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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1415289665 Message started by eruby on 11/06/14 at 08:01:05 |
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Title: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by eruby on 11/06/14 at 08:01:05 OK friends. I purchased this 2000 Savage with 4800 miles last Feb because it was cheap, light and simple. It has been 30 years since I last rode a bike and I never had a motorcycle license. Folks around here tell me it is very difficult to pass the skills test on a big bike. Many HD riders just renew their permit every year. I wanted a full license. Received my permit in Feb and passed my skills test on the 1st try in Sept. (requires 180 days of permit before taking the skills test) So all along my plan was to use the Savage to get back into riding, get my license and move onto a bigger bike. Wife laughs at me as I am 6' 250lbs and she says I look like a circus bear riding a tricycle. I am considering upgrading to a 1100 or 1600 (possibly a Yamaha Vstar or Road Star). Wife says Harley but I've never been a brand type of person buying something for the name and not the value. So here's my dilemma. I have fallin' in love with this bike. Sure I had problems. Petcock, carb (14 years old with 4800 miles), etc but so far, with the help of a lot of you, I've done all the work myself. Air cooled, single carb, single cylinder. Paid $1100 because previous owner put new rear tire and new battery on it. Raised the seat with the stopper. Simple stuff. I don't think this would be very comfy on a 400 mile trip but running 30-50 miles around here is just plain fun. So should I sell and upgrade or just keep on riding? I'm not comfortable going to bike nite at the local hangout but wife says a Yamaha is still not a Harley and 99% of the bikes at bike nite are HD. What should I do? What did you do? |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by 12Bravo on 11/06/14 at 08:08:38 I would keep it and buy a bigger bike. I have a HD Street Glide for long trips and take the ol one lunger out when I want to have fun on the back roads |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Blinky-FSO on 11/06/14 at 08:45:09 What is the primary use of the bike? Local errands, two up day trips, long distance tours, or going to bike night to look cool? Local errands, keep the bike. Two up day trips, move up a notch. Long distance touring, get a Goldwing or BMW or such. Bike night, go to the Harley dealer with $25 grand and don't forget an extra grand or two for the leathers and chrome skull accessories so you and the misses can look the part. I wanted to do some long distance and two up touring and ended up with a good used Wing. But I would suggest you look at an interim bike that can bridge the gap between a 380 pound Savage and a 850 pound Wing or Road Glide. Good Hunting |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Dane Allen on 11/06/14 at 10:29:41 I am 6'2" and North of 250 (not Alaska but not Nevada either...;-) I commute 28 miles to work one way on my 2012 S40 and have done a 3 hour trip to West L.A. for a weekend with the wife. I cannot find another bike that would do that for the same cost and economy as the S40. In Cali we can lane filter which you may know of as lane splitting or lane sharing. The S40 is phenomenal in this regard as well. My wife recently purchased an 07 HD 1200 Custom. While almost as narrow as the S40 it is by no means as nimble nor economical and it turns out the S40 isn't the only bike with poor shocks. Now, the S40 is still my exclusive rider and the HD is what we take down to wine country 3-4 times a year. If you have the money to spend to be competitive in the c0ck swinging contests at bike night then keep both bikes. Otherwise if anyone jokes about your bike you can ask how many times their HD has been in the shop or how much they have spend in repairs/mods/upgrades/fuel/oil/etc ;D |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by jcstokes on 11/06/14 at 10:39:19 Try an Airhawk seat pad for a bit more comfort. A much more expensive alternative is a Corbin seat. If the bike night/hangout makes you welcome , fine. If they get smart alec leave them to their own devices. |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Dave on 11/06/14 at 11:08:53 I have a had a whole lot of fun on motorcycles over the years....and I have never owned a Harley. If you ride a Harley to a bike night - it is just like wearing an Izod shirt to the Country Club. You will be granted permission to mingle and talk "Harley" with the rest of the folks - but you may not have all that much in common other than being a Harley owner. I have ridden my Suzuki Cafe' bike to several events - some folks barely notice it and some think it is really cool. About 95% of the folks at these events don't have anything in common with me......those other 5% of the folks and I get along great and I have met some really nice folks. The last guy I met was a retired Police Officer and he rode his Harley Wide Glide to the event and showed me all the things he had done with it......but he also was a big fan of the Kawasaki 900 Z-1 bikes and the old H-2 triples, and we had a lot to talk about. Harley makes some nice looking motorcycles. I can't comment on the durability or expense of them - I rented a Ultra Classic in Florida for a day ride and put a couple hundred miles on it. It was a bit cumbersome at slow speeds, cruised well, wasn't very quick....it had lots of chrome. I rode MM's 883 Sportster for a few miles on the Dragon....it was nimble and a nice riding bike. MM rides his bike a lot and has not had any mechanical issues that I know of - however he also owned a 1200 Sporster and likes the 883 much better. Some folks are pretty narrow minded and think that Harley is the only bike to have - and there are other folks just as narrow minded about BMW, Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, etc. Just don't worry about who you are or aren't impressing. I bought a Kawasaki Ninja 250 early this year and I have had a whole summer of fun on it.......and the rest of the world could care less. I have honestly "loved" every motorcycle I have ever owned. They all have their good and bad points - but just about every one of them does something very well. Dirt, street, cafe', trials, cruiser, touring, sport touring, adventure touring, dual sport, motard.....they all have a purpose and some do a bit of cross over. You have a hundreds of motorcycles to pick and choose from....you might as well go try a few on for size! Ride some Cruisers, touring bikes, Adventure Tourers....see what feels good to you. The used bike market is huge right now.....you have plenty to choose from. If you give us an idea of what kind of riding you expect to do....we might be able to make some suggestions about what bikes to go look at....and what bikes to avoid. |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by MMRanch on 11/06/14 at 17:24:53 12 Brave wrote: I would keep it and buy a bigger bike. I have a HD Street Glide for long trips and take the ol one lunger out when I want to have fun on the back roads That's the same thing I did ! :) Works out really good . |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by gizzo on 11/06/14 at 21:25:36 687F786F740D0 wrote:
Give wife some $$ to go buy her own Harley, and you keep on riding whatever the hell makes you happy. ;) |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Paladin. on 11/06/14 at 21:50:30 485F584F542D0 wrote:
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Serowbot on 11/06/14 at 21:50:36 For my money,... a Savage is the simplest, most efficient, bike for any task below 65mph and 400lbs... ...and I'm way below both... A friend,... local MotoGuzzi fanatic, bought one to play with,... and confided... that while he still loves his Guzzi..... even on Guzzi Club rides, he prefers his Savage, for pure riding pleasure... More, requires more... but, do you buy a tool that can handle any condition,... or one that handles 95% of all your needs?... The sacrifice, is added storage, insurance, registration, maintenance, purchase price... for the 5% when you need more... If, I rode 2k+ mile rides on Interstate several times a year.... I would consider a more powerful bike... but,, my rides are limited to 300 miles round trip... And I don't like speeds over 65mph for more than 10 minutes... I also don't like any bike that I can't fix... ...and that requires a fairly simple machine...(a rare breed nowadays)... If you need more,... buy it... ...But, paying double for 5% of your need, is not cost effective... More costs more... and you can push this little sucker 5% of the time and still get away with it... It's a lot like driving a Chevy Suburban every day, because twice a week you haul the soccer team 3 miles to practice... Weight the need with the cost... (you could rent them a limo for what you pay extra in gas)... ...and don't worry about what other people think... somebody will hate you for whatever choice you make... ;D... |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Drestakil on 11/07/14 at 06:06:48 It's nice to have a big bike available. For me, my S40 is my big bike. My other bike is a 400. I like small, light, and easy to handle. There's nothing wrong with owning a Harley if that's what you want. And if you do a lot of highway miles 2 up, it would be a better choice than the Savage. My vote is get both. Edited: After re-reading your first post, if you're not worried about HD snob appeal, go with the Yamaha. If you find you can live without the Savage, you can always get your money back out of it. But I still think smaller bikes are more fun. |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by 1st2know on 11/07/14 at 17:53:19 282B5B6B786F76190 wrote:
Yup. As long as I have a Savage, I'll never run out of motorcycles. :-) |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by old_rider on 11/07/14 at 21:05:59 Its not really a dilemma if you look at this as a husband. By the Harley to make her happy, (a happy wife means a happy life) keep the savage to make you happy. Go to bike night with her on the back of the Harley..... ride the rest of the time on your savage..... Happy, Happy...... there ya go! |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Demin on 11/08/14 at 04:10:20 I take my Savages to mostly HD bike nights.They get more looks than the stock HD crowd gets.If I'm alonje,I'll ride my Savage all day long.I even have 1 for 2 up.I also have an 800 Vulcan 2 up and my HD Lowrider custom.I can't do a 1 ton bagger.If you need that much crap to take to bike night...Get a convertible.LOL. |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Boofer on 11/08/14 at 17:23:22 If you like it keep it. You didn't ask us what car or truck to buy. I like the attention I get from other riders. BTW the Savage was the first Japanese cruiser. When I tell folks it has a piston about the size of a small block Chevy, they just grin. More than once I've heard, "Look at the size that cylinder jug". You don't have a dilemma. I've seen dilemmas, and this ain't one. ;D |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Jeff71 on 11/08/14 at 22:48:26 Skip the H-D if she's just going with "image". Jeff |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by eruby on 11/10/14 at 09:21:37 Thanks Blinky and Dave (and all the rest) for your comments. Blinky when I think about how I am using the bike today, the Savage is best. This is probably why I still love it. If I start using it more for longer trips or different things and it no longer meets the needs, I probably will start to dislike it and start looking for something else but for now it's meeting all my needs. And Dave, I have never been the Izod shirt/country club guy. Thanks for reminding me. You folks are all great. Think I'll stick around some and see what else I might learn. Thanks for the help and keep the shiny side up. |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Dave on 11/10/14 at 10:48:37 312621362D540 wrote:
Ya know....we are going to be in the N.C. & Tenn. area twice in 2015.....and you live close enough to ride up and visit. In fact......MMRanch and I ended up in S.C. for a little bit on our Dragon Ride last summer. You need to come up and do some riding with us! http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1413696547 http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1415103358 |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Jeff71 on 11/10/14 at 12:19:09 Show her this... ;D http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii173/mode4eng/harleysign_zps414c7697.jpg (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/mode4eng/media/harleysign_zps414c7697.jpg.html) Jeff |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/12/14 at 08:11:39 The simplicity of it all is amazing. IF you had No input from anyone, No one said a word about the bike you are riding, would that bike make YOU happy? If the answer is no, then get something that does what YOU want. If you want faster, get faster. If you want more dependable, get that, if you want more MPG, get that.. BUT, If YOURE satisfied with how it handles, how you feel runnin that thing thru a curve and youre okay with the MPG and maintenance, then Thats the bike for YOU,, Dont yield to peer pressure. If someone wants you to ride something else, let them put it in your driveway. |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by Art Webb on 11/27/14 at 21:45:22 I recently added a Yamaha XS 11 to my stable, thinking it'd be better for the long freeway rides I make (it is basically a touring bike) Y'know what? I'd rater toodle along at 65 or so on the S40, so it's about to get some love The Yamahammer I may fix up and sell, or just sell Now if it was a big V twin cruiser I might have a different reaction, as I never really liked I4s all that much, but mostly it's just a big ass bike I feel small on, the S40 is more friendly One day I may get that V star 950 I was oggling, or an M50, but nothing bigger, I think, will ever grace my collection again |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by eruby on 04/06/15 at 13:47:11 Folks, Thanks for all the great input. I ended up giving in. :-[ I found a great deal on a Yamaha V Star 1100 Silverado. The 1100 is more of a mid-size. I've had both bikes since December and one just had to go. The V Star is a vey smooth riding bike. I feel comfortable with it on the curvy back roads as well as the highway. I sold my Savage about 2 weeks ago. I have to say this forum is much better than any of the V Star forums I have found so far. You folks are a wealth of knowledge and I'm sure the new owner of my bike will find this site as useful as I did. Ride on and stay safe. :) |
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Title: Re: Dilemma - I'm sure I'm not the First Post by gizzo on 04/06/15 at 14:18:17 Good for you! Ride safe, mate. |
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