Bigger bike.

[danh600]

When we first got bikes I got the 750 honda shadow. I figured it would be a good bike to learn on. Not too much bike for me. I have to admit that getting a bigger bike bug hits me sometimes. I notice none of you guys really ride the huge bikes.

My neighbor sold his 750 for a 1700. He told me one day he should have never traded up. The 750 was a perfect bike all considered.

I know it's personal preference, but you think most people are happy after they trade up?

What made you pick the bike you are on?

[magnaone]

just be sure bikes fits you    and you feel comfortable on it   and the power don't scare ya  no fun riding something your scared of makes for a long day  go set on a bunch of them and find a good buddy that might let ya ride his

[v65infla]

What are you using the bike for over all is a big consideration.  Just around town and for commuting a mid sized bike should be all you ever need. 

It seems to me, you and your wife do quite a bit of decent traveling and you might find larger bike doesn't tire you out as quickly on the highway.  Not as buzzy is a good way to explain it.  Your size, height and weight is a consideration also.  Bill (dt) rides a smaller to mid sized bike and he rides the wheels off of the thing but I find him to be the exception.

My pre-motocross day's had me on a Magna V45 (750) but the V4's are not your typical 750 either.  After motocross was done and it was time to get into road bikes again, I went with the Shadow ACE 1100.  The Shadow won't get you there quickly but it will get you there, in style and comfort.  To me it almost the perfect do anything, go almost anywhere bike and I highly recommend you consider it.

After the ACE, I briefly went back to motocross and then after my job was threatened, I gave it up for a couple of years.  I then had a brief flirtation with a VF1000R Captain America Bike that I kick myself every day in the ass for selling. 

About 4 years passed before I felt that need for a bike again and there was a boat in between.  American Chopper was all the rage and I decided instead of the new fancy choppers they were building, I wanted an old school chopper.  What I didn't know was they were coming back also and everyone thought they were golden.  Having been a natural Honda V4 guy with the V45 and the VF1000R, I remembered my best friend from high school in Michigan, had a V65 Magna sitting in his garage and that since he married a Doctor was no longer allowed to ride.  I made the call, we struck a deal, I found someone to pick it up and bring it here for me. 

A short time after I found the Honda V4 board, developed a bond with those guy's and the V4 illness was set for life.     Unless you don't call having had a total now of 8 V4's with a 9th coming home in a few weeks an illness??   

You also should consider what you want out of bike besides how you ride it.  Recently, I have seen a rash of newb's to the V4 world getting frustrated over this or that problem and wanting to get rid of their bikes real quickly.  Well, you buy a 28 year old, you shouldn't expect it to be new should you??  So if your not willing to wrench and trouble shoot to get it the way it supposed to be then stay newer.

Think about what you really want out of a bike.  Lay out all of your purposes and then we might be able to point you in the right direction.

Fair warning with me though.  I realize there are a lot of nice bikes out there but I will always point you towards a Honda first.   

PS, If you want check out the great world of V4's, I happen to know of a real nice, not cosmetically perfect 1984 V65 for sale.  Should be ready tomorrow, Sunday at the latest.  You could come up I-95 and stop by Sunday night to see it.   

[dt]

Agree ^ … there are several different types of motorcycles with different ranges of use. That’s where I think anyone should start.

What made you pick the bike you are on?

Wish we had more members ‘cuz I’d like to read a lot of different answers to this question. I seriously doubt any two responses would be the same or close. In my case, my dad used to take me to watch these XR750 flattrackers go at it when I was a kid in the 70s. I once got to see EK in his prime jump a bunch of Greyhounds with one of these in person too. And who could forget Mert Lawwill in On-Any-Sunday. Although it’s a racing bike, it’s my favorite all time motorcycle.



I wasn’t even looking for a new bike when MoCo came out with the XR-Sportster replica tracker in 2008. It’s type is what’s called a Standard…medium sized, upright posture, general-purpose with highly versatile application. Although 1200cc, it’s a tame air-cooled EVO Vtwin, only slightly modified from the base 74ci engine found on other HD models. It’s rated 94hp, maybe 80 (probably less, never had it dyno'd) at the pavement…not scream by any stretch of the imagination for a 1200. I prefer the higher and more upright riding position of a Standard since its closer to dirt bikes, where I have the vast majority of my riding time. The XR has a 32in seat height with my corbin which is pretty tall for streetbikes. I’m perfectly comfortable sitting high and I find the upright riding position to make the bike quicker in turns (more flickable).

With distribution limited to Europe in 2008, a huge uproar in the motorcycle community ensued (not the Harley community mind you) and MoCo brought them to the U.S. in 2009 under a pre-delivery order program. I hesitated on the pre-delivery, which started in fall of 2008, but one of the preorder bikes from HD-Tampa didn’t close (buyer didn’t want it; lost his $3,000 deposit) and they offered it to me through the Brandon store. Unlike the predelivery guys I actually got to see and ride it before buying. Since then, it’s lived up to its designation as a Standard. I’ve used it for just about everything except off-road…although riding around at Windy Acres might qualify for that.

Bill (dt) rides a smaller to mid sized bike and he rides the wheels off of the thing...

Only when trying to keep up with you and Gary.

[bagobones]

All of my bikes have been of the cult-following variety. Lots of parts still available and lots of people still riding them. Since i am a professional musician and teacher, I don't make tons of money and these bikes have all been older models, and ones that were easy to work on myself. I consider my mechanic skill quite a bit above average so i can keep them all going.

First bike, 74 honda CB550. Cheap. Proved to be great to learn on, but ended up being too small. Wound up putting hard bags and a fairing on it which led me to think that i should get a bike that already has these things on it. I wound up doing a lot of commuting on the highway and carrying lots of things with me. I also had a hankerin' to try some long distance trips so .....

second bike, 1980 Honda Goldwing Interstate GL1100. It's funny that nowadays 1100cc bikes are considered mid-size because this bike is  a brute. Heavy, built for the long haul. I rode it around stock for a while, but later I upgraded everything - better suspension, brakes, fork brace. Then I removed the stock fairing and it became sort of a custom convertible chopper/bagger since the trunk and the plexi-shied comes off. I did do some multi-thousand mile trips on it and there is little doubt that that is it's forte. But still, it's very versatile,  can carry tons of stuff, and doesn't handle all that bad with the upgrades. Unfortunately, the engine on this one gave out and i got ....

a replacement 1981 GL1100 with only 30K. I swapped over all the goodies and junked the dead one. I Still have this bike and rode it about 30 miles today. Met a fellow musician who rode to the gig on his GL1800 and we had a great time admiring each other's rides. If I could afford a GL1800 I would buy one. They are amazing machines.

I recently bought a 2000 SV650 to have some fun commuting and riding some twisties. This bike is such a blast. Handles beautifully. Great ride. A real traffic killer. Totally impractical though. Maybe a removable top case for it? I like to take stuff with me I guess. I took the passenger pegs off it so it's just for me. Its too small for 2 people anyway. I feel like a hooligan whenever I am on it. After a few years on GL1100's I had forgotten how much fun smaller bikes are.

I also have a 1981 Virago XV920 and I am not sure why I still own it, except that it's fun to ride. Serves little purpose other than to be loud, ugly, rude, and to offset my otherwise mild demeanor. I will ride this to some rallies this year with my crazy cruiser/Harley buds and around the neighborhood to piss off the minivan driving soccer moms.

So I have three bikes, all with totally different functions.

1. touring
2. cruising
3. sport/commuting

I shouldn't really have 3, but I love bikes so much and each one has it's own character and function. I can't bring myself to part with any. If you made me choose one, I would keep the SV650. The Goldwing will never handle like the SV, and the Virago will never do ANYTHING the other two can do. You can turn SV's into sport touring bikes of sorts if you drop enough $.

My ultimate bike might be a sport tourer like an st1100/1300, but I doubt I will ever be able to afford one. At least not a new one! I will have to wait until they get even older and cheaper.

That's my story, and I am sticking to it.

[v65infla]

I just happen to know of an older ST coming for sale pretty soon in the NE.   

[danh600]

Neat reading why you guys ride what you do.

Bagobones it's safe to say you are not a drummer since you commute to your gigs on a bike.

[Croz]

I'm only on my second bike, and I'll probably be on this one for a while.

My first bike was a '86 Honda Shadow 500, figured it would be a great bike to learn on, and it was. I didn't like the upright riding position. With my height it put my feet behind my knees and that wasn't comfortable for long. But the biggest reason was that, after the first time I put my wife on the Shadow with me, she wanted on every time. And the front seat / pillion combo on the Shadow is very short. We were right on top of each other, and not always in a good way.

When I was shopping, I was looking at basically any import cruiser, 750 - 1100 range. Wasn't really interested in the heavyweights. Still a relatively new rider, I couldn't see myself pushing a 1700 around.

Wound up finding a gorgeous 1999 Yamaha VStar 1100 that had good performance, but still manageable, and had a much nicer seating arrangement for riding 2-up.

Since we have plenty of space on this bike, and plenty of power, I can't see us getting the itch for anything larger anytime soon. There are also tons of accessories for the 1100, and if I get the itch for more power, then the POD mod for the 1100 can boost hp by 25% for $150 bucks.

So, that's how we got to the bike we have today.

[danh600]

What are you using the bike for over all is a big consideration.

To answer Jamie's question.

Bikes I have ruled out:

Sport Bike - I think they are cool, but not for me. I have ridden my son's and it's just not comfortable enough for me. I mean I don't need a goldwing, but sport bikes make everything start hurting after 20 minutes or so. I might own one if I lived near some curvy roads, but living in Florida those are out.

Old Bike - I just don't have the mechanical skills to keep a bike that need lots of TLC to keep giving back. I think old bikes are really cool. I would love to have one, but my level of knowledge is just not there. To me mechanicing is like learning Spanish. Something I kind of think about from time to time, but have just never been willing to put in the effort required.
My most effective tools right now are my cell phone and credit card.

Things I don't really do with my bike:

Never commute with my bike. I live like 5 minutes from work. It's not worth putting on the gear for the trip. It's just too easy to hop in the car. It's not like riding the bike would save me much money. Plus, when I got to the office I might just keep on riding. ;-)

Ride two up. We just don’t do it much. My wife has her own bike and would rather ride it.

So what I do with my bike is generally day rides, about 3-4 hours of riding. Also we do some road trips mostly weekends.

Right now the Shadow works. We can hit the open road and while it’s not fast it will cruise at 70 or so. That’s fast enough for me most of the time. It rides good and is generally comfortable. It reliable and economical.  The seat gets a bit hard, but the addition of the airhawk seat cushion helped with that. I also like the extra inch or so height the airhawk cushion give. Sometimes the bike seems just a little small. While I am only 5’9” I feel like I would like just a bit taller bike. I find myself sitting all the way back on the seat. I also like the swept back handle bars of the Shadow Aero. My wife’s spirit has the more upright narrower handle bars. That makes my shoulders feel a bit cramped. I like the more open feeling of wider bars.

Since I have the cruiser it’s really the only bike I have spent any time on. I have never had the chance to ride a standard bike, touring bike or DS bike. I would like a chance to ride them if I could. Sometimes I am not sure the forward control of the cruiser is the best set up for me. Long ride sometimes leave my lower back trashed. I am thinking that having my feet up under me a little more might help. Just hasn’t had a chance to test that theory.

So I am thinking I might want just a little bigger cruiser. I really like the Honda 1300 custom line. The Interstate looks like a nice bike. I sat on one at a dealership and it sat well.

But then again I am not sure I should trade without looking at more options. Sometimes I look at Dual Sport bikes and think man that looks like fun. But then again I like riding with my wife and I doubt she is interested in going down a rocky bumpy road.

Just thinking out loud really. It’s not like I have to trade anytime soon. I do really like my bike.

[v65infla]

This bike is fast becoming an object of affection for me.  Compares out the Road Glide a bike I have always liked and to get that equal comparison you have to spend $22g on the RG and I am finding these out the door for $14g.

For 8 grand, I could buy a bigger dick rather than just pretending.   

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/62698/Motorcycle-Photo-Gallery-Photo/2011-Kawasaki-Vulcan-1700-Vaquero-.aspx

[dongalb]

I recently found a '99 Yamaha Royal Star 1300 with less than 22000 on it.  I was not looking for that particular bike, but a very fair deal came along.  Although I only have added about 500 miles to the odometer, I am very happy with it so far.  Plenty of power, half of those miles have been 2 up with my wife.  Heavy enough not to get pushed around too much by passing trucks.  It is quiet.  Some would call that a negative, but I work in a noisy steel shop.  Quiet is good.  It is comfortable.  Sits about the right height for me, handle bars are back just enough, and my wife says she is comfortable.  These days I am very into comfort.

I rode a Harley Ultra for about a year, several years back.  It too was a nice bike and comfortable.  Probably will be my upgrade in a few years.

[dt]

I recently found a '99 Yamaha Royal Star 1300 with less than 22000 on it.

I have been, am and always will be a fan of Yamaha motorcycles. Over the years, I've owned more Yamaha's than any other brand.

btw…you are going to be able to sneak away in October and ride with us, right?

This bike is fast becoming an object of affection for me.

It’s a V-Twin!

[v65infla]

I recently found a '99 Yamaha Royal Star 1300 with less than 22000 on it.

I have been, am and always will be a fan of Yamaha motorcycles. Over the years, I've owned more Yamaha's than any other brand.

btw…you are going to be able to sneak away in October and ride with us, right?

This bike is fast becoming an object of affection for me.

It’s a V-Twin!

Shhhh............ Don't tell anyone.  

I have always like the looks of the Road Glide.  To stack up against each other, they had to up size the motor of the RG and they about competed even up in all categories except with the upgraded motor the RG came in over 22k and this can can be had out the door for under 14k.  Not to mention that not being an HD it would be reliable for years to come.  

I am going to look at one this week, maybe tomorrow.

[hdmatt29]

i havent rode many bikes but from what i research sat on and seen it dont matter what the best bike is, its the bike you feel safe and have fun on.. in the atv world everyone thinks having a big bore bike will get u to the other side in all reality i had freinds with honda 350s pull out my kawi 750

[v65infla]

i havent rode many bikes but from what i research sat on and seen it dont matter what the best bike is, its the bike you feel safe and have fun on.. in the atv world everyone thinks having a big bore bike will get u to the other side in all reality i had freinds with honda 350s pull out my kawi 750

You are 100% correct.   

Having a background in local motocross, when we get a chance to ride together, I bet we find we know some of the same people.   

[dongalb]

A coworker recently upgraded to a Vulcan 1500. He is really happy with it.

[hdmatt29]

i havent rode many bikes but from what i research sat on and seen it dont matter what the best bike is, its the bike you feel safe and have fun on.. in the atv world everyone thinks having a big bore bike will get u to the other side in all reality i had freinds with honda 350s pull out my kawi 750

You are 100% correct.   

Having a background in local motocross, when we get a chance to ride together, I bet we find we know some of the same people.   

maybe   i lil young compared to most people on here lol

[dongalb]

btw…you are going to be able to sneak away in October and ride with us, right?

Yea right!  I think you know the answer to that one. 

[dt]

btw…you are going to be able to sneak away in October and ride with us, right?

Yea right!  I think you know the answer to that one. 

Yeah, but I had to ask.