Penny for you thoughts...

[niteman]

I believe i am finally in the market for another bike. I haven't had one for about a year now having sold my 83 nighthawk cb650sc and I'm getting the itch something fierce again. I joined up on this forum a while ago back when I was riding that bike. I was selling that one and thinking on which bike to get next. Well life happened and after selling that bike I wasn't destined to get another one right afterwards. Move forward about a year and the wife and I can again make motorcycling part of my life and, well, I'm stoked.

I'm really leaning towards a late model shadow sabre 1100. I have read a lot of good things about this bike; that it has more character than a vtx1300 and more capable than it's smaller brethren, the 750. Having ridden older standards for the first few years of motorcycling (86 cb450sc and aforementioned cb650sc) , I'm pretty certain I'd rather be on a newer cruiser style. I ruled out sports bikes pretty much altogether due to a bad knee and iffy shoulder. The newer sporty standards are nice, but the ability to stretch out a bit may keep me in the saddle longer.

I've looked at and sat on a couple of shadows recently and i think I'd really like the ergos. So, on to the opinion part. A dealer in my town has a:
- left over, brand new, 0 miles, '07 sabre 1100 with the black/flames paint for ~$6K. (not crazy about the flashy paint)
- '06 sabre 1100 black w/ hard bags, wind screen, and luggage rack for ~$4500 but it has 40K miles on it.

I like the outfitted '06 but the mileage make me nervous and the idea of having 0 miles for a bit more has me wondering which would be the better deal for long term. What are your thoughts if you don't mind?

[v65infla]

Picking a bike for someone else is pretty tough.  Make a list of what is important to you and your idea of comfort.  Gas range? Ability to carry a load if you plan to travel? Price? Power or slow cruiser? Comfort for two up vs. riding alone? Newer bike, supposed to be more reliable vs. older classics but you might have to wrench? Insurance costs if you finance or want liability or theft coverage?  Mid sized bike vs. Larger? And, about any other variable you can think of.................. 

Lots of good bikes out there, new bikes are super cheap right now and used bikes are selling like hot cakes, thanks to rising fuel prices. 

The Shadow's and Sabre's are tried and true engines that will run forever if taken care of but can't get out of their own way, if that is important to you.  It isn't too most people but I like to have power on tap when I want to play, which of course is very addictive.   

[niteman]

Thanks for your input Jamie, very good things to consider.

Like I more or less stated, I'm pretty much convinced I'm a cruiser kind of guy. Having come from standards and sat on/briefly ridden a few sports bikes (I hate the term crotchrockets lol) I know more leg room will be more comfortable for me. Now the power cruiser vs. slower cruiser point you bring up is certainly a good one though.....

I was just wondering, since the venerable shadow line is so popular, which of the shadows I listed would others consider? I know it's very hard, and I wouldn't do it either, to pick a bike for someone else (tried to do that for the wife and was way off lol).

Now the magna's are sweet bikes! But I had enough of a "fun" time trying to sync the carbs on an inline cb650sc 4cyl that I rode and slightly restored. I'm looking for less maintenance honestly.

Thanks for your input. And that's one sweet new bike you picked up sir!

[v65infla]

I had a mid 90's Shadow ACE 1100 and LOVED IT!!  Comfortable, reliable and so damn slow, I wouldn't run against a turtle on it.   

The Mag's are a great choice for power and comfort and if you want to stay mid sized, its hard to beat a 3rd gen.  Carbs are not supposed to be as bad as the V65's.  Of course 10 year old V-Max's are inexpensive enough and all the power you would ever want if you just want to go in a straight line as they are supposed to corner like a Mack truck. 

Thank you for the compliment on the ST.  I am starting to dig it. Since you brought it up, a early 2000's model can be had for 5k and under and they are virtually unchanged since 2003. I never imagined myself on a sport tourer until about 15 minutes before I bought this one.  Zarticus can back me up on that as he was there with me.   

As I mentioned in one of the other threads, I am loving the sport part and still getting the touring part where I want it but with seat risers coming this week and handlebar risers on tap, hopefully that does it.  I'll go to a peg lowering kit as a last resort but want to avoid that if all possible because she scrapes easy enough as it is in the corners now.   

I am learning from the st-owners group that lots of riders older than me think they are the cat's meow so I keep telling myself my 43 year old body will get used to it.  But then again, I have to wonder how many of them have had the injuries I have had also??   

Make a short list of 6 or less bikes you think you would want, include one cruiser, one sport-tourer, one more sport such as an FZ1 and then ride as many as you can.

As I said I am starting to really like the ST but I know that I would have been just as happy with a Vaquero also. 

[Zarticus]

Check out the Suzuki Bandit 1200's, I'm keeping an eye out for one

[hdmatt29]

harley davidson FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!

[mrbones]

I rode an '86 Shadow 1100 once with straight pipes and it got out and moved pretty good. It's geared nicely with less vibes in the bars at about 70mph compared to my '98 Sportster (with a non rubber mounted engine.) The brakes were a little weak for the speed that it can go, I'm sure they've been upgraded since then.

To answer your question about which bike is a better deal that you mentioned, I'd go for the one with zero miles over one with 40k. Especially if you are going to keep it long term. You'll probably own that thing for 5 years or more before there would be any possibility for any repairs (except maintenance and tires.) Plus, you get to maintain it and will know the history on it.

Good luck!

[niteman]

Well I was leaning towards the 0 mile '07 and talked to that dealer again this morning...it sold already. Apparently another dealer had it and couldn't move the inventory so this dealer got it and it sold within days of him having it.

Mrbones, you make a good point in the maintenance and history of the machine. I was already thinking the same thing about the one with 40K on the clock. It sure looks to be in good shape though, but for the money I may keep looking.

Jamie, I have this ongoing list in my head similar to what you mention. Looking at the list I look pretty schizo lol.
- shadow 1100 (ace touring, spirit, or sabre...preferably sabre)
- vtx1300
- road king
- triumph bonneville se
- suzuki sv650/s
- ninja 650r
- honda nt700v
- and now maybe honda st
The biggest candidates are the shadow 1100's or the bonnie at this point but who knows. The one things all th above have in common (save for the st) are they are all twins of some variation.

Nothing against HD's, just a lot of money for even decent used ones it seams and I kinda like hondas. The triumph is more of a visual thing, haven't ridden one yet.

[v65infla]

Just throw in some more confusion might I also suggest a Valkyrie (Big, powerful, all day comfort and will run forever).

Another suggestion is once you are narrowed down to a bike or two, join the owners group on the web and read, read, read.  A week ago I had one opinion and thought I was going in one direction with the ST and now I am learning a whole lot of stuff about them that I didn't know.  The comfort issue being the largest.  In the beginning I was under the impression that 90% of everyone just loved the comfort level of the ST and I was beginning to feel like it was just me that was having issues.  The more I read the more I found out that I am not alone.

[niteman]

Valkyrie...now that's a beast! I sat on a friends dad's valk once...maybe a little much for me at this point. I'm no beginner, but I still consider myself lacking in enough experience to take on that warhorse lol.

I did go to see my bud at that dealer today. The 1100 sabre with 42K on the clock was nice but something didn't sit right with me about that particular one. They had a spirit 1100 but it was in rough shape, even my sales guy said so.

I sat on and did a short test ride on a low mileage vtx1300 that I am seriously considering now. Also checked out a boulevard c90t that was comfortable but was decked out in studded leather bits and they wanted a lil too much for it.

Oh, and he talked me into checking out a '09 FJR1300, black, and sweet as hell looking sport-tourer. If my bum knee wasn't an issue I would probably have walked out with that thing! Talk about decked out! Sadly though even a short ride was less than comfy...I'd probably loose my license on that bike anyway

The only ST they had was brand new and way out of my budget atm. Sweet bike in person though it too was cramped on the knees.

Hope you can keep enjoying that ST jaimie.

[v65infla]

Would you be interested in an 84' V65 Magna, if the bike were completely gone through, valves done, price right, etc??  I need to get Gary down here to help me synch the valves but I can get it to you done right for a decent price??  I could also deliver.

2nd pic down here;

http://bikerflorida.com/forum/index.php/topic,821.msg14063.html#msg14063

[niteman]

Thanks for the offer Jamie! I will certainly keep it in mind but I was kind of thinking of going newer this time. My last two bikes were Honda's of the "classic" variety, i.e. 80's. While they were great bikes for sure, I was thinking of something with a little less maintenance and a little more modernity this time around especially since I would only have one bike in the stable for a while. But hey, anything is possible. I will keep you updated.