Congrats on the bike!
Gonna make the leap...
I posted a couple of weeks ago about looking at a beautifully restored GL1000 as a long distance medium tourer. It was a beauty, but in the end I opted for something a bit newer. By next Tuesday I will be picking up a new-to-me 2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic. 11k on the odo, immaculately kept, with all sorts of nice extras -- windshield+lowers, Viking lockable saddlebags, Mustang seat with driver's backrest, Baron front pulley. Never dropped, oil changed faithfully every 2k miles, always garaged.
Now, if I can just last until Tuesday...
Now, if I can just last until Tuesday...
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Well, I made the leap this morning. Earlier I had posted that I would be picking up my new-to-me Vulcan 900, but that deal fell through. You know, I have experienced "buyers" who turned out to be phony in one way or another, but this situation was the reverse. The seller had agreed to meet me three separate times, begged off every time, once at almost literally the last minute, then e-mailed me yesterday that he wanted to put it off to next month some time! To heck with that.
Meanwhile, I had kept cruising ads, Craigslist and e-Bay and had several possible alternatives picked out. When I got word yesterday that the original deal had been postponed indefinitely I sent off an e-mail to the top guy on my list. He responded promptly and agreed to show me the bike this morning. A buddy came with me and we met the owner at 9:30.
I'll admit it -- I was sold before I even test-rode it around the block a couple of times. It's a 2008 Suzuki Boulevard C50, accessorized in to a very nice light tourer. 800 cc V-twin, water-cooled, fuel injected, with standard pipes that give me all the racket I could desire without making dogs bark 5 miles off. Crash bars, highway pegs, windshield, throw-over saddle bags, sissy bar and padded passenger backrest added. A quality cover came with it. Uninstalled but also included, a chrome cupholder (at last a place for my beer!:smile_big
, and a chromed add-on accessory power outlet. Brand-new (still with nubbies) Michelin tires. All maintenance up to date. Battery less than 6 months old. 13,000 miles. $2750, and I don't care what anybody says -- that was a DEAL!
I had to laugh when I hit the Interstate for 20 miles on my take-the-long-way ride home. Every review I had read talked about how labored the engine sounded and how badly the vibration got once you hit 75 mph. HAH! Coming from a CBR300, let me tell you -- this thing feels like riding a magic carpet! Rock-steady smooth, with all the power any sane man could ask for. L'il Red Rooster will stay, and I am sure it'll still get lots of miles put on it -- but Black Beauty has got me hooked...
Meanwhile, I had kept cruising ads, Craigslist and e-Bay and had several possible alternatives picked out. When I got word yesterday that the original deal had been postponed indefinitely I sent off an e-mail to the top guy on my list. He responded promptly and agreed to show me the bike this morning. A buddy came with me and we met the owner at 9:30.
I'll admit it -- I was sold before I even test-rode it around the block a couple of times. It's a 2008 Suzuki Boulevard C50, accessorized in to a very nice light tourer. 800 cc V-twin, water-cooled, fuel injected, with standard pipes that give me all the racket I could desire without making dogs bark 5 miles off. Crash bars, highway pegs, windshield, throw-over saddle bags, sissy bar and padded passenger backrest added. A quality cover came with it. Uninstalled but also included, a chrome cupholder (at last a place for my beer!:smile_big
, and a chromed add-on accessory power outlet. Brand-new (still with nubbies) Michelin tires. All maintenance up to date. Battery less than 6 months old. 13,000 miles. $2750, and I don't care what anybody says -- that was a DEAL!I had to laugh when I hit the Interstate for 20 miles on my take-the-long-way ride home. Every review I had read talked about how labored the engine sounded and how badly the vibration got once you hit 75 mph. HAH! Coming from a CBR300, let me tell you -- this thing feels like riding a magic carpet! Rock-steady smooth, with all the power any sane man could ask for. L'il Red Rooster will stay, and I am sure it'll still get lots of miles put on it -- but Black Beauty has got me hooked...
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