LostArtist
Ex Member
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wonder if I can find my old posts about this bike . . . . there have been a few.
The S-50 and S-40 from a riders perspective, feel more or less the same, the S-50 will go faster but will vibe just as much as the S-40 at those higher speeds so not as comfortable, but really, from the S-40 to the S-50, not a whole lot will change from your riding experience, they both handle the same, yes the S-50 has 150 extra cc's but it also has an additional 100 lbs so, not like a blow out of performance there. The S-50 is fine up to like 70-75 mph when the vibes start creeping in, but I also need to get mine tuned so maybe it's just mine that's like that.
I disagree about the character, I think the S-50 is great the way it is character wise, it is not a good customizer though, it doesn't make a great bobber or cafe racer. it is exactly what it is if you don't like, not much you can do to change it. it doesn't make a bad chopper though with the long front end.
self maintenance: beyond fluid changes and the battery(which isn't that bad, it's two bolts, but it is on the bottom of the bike so if you have bad knees that might suck the once a year you need to look at it, I still haven't looked at mine yet) The valves are very difficult to get to, you have to almost disassemble the top of the bike, gas tank comes of, and the carbs come off too, the gas tank is easy to get off though. and there are two carbs and two air filters on the bike so that adds to maintenance too. the bottom air filter I've heard is hard, but I haven't had too much problems. but when you get any bigger bike, there will probably be more maintenance to it, unless you get a fuel injected bike with hydraulic valves (Buell xb9s for me)
tires are the same as the S-40. Rides the same, little heavier so not quite as affected by roadway imperfections.
The S-50 is really fun though, not too heavy for parking lots but not a good touring bike, you can if you want get luggage and stuff to tour with it, the saddle bags by themselves, don't hold much though, so if you like long distance touring with tents and stuff, you're going to have to get some other kinds of luggage and what not, the gas tank is 3.2 gals or something so just a bit bigger than the S-40 but it gets 50 mpg not 60 mpg like the S-40 so there's a loss there.
I'd totally recommend the S-50 if you love the S-40 nothing is going to replace it, but if you want something almost just like it with a bit more oomph or if your S-40 is having problems or got wrecked or something and you wanted the same experience riding the S-50 is perfect as long as you're okay with the challenging self maintenance, it gets you into the V-twin club if you want to experience that for a bit as opposed to a thumper. but there are better bikes out there for that too. especially for any kind of touring. the seat is just like the s-40 too.
the more I have it the more I like it.
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