Buying a motorcycle is maddening...

[Idaho45guy]

I've been wanting a motorcycle ever since I sold my last one in 2014. It was a 1996 Suzuki DR650 that I bought in 2007. Loved riding around the mountains, but it hurt to ride it more than 10 miles due to the awful seat. And, my commute to work is 15 miles and it was just too buzzy and uncomfortable.

I also had a 1997 Harley Davidson Road King that was highly customized that I sold back in 2009. Loved riding that thing! But, I needed a down payment for a house and sold it.

I've been thinking about buying another bike and in January found an incredible deal on a brand new Suzuki V-Strom 650 for $6k. I got approved through the dealer, then went to my credit union and got a better rate. Was all set to buy it but got cold feet once I started adding up insurance costs, new riding gear, and that I wouldn't be able to ride it for four months. I backed out.

Now, my buddies have bought bikes and the weather is perfect, and I am going nuts not being able to ride.

I looked at a 2017 KLR650 and just couldn't spend $7k on a toy.

So I started looking at used bikes. Around here, used adventure-style bikes are high-priced and worn out. I'm not paying $4k for a 10yr old KLR with 40k miles...

I looked at used cruisers and they are also a bit higher priced than what I was used to in AZ where I bought my Harley and DR650. But I found a very clean 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500 with all the goodies for $2900.

I figure I can't lose too bad if I spend under $3k for a clean bike. Sent the credit union my loan application and will hopefully pick up the bike this weekend. I have a 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500HO ATV that I might just sell for $2900 since I rarely ride it and pay off the loan next month...

I can't wait to take a ride on this thing...

196598

[Gewehr-Guy]

I had one of those Suzuki 650's, wildest thing i've had between my legs in years. Too much bike for a short-legged ,middle aged old man. It was kick start only and I screwed up the bottom of my instep, hurt like heck for a year.Maybe I need to find one of those fat-tired Yamaha 225's to put around the pastures,or a Honda SL-70 and relive my misspent youth.

[Tom W.]

I've had a few, and Honda gets my vote for comfort. I'm not going to get another, if I win the lottery I'll get a pickup and another boat.

[mold maker]

My last was a "76 Suzuki 380. Good grief I miss the wind in my hair. Come to think of it, I miss my hair too.

[RogerDat]

Still have my 66 Triumph 650 Road bike. Has needed tires for a few years and every time I start mentioning it or firing it up just to keep things lubricated wife makes noises about me being "too old" to ride, why don't I sell it and make more room in the garage. It is all I can do to keep from saying something stupid to a woman that knows how to shoot about getting rid of other things I'm too old to ride that would free up garage space.

Of course it is possibly the only bike that beat your kidneys worse than an old Harley but man that thing flies and handles sweet. Of course I know I would die on a jap bike now. Shifter and brake are on "wrong" side for someone used to British bike. Sold a shaft drive Honda after about the 4th time I downshifted rather than braked coming to an intersection.

[NavyVet1959]

I have three bikes and I hardly have time to ride even one of them. :(

Always ride the Harley because it's the closest one to the garage door, but that means that whenever I want to ride one of the others, the carb is gunked up thanks to the damn ethanol they put in gasoline these days. The Harley is fuel injected, so it doesn't have a problem if it's been sitting for a few months.

[ikarus1]

I guess I'm blessed to live on the East Coast where you can't throw a rock without hitting a nice bike for sale. My dad has owned several Honda cruisers including a Valkyrie and various 'Oldwings. I am in the camp that believes a bike should do everything you want, and nothing you don't. They are comfortable, however I prefer Kawi's for a do-everything bike, and currently on the search for a nice Concours 14 aka poor man's BMW.

That being said I am a firm believer in Corbin buttcushioning seats for almost every streetbike I own. I've even been to the Florida showroom and had them design seats for bikes. My 84 Nighthawk 700S is a much better ride with that custom seat and my lady likes it much better as well.

I guess I should've put my vote down for best decent cruiser / streetbike under $3K - late 90s production Honda ACE, hand's down. Easy to ride, great power from a twin, comfortable, and reliable. Everything a Harley isn't IMO :D

[NavyVet1959]

Sold a shaft drive Honda after about the 4th time I downshifted rather than braked coming to an intersection.

I had a couple of Yamahas back in the late 1970s, early 1980s that had shaft drives. They definitely had a different feel to them when you let off on the throttle.

[NavyVet1959]

That being said I am a firm believer in Corbin buttcushioning seats for almost every streetbike I own. I've even been to the Florida showroom and had them design seats for bikes. My 84 Nighthawk 700S is a much better ride with that custom seat and my lady likes it much better as well.

The most comfortable seat that I've encountered is the "cop seat" on my Harley FLHPI. It's wide and the air tank and suspension system makes for probably the most comfortable ride I've ever had on a bike. I guess that since its designed for someone who is going to be sitting in it probably 8 hours per day, it *should* be comfortable.

[Artful]

Well, I feel your empty spot - been a few years without my KLR 650 - All motorbikes are toys - DR650 did ride better than the KLR - you can get aftermarket seats and of course tune the suspension on any of them.
Ride safe if you get the 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500.

[dragon813gt]

Living where I do is more maddening then buying a motorcycle. It's really congested and I have little desire to ride mine anymore. Doesn't help that I was almost hit twice w/in one hundred yards of my house and that I have a three year old and two month old sons. Would be nice to live in an area where there was little traffic. I know plenty of people ride around here but I'm not putting my life on the line anymore. It's really that bad and smart phones sure haven't helped.

[Daveco]

My son had a DR-650 back about 6 or 7 years ago. That was before I became a permanent porch dog and I got to take it for a ride or two. That was a torque making machine! Just idling along in 2nd or 3rd gear and give the throttle a twist, and it would just go, no bogging down or hesitation, just go. It was too heavy and chunky for trail riding though, and a lot more bike than he needed. I was glad that he sold it. But I could have fallen in love with adventure riding though if I had been introduced to it earlier in life!

[adcoch1]

I've got a vstrom 1000 with 20mm ammo cans for luggage that is the best mix of sportbike and dirtbike there is! Lots of power, great on the street, awesome on gravel roads, etc. But my wife keeps mentioning that i should sell it, since I don't get much time to ride..

[richhodg66]

I have a 2003 DL 1000 V Strom. It has been a rock solid dependable machine, I commuted on it 75 miles each way for quite a while. It has factory hard luggage, side bags and top boxes. For what I needed it for, I can't imagine a better machine, it'll pound out miles on slab comfortably no problem, and 100 miles an hour doesn't even make it breathe hard. No longer need it and haven't ridden it much in a year or so, so looking to sell it. Truthfully, it isn't much fun to ride around town at low speeds with stop and go and is heavy and tall, so kind of a bear to get around in tight spots.

I absolutely love my KLR 650. I'll have it til I die, that one is not going anywhere and for me, there is no better machine for the money. The only thing it doesn't do well is long pulls on slab, but for an hour or two, it'll do that Ok for me.

I also have a Triumph Bonneville and like it a lot too. For a get around bike it's pretty darn good. I've ridden it to Topeka (75 miles) a few times and drove it home from where I bought it in Omaha which is probably 2 1/2 hours, but much farther and it probably wouldn't be good. Still, it's easy to ride and nimble and quick. For the distances you're talking, I think it would be a good match.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

While I would think Idaho would be a great place to buy a used street bike...much like Minnesota, they only get driven abotu 4 months of the year. In my area, I see lots of 20 year old to 30 year old Honda's with less than 20K mi.
Yep, I like Honda's, I don't even look at other brands...especially those oil leakin' Harley's.
I like a mid sized bike, 650cc up to 900cc. They are easy to handle. I had a Goldwing and that thing was such a pig.
I like the Magna, I had a '87 700 that drove smooth as glass, that v4 race bike engine does fine in the Magna (cruiser).
I see newer Magnas with low miles all the time. It's best to buy in the fall, prices are low...But I did see a 2003 Magna with 8K mi priced less than $3000. That engine should go 100K easy...it was like a new bike.
Good Luck.

[jcwit]

Buy a bike?

Not me, I like the comfort of air cond. and a heater when needed.

Life is good.

[jonp]

Friend of mine bought one of the Vulcans last year and loves it. That's a nice bike

[xs11jack]

Of all the bikes I have had, I liked the 1978 thru 82 Yamaha XS1100s. I have had three of them. As I got older the seat just didn't do the job so I the advise a fellow XS11 rider told me. I went to WallyWorld and bought a strap on pad that is made for a ATV. It really did the job on that flat factory seat.
Ole Jack

[xs11jack]

Duplicate

[Went2kck]

ben wanting to get my R1200 cl BMW out but just haven't done it yet. Had to much to do in my side business mostly. If I don't ride it any more that the 1000 or so miles I rode last year i'm going to sell it. Maybe get a new rifle and pay off some bills.

[richhodg66]

Of all the bikes I have had, I liked the 1978 thru 82 Yamaha XS1100s. I have had three of them. As I got older the seat just didn't do the job so I the advise a fellow XS11 rider told me. I went to WallyWorld and bought a strap on pad that is made for a ATV. It really did the job on that flat factory seat.
Ole Jack

I put one of those on my KLR650, made a nice difference. Certainly a lot cheaper than a Corbin seat.

[Finster101]

The bike is transportation for me. I ride almost every day unless I need the truck to get something or they are really calling for rain. I do get rained on a bit in the summer but it's always on the way home here in Florida so I ride anyway. The bike and the truck both are 08s. The bike has more miles on it.

[NavyVet1959]

My Harley is a ex-police bike (FLHPI). Basically the police version of the Road King. I spent a couple of weeks in my spare time removing / replacing some of the police stuff (lights, radio mount, etc) and adding a passenger seat and luggage rack even though it ran perfectly as I bought it. I bought it off one of the government auction sites (govdeals.com) and it was probably $5-10K less than I could get a regular Road King at the time.

Here's what's currently up for auction:

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.AdvSearchResultsNew&searchPg=Category&additionalParams=true&sortOption=ad&timing=BySimple&timingType=&category=94F

I would be hesitant to purchase any of the bikes that were confiscated or had come from a motorcycle training school, but I would not be hesitant in the least of buying another of the ex-police bikes. I've had very good luck with it and I probably spent less that $500 for the back seat, backrest, luggage rack, and replacing the police blue lights.

[osteodoc08]

I love to ride. I'm in the minority here and ride a big street bike. A ZX-14R to be specific. With risers and slightly lower pegs i can cruise a while before having to get off and stretch. The painful decision to give it up since I'm now a single parent was difficult but I can't allow some non alert cager to run me over.

196619

[Lloyd Smale]

sold my last bike about 8 years ago. My back problems just made it out of the question for me.

[Hickok]

196620
I love to ride. I'm in the minority here and ride a big street bike. A ZX-14R to be specific. With risers and slightly lower pegs i can cruise a while before having to get off and stretch. The painful decision to give it up since I'm now a single parent was difficult but I can't allow some non alert cager to run me over.

196619Mine is a somewhat more sedate version of yours, a Kawasaki Concours 1400 GTR. It is listed as a Super Sport Touring. With the ZX-14 engine in a milder state of tuning, she still puts out gobs of horsepower, and has a comfortable ride.

[Finster101]

I thought about a Connie years ago. They have a very loyal following.

[mac60]

I have an '04 Vulcan classic. One owner (me) 11k miles - kept indoors, excellent condition. I've been trying to sell it for a while now ($3,500 obo) - no takers. So, trying to sell can be as bad as trying to buy.

[Idaho45guy]

I have an '04 Vulcan classic. One owner (me) 11k miles - kept indoors, excellent condition. I've been trying to sell it for a while now ($3,500 obo) - no takers. So, trying to sell can be as bad as trying to buy.

There are a ton of those around here and all are around $3k. Some guys have nice examples with low miles and lots of gear for $3500, while another guy might have one with over 20k miles and some minor cosmetic flaws and still want $3500.

I've been reading a ton of reviews and I ruled out the Vulcan 900 due to lower HP than the other bikes I was looking at. It has around 48hp compared to others with 57 to 70hp in the same size/weight class, IIRC...

I'm 6'2" and 290lbs; I need all the power I can get in the mountains out here...

[cajun shooter]

JonB, You must not have ridden any Harleys since The Evo motors came on the scene. You could fill a Evo, Twin cam, with oil and fuel and ride for days with only stopping for more fuel every 120 miles or so. I started riding in 1962 and have owned several Cushman (scooter), Triumph, and HD's from panhead and up to Twin cams. The pans, shovels would mark their spots but have ridden (no trailers) from Baton Rouge to Sturgis and then on to other western states before taking the Southern route home with the Evo's and Twin cams and none of them leaked one darn drop of oil!!
My wife loved the 3 Road Kings that I owned. She would fall to sleep while riding and her helmet would hit mine and I knew she was asleep. Ha!! Ha!!
I lost my last Road King in August of 2016 in the Great Flood that hit us hard. We have only been back in our home for about a month now. Later David

[NavyVet1959]

I love to ride. I'm in the minority here and ride a big street bike. A ZX-14R to be specific. With risers and slightly lower pegs i can cruise a while before having to get off and stretch. The painful decision to give it up since I'm now a single parent was difficult but I can't allow some non alert cager to run me over.


My experience with sport bikes is that the seating angle is such that since you are leaning into the wind, you have to be going a speed that balances you weight vs wind pressure. That was usually well above the speed limit and I ended up with a few pieces of paper over the years informing me of that. :)

On the cruiser type bikes where the handlebars of of the pull-back type, I found those to be tiring on the arms and chest muscles during prolonged rides. It helped quite a bit if you had some sort of backrest to lean into. When I was in the Navy I had that sort of bike and when I was transferring between bases, I would just strap a full seabag onto the rear seat backrest (they were kind of high back then) and that gave me a full backrest that worked pretty good. The sitting position on my Harley is more straight up and the windshield keeps most of the wind from wearing you down. And, for us old farts, the sitting position is kinder on our knees than the sport bikes. It will supposedly only top out at 104 mph, but I can put up with that these days. I've had bikes that would get into a high speed wobble if you went too fast and I don't like that sort of excitement in my life these days. Nothing like the excitement of a high speed wobble when you're doing 140 mph. You're thinking, "Will it straighten out if I go a bit faster?" "Is it the bike, or am I just getting some cross wind?" "If I wipe out at this speed, how far will my body slide and will there be anything left of me other than a *long* red smear on the concrete?" ... and ... "I wonder if they give discounted burials if you only need a coffin large enough to hold your helmet?"

[gwpercle]

My last bike was a triple cylinder, 2 stroke , 750 cc , Kawasaki Mach IV. the one before it was a used Mach III , a 500 cc , triple cylinder , 2 stroke.
The problem was those machines had more horsepower than the car I was driving at the time and the need for speed caught up with me . I had to give them up or I was going to become a highway statistic .... But my Lord , they were so much fun to ride...too much I guess.
A car hit me and the 500 Mach III and being young and foolish I replaced it with the faster 750 Mach IV! Talk about eat up with a case of the screaming stupids....but we were young.
Gary

[MaryB]

I want a trike, seat with a backrest... comfortable driving position where I can stretch my legs out...

[richhodg66]

My last bike was a triple cylinder, 2 stroke , 750 cc , Kawasaki Mach IV. the one before it was a used Mach III , a 500 cc , triple cylinder , 2 stroke.
The problem was those machines had more horsepower than the car I was driving at the time and the need for speed caught up with me . I had to give them up or I was going to become a highway statistic .... But my Lord , they were so much fun to ride...too much I guess.
A car hit me and the 500 Mach III and being young and foolish I replaced it with the faster 750 Mach IV! Talk about eat up with a case of the screaming stupids....but we were young.
Gary

I used to hang out on Kawasaki web sites when I was working on that '83 KZ1100. A lot of the guys on there were old motor heads who were die hard Kawasaki fans and the stories they used to tell of those two-stroke triples made me shudder. Always sounded like suicide machines to me. I really like the Japanese machines from the '70s and '80s, but I think I'll stick the more conventional ones.

[NavyVet1959]

I want a trike, seat with a backrest... comfortable driving position where I can stretch my legs out...

There's trikes ... and then there's TRIKES...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozZ_UfSRYS4

[MaryB]

A trike that won't kill me LOL! :holysheep

[NavyVet1959]

A trike that won't kill me LOL! :holysheep

It's *only* 1000 hp...

OK... Just for you...

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/38/72/8a/38728ac9490bfc15671d3c3884fc2376.jpg

[koehlerrk]

OK, as some here have noticed, I tend to like things that are a little outside of mainstream. My current bike is no exception. 2004 Moto Guzzi EV California Titanium. Yeah... its a mouthful. But the bike is a beauty. 1100cc v-twin shafty. Smooth doesn't begin to describe the ride, she runs at 75mph in 4th gear at 3500rpms. I have over half my rev range and another gear... she's plenty fast!

But the big thing with that bike is the styling. Dang the Italians know how to make a machine that is so sexy I have a difficult choice... ride it, or look at it. Maybe its because I haven't had her in my garage two weeks yet, but I am in love with my Italian supermodel.

[NavyVet1959]

But the big thing with that bike is the styling. Dang the Italians know how to make a machine that is so sexy I have a difficult choice... ride it, or look at it. Maybe its because I haven't had her in my garage two weeks yet, but I am in love with my Italian supermodel.

When I was in Italy a couple of years ago, there were some Italian cops on motorcycles in this one town I was traveling through. While my wife was shopping at some of the small stores around there, I struck up a conversation with them concerning the bikes they were riding. I was expecting Moto Guzzi bikes, but they were on BMWs instead.

[osteodoc08]

My experience with sport bikes is that the seating angle is such that since you are leaning into the wind, you have to be going a speed that balances you weight vs wind pressure. That was usually well above the speed limit and I ended up with a few pieces of paper over the years informing me of that. :)

On the cruiser type bikes where the handlebars of of the pull-back type, I found those to be tiring on the arms and chest muscles during prolonged rides. It helped quite a bit if you had some sort of backrest to lean into. When I was in the Navy I had that sort of bike and when I was transferring between bases, I would just strap a full seabag onto the rear seat backrest (they were kind of high back then) and that gave me a full backrest that worked pretty good. The sitting position on my Harley is more straight up and the windshield keeps most of the wind from wearing you down. And, for us old farts, the sitting position is kinder on our knees than the sport bikes. It will supposedly only top out at 104 mph, but I can put up with that these days. I've had bikes that would get into a high speed wobble if you went too fast and I don't like that sort of excitement in my life these days. Nothing like the excitement of a high speed wobble when you're doing 140 mph. You're thinking, "Will it straighten out if I go a bit faster?" "Is it the bike, or am I just getting some cross wind?" "If I wipe out at this speed, how far will my body slide and will there be anything left of me other than a *long* red smear on the concrete?" ... and ... "I wonder if they give discounted burials if you only need a coffin large enough to hold your helmet?"


I've had this one up to 175 +- on a track and no wobble. The seating is between a true sport bike and a sport touring like the Connie. When the kids get older, I'll probably look at a Connie or cruiser. It's just hard to go from a 200hp bike down to one with around 100. This motor has plenty of torque too so the torque argument of cruiser vs streetbike doesn't apply here either.

The long red smear picked up by a flat head shovel has crossed my mind once or twice but typically only after some idiot turns left in front of me.

I did test drive a Street Glide with the new 107 motor in it and it was very pleasant and the smoothest HD I've ever ridden.

[Hickok]

Osteodoc, the 2014 Connie will pull right up to the factory computer-governed 155 mph with no problem. (Somewhere off in a galaxy, far, far away......);-)

[smokeywolf]

I have "Ultra Classic" tastes, but a "Vulcan Voyager" budget. I haven't ridden motorcycles in 35 plus years, but now retired, have been Jones-ING for a bike again. Rode a lot from age 5 to age 25; dirt and street (touring). Rode up to British Columbia and back during my 16th Summer.

Problem with buying a bike while still in Kali is, I sold my last bike after the second car in a couple of years made a left right in front of me. In Kali, it isn't if someone is going to make that left in front of you, it's when.

On the plus side, I won't be riding nearly every day like I used to.

Thinking that I might be able to allocate enough money for a 5 year old Vulcan Voyager or a 9-10 year old Ultra Classic. Harley's seat height is a couple of inches lower than the Kawasaki and I'm on the short side.

[NavyVet1959]

I have "Ultra Classic" tastes, but a "Vulcan Voyager" budget. I haven't ridden motorcycles in 35 plus years, but now retired, have been Jones-ING for a bike again. Rode a lot from age 5 to age 25; dirt and street (touring). Rode up to British Columbia and back during my 16th Summer.

Problem with buying a bike while still in Kali is, I sold my last bike after the second car in a couple of years made a left right in front of me. In Kali, it isn't if someone is going to make that left in front of you, it's when.

On the plus side, I won't be riding nearly every day like I used to.

Thinking that I might be able to allocate enough money for a 5 year old Vulcan Voyager or a 9-10 year old Ultra Classic. Harley's seat height is a couple of inches lower than the Kawasaki and I'm on the short side.

I've had one incident where an idiot decided to make a left turn from the right hand lane in front of / THROUGH me. I was right about even with his rear bumper when he did it, so there was no way I was going to avoid him. It was probably at 35-45 mph, so kind of slow and well, I guess I bounced a bit better way back then, so didn't get really banged up. These days, I try to avoid being in those situations. I just assume that all the people on the road are trying to intentionally kill me and avoid being in a position where they can do it if at all possible.

[smokeywolf]

I've had one incident where an idiot decided to make a left turn from the right hand lane in front of / THROUGH me. I was right about even with his rear bumper when he did it, so there was no way I was going to avoid him. It was probably at 35-45 mph, so kind of slow and well, I guess I bounced a bit better way back then, so didn't get really banged up. These days, I try to avoid being in those situations. I just assume that all the people on the road are trying to intentionally kill me and avoid being in a position where they can do it if at all possible.

I always rode a bike with the thought that all cars and trucks were out to flatten me.

The left turn situation to which I refer, is when an oncoming vehicle in opposing traffic lanes decides at the last minute to make a left turn across your path, usually at an intersection. However, I've had them also decide to make a left across my traffic lane to enter a driveway.

[Idaho45guy]

Harleys are very reasonable in Arizona, where I moved from about four years ago.

Down there I bought this highly customized 1997 Road King for $7000 in 2008 and then sold it for $8500 a couple of years later... Never had a single problem with it and it was a joy to ride. Just got surprisingly bad gas mileage; 21mpg with a pretty radical cam profile and carbs.

196759

[NavyVet1959]

The left turn situation to which I refer, is when an oncoming vehicle in opposing traffic lanes decides at the last minute to make a left turn across your path, usually at an intersection. However, I've had them also decide to make a left across my traffic lane to enter a driveway.

Awh, I've had that happen even when I'm driving a large pickup. If they can't see *that*, they sure aren't going to see a motorcycle. So far though, no accidents because of that particular brand of driver cluelessness.

[MaryB]

Seat needs a backrest LOL and I need about $20k in donations to get one...


It's *only* 1000 hp...

OK... Just for you...

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/38/72/8a/38728ac9490bfc15671d3c3884fc2376.jpg

[NavyVet1959]

Seat needs a backrest LOL and I need about $20k in donations to get one...

Picky, picky...

OK... Here's a backrest...

http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/4397_9080532227.jpg

[MaryB]

LOL not quite street legal...

[NavyVet1959]

LOL not quite street legal...

I see what appears to be a headlight and turn signals, it might very well be street legal and registered in some state.

http://www.sturgismoto.com/assets/images/gallery/images/prerally0256-2aa6430c313d.jpg

I just have to wonder where he managed to get that front tire. The wheel part is easy, there's plenty of shops that will make custom wheels, but the *tire*???

Does this one count as a backrest for you?

https://sc02.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1JZ6YMpXXXXa0XFXXq6xXFXXXD/Big-Power-Cloesd-Box-3-Wheel-Cargo.jpg

[kmrra]

Good looking bike for 29 hunnerd

[Hickok]

Seat needs a backrest LOL and I need about $20k in donations to get one...looks like something "Little Richard" would ride! "Tutti Frutti!!!