Need advise on a different motorcycle

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mebearman

New member
I presently own a 1997 Honda goldwing that has 22,000 miles on it. I am the 3rd owner but want to get a different bike that is LOWER to the ground. The goldwing is to high off the grond for me at 5'10 and I seem to fight each time I stop because is is so top heave espically with my wife on board. ( No shes not 300 pounds shes less tha half of that.)

I need a bike that has a nice back seat(couch) for her.
It needs to be fairly quite like the gold wing but a little noise will be OK.
Seat height needs to be lower like my last ride (99 Kawasaki 1500 Classic)


Any ideas waht is out there?

Harry
 
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thinkinsno

New member
In case you haven't already bought a bike, check out the Yamaha 1900.It's low to the ground and easy to handle(my husband says), and I am comfortable on the passenger seat with "cissy bar". We have cushy pads that he ordered off internet. and they make our ride even nicer.
 
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vipermax10

New member
we have an 08 venture that is very nice, i am about the same height as you, it has good power, probably as much or more than your 97 goldwing, rated at 90 plus hp. the pillow top passengers seat is very comfy, the wife has become spoiled and spends more time with me than on her own. they come with stereo and cb standard. they are virtually the same from 99 to 2012. the engines run forever, i have seen several around 100,000 miles or more still untouched. mine runs right around 38 mpg, a little less if i run hard on the interstate. the only thing is you want to find a dealer that knows them, they aren't all the popular and they dont get need much work so some dearlers dont really know them. our local dealer in st. joseph mn has a tech that has been there for almost 30 years and knows everything about them. good luck with your search.
 
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mebearman

New member
Thanks for your responses. Yes that Venture looks like the ticket for me because of the need for quite otherwise i would consider and HD but most of them used have had different pipes put onto them.
 
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polarisrider1

New member
mebearman said:
Thanks for your responses. Yes that Venture looks like the ticket for me because of the need for quite otherwise i would consider and HD but most of them used have had different pipes put onto them.
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I would not rule out a HD. not all have different pipes and most sellers have stock pipes saved and would gladly put them back on for you to make a sale. The HD's hold their value like no other. It is insane what my 99 Heritage springer is worth with 42,000 mile on it compared to a jap. bike of the same age. Apparently Iron is worth more that plastic. If mama's comfort is paramount then you better bring her along for the search. You know if you bring something home for her, odds are against you, at least at my house.
 
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vipermax10

New member
another thing to remember when shopping for a bike if you go new, one particular brand requires scheduled maintenance items to be performed by them at your cost to keep the warranty. a friend of mine is a service manager at one of theses dealers and he was telling me if you ride 10,000 miles in one year it would cost over $2000 in maintenance above and beyond oil changes. in our area the metric bikes are holding much higher percentage of their value than hd.
 
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polarisrider1

New member
vipermax10 said:
another thing to remember when shopping for a bike if you go new, one particular brand requires scheduled maintenance items to be performed by them at your cost to keep the warranty. a friend of mine is a service manager at one of theses dealers and he was telling me if you ride 10,000 miles in one year it would cost over $2000 in maintenance above and beyond oil changes. in our area the metric bikes are holding much higher percentage of their value than hd.
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. My HD has seen all the scheduled checks, got all the scheduled maintenance and in the last 13 years and 42,000 mile I spent around $700 total on what the dealer said I needed. This does not include tires, brakes or oil changes. I have spent about $910 in oil, clutch and primary oil changes during that time. I suspect you are referring to BMW's since they are metric also? I would like to see his list.
 
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sledhd1

Member
before you sell gold wing. you may consider having your seat reshaped as in having the foam trimmed at good custom upholstery shop, narrow the front part of the seat so legs dont have to go out as far and remove some center of seat 1" makes a huge diference does not sound like much but is. also HD flhtcu you can lower them with rear shocks and if thats not enough you can lower the front forks also and lots of seat options and on the newer harleys all they need is oils and filter because some have hydraulic clucthes self adjust primary chain.
 
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paulk

New member
My advice would be to ride everything there is to ride. When I was looking for a new HD I went to a demo day and spent the whole day there riding each and everyone. I would then go back to the one I liked best and ride it again. When I did pull the trigger on a new one, I knew exactly what I was getting and could not be happier. I traded in the old HD with a 100,000 miles on it so for those that say HD is not reliable they may just be wrong. I have owned and ridden most brands of bikes and put a bunch of miles on them all. They all make a good motorcycle and ya just need to find the one that works best for you. My choice is HD but that does not mean it is the right bike for everyone. My best advice is ride, ride, ride them all. Then make your best decision based on that. And bring the wife along so she is involved and has buy in with which bike you pick. Good Luck and enjoy the ride! Paul
 
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sledboy482

Member
I've had two Yamaha Ventures. One was a 1984 Royale, which was aimed at the Gold Wing. The next was a 2002 Royal Star Midnight Venture. I have a 32" inseam and stand 6' tall. While I loved both bikes, the '02 was more comfy, except for the dang windshield! It was so tall, and water wouldn't run off it while riding in rain. So, at night in the rain was almost impossible to ride. So, I had to get a short aftermarket shield. Loved it. I put 36,000 on that one. Last year, after 31 years on Yamahas I switched to Harley-Davidson. Bought an Ultra Limited. I put 8,000 miles on it last Summer. Cannot wait to ride it again. You will spend money on anything you maintain at manufacturers intervals. That's the cost of ownership. The valves on H-D never need adjusting. On the RSV, they have to be adjusted like every 20,000 at a cost of about $250. So far, I am literally amazed at the quallity of the Harley over the Yamaha. It is just so damn rock solid. It doesn't rattle when going over RR tracks, is was smoother at highway riding-even at 25 mph than my Ventures ever were. I had been on nothing but Yamaha Ventures from 1980 until 2011, so I can speak of experience. They have a great motor that gets horrible mpgs. Has thinner plastic bags than H-D. They rattle over RR tracks, requires oil change every 3,000 miles vs 5,000 on the H-D. Valves every 20,000 (memory serving me right?) and still has carburetors and a friggin cassette deck from the factory. It now does come with CD changer in the saddlebags, but there goes 30% of your storage in that bag. My HD is drive by wire, EFI, and unbelievably smooth at anything over idle. Totally in love with this bike.
 
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paulk

New member
The Ultra Limited is a great bike. You have the 103 in that right? I bought the road glide ultra with the 103. What an amazing bike. Took it down to the tail of the dragon and WOW for a big ol bagger does that thing handle the corners. What a blast! It sure does like the twisty stuff.
 
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paulk

New member
sledboy482 can correct me if I am wrong but my understanding of the difference is

1) The ultra limited came with the 103" motor and the ultra Classic came with the 96" motor. This will be different for the 2012's as they all come with the 103"
2) The ultra limited came with a different paint job and extra chrome. I also believe the limited came with a upgrade to the stereo system and speakers.
3) The limited came with a upgrade to the wheels

As far as I know that is the major differences. If you go to the HD website you should be able to click on the 2011 line up and browse by model and there should be a list of what each one offers. I have not looked at the 2012's yet to see what is out there now. I just bought a 2011 in Aug. so I do not want to know what I could have had if I had waited a year.
If I can help you with anything Harley related let me know. Paul
 
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sledboy482

Member
Beginning in the 2010 model year, H-D came out with the Ultra Limited. Differences are:
Chrome wheels vs aluminum, 103ci motor vs 96. Yes, this year almost all the big twins are 103. Chrome luggage rack on trunk vs none. 12V plug in tour pak to charge your phone, etc while on road. Much nicer luggage liners vs Ultra. Upgraded gauges, Slightly different paint job-NOT like the CVOs though. ABS Brakes standard. Heated hand grips. Never thought I would use those. On a bike? Seriously!! However when I picked it up Saturday, April 9th it was all of 50* out. On the way home, the temp dipped down to about 48*. Used them that very first ride. Seems I'm missing one or two other things. All I know, is this bike has me hooked. I am totally loving this ride. So is my wife.
 
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xcsp

Member
sledhd1 said:
before you sell gold wing. you may consider having your seat reshaped as in having the foam trimmed at good custom upholstery shop, narrow the front part of the seat so legs dont have to go out as far and remove some center of seat 1" makes a huge diference does not sound like much but is. also HD flhtcu you can lower them with rear shocks and if thats not enough you can lower the front forks also and lots of seat options and on the newer harleys all they need is oils and filter because some have hydraulic clucthes self adjust primary chain.
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Only thing to consider if you alter the seat height, it will increase the bend at your knees. Depending on the person's leg length, may or not be an issue, but something to keep in mind.
 
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mebearman

New member
I thinkI am going to try the seat idea that someone suggested because I do love the ride of the gold wing just not the seat height and Mother loves the couch on the back and always falls asleep which makes for a happy mama. Any body have any tricks or recomendations that has tried this. I am going to do it myself after watching a video on youtube which makes it look somewhat easy and if I screw it up I can always take it to get professionaly done.
 
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paulk

New member
The only trick I know for this is to put the seat cover in the dryer before you try to put it back on. This will help you stretch it tight.
 
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sledboy482

Member
I've never done it myself, but I have watched a guy at a show who was "shaving" front seats for Venture Riders. He used a very, very sharp tool that kind of resembled an old sickle blade, but it had a handle on each end. He would grab the handles and slowly pull it towards himself to shave a small amount of foam off. He also had a hasp type thing that he could further shave the harsh edges down with to make them get more rounded. The thing I noticed on this guy's finished product though was the vinyl covering the seat pan was all loose and looked like it would scrunch up under the rider. So, to do this right the first time, I would just recommend you take it to a good local upholstery shop. Bet you could get the whole thing done for under a hundred bucks. Considering you were just talking about a new bike, that's a total bargain. There is only one way to do things that matter. The right way. Even when I didn't have a pot to p in or a window to throw it out of, I did things by that motto. Sometimes doing it yourself to save money costs the most by far.


mebearman said:
I thinkI am going to try the seat idea that someone suggested because I do love the ride of the gold wing just not the seat height and Mother loves the couch on the back and always falls asleep which makes for a happy mama. Any body have any tricks or recomendations that has tried this. I am going to do it myself after watching a video on youtube which makes it look somewhat easy and if I screw it up I can always take it to get professionaly done.
Click to expand...
 
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