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Looking for Inspiration

6K views 56 replies 14 participants last post by  hmar 
#1 ·
I have been thinking a lot about which bike I'll grab when I pass my full test and which ones I want to test ride and found a number of attractive bikes through my research, but wanting to learn of more or think about ones I hadn't considered, so I am looking for inspiration/recommendations. In my mind, I'd be looking at a modern cruiser bike.

But what I've looked at (and my general opinion) to get an idea of the kind of bikes I'm going for:

Honda Rebel 500. At one point, I was convinced this would be my next bike because it looks gorgeous to me and I feel has a good riding position to step into (somewhere between my current bike and a cruiser), it's a Honda and therefore likely to be reliable and I love my current Honda and my Honda dealer has taken care of me so far. The only drawback to me is the engine displacement and I'll judge how it feels when I get to test ride, but I figure after a while, I'll want something with more power (particularly for faster roads and getting acceleration...and for the fun) and don't want to find myself wanting to upgrade once I am used to it being a 500. My test will be on a Honda Hornet 600 and my practice sessions prior to it, will also be on one, so I'll already have experience riding a 600 before I upgrade, so I am hesitant to step down from that.

Kawasaki Vulcan S. This seems to tick most of the right boxes, it has a more powerful engine whilst remaining new rider friendly, ergo-fit so it can be customised to my size and riding position at the point of sale, comfortable as hell (I sat on one at the weekend), it's light, it's nimble and supposed to be good at handling, particularly corners (I'd likely be riding country roads as I live in the country, so twisties). But I don't like its headlight and would likely replace that that pretty quick, maybe see if I can get one from the Vulcan 900 Classic or something similar. And in sharing an engine with the Ninja, the general consensus has been that it's fun.

Harley Davidson Iron 883. Very similar reasons to the Vulcan, and looks great. The odd thing here is, I don't think I'd ever have put a Harley on this list. I hear they have a reputation of being unreliable but have been getting better in recent years but if it's not going to break down on me, excellent. I will be riding practically every day and want to get a lot of use out of it and not having to do more maintenance than necessary. However, if I DO get one, I know I'll get a lot of stick for it, but...if it's a good enough bike, I might take the abuse and insist it's a good ride and not some bad-ass fantasy of riding a Harley. But I judge things on merit, not what people think.

Triumph Speedmaster. The most powerful of the bikes I've looked at and has decent after-market options. My brother rides one and was his first after passing his test and it's a gorgeous bike, comfortable to sit on. If I do come to test ride it, I'd probably end up test riding his. It'd also be following the current family tradition of going Triumph. The Triumph Bobber was also an option, but it's too pricey, Indian Scout would be on this list, but isn't for the same reason as the Triumph Bobber.

Yamaha XV950R or XVS1300. This is probably sitting outside of my price range, but achievable. I don't seem to have found Yamaha Bolt in the UK, but these are perhaps the closest we do get.

Ducati XDiavel - Just kidding, I don't have that kind of money.




The kind of riding I'd be doing is country roads, so I'd need something to handle twists and turns, so I'd like light & nimble. I'll be doing town riding too, because of my work commute (and picking up shopping in town), but occasionally highway* as I'd be venturing out to visit friends & family in other parts of the country and no longer rely on a train to do that, so I'd want something comfortable at those speeds.



*See, I am learning, I am using American terms now. :p
 
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#2 ·
Since you are going to be ridding mostly on A and B you will be fine. But if you are going to venture out on an M road you will need something the can run a constant 80+ in the left (slow) lane.
 
#4 ·
Personally I'd go with which ever brand that has a mechanic you trust. If you have an independent then go with the one he recommends. If you don't have an independent then the brand that's has the most satisfied owners. Just talk to people getting service and ask what they think. Two bikes you didn't list but might need consideration are Indian Scout and Chief. The Scout seating position doesn't work for me but the Chief does. It might be outside your monetary limits as well though. Does it have to be new? There are many good used bikes. A Honda VTX 1300 or 1800 if you can find one make great bikes.
 
#5 ·
Oh aye, definitely and one reason I'd lean towards Honda is that so far they've taken care of me, have a reputation for reliability and love the quality of the Honda I'm already riding. It's more a case I wanna get a better idea of what my choices are, beyond what I've already discovered.

Though, the price will come into account as well. The Honda F6C looks like a decent choice, then I checked the price tag. The Indian Scout is just sitting outside of it, but I have had a look and saw some on the bike show I went to on Sunday and liked what I saw of the Scout. Our nearest dealer isn't hugely out of the way for me to test ride, but we don't have as many Indian dealers in the UK. Price may be an issue with it, but will see how much they go for second hand too.

It doesn't have to be new, I think when it's closer to when I am ready to get a replacement, I'll be looking at what used bikes I can get a hold of. Though, I think working for a TV manufacturer for the last 5 years has jaded me on buying new vs used, but a TV is not a bike.

I'll check out the VTX's, a quick look is showing some second hand. It reminds me of the Honda Shadow as well, which I suppose is another option I should have listed.
 
#6 ·
We love our 2005 Honda VTX 1300.
It is a easy bike to maintain and a very easy ride. Shaft drive is a nice option.
I have owned three Honda street bikes over the years and had good luck with them all.

I also have a 1995 HD 883. I bought it new, it has always been very reliable.
My EVO engine has been bullet proof. Maybe the greatest part about the HD is the aftermarket support.
I have changed the look of mine several times over the years. We will never sell it, it goes in the will.

While I have bought two new street bikes in my life, I may never buy another. There are just too many good used deals around, at least in our neck of the world.

We bought our VTX almost three years ago, they had all the maintenance records from a local dealer.
And had put about 2 grand in upgrades on it, it only had 24K miles.
Guy was getting a divorce and needed a quick sale, late in the year.

I do all my own work on our bikes, but I still appreciate good local support.
I knew I had good local Honda support, it made a difference when I was looking for a "deal".
In June we plan on taking the VTX on a week long vacation, again...
 
#7 ·
I'll definitely keep an eye out for any second hand VTX's when I come to purchase. I am also going to be big dealership on Monday to check out different bikes and see what stands out for me and what I can test ride when I pass my test. I have two Honda dealers not too far in the vicinity too, so I'd have somewhere to take it to get serviced and fixed and get charged too much for parts.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Whichever one makes your heart sing when you are standing next to it.

It's not only about the "ride."

I remember how inferior I felt, at my first motorcycle rally as a fellow rider, on my first bike. I felt like a "wanna-be" in that crowd!

The bike didn't seem big enough, or distinctive enough. It had no flair or individuality.

True, I was a fellow biker; but my bike didn't scream "character" or uniqueness.

Whichever bike you choose, find a way to adorn it with some characteristics that help it to stand out in a crowd. Being proud of being a fellow rider, a "kindred spirit," is part of the "fun;" but turning heads is fun too!

Start with a stock bike, and dream of the changes you can introduce, and then do them. Take your enjoyment of riding to the next level!!

Perhaps the bike you choose should be based on how easy it would be to change it?!
 
#9 ·
Some fair points. One of the things I am looking at as well is what changes I can make and make it my own. I'd probably start small in that respect, like a new exhaust for example, my intention will be to get heard, as I see a practice reason to do so.

However, I am finding myself more and more sold by the Vulcan S. I'm going to check it out tomorrow (alongside the Rebel) but I need to also start thinking about when I'm going to do my test (and setting the money aside for it and the bike). But the Vulcan S seems to have everything I want in a bike, except the styling isn't quite there, but hey, that's what modding's for. I'd probably change the lamp and the exhaust (as said), not 100% sure about a windshield yet, I tend not to like how they look on a cruiser, but I think there's a practical benefit to them and I don't mind the look of this one from Pyramid Plastics: https://www.pyramid-plastics.co.uk/...New+Generation+Smoke+Screen&partNumber=M8164F

And definitely change out the mirrors. If I were to go with a Vulcan S, that's how I might start with it and then see how it goes and if there's anything else I wanna customise.
 
#11 ·
Out of curiosity, what are your laws in the UK about changing or customizing your bike? Here in the US we can get away with just about anything - it's been my experience a lot of the laws governing those things (exhausts, handlebar heights) go mostly unenforced as long as you don't get too crazy.

Just curious about your area.
 
#12 ·
The Harley Iron 883 has been a temptation as well. Honestly didn't think I'd consider a Harley, but the 883 is one that I like the look of. For me, the turn offs have been their reputation for reliability (I expect I'd be getting a lot of mileage out of it) and it's more expensive than the Vulcan S, but I am going to try them both out at least. I can live with the mockery and **** talking from folks if I love the bike I'm riding, so gonna give it a go.

Good to know there's a lot of aftermarket stuff and that's the thing I hear about Harleys being good for. That people who tend to ride Harleys tend to mod and go for aftermarket stuff and not stick to stock, which means more options and availability on aftermarket parts.





From what I understand, mods should be nothing to compromise the safety of the bike, but I don't know the exact limit on things, chances are, I'd seek advice from a garage before I consider doing anything.

What I do know is that there is a limit to how loud your exhaust is supposed to go and can fail a MOT as a result, but they tend to let that one slide as long as it's not really stupid, so as you say, it's unenforced. I believe handlebars is another, but I am not looking at big handlebars anyway.
 
#13 ·
A lot of the poor reliability talk on the Harleys came from the AMF years. It's been 35 years, but it's something they are having a hard time shaking. Are Harleys perfect? No, but who is? Here is a consumer reports study of motorcycles.

Who Makes the Most Reliable Motorcycle? - Consumer Report


You are not going to get better aftermarket options than with one. Before I started riding I was a bit anti-Harley. As I ride, and as I look at the options out there for the bike that I get next, Harley is high on the list. Hog had a great point. Do you have a good mechanic for one in your area? Fortunately, if I do get a Harley my area is flooded with options for work. I even have a dealership about 30 miles from home that puts a lifetime powertrain warranty on most of their used bikes. Now I do have to check the fine print on that.
 
#14 ·
Apparently, we do have a good mechanic in the area, who's also reasonably priced. I am actually going to swing by them in a week or so as I need to go there anyway, in fact, rode past them this evening.

I am definitely open minded about going Harley, the after market bit is one of the reasons I am attracted to the Iron 883. But I am not necessarily looking to go big on the customisation not yet and not sure if I would on my second bike or not, depends on what I like & don't like about the bike I go for and what I can do about it, so the other options are still viable.


I may also get time to visit the Indian dealership tomorrow, it's not too far from us, which is convenient because there aren't many Indian dealerships in the UK. The Harley one is a little further afield, so might do that one another time. Especially as it's more window shopping and looking at my options rather than actual test riding. I mean, only so much you can do from looking on the internet.
 
#16 ·
The problem with the Consumer Reports article is it asks for opinions and doesn't have any actual reliability statistics. But neither does any other article because they're not published. By any manufacturer, ever. :wink:

Based on my experience as a tech I'll say that all brands are about equally reliable when new. There's some very good motorcycles being made out there today!

The two biggest differences are when people modify certain aspects of their bikes and don't truly understand what they're doing. That can often effect reliability. Hotter performance usually means more break downs.

The other is longevity. Some bikes are designed to give you the best performance and initial value for the least cost, but they are not designed to last over the long haul. Others, and Harley is one, are designed to give you the best value over a long period of time.
 
#17 ·
That is a fair argument. And I agree with regards to consumer reports. And most of what we do get as well is hearsay anyway.

The other is longevity. Some bikes are designed to give you the best performance and initial value for the least cost, but they are not designed to last over the long haul. Others, and Harley is one, are designed to give you the best value over a long period of time.
It is the latter I am after. And I don't think any of the bikes I've been looking at have fallen into the first category, though Harley's past reputation had some concerns, if it's older models that have given them bad rep, then I can live with that. So, I'll rule reliability out of the equation now I think I've made 4 choices I want to try out. Now look at my options with aftermarket parts, what work my local garage can do and of course, the test rides and see what feels the best to ride.

Also, I've kinda figured, if I am wanting to pay something more affordable, it'll be a fight between the Rebel 500 and Kawasaki Vulcan S, but if a bike convinces me to pay that bit extra, it'd be a fight between the Iron 883 and the Indian Scout.

Also, today, I ended up deciding to remove the Honda Rebel 500 off of that list. I think it looks great, but felt underwhelming in person. It was quite narrow and felt too small and parts of it were too much plastic. I am generally short too. The Vulcan felt so much better to sit on and feels like a better quality build, but not to imply anything bad about the Rebel, as I expect it's still well built. I would guess it was to help keep the costs down to attract young and new riders not looking for a bigger price tag, which is noble enough. But the price of the Kawasaki isn't going to leave too much of an extra hole in my wallet for it to be a problem.



Versus:




Sadly, being a bank holiday (I think the US equivalent is a labour day?) the Indian dealership was shut, so I might go up on Saturday instead.
 
#19 ·
Harley got a bad reputation with some people during the AMF years, roughly 1969 to 1981. (That's 12 years out of the company's 114 year history.) And yes, they did have some issues, but a lot of the "bad press" was due then, just as it is now, to haters and the anti-Harley crowd.

If we look at it objectively we find that the Japanese imports weren't really all significantly better made than the Harley's, but they were faster, lighter, more nimble, and much less expensive, and that made a huge difference. And now, 40 years later, there are plenty of those unreliable AMF Harleys still on the road and they are prized and sought after. There are comparatively less 40 year old Japanese bikes still around.

And the British bikes of that period? They were faster and lighter and performed better too, and they had some cutting edge stuff on them, but better built? I had a Triumph and a BSA and I'd be hard pressed to agree they were any better built. They do retain their value more and many of them are also still prized and sought after.
 
#20 ·
One fun thing to do when you're looking at bikes is to touch them. I don't mean just sit on them, but actually get your hands on them. Run your paws over the gas tanks, feel the various fittings and controls, push down on the front fender and rap a knuckle here or there. I think you'll notice several differences between the Kawasaki, Honda, Harley, and Indians and you'll start to see the different design approaches very clearly. I'm not saying one is better than the other, but they clearly are different, and they're trying to achieve different goals.
 
#21 ·
That's one of the things I ended up doing, hence the Honda felt like it had too much plastic, which I think is fine on things like their modern CB models (like my CB125F) but doesn't feel right to me on the type of bike the Rebel 500 is, I can understand Honda's choice, as it's one way to keep costs down and that was their aim with the Rebel, affordable but attractive for new riders and I guess they wanted to invest most of the money into the actual performance and handling of the bike to make it suitable and not try to go for a premium look/feel.

I definitely noticed the difference between the two in how they feel and the Vulcan was superior to my tastes.

Harley got a bad reputation with some people during the AMF years, roughly 1969 to 1981. (That's 12 years out of the company's 114 year history.) And yes, they did have some issues, but a lot of the "bad press" was due then, just as it is now, to haters and the anti-Harley crowd.
That's very true. Bad press is not always representative of what's true...or the press in general. :p If somebody has a bad experience or doesn't like something, they tend to make a lot more noise than people who're plenty satisfied and I guess Harleys being as iconic and popular as they are, are likely to get more stick than others.
 
#22 ·
This is a fun thread.

I agree with Eye, sit on the bikes, feel the controls, touch them, etc. Some are going to fit you (both physically and personality) better than others.

Also try to imagine how you will feel after sitting there for 6 hours. Are you comfortable? Bored?
 
#24 ·
Absolutely. The two that I am finding most attractive at the moment are the Vulcan S and Scout Sixty, whilst I've yet to do my Indian dealer visit, I did get a brief encounter with one at a bike show a couple of weeks ago. Beautiful bike. And in fairness, I will also try second hand options when I am ready to buy, but figure too early.

Either way, I feel like a kid in a toy store. Glad I took the option of learning to ride, instead of learning to drive. ;)

I don't have a horse in this race.
And I have not seen in person let alone touched either of the bikes in your picture.

I like the looks of that Vulcan, saw some nice bags on it.
But I think there will be more after market support for the Rebel in the long term.

Looks like MSRP difference is about $1500 ish?

I can't see reliability being an issue with either of these bikes.

If I wanted to know how much after market was available for a machine, I would do an E-bay search with model and year. Doesn't mean I would buy there, just as a rough idea for whats out there.
Good point. I'll check out eBay, I also asked on the Vulcan forums for info on parts as well for info on those. I've looked somewhat at Rebel, Vulcan and Iron options. Have yet to try eBay itself.

With the Rebel, that makes it attractive and I know Honda were pushing it, but the Vulcan felt so much better to sit on and the Rebel felt too small.
 
#23 ·
I don't have a horse in this race.
And I have not seen in person let alone touched either of the bikes in your picture.

I like the looks of that Vulcan, saw some nice bags on it.
But I think there will be more after market support for the Rebel in the long term.

Looks like MSRP difference is about $1500 ish?

I can't see reliability being an issue with either of these bikes.

If I wanted to know how much after market was available for a machine, I would do an E-bay search with model and year. Doesn't mean I would buy there, just as a rough idea for whats out there.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I think I've managed to make up my mind about my "game plan" and what I want. I have settled on the 3 choices I want to try out.

1) The Indian Scout Sixty, which I missed off my list due to its price and then Hog mentioned it, so I did start thinking "what if I did consider it?". After seeing how a Harley got priced on finance, I'd see how finance could be on an Indian. Good news. It's not that painful, in fact, about as painful as a Vulcan S if I were to look at monthly cost, however, it's just spread across a longer period of time. As I love everything about the Indian Scout Sixty, all she needs to do is ride well to convince me and based on what other riders say, I suspect she will do. And seems from a couple of reviews, she gets a good leaning angle versus other cruisers In terms of modding, I doubt there's a lot I'd want to change on her. I could be looking at £150 to £190 a month.

2) The Kawasaki Vulcan S, which is the best choice I could go for in its price range (at least in my opinion), having met one in person, she impressed me and felt so right sat on her and caressing her firm bo---is it getting steamy in here? Her rear suspension seems to be the only thing that marks her down, which would be noticeable as I sometimes go on rougher roads. It has everything that I am looking for in a motorcycle, which makes her a great choice. Especially if I decide not to go for the Scout Sixty. I could be looking at £160 a month. With mods, there's good choices available for the Vulcan S, perhaps not as much as the Harley.

3) Harley Iron 883, to me she's the wildcard. I've yet to meet one in person and get feel for what the bike might be like. But never thought I'd have an interest in a Harley and I am more interested the other two choices, however, the advantage of the Harley Iron 883 is that it wouldn't be difficult to customise her into my bike and would be a good practice bikes for doing work to it. In addition, out of the three, it actually has the least painful of the finance options, as I am not in a position to buy any of these bikes outright, but am on a wage with disposable income enough to afford any of these. I could be looking at £110 a month.

They can also work as an investment, should I wish to get a different bike at a later date. From doing my research in that respect, both the Harley and the Indian are good at retaining value, but less for for the Kawasaki. But I am not in that mindset, because it's about going for something I want to ride and not thinking "how can I replace this in 5 years time?" The way I am justifying the cost is that we got a 20% pay rise last year, so I was fine before the payrise. :p

Meaning my last two deciding factors will be:
Insurance
How they ride (if I get the opportunity to be able to test ride, not all dealerships will let me with a fresh license)

And I will spare some consideration for second hand bikes when I actually go to buy. The Honda VT750 Shadow is one that would interest me, for example, but this will depend on what I can find.
 
#33 ·
All very good choices. I had my list chopped down to 3 and was still confusing and hard to choose the top dog. All bikes are pretty darn good these days. I only went with Indian because of the track record of Victory with Victory being a Chevy compared to Indian a Cadillac and the track record I've had with HD. Now look at Victory. I still think I chose right.
 
#27 ·
I'll agree and echo a bit. I really hope to have a HD a few years from now. I've always wanted one, right now the one that gets me most excited is the Slim S (although I could see myself falling in love with others like the RK or Heritage classic). I do quickly notice the difference when I run my hands along the bike compared to my Shadow Phantom, and I love that the plastic is metal on the HD. The only bike that would equal my desire for the HD would be the Indian Chieftain Vintage (love that red and white with the tan bags with tassels... classic!). But after some coaching about my first bike, I was grateful to find a cheaper alternative that still had some of the styling cues of those dream bikes but in a price range I could afford and was appropriate for my new skill set (I have been very grateful the bike only weights 500lbs while I am learning so much still). I am also thankful that I don't have to spend time working on the bike cause I'd rather be riding. It does give me a bit of pause to think about going from Honda to HD on the reliability topic, but I also know a lot of factors go into that (like age of bike and such) and I also wonder how much of it is ancient hype that was overstated by HD haters... dunno, I'd like to have a better feel for that. I do remembering reading an article linked to on here a bit ago that seemed to indicate that the HDs had about twice as many repair incidents as Honda but as we all know stats are hard to trust (if out of 1,000 bikes, HD had 4 repairs and Honda 2, then that wouldn't concern me much -- but if HD had 600 and Honda 300, well that's a different picture now isn't it) and there are many more aspects to consider than just that. So anyway... I love that there are so many options in motorcycles, it's awesome, I also love the look of a Cafe Racer style as well and would love to try out a Triumph. And more and more and more...
 
#29 ·
Aye, at least in the respect of Triumphs, I know if I get a Scout Sixty my brother is going to ask me to insure him on it, so as a trade off, I could tell him to insure me on his Triumph Speedmaster.

But I suspect my list will grow and not shrink. But I guess the best we have to settle for will be test rides.


And I just got some quotes for insuring a Scout Sixty...not that cheap. The Harley and Vulcan S wouldn't change what I already pay. I suspect it's due to lack of theft data on Scout Sixties...but might ring my current insurer to see whether they could do anything cheaper, as I am good and upstanding citizen and all. ;)
 
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