as I love the bike and was pretty neurotic about maintaining it, but hey, it is a 10 year old dirtbike that was probably never rebuilt being used as Dual Sport instead of a trail rider like it was designed. All of the quotes I’ve got for an engine rebuild have been between 2k and 3k. I’ve seen reman/rebuilt replacement engines for about the same price, although they are rare. I’ve talked about this with a couple of friends who ride, telling me that is way too much money to put into an older bike. I’ve also been eyeing up the Duke 690, which my local KTM dealer has a few coming in May. So in order to keep this short(er) here is my list of pros and cons for each bike. 525 MXC: Pros: - Already own it out right - Light,flickable, fun amount of power without being overwhelming - Can do moderate off-road stuff (Avon Distansias) - Was going to Sumo Cons: - Laughable on the highway - Short maintenance intervals - Not really designed for the street - Old Duke: Pros: - More power - Better street machine - New - Longer maintenance intervals Cons: - Would be financing with a down payment - No off-road stuff - Not a sumo Any thought as to what I should do here? Anyone have experience with both these types of bikes? Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate the help.
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Apr 3, 2013 02:15
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My financial sense says "don't finance a bike, ever" but the Duke 690...is a hell of a thing.
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Apr 3, 2013 02:21
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Sagebrush posted:My financial sense says "don't finance a bike, ever" but the Duke 690...is a hell of a thing. Screw your financial sense, someone has to buy new bikes to keep the future second hand market alive.
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Apr 3, 2013 02:33
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The foolishness of taking taking the deprecation hit crossed my mind as well, but I am emotionally compromised. I haven't rode since August. 
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Apr 3, 2013 02:37
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echomadman posted:Screw your financial sense, someone has to buy new bikes to keep the future second hand market alive. Bingo. Besides, what's so terrible about financing a bike? Interest rates are stupid low and money is cheap. It's an 8500 dollar bike, it's not like he's dropping 30k.
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Apr 3, 2013 09:51
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The summer is drawing closer and I have decided that this, this is the year I will get my motorcycle license and buy a bike. I have fell in love with Honda CBR 600F. Looks like it change a lot in 1991 from previous models. What would be the best year model? It looks better and better the newer the model is but also gets more expensive. Were there some new technologies introduced during it's lifetime that I should take into consideration?
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Apr 3, 2013 10:13
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ThatCguy posted:Bingo. I think most people recommend avoiding loans so you don't end up upside down (  ) if something goes wrong. It's a lot different than a car in that sense. Plus, at $8500, I'm sure saving the cash and avoiding the loan is just as feasible of an option if you're financially sound.Although it depends. KTM doesn't seem to depreciate like they should due to whatever reason, so it makes sense to just buy new with a lot of their models (re: supermotos) since their lemon principle value is actually higher than purchasing new.
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Apr 3, 2013 17:46
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I'd say if it's a primary vehicle maybe, if it's just a weekend toy, hell no.
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Apr 3, 2013 18:43
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Haggins posted:Sounds good to me. What should I be looking to spend on it? That's a touch high, maybe $2,500, $2,250? If you're in Charleston, I'm looking to sell my KLR650 soon (in Atlanta)(the one from the pictures). It's a 2001, and it'll be much closer to the $2,000 mark. PM me if you're interested, I'd rather deal with a goon than a Craigslist random.
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Apr 4, 2013 02:13
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 http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/3717783413.html Thoughts? $2500 for a '75 Triumph, some idiot put stupid bars on and loving flames on the tank, "top end is stuck". I love Triumphs, but I've also heard that the 70s were not a great time for the brand. Edit: Shitsnacks, it's got the shifter on the wrong side. I just know I'd be riding along, go to downshift and stomp on the rear brake instead, have to LAYER DAN Pham Nuwen fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Apr 4, 2013 |
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Apr 4, 2013 05:32
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