Well I was talking to a guy at work that WON a 883 Sportster on a raffle and was asking him how his bike ran. He told me to stop over and borrow it Saturday. He said that it needs to be rode. He has had it almost 2 years and only has 1300 miles on it.
Well I rode over to his house and parked the GS beside his HD in his garage. When I fired up the 883 it was quiet? Stock pipes. Only thing he changed was putting a double seat and a set of rear foot pegs. I pulled it out of the garage and went down the driveway and out onto the road.
It did handle better(cornering) that my fathers 650 V-star classic but not as good as the GS. But .... I loved the power/torque it has. I did a couple acceleration runs and It seems to be faster than my GS. I shifted into 5th and it was still pulling above 105mph, which that is when the GS falls flat on me.
All said and done I put a little over a 100 miles on it and my butt was not sore and my wrists didn't have the GS tingle. Now I wondering if I should not put any more money into the GS and trade it in or sell it and get an 883 or something similar(Suzuki M50 800 fuel injected).
Also my wife says the GS hurts her butt after 20 miles and there is nothing for her to hang on to and she slides into me on stops. She went with me for a little ride on the 883 and took her for a ride on my fathers 650 V-star and she loved the seats and they didn't bother her at all. But she likes the GS but wants a small back rest and a better seat.
I don't know what to do...... With the 883 for 800 bucks it can be converted over to a 1200. For a little more I can get the Buell parts and have around 90 hp. Endless aftermarket.
Nobody ever felt this way?
I rode my sister's little Boulevard S40... Even the S40 was fun. It's lighter than the GS and the center of gravity is quite a bit lower. Cornering was rather different. It was just a little too slow on the get-go. I'm too used to be able to zip out of the way.
I want the bigger version of it, but I don't want to get rid of the GS.... I want BOTH! :thumb:
I think having a cruiser would be great for longer trips. I was on it for about an hour and felt like I just got on it. The GS is comfortable, but that S40 was like kickin' back on the couch with my feel on the coffee table.
I'll never own a Harley. I find the Breva plenty comfy without sacrificing much in the way of handling (it won't lean over far before scraping, but the nimbleness and turn-in are as good as any bike I've ridden). If my knees deteriorate to the point where the Breva won't cut it, I'm getting a scooter. ;)
As a passenger, though... I've been a passenger on two '04 R1s and on two Harleys - I've taken several rides on my labmate's 1200 Sportster. As a passenger, give me a sissy bar and a squooshy seat any day. If someone wants to see what my Breva is like for a passenger, be my guest...
Tangentially, I was at Moto International today picking up some parts, and a couple were in there looking at a Futura. Since the exhaust is undertail, the passenger pegs are down a lot farther than they are on sport bikes, and the passenger has a more comfy upright seating position.
Torque is nice for puttering around town, but for sheer fun, I prefer high-revving horsepower.
I tend to agree w/ you about how the rear seat on a gs is somewhat lacking. My girlfriend wanted me to buy a cruiser bike for us to ride two-up, and when I finally did she still didnt like it :roll:
Coming from a japanese bike rider, I tend to stay away from the harley (and even italian bike) crowd. I think an 883 would definitley leave a lot to be desired as far as two up riding. I would personally look for a honda shadow- those motors are bulletproof.
You should consider the value of your bike before doing anything. You might only get around ~$1000 (didnt catch the year of your bike) so maybe you should just buy another bike and keep the gs :mrgreen:
I'm sure you could get a Shadow for next to nothing. I've seen them sit and sit for months and months with no takers.
Well a Harley is pretty japaneesed out ... Mikuni carbs, and most everything else is a copy of jap and probably jap made ... but still you're dealing with an american design of 100 years ago ... Better choises for a cruiser ... Partial to 80's air cooled Yam's myself ... Maxim 700 in specific ... The virago 1100 ... OK so far my impression has been less than impressed ... maybe after the current problem is sorted out ... but Honda nitehawk and S as well as the Kawi's and zook's were nothign to snicker at in the 80's ... Unfortunately ... The kawi cruisers are un common ... LTD 1100 air cooled, the ZN series ... also came in a great 1100 ... but heck harder to find than diamonds ... ZL's were water cooled and Extremely hard to find and Vulcan series V twin's. GS series Zook's were standards, suzuki had Intruder and savage line ... CB honda's too, but that shadow series was their cruiser line ... V twin ... if you like that sorta thing ... Maxims IMHO were the coolest ... I 4 air cooled cruisers ... The rest all focussed on V twin's ... even yamaha I'll bet sold a 100 virago's for each maxim.
Cool.
Srinath.
I doubt I will ever own another Honda. My wifes 04 Civic is not well liked, and when I used to ride my 4 wheeler it seemed like my friends Honda's was always being towed. So unless a shadow was given to me I probably will not own one.
Honda owns whaling ships.
My wifes Civic is the first, and last, Honda we have owned. We have had AC problems, brake problems(rear brakes and the anti-lock not working properly, and other little problems) all within 13,000 miles that we've driven it. Maybe they do more R&D on those ships. :mrgreen:
Well yesterday I got the 883 again for a couple hours of riding. I went to my dads house and showed him. He said he wanted to ride it so I took the V-star and he took the HD. From a 10 mph roll we wanted to see how they accelerated. When we took off the I was on the 650 V-star and pulled a little away from him in 1st and second and he didn't start gaining on me until the tall end of 3rd. We swapped bikes and did the very same thing with the same results.
Today after work Dad and I went to do the same thing, but the V-star againt the GS. We were side by side at about 15 mph in 1st gear. When we took off he pulled ahead just for a second and when I shifted into 2nd I was already around him. ???????????????? Why did the HD feel like it was accelerating faster than the GS?
Well I guess I will try out a M50 and compare notes there too. The dealer I bought my bike from sells HD, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki and the salesman told me he would get a M50 or C50 over the other bikes in its class. He said he would reccomend the M50 over the 1100 V-star too.
Well once I get my srinath bars and install them if the GS vibes/tingle goes away then I will probably look into a better seat and keep the GS a little longer. If not then I will be looking into a M50 or possibly a SV650 if I hear good a good quote from my Insurance company in the morning.
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Quote from: BlazinjrWhy did the HD feel like it was accelerating faster than the GS?
It's all about torque curves my friend. The HD gets nearly all of it's peak torque right away, and the curve is pretty flat for the duration of the gear. The GS builds torque as you work your way up the rev range.
Quote from: BlazinjrMy wifes Civic is the first, and last, Honda we have owned. We have had AC problems, brake problems(rear brakes and the anti-lock not working properly, and other little problems) all within 13,000 miles that we've driven it. Maybe they do more R&D on those ships. :mrgreen:
Not to get too far off subject but when I graduated High School, I got a brand new new 94 Honda Accord with 10 miles on it :) . I still have it! It now has 260,000+ Miles on it and I have never replaced anything of major importance.. Brakes, tires, things like that.. But no big probs. I havent even had to put a clutch in it yet! :thumb:
HONDAS ROCK ! :guns:
Quote from: scottpeelQuote from: BlazinjrMy wifes Civic is the first, and last, Honda we have owned. We have had AC problems, brake problems(rear brakes and the anti-lock not working properly, and other little problems) all within 13,000 miles that we've driven it. Maybe they do more R&D on those ships. :mrgreen:
Not to get too far off subject but when I graduated High School, I got a brand new new 94 Honda Accord with 10 miles on it :) . I still have it! It now has 260,000+ Miles on it and I have never replaced anything of major importance.. Brakes, tires, things like that.. But no big probs. I havent even had to put a clutch in it yet! :thumb:
HONDAS ROCK ! :guns:
Your a lucky one. I will NEVER buy another Honda. The air conditioner does not feel near as cold as My Neon or Kia, but they say it is "normal".
Quote from: RoadstergalI'll never own a Harley.
+1
Quote from: Blazinjr... as My Neon or Kia...
You, sir, are a brave man, to admit to that. :lol:
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDXQuote from: Blazinjr... as My Neon or Kia...
You, sir, are a brave man, to admit to that. :lol:
The Kias I have owned in the past have never given me any problems.
As far as my Neon goes she has made at least 80 ( just from the slips I have counted) 1/4 mile passes at National trails raceway in 3 1/2 years and has never had the engine or tranny apart. I bought it with 58000 miles and it now has 89000. I would not be afraid to buy another.
I have had it above 130mph on a couple different occasions and it does run high 14's with bolt ons and the stock DOHC engine. I have taken down some of the so-called fast cars and love the look on their faces when they get beat by a Neon. :mrgreen:
I am just giving you shaZam!. My '01 Monte looks nice, but I hate it. No power.
Really though, I drove an '05 SRT-4 that was on the lot where my dad works and that fucker is quick. I don't think it would take an STi, but it could hang. Much performance for little dough. Although you have to be 5'8" and 125 to sit in those stupid buckets. The side bolsters are about 8" tall :P
Dave :cheers:
Yea I rode my boyfriends SV650S and I love it. I asked him when he was selling it! lol. Ill probably but that from him for my next bike. Dont get me wrong, I love my GS.