I'm Buying A Bike And Need Some Help

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chevss454

chevss454

Data-driven decision-making is science and art.
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I haven't ridden since my 20's and that was 40 years ago. I'm looking for a used cruiser, over 1000cc with a stable back rest and seat for my wife. I like the retro old fashioned look which to me is what cruising should be.

I've done some research as you might guess. Most appealing in order:

Harley Soft Tail or Fat Boy
Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 or 1600 especially the Nomad.
Honda VTX 1300 or 1500
Yamaha Road Star Silverado

This is the look I want. Any advice would be much appreciated. Keep in mind the Harley's are at least double the cost of the others.

5594577db03a222c32bf0b6b.jpg
 
The first thing i suggest Chev is update your riding skills. I'd suggest a motorcycle safety foundation course. A 1000cc plus bike for a rusty rider can be a real handful. I speak as a former MSF instructor. You could pick up a nice Honda Shadow in the 750 range and it will seat two just fine. I think any of the bikes you note are reliable and decent rides however. if you picked up a smaller ride to start you could always flip it after a year and then get into the higher end stuff.
Also, whatever you choose there's endless add ons in seats and backrests to address your comfort and your brides. Any of those bikes has numerous owners forums that you can get a lot of info from as far as what works and what doesn't.
I'd just get your riding skills up to date before anything. It's important.
My humble .02 worth.
 
patswin said:
The first thing i suggest Chev is update your riding skills. I'd suggest a motorcycle safety foundation course. A 1000cc plus bike for a rusty rider can be a real handful. I speak as a former MSF instructor. You could pick up a nice Honda Shadow in the 750 range and it will seat two just fine. I think any of the bikes you note are reliable and decent rides however. if you picked up a smaller ride to start you could always flip it after a year and then get into the higher end stuff.
Also, whatever you choose there's endless add ons in seats and backrests to address your comfort and your brides. Any of those bikes has numerous owners forums that you can get a lot of info from as far as what works and what doesn't.
I'd just get your riding skills up to date before anything. It's important.
My humble .02 worth.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm taking a refresher course at the riding school at MOM just south of Gillette in 2 wks. He said he'd put me on their biggest bike to see how I liked it.
 
chevss454 said:
I haven't ridden since my 20's and that was 40 years ago. I'm looking for a used cruiser, over 1000cc with a stable back rest and seat for my wife. I like the retro old fashioned look which to me is what cruising should be.

I've done some research as you might guess. Most appealing in order:

Harley Soft Tail or Fat Boy
Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 or 1600 especially the Nomad.
Honda VTX 1300 or 1500
Yamaha Road Star Silverado

This is the look I want. Any advice would be much appreciated. Keep in mind the Harley's are at least double the cost of the others.
Click to expand...

For best ride, classic look, and the ability to put a comfortable passenger seat and back rest, I would forego both a straight softtail and fat boy, and strongly consider the Heritage Softtail. There's nothing like it unless you're going to go into a real touring bike like a Street Glide or Ultra.

I also would consider going back a few years to an evo engine rather than a twin cam, so rhat means going back to around 2002 and earlier. The twin cam is very hot on the leg and even for the passenger's legs.

Talk to me if you have any questions. There isn't much I don't know about bikes. We have had between 5 and 8 in our garage at any given time. I'm riding a Heritage Softtail myself right now, and I would never ride anything else.

The Nomad is a nice bike. You would like it. You might want to take a ride over to MOM's right past the stadium and take a peak at the Victory bikes. They're beautiful and very well made. They're also an Indian dealer.

Go for it. I like the classic look myself, and that's what I have, whitewalls and all. Lol

Edit again: so you've already been to MOM's and seen what they have. :thumb:
 
PatsFanLisa said:
For best ride, classic look, and the ability to put a comfortable passenger seat and back rest, I would forego both a straight softtail and fat boy, and strongly consider the Heritage Softtail. There's nothing like it unless you're going to go into a real touring bike like a Street Glide or Ultra.

I also would consider going back a few years to an evo engine rather than a twin cam, so rhat means going back to around 2002 and earlier. The twin cam is very hot on the leg and even for the passenger's legs.

Talk to me if you have any questions. There isn't much I don't know about bikes. We have had between 5 and 8 in our garage at any given time. I'm riding a Heritage Softtail myself right now, and I would never ride anything else.

The Nomad is a nice bike. You would like it. You might want to take a ride over to MOM's right past the stadium and take a peak at the Victory bikes. They're beautiful and very well made. They're also an Indian dealer.

Go for it. I like the classic look myself, and that's what I have, whitewalls and all. Lol

Edit again: so you've already been to MOM's and seen what they have. :thumb:
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting, Lisa. I was hoping you'd give me some input. I love everything about the Heritage Softtail except the prices I'm seeing for used bikes. I'll cross the Fat Boy off my list on your suggestion and I don't want anything as big as an UltraGlide or Goldwing. Most of the reviews on bikes in my category say Heritage Softtail is #1 with the Kawasaki Vulcan (fuel injection) series, 1500, 1600 Classic or Nomad Classic a close #2 followed by the Honda VTX series and then Yamaha Road Star in the fully decked out Silverado series. That's the bike in the pic I posted.

So "look" is first for me. Classic and Retro cruisers only.

I'm looking at price 2nd. Heck, my wife may not even like it so I'm reluctant to spend big money initially figuring I can always move up. I've found a lot of my kind of 2002-2006 bikes on Cycletrader with 10-15K miles on them for anywhere from $4K-$6K. Even MOM, wh/ I find generally to be over priced, has 6-7 good ones. BTW, what is considered to be high mileage for one of these bikes and at what mileage point do repairs begin to kill the economics of ownership? I know there's no hard and fast rule but what's your gut feeling on it? For instance, comparing the same make/model for purchase would a 2005 with 10K miles be a better buy than a 2007 w/ 20K miles if the price were the same? Do you find the on line price guides to be accurate, in general, or are they slanted to help the dealers?

Thirdly, I'm looking at ease of maintenance...reliability and repair history. I'm no grease monkey and don't intend to do any maintenance myself. If it has moving parts my fingers don't get involved. Honda has a good rep with cars so I assume it carries over into bikes but idk. Kawasaki? Yamaha? And finally I have to admit to thinking Harley's are a sink hole for maintenance and repair costs but I could be totally wrong. (My next door neighbor has a big late 80's H-D and either he is tinkering with it or it is in the shop constantly. That's not for me.) :shrug:

I like the look of this bike. Maybe it's the Patriots' colors :) http://www.cycletrader.com/dealers/...isting/2007-KAWASAKI-VN1500-CLASSIC-114746524

This one looks like a great buy. http://www.cycletrader.com/dealers/...8/listing/2008-KAWASAKI-VULCAN-1600-115040314

this one too: http://www.cycletrader.com/dealers/...g/2003-Kawasaki-Vulcan-1600-Classic-115024195
 
Hawg73 said:
I don't know shit about bikes, but I know a little bit about classic/retro looks, so I found you a helmet.
Click to expand...
that is freaking awesome but too much head wrap for me


Chev the 2008 Kawasaki VULCAN 1600 Cruiser you linked looks like it was female owned or at least taking pictures.

and it is true that Bike Questions seem to be sent to PFL, I have been asking her questions for a while now - my next is where do I find bags for the bike I text her last week. I think my brother may be looking to add them soon.
 
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/5110312064.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/5057665643.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/5101709564.html

Just some examples, Chevss. The third one is a Road King, more of a touring bike, very comfortable. These prices are definitely higher than any of the Jap bikes, but nowhere near what they were three or four years ago. Used prices have dropped dramatically.

Maintenance: Not so much with Jap bikes. Harleys, somewhat yes. If you get a good, clean bike, you shouldn't have many problems. Harleys are much improved from the shovelhead engine days when they leaked, misfired, and broke down all the time. One of my bikes is a 1980 shovel, a stripped down police bike that I turned into a rat rod...I love it, but it's old school as hell.

The lower mileage bike trumps a newer bike for me every time. With Harleys, I wouldn't look at much over around 20k for miles. Most people that ride Harleys have great respect for them and treat them well, take care of them, because they're so expensive. Jap bikes, like anything they make, tend to run clean for lots of miles. I like the Kawasakis, though they all have a good record for endurance. The Nomad is a fantastic bike, great looking, especially the model with the hard bags. My husband thinks the Nomad is one of the best-looking bikes on the road with a lot of bang for your buck and short on maintenance.

If you do go with a Harley, don't listen to anyone telling you that the twin cam fuel-injected engine is the best thing since chocolate cake. It's not. I would much rather go with a carbureted engine. Easier to fix, cheaper to fix. The newer twin cams from somewhere around 2005 on up have a 6-speed tranny, and unless you're planning on riding out to Sturgis with the bike, there's no need for that.

I'll be interested to know what you go with. If you find what you're looking for and have any questions, ask away. If I don't know the answer, my husband will. Good for you, by the way! You only live once!
 
PatsFanLisa said:
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/5110312064.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/5057665643.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/5101709564.html

Just some examples, Chevss. The third one is a Road King, more of a touring bike, very comfortable. These prices are definitely higher than any of the Jap bikes, but nowhere near what they were three or four years ago. Used prices have dropped dramatically.

Maintenance: Not so much with Jap bikes. Harleys, somewhat yes. If you get a good, clean bike, you shouldn't have many problems. Harleys are much improved from the shovelhead engine days when they leaked, misfired, and broke down all the time. One of my bikes is a 1980 shovel, a stripped down police bike that I turned into a rat rod...I love it, but it's old school as hell.

The lower mileage bike trumps a newer bike for me every time. With Harleys, I wouldn't look at much over around 20k for miles. Most people that ride Harleys have great respect for them and treat them well, take care of them, because they're so expensive. Jap bikes, like anything they make, tend to run clean for lots of miles. I like the Kawasakis, though they all have a good record for endurance. The Nomad is a fantastic bike, great looking, especially the model with the hard bags. My husband thinks the Nomad is one of the best-looking bikes on the road with a lot of bang for your buck and short on maintenance.

If you do go with a Harley, don't listen to anyone telling you that the twin cam fuel-injected engine is the best thing since chocolate cake. It's not. I would much rather go with a carbureted engine. Easier to fix, cheaper to fix. The newer twin cams from somewhere around 2005 on up have a 6-speed tranny, and unless you're planning on riding out to Sturgis with the bike, there's no need for that.

I'll be interested to know what you go with. If you find what you're looking for and have any questions, ask away. If I don't know the answer, my husband will. Good for you, by the way! You only live once!
Click to expand...
yes Carbs over injection, a lot of injection repairs are simply converting to Carbs based on conversations with a co-worker recently.
 
PatsFanLisa said:
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/5110312064.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/5057665643.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/5101709564.html

Just some examples, Chevss. The third one is a Road King, more of a touring bike, very comfortable. These prices are definitely higher than any of the Jap bikes, but nowhere near what they were three or four years ago. Used prices have dropped dramatically.

Maintenance: Not so much with Jap bikes. Harleys, somewhat yes. If you get a good, clean bike, you shouldn't have many problems. Harleys are much improved from the shovelhead engine days when they leaked, misfired, and broke down all the time. One of my bikes is a 1980 shovel, a stripped down police bike that I turned into a rat rod...I love it, but it's old school as hell.

The lower mileage bike trumps a newer bike for me every time. With Harleys, I wouldn't look at much over around 20k for miles. Most people that ride Harleys have great respect for them and treat them well, take care of them, because they're so expensive. Jap bikes, like anything they make, tend to run clean for lots of miles. I like the Kawasakis, though they all have a good record for endurance. The Nomad is a fantastic bike, great looking, especially the model with the hard bags. My husband thinks the Nomad is one of the best-looking bikes on the road with a lot of bang for your buck and short on maintenance.

If you do go with a Harley, don't listen to anyone telling you that the twin cam fuel-injected engine is the best thing since chocolate cake. It's not. I would much rather go with a carbureted engine. Easier to fix, cheaper to fix. The newer twin cams from somewhere around 2005 on up have a 6-speed tranny, and unless you're planning on riding out to Sturgis with the bike, there's no need for that.

I'll be interested to know what you go with. If you find what you're looking for and have any questions, ask away. If I don't know the answer, my husband will. Good for you, by the way! You only live once!
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks Lisa. Never thought of craigslist or buying from a private person. Love the 2nd one!! Will call on that one today.
00Z0Z_dqLaq0D7Idw_600x450.jpg


How do I get it vetted for soundness?

edit: just talked to the owner. It has 37K miles so I thanked him.

Also found this one: http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/mcy/5093754916.html Is the flstc ok?
 
chevss454 said:
Wow, thanks Lisa. Never thought of craigslist or buying from a private person. Love the 2nd one!! Will call on that one today.
00Z0Z_dqLaq0D7Idw_600x450.jpg


How do I get it vetted for soundness?
Click to expand...

First, see how many owners the bike has had. Second, ask for maintenance records, though so many Harley owners do basic work like oil changes, spark plug changes, themselves. Ask if he has the original pipes, by the way. Ask if the pipes that are on the bike have baffles in them or you won't get a sticker at a dealership...most private shops will sticker you even if the pipes don't have baffles in them.

Also, $7500 is likely his wish price, so offer less if you're interested, and by less I mean offer him $6500 and see where he goes. It would be tough to determine how clean the bike is without taking it for a ride, listening to the engine for any signs of anything, and then getting down on your knees after the ride and checking for leaks. Just look for a drop of oil or fluid around the lower parts of the engine (where it forms like a "V" at the base of the two cylinders), a drop of fluid around the tranny, on the left side of the bike towards the bottom. It should start up on the first try and idle nicely. I can't remember if that bike has piston rods, but if it does, that would be the four vertical tubes right in front of the engine. Check to see if there's any drops of fluid at the top or bottom of those...that would be an easy fix, just a new O ring.

Honestly, just take note of the owner's surroundings. If his property is in nice shape, well maintained, car is clean and looks nice, etc., you'll know that he probably took good care of his bike, too. Let me know if you go to see the bike and if Brian is around, maybe he can take a ride over there and look at it for you.
 
Any used modern bike will run a lot of miles with maintenance. The hard part is being able to discern a lower mileage neglected bike from a higher mileage well maintained one. First thing is looking for adult owned. Ask about maintenance records, if they have them that's a huge plus. If you buy private party consider paying a reputable shop 100 bucks or so to inspect it, if you're not comfortable with that. Some obvious things are looking at the engine oil, brake pads, fork seals, tires, battery. Batteries tend to get neglected. Has anyone wired in any aftermarket lights or electrical stuff? Lots of hack DIY work out there. Look at rubber fuel and vacuum lines. They rot and degrade over time. Look at any crash bars especially the bottoms of them. If they are ground up, obviously bike has been down.
 
patswin said:
Any used modern bike will run a lot of miles with maintenance. The hard part is being able to discern a lower mileage neglected bike from a higher mileage well maintained one. First thing is looking for adult owned. Ask about maintenance records, if they have them that's a huge plus. If you buy private party consider paying a reputable shop 100 bucks or so to inspect it, if you're not comfortable with that. Some obvious things are looking at the engine oil, brake pads, fork seals, tires, battery. Batteries tend to get neglected. Has anyone wired in any aftermarket lights or electrical stuff? Lots of hack DIY work out there. Look at rubber fuel and vacuum lines. They rot and degrade over time. Look at any crash bars especially the bottoms of them. If they are ground up, obviously bike has been down.
Click to expand...

All great suggestions. I tend to look at whether the lines are chrome braided or not because I like shiny things. ROFL
 
PatsFanLisa said:
All great suggestions. I tend to look at whether the lines are chrome braided or not because I like shiny things. ROFL
Click to expand...

The braided lines are a nice touch and they are more dependable as well as looking great!
 
chevss454 said:
Wow, thanks Lisa. Never thought of craigslist or buying from a private person. Love the 2nd one!! Will call on that one today.
00Z0Z_dqLaq0D7Idw_600x450.jpg


How do I get it vetted for soundness?

edit: just talked to the owner. It has 37K miles so I thanked him.

Also found this one: http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/mcy/5093754916.html Is the flstc ok?
Click to expand...

PatsFanLisa said:
First, see how many owners the bike has had. Second, ask for maintenance records, though so many Harley owners do basic work like oil changes, spark plug changes, themselves. Ask if he has the original pipes, by the way. Ask if the pipes that are on the bike have baffles in them or you won't get a sticker at a dealership...most private shops will sticker you even if the pipes don't have baffles in them.

Also, $7500 is likely his wish price, so offer less if you're interested, and by less I mean offer him $6500 and see where he goes. It would be tough to determine how clean the bike is without taking it for a ride, listening to the engine for any signs of anything, and then getting down on your knees after the ride and checking for leaks. Just look for a drop of oil or fluid around the lower parts of the engine (where it forms like a "V" at the base of the two cylinders), a drop of fluid around the tranny, on the left side of the bike towards the bottom. It should start up on the first try and idle nicely. I can't remember if that bike has piston rods, but if it does, that would be the four vertical tubes right in front of the engine. Check to see if there's any drops of fluid at the top or bottom of those...that would be an easy fix, just a new O ring.

Honestly, just take note of the owner's surroundings. If his property is in nice shape, well maintained, car is clean and looks nice, etc., you'll know that he probably took good care of his bike, too. Let me know if you go to see the bike and if Brian is around, maybe he can take a ride over there and look at it for you.
Click to expand...

The seller of the bike in the pic above that Harley put a 103 kit in it. 37K mi on the bike but not on the engine if that really matters. He didn't give the mileage since the 103 kit was installed. 103?

edit: just spoke to him. No records prior to 2 years ago when he bought it. At least 3 owners. The 103 install was done by a Harley dealer before he bought the bike but not sure how many miles with it. He has 2 other H-Ds wh/ he rides and this one he's only put about 200 mi on it in 2 years. No leaks he says.
 
chevss454 said:
The seller of the bike in the pic above that Harley put a 103 kit in it. 37K mi on the bike but not on the engine if that really matters. He didn't give the mileage since the 103 kit was installed. 103?
Click to expand...

I know that increased the cc size in the last decade. I think they're up to 120 now. Let me check with my husband
 
chevss454 said:
The seller of the bike in the pic above that Harley put a 103 kit in it. 37K mi on the bike but not on the engine if that really matters. He didn't give the mileage since the 103 kit was installed. 103?
Click to expand...

103 cu.in. (1700cc) The 02 Harley came with the 88 cu in (1450cc) twin cam. The 103 kit is nothing more than a top end kit on the motor. The lower end and transmission have 37k on them.

I began riding again about 5 yrs. ago after 20 yrs. away from it. I started with a used Kawasaki vulcan 800 which cost me $1000. I wanted to make sure it was really something I would really get back into before spending more for a bigger bike. Last year I decided to upgrade and bought a 2005 road star with
17 k on the clock and paid $5500 for it. I looked at Harleys and there wasn't anything that compared to the road star for that kind of money. I'd suggest you shop around and good luck.
 
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