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Motorcycle Forum / General / Motorcycles / July 2007V-Strom 1000 VS Electra-Glide (very long and boring)
I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. Comparison: V-Strom DL1000K7 vs Harley Davidson 2000 Electra-Glide Classic 1. The Bikes 2000 Harley Davidson Electra-Glide Classic (FLHTCI) with the following modifications 95 cubic inch kit S&S gear driven cam kit with Andrews touring cams Power Commander III USB Electronic Cruise Control HD rider backrest Walter's Workshop extended brake pedal White Brothers EZ-boy clutch lever at transmission Throttle rocker SE touring mufflers and air cleaner kit The HD makes high eighties horsepower and mid-nineties torque from about 2200 RPM to about 4500 RPM. It cruises at about 3300 RPM at 75 MPH and has an excellent radio in the bat wing fairing. 2007 Suzuki V-Strom DL1000 with the following modifications Suzuki gel seat Cee Bailey's medium windshield Center stand Givi V46 top case Givi V35 saddlebags I have not yet made any engine modifications. Both bikes are equipped with a Garmin Zumo 550 and SAE power outlet for Gerbing heated clothing and adapters for various other power outlets. 2. The Rider I am 5'10", 210 pounds, 55 years old with a 30" inseam. I have been riding continuously since 1969 including the following bikes (plus others I can't remember right now). Honda 305 Dream Honda 175 Dream (or was it 165?) Honda 250XL Honda CB350 Honda V65 Magna Kawasaki H1 500cc triple Kawasaki KH400 Triple Kawasaki KZ900 Kawasaki 350 bighorn (2-stroke enduro) Kawasaki KZ1300 B2 (6 cylinder touring bike) Kawasaki VN1500 (1988 Vulcan) Kawasaki Concours (2000) Yamaha Zuma (scooter) Triumph Tiger (1970 650cc) BSA Thunderbolt (1969 650cc) Harley Davidson FLH (1948 Panhead chopper) Harley Davidson FLH (1970 full dress) Harley Davidson FXRP (1992 cruiser) Harley Davidson XLCH (1976 Sportster) Harley Davidson XL (1992 883 Sportster) Harley Davidson FLHTCI (2000 Electra-Glide classic) Vespa VBC (1966 150cc 2-stroke scooter) Stella (2005 150cc 2-stroke scooter) Suzuki DL1000K7 I currently own the 1948 Harley, 2000 Harley Electra-Glide, DL2000K7, Stella scooter and Yamaha Zuma scooter. I live in southern New Hampshire. I use the bike for touring and for riding to the beach (45 miles each way). Most of my touring is interstate slab. The rest of my riding is on rural 2-lane New Hampshire roads. I ride about 15,000 miles per year with at least 3 trips of over 1,000 miles on the slab. 3. The Evaluation Route 1200 miles of about 50%/50% slab and NH back roads including 10 miles of dirt road. 4. The Evaluation a. Cost Harley Davidson has increased their production to a point where touring bikes can be found for MSRP if you shop around. The cost of the current 96 cubic inch bike is about $19,000 delivered here in New Hampshire. That price includes the radio, crash bars, top case and saddle bags. Although the V-Strom retails for $8,999, by calling around, I was able to find mine for $8,165 out the door including all costs. Add the Givi Bags, self installed, and the cost is about $9,300. The depreciation over 5 years is about $5,000 on each bike so I'll leave that out of the calculations. Purchase Price: Harley $19,000 V-Strom $9,300 Advantage Suzuki - No contest b. Ergonomics The Harley weighs just under 800 pounds. It has a seat height of 28". It has an upright seating position with rubber isolated floorboards and handlebars. With the optional back rest, it is supremely comfortable. Even the passenger gets floorboards and a cushy back rest. The rider back rest is sturdy enough to allow the rider to lift his butt out of the seat while leaning against the back rest. This position can easily be maintained for several minutes by an old, fat guy, completely eliminating burning monkey butt. The bat wing fairing is handlebar mounted, close to the rider. It provides excellent protection from the elements for the entire torso including the arms and hands. With the windshield set to allow the rider to see over the top by about 2 inches, there is some buffeting with the wind coming in from behind the rider. With the optional Screaming Eagle touring mufflers, the Harley is loud enough to require ear plugs. The V-Strom weighs in at 460 pounds with a 33 inch seat height. The rider position isn't quite as upright as the Harley and the foot pegs are about 6" farther back than the Harley. It has no back rest, but the foot position is just right to allow the rider to lift his weight off the seat without discomfort. The fairing with the stock windshield at its highest setting provides fair protection from the elements and very little buffeting from the wind. The hand guards provide some protection for the hands, but the arms are in the wind. Unlike the Harley, the air flow over the Suzuki allows helmet vents to function properly. The V-Strom is very quiet. It has a soft, high pitch whine like a jet and wind noise is reasonable. It is almost quiet enough to ride without ear plugs, but the steady, high speed wind noise would probably do some damage. The extremely tall seat height and top heaviness of the V-Strom make it feel heavier than the Harley. Aside from the noise factor, the HD is better in all ergonomic areas for me. Add the optional electronic cruise control to the Harley and it's no contest. Advantage Harley - By a small but significant margin c. Farkles There are literally tens of thousands of aftermarket accessories for the Harley. There is no square inch of mechanical or physical, internal or external Harley that can't be modified or decorated in some way, shape or form. The V-Strom cannot possibly win this category against the Harley, butt... The V-Strom hasn't changed much in the past five years and its owners are similar to Concours and Harley owners. They are generally more mature riders with a lot of riding experience. They are touring riders who want their bikes to be comfortable for long days and even Iron Butt runs. They tinker. They maintain their own machines. They also fabricate their own farkles and when they are good, they either publish their specs or make more and sell them. You can find highway pegs, crash bars, windshields, handlebars, risers, setbacks, gadget shelves and mounts, center stands, saddle bags and top cases, seats, fuel injection modules, etc. The online community has a score of sites providing more information than anybody can digest. Advantage Harley - Honorable mention for V-Strom d. Storage The stock Harley tour pack is the single best motorcycle storage device ever created. It is immense. It will hold two helmets, a Joe Rocket armored jacket, my wife's pocket book, some tools, a can of Honda Spray Cleaner, a towel, spare bulbs, suntan lotion, bug spray and a 20 ounce Diet Pepsi with a bit of space left over. On the outside, it has a top rack that will easily hold a 30 liter kayak bag. Some people say it's ugly, but I love it. The plastic Harley saddle bags are reasonably roomy. They are loaded from the top. If you have tried to cram a coat into the suitcase style bags that Givi makes, you know why that is important. All of the Harley bags are impervious to weather butt... They aren't meant to be removed and used as luggage. For tents, sleeping bags and external stuff, the HD, with its saddle bag guards, top racks and grab rails provides a ton of places to attach bungies. My Electra-Glide has a trailer hitch and I occasionally pull a Kustom Kamp trailer. The V-Strom has a huge list of available bags and top cases ranging from the sleek Givi cases on my bike to hideous homemade milk crates. My Givi topcase is considerably smaller than the HD tour pack and the Givi has no top rack. My Givi saddlebags are considerably larger than the HD saddlebags. They will hold helmets. The HD bags will not. The Givi bags and topcase pop right off the bike for use as luggage. My HD tour pack is permanent. The saddle bags can be removed easily, but they are not meant to be hauled around like suitcases. Even the current removable models for HD are only meant to be removed and left in the garage when you want your bike to look cool, a problem the V-Strom never has. The V-Strom has far fewer places to attach bungies than the HD. I found a trailer hitch for the V-Strom online, but because of the good handling characteristics of the V, I don't plan to get one (yet). Advantage... It's a tie. The V-Strom variety makes up for the tour pack and tie down spots. e. Handling The Electra-Glide isn't a sport bike. It was not built as a high speed canyon carver butt... I have ridden the Glide through Deal's Gap and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It cruises smoothly at reasonable speeds on twisty roads. Once in a while, I scrape a floorboard. I take that as a message from the Glide to slow own. On the slab, the HD is effortless up to about 80 MPH. It will go much faster. I rode from St. Louis to Cleveland without dropping below 90 MPH except to get gas. Somehow it just wasn't right. The Harley wants to cruise at 73 MPH with the radio on. At 90 MPH mine gets about 30 miles per gallon while spraying a mist out of the crankcase breather. Surprisingly, the Electra-Glide is good on gravel and dirt roads. I can't fathom why, but a 50 mile ride across the middle of Nova Scotia on the worst gravel roads I've ever seen made a believer out of me. The V-Strom kicks HD butt (intended this time) all over the road. It isn't quite as good as a sport bike, but it's very good. I have no clue how fast it will comfortably cruise but it will cruise a whole lot faster than the HD. I have to keep an eye on the speedo to make sure it is under 85. At 75MPH, it is just idling down the road. The DL1000 sucks on dirt. I can't fathom why, but just damn! Ridicule me if you must. It just doesn't work for me on dirt. Fortunately, I hardly ever ride on dirt. For my next set, I'm going with pure road tires. Advantage V-Strom... No contest f. Mechanical The HD low compression, pushrod, high torque, low RPM motor is ancient technology. There's nothing going on in there that wasn't common by 1920. Add to that the metalurgy of the 21st century and you have a bulletproof motor that has an unlimited life. Heck, my 1948 Harley has spun the odometer many times and is still going strong. I have no doubt that given no accidents, my 2000 Electra-Glide will be up and running long after my V-Strom has been melted and turned into Volkswagons. Any reasonably competent backyard mechanic can rebuild the top end with regular tools. On the other hand, It only gets fair mileage, has relatively low horsepower and isn't that fast. The V-Strom makes 50% more horsepower than a stock Harley with a 33% smaller motor. The suspension is better. The brakes are better. The gas mileage is better. Technically it is superior in every way. I love the Harley butt... Advantage V-Strom... by a wide margin (that felt awful) g. Maintenance Not much maintenance on the Harley. Change the oil and the oil and the oil (yup, three different oils to change). Clean the air filter. Occasionaly check the primary chain tension. Replace tires and brake pads when they wear out. That's it. No valves to adjust. The belt drive gets adjusted when you change the tire and lasts 60,000 miles. The sprockets don't wear out. Cables are like tree trunks. The V-Strom needs valve adjustments every 15K miles. I don't want to know what that costs. I'll let the dealer take care of it. The chain requires frequent maintenance and the chain and sprockets have to be replaced from time to time. While that isn't a whole lot of maintenance, it is considerably more expensive than normal HD maintenance. Advantage Electra-Glide... by a small margin h. Aesthetics The HD is beautiful. There is no denying it. I even like the bat wing. I love it. The V-Strom is ugly. There is no denying it. It looks like an overgrown grasshopper. I love it. Since aesthetics are subjective, I'll call it a tie. i. Other There couldn't be two motorcycles more different in almost every way. The Harley has no equal for cruising comfortably down the road in style. When I ride my Electra-Glide, I have no urge to go fast. I see the sights and look for places named "EAT." The whole, "If I have to tell you, you won't understand" thing is intangible but real at the same time. Riding the Harley is nostalgic and fun. Every time I get on the V-Strom I think about making an Iron Butt run. It wants to go fast and far. It is truly an all-purpose motorcycle with the technology and comfort to back it up. -- >I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink >Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. That NOTHING can ever replace a pink Vespa ?  SignatureClick here every day to feed an animal that needs you today !!! http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/ Paul ( pjm @ pobox . com ) - remove spaces to email me 'Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.' 'With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine.' HVAC/R program for Palm PDA's Free demo now available online http://pmilligan.net/palm/ > The V-Strom needs valve adjustments every 15K miles. I don't want to > know what that costs. I'll let the dealer take care of it. The chain I suspect the DL1000 engine will be a lot like the SV engine and other shim-under-bucket engines, if the valves are in spec at the first check (not adjustment) odds are they will remain in spec forever, or will change so slowly that you will be able to predict at which service they will need to have shims swapped. The check isn't all that difficult to do, but if you need to do an adjustment, you have to take the cams out of the affected head which sounds like a dealership-only job for a lot of folks. I haven't needed to swap any shims on my SVS yet, and it has almost 40k miles on it. I test rode both the DL1000 and the DL650. I liked them both but the 650 motor purrs so sweetly I'd be tempted to go that way. Gotta save up for the GTR1400 now, though. Signature'01 SV650SK1 '99 EX250-F13 '98 ZG1000-A13 OMF #7 > > The V-Strom needs valve adjustments every 15K miles. I don't want to > > know what that costs. I'll let the dealer take care of it. The chain [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > 650 motor purrs so sweetly I'd be tempted to go that way. Gotta save > up for the GTR1400 now, though. This one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6CStaPY9U Oh look at that: http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2073510090048697046gkyWKF http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2059249360048697046ERCzJi Parallelogram[1] rear suspension, like current Beemers. [1] Well, kind of. In cars, they're unequal-length A-Arms. The point is that the rear axle traces out a much larger circle than it would with an ordinary rear suspension geometry. SignatureTimberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> faq: http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml It's easy to say a war is so important your neighbor should go fight it for you. > I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink > Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. > > Comparison: V-Strom DL1000K7 vs Harley Davidson 2000 Electra-Glide > Classic Try the folks at rec.motorcycles.harley. Remember to offer everyone a virtual drink -- and whatever you do, lose the part about the pink Vespa). Sean_Q_ :Try the folks at rec.motorcycles.harley. Remember to offer :everyone a virtual drink -- and whatever you do, lose the part :about the pink Vespa). Hell, some of them have ridden my Stella and my Zuma. -- In article <b9pha3tlelgjog5f3cihb1tppiss45o2es@4ax.com>, Steve T <rm2@no48panspam.com> wrote what I didn't think was all that long or boring: > The DL1000 sucks on dirt. I can't fathom why, but just damn! > Ridicule me if you must. It just doesn't work for me on dirt. > Fortunately, I hardly ever ride on dirt. For my next set, I'm going > with pure road tires. I ride an R1100GS, and several years ago, because it is an enduro, I took it to a dirt-riding class. (To teach me how to ride in the dirt, not it!) The most important thing about dirt riding is to stand on the pegs ... all the time. When your weight is on the pegs instead of on the seat, it lowers where the motorcycle "thinks" your CG is. And you can bend your knees to take up even more of the bumps and let the bike do what it wants under you. That is why the footpegs are so far back on a bike like my R-GS or a V-Strom ... and why such bikes work so much better in the dirt. That said, I recently put Michelin street tires (Michelin Pilot Road) on my R-GS. I like them a lot. > The V-Strom is ugly. There is no denying it. It looks like an > overgrown grasshopper. I love it. Same thing for my R-GS. > Every time I get on the V-Strom I think about making an Iron Butt > run. It wants to go fast and far. It is truly an all-purpose > motorcycle with the technology and comfort to back it up. It's interesting how riders of these enduros (V-Srom, Wee-Stromm, Tiger, KTM, R-GS) keep saying that. There must be something to it... :-) SignatureTimberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> faq: http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml It's easy to say a war is so important your neighbor should go fight it for you. :The most important thing about dirt riding is to stand on the :pegs ... all the time. If you knew me you would understand that standing is not an option. -- >I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink >Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. > >Comparison: V-Strom DL1000K7 vs Harley Davidson 2000 Electra-Glide >Classic Finally! A comparo that makes sense. I get ticked at magazine comparos because they always leave out some bike(s) that a prospective buyer would include on the list. Mo bettuh to compare the bikes you're actually going to ride. (Which brings up the question of when do you ride the little ones?) SignatureTurby the Turbosurfer :Finally! A comparo that makes sense. I get ticked at magazine comparos :because they always leave out some bike(s) that a prospective buyer :would include on the list. Mo bettuh to compare the bikes you're :actually going to ride. (Which brings up the question of when do you :ride the little ones?) I teach at a local college and have the whole summer with nothing to do except play golf and ride bikes. Here's how it works. If I'm riding exclusively around town, I take the Yamaha Zuma, a 50cc 2-stroke scooter that is technically a moped. It has a basket (yes basket) on the back to carry groceries. It is automatic and will do about 40mph. It costs $3 per year to register and doesn't require inspection. If I'm riding to the golf course (9.5 miles) or only 1 or 2 towns over, I take the Stella, a 150cc 2-stroke 1979 Vespa clone. It is a 4-speed twist shift machine with a top speed between 55 and 62. I keep my clubs in a locker at the golf course. If I'm going to Hampton Beach (40 miles) to oogle the bikini babes, I generally ride the 1948 Harley chopper. It's a low speed ride down some NH back roads. For the 3 or 4 touring trips I take each year, and when I am going more than 100 miles, I ride a bagger. Since my Electra-Glide is well beyond 50K miles now and I had a space in the garage, I thought I'd try something different. So far I like the V-Strom, but I have my eye on a new Concours 14 for next year. If I REALLY like the Strom, I may sell the Glide next spring and use the proceeds to buy the Concours 14. If I really hate the Strom, I'll sell it and buy the Concours. I have a truck and a car that just sit all summer long. If I get more than 300 miles on either it's because I had to tow a trailer to pick up a new bike. -- > I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink > Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. [quoted text clipped - 248 lines] > > read more ? Got any good stories about those triples? I always heard they were real monsters. Rich :Got any good stories about those triples? I always heard they were :real monsters. Death traps. Skinny tires, lousy brakes, rocket-like performance from 6000rpm to 8000rpm. The KH400 wasn't too bad but the 500 was very scary. I had the black one with the ghost logo on the tank. http://48pan.com/images/h1.jpg I rode it for 2 years and traded it for a bass guitar and amp. I can't tell you how many flat tires I had. Here's one of my scariest moments: I pulled into the Kawasaki dealer in Swanzey, NH to buy a new inner tube for my H1. It wasn't running very well, but it made the 30 mile trip from Rindge without incident. I turned the bike off and heard a loud hissing noise. Now this was an air cooled machine and there should have been no hissing. It turns out that 2 of the 3 carb floats were stuck in the down position and raw gas was pouring onto my engine and boiling off right between my legs. I turned off the petcock and got away from it. The owner of the shop was screaming at me to get that thing off his new, fresh pavement. I ignored him and stayed the hell away from it until I was sure it wasn't going to explode. I learned how to replace floats, needle valves and brass valve seats in Mikuni carbs that day. Those brass(?) floats were very prone to developing pinholes in the solder joints that held them together. I later learned to replace pistons and rings. -- > rich_tint...@yahoo.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > I rode it for 2 years and traded it for a bass guitar and amp. I > can't tell you how many flat tires I had. Let me guess, broken spokes? My first street bike was a 1971 H1 like this http://home.swipnet.se/%7Ew-77669/ed/DSCN1490.JPG Had it for five years, till it was stolen :( It was unbeliveably quick off the line. To launch I would sit on the back of the gas tank and slide back to wedge myself between the tank and the seat. Lean as far forward as you can, rev to 7000 rpm and dump the clutch. It would light the tire up for about 30 feet and you better have you feet on the pegs ready to push yourself out over the bars when the tire hooked up. After the 500 was stolen I got a '77 KZ1000 and installed a turbo on it. It was much faster than the 500 at the drag strip, but the 500 was quicker off the line when running street tires. I'll agree the brakes were not the best, and there really wern't any good tires back then. Part of the problem was that the 500 had a frame more suited to a 350 and the shocks were just there to mount springs on. There was no telling when it might start occillating from side to side while leaned over. That was why I got into drag racing and didn't go roadracing till about 10 years later (on a GPZ550). In all fairness though, some of its problems were due to my not knowing how to take care of it. Those nasty wobbles may have been caused by lose stearing head bearings, swingarm bushings, worn tires or sprokets, wheels out of true due to lose spokes, or the lose nut on the seat ;) Later I bought a 1974 H2, in part because I missed the 500. It was much better behaved than the H1 and I still have it. Still there are times I think I would like another H1. It would have to be a '71 though. > Here's one of my scariest moments: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > loud hissing noise. Now this was an air cooled machine and there > should have been no hissing. Back in the '80s I did some endurance racing. In an effort to speed up our fuel stops we put a 1 1/2 inch hose on a 5 gal gas can. Took about 10 seconds to empty the can. We figured there would be a little spillage, so someone would be ready to mop it up with rags. First time we tried it the other rider got off and I hopped on while they were filling the tank. All of a sudden gasoline gushed out of the tank and ran down all over the place. It was going down over the hot engine and rising like a cloud of steam. Somebody slamed the gas cap shut and everyone started shouting "GO GO GO". I fired it up and took off with gas soaking into my crotch. Later I realized if there had been even one bad plug wire, or the engine had backfired, I would have literally "fired it up". > It turns out that 2 of the 3 carb floats were stuck in the down > position and raw gas was pouring onto my engine and boiling off [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > I later learned to replace pistons and rings. > -- >I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink > Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. > > Comparison: V-Strom DL1000K7 vs Harley Davidson 2000 Electra-Glide > Classic Thanks for the write-up, Steve. Didn't I read not long ago that you got rid of your Concours? If so I was wondering if you could discuss your experience with its ergos. I just did a trip with my sister, with her riding a V-Star 650 and me the Concours. I'm 6'-1", 222 lbs, 32 inch inseam, bad right knee, bad posture. The Concours has the 1" risers on handlebars. Day 1 was only a 70 mile ride, day 2 was 360 miles and day 3 was 360 miles, with a little miscellaneous riding between the point A to B stuff. My back never bothered me a bit thanks to the forward lean. My neck bothered me a little, but just a little. Occasionally sliding up to the tank and sitting upright helped the neck. My butt bothered me a little, but I could deal with it by moving up or back in the seat. The pegs hurt my feet a little, which was a surprise. I now understand the benefit of floorboards for touring. My legs bothered me most of all. It's hard to tell what parts of my legs were bothering me, but I think it was pretty much everything (joints, muscles, etc) due to the relatively high and setback footpegs. All in all, I felt like stopping every 100 miles to give my legs/butt a rest, which worked OK. Just a 10 minute stop would help quite a bit. I see your talking of getting a new Concours, so I guess your not turned off by them, but how was it doing a 100 miles + ride with your old Concours? Thx, Robert :>I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink :> Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] :experience with its ergos. I just did a trip with my sister, with her :riding a V-Star 650 and me the Concours. ... :I see your talking of getting a new Concours, so I guess your not turned :off by them, but how was it doing a 100 miles + ride with your old :Concours? There are several reasons I got rid of the Concours, all related to comfort. Let me list the things that hurt: Knees - After about 3 hours, my knees started to ache. After that, I had to get off the bike every half hour and walk around for a while. The peg position was too far back. I installed the peg lowering kit but it didn't help much. Wrists and elbows - Too much forward lean, even with the handlebar risers. Shoulders - I got bad pain in the muscles between my shoulders and my neck. Butt - Burning monkey butt was a problem, even with the Corbin seat. Hot - It was way too hot behind the fairing. Buzz - Even with the special weights, carbs synced and balancers set, the old Concours would buzz so badly that it put my hands to sleep. Back - I could have lived with all of the other problems but the sharp pains in my upper back made the ride very unpleasant. There were no exercises or drugs that helped. After 5 or 6 hours, I was suffering. Riding became a chore. I never had a problem with seat height. I just slide my butt to the left and put my foot down. The Concours was a fine handling, fine running bike, but it just wasn't made for my body. My Electra-Glide never does any of those thing to me and it has cruise control to boot. That's why I sold the Concours. My complaints with the Electra-Glide are that it is loud and is designed to cruise at or below 75mph. Above that, the gas mileage goes to hell and I know I'm doing damage to the motor. It will cruise all day at 85, but it just isn't right for that bike. The new Concours has a ZX-14 motor. I have to try it. I'll wait to hear about ergonomics. I just want at least one high performance bike. Motorcycles are like women. You want them all (well, most of them anyway). -- >:>I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink >:> Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] >Motorcycles are like women. You want them all (well, most of them >anyway). What you wrote there completely matches the reasons I traded in the K100RS. Add shoulder pain as the prime pain instead of elbows, mainly due to narrow sport bars. Shoulders, knees and upper back/neck. My recent trips have soured me a bit on the Electra-Glide mainly due to the noise. If I had a more enjoyable place to ride I wouldn't mind slowing down but getting anywhere from here is at least a 6-8 hour ride along some of the most boring roads known to man. I plan to return to work at least in part so I can afford a second bike. Failing that I may just have to sell the Ultra and buy something a lot more capable on a long *high speed* trip. Even with the 95" motor, it doesn't like going any distance above 75mph which is exactly 3000rpm. Maybe it might be better with the 6 speed but that will cost me another $3000 which could go towards a bike that can handle it. The K100RS could have cruised at 100mph all day and still returned far better mileage than the Ultra at 75. (over 250 miles at 90mph on a tank) I have this thing about transverse 4s though and as much as I like the FJR and new Concours I find myself drawn more to the ST1300 (or 1100) and K1200/1100LT and R1200/1150RTs SignatureBob Mann Sex is like air; it's not important unless you aren't getting any :My recent trips have soured me a bit on the Electra-Glide mainly due :to the noise. I use green ear plugs (Max Lites). This is fine unless you want to hear the blue tooth headset with the GPS directions. If I buy another Electra-Glide, I'll leave the stock mufflers and live with the power band it comes with. The new 96ci motor with a 6 speed transmission may help. I want a comfortable touring bike that weighs under 500 pounds. It should have a modern aerodynamic fairing. It should have a radio/sound system. My feet can't be behind my a.s. It should have a rider back rest. An upright seating position is a must. It should have removable plastic bags and top case. It shouldn't melt my crotch in traffic. It should have a maximum seat height of 30 inches. The motor must be sufficient to keep me interested. It should handle respectably on curvy roads. It should have an alternator that puts out enough power to run all of my farkles. It should have cruise control for slab riding. It should cost under $12,000. Is that too much to ask? All of the Beemers are either too heavy, too tall, or turn me into a pretzel. The GoldWing is way too heavy and tall. The Electra-Glide is too heavy but meets most of my other needs. The V-Strom lacks the back rest, cruise control and is pretty tall. Perhaps a Pacific Coast with a bigger motor and a back rest? -- >:My recent trips have soured me a bit on the Electra-Glide mainly due >:to the noise. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >another Electra-Glide, I'll leave the stock mufflers and live with >the power band it comes with. I have a bag full of those ear plugs. I use one set a day on the road and toss them. You could go with custom made ear buds that fit your ear canal and pass the sound on. I plan to check with the dealership to see if I can get better baffles (V&H True Duals) >The new 96ci motor with a 6 speed transmission may help. I've thought about it but many reports suggest excessive heat which is already bad enough. I have thought about buying a used V-Rod and fitting it out for touring. >I want a comfortable touring bike that weighs under 500 pounds. It >should have a modern aerodynamic fairing. It should have a [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Is that too much to ask? I don't think so but nobody seems able to do it. I'll settle for toes not behind knees, slight forward lean but mainly upright (The E-G has me slouching slightly) and should be able to cruise at 100mph or slightly better. Not that I necessarily want to do that but the capability should be there. Other than that Those are my preferred specs too. 600 lbs would be acceptable. >All of the Beemers are either too heavy, too tall, or turn me into a >pretzel. The GoldWing is way too heavy and tall. The Electra-Glide >is too heavy but meets most of my other needs. The V-Strom lacks the >back rest, cruise control and is pretty tall. > >Perhaps a Pacific Coast with a bigger motor and a back rest? A V-4 PC would be just fine. Maybe lose the lardy a.s for the removeable bags and use the ST1300 motor. Hell, basically a slightly lower slung ST-1300 that looks decent when the bags are removed. SignatureBob Mann Sex is like air; it's not important unless you aren't getting any >>:My recent trips have soured me a bit on the Electra-Glide mainly due >>:to the noise. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > cruise at 100mph or slightly better. Not that I necessarily want to do > that but the capability should be there. I slouch too, and would need a backrest for a long ride on a standard. The slight forward lean of the Concours is perfect for my lower back. I can slump or arch at will for variation. > Other than that Those are my preferred specs too. 600 lbs would be > acceptable. A 500 to 600 lb tour bike that had horsepower and clearance for being a little sporty would be perfect I think. Robert > :>I bought a V-Strom at the beginning of the month to replace my pink > :> Vespa. There was an empty space in my garage. Here's what I found. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Knees.. .... > Back - I could have lived with all of the other problems but the > sharp pains in my upper back made the ride very unpleasant. There > were no exercises or drugs that helped. After 5 or 6 hours, I was > suffering. Riding became a chore. My ride home from Fairbanks was I ran 110 miles between stops at the most I think. My knees were my biggest issue. I suppose a younger body wouldn't have such a hard time. You mentioned temperature, which is something I've wondered about. I live in a pretty mild environment but there have been a times times when the temps were around 80 F that red lights got uncomfortable. I don't know how the folks in hotter climates ride a full fairing bike. > My Electra-Glide never does any of those thing to me and it has > cruise control to boot. That's why I sold the Concours. My > complaints with the Electra-Glide are that it is loud and is > designed to cruise at or below 75mph. Above that, the gas mileage > goes to hell and I know I'm doing damage to the motor. It will > cruise all day at 85, but it just isn't right for that bike. The wife and I stopped at the Harley dealer while checking out rainsuits for my ride. She's OK with me dumping the Concours for an Electraglide, thinking she won't fall out of it (we saw one with longer than average armrests. It's very tempting as I've always thought I'd end up with one at some point in my life but I'm just afraid it's too big to enjoy commuting through town to work everyday and I'm afraid I'd miss the performance. 75 mph cruise speed would work up here at the highest speed limit 65. > The new Concours has a ZX-14 motor. I have to try it. I'll wait to > hear about ergonomics. I just want at least one high performance > bike. > > Motorcycles are like women. You want them all (well, most of them > anyway). I hear you. I'd keep the Concours and get an Electraglide if my conscience would let me. I actually like the Concours and am not tired of it but my lower torso didn't enjoy that longer ride. I don't redline it and don't slide around the corners, but it's nice to have a relatively maneuverable bike with some horsepower that's big enough for two. Robert |
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