My dilemma...

[jonesy]

my wife rides a vstar 1100 for the last 40k miles, our longest ride was 2500 miles, a ton of 1000 mile weekends, and she is quite happy with it.

[ragtop69gs]

Monty

 

 

http://www.tricitycycle.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=1163160&p=1&vc=cruiser&s=Year&d=D&t=preowned&vt=motorcycle%20%2F%20scooter&year=2000&fr=xPreOwnedInventory

[Zzyzx]

Monty, I picked a Shadow 1100's 2 years ago for my wife but she never road it so I sold it and wish I hadn't.

It is a great bike for anyone and is an ease to ride.

My suggestion...Go for the bike and have her learn on it so she can ride along with you, not just behind you.

There will always be rides to go on but a wife that likes to ride her own bike...not so much.

Good luck with the decision.

PS: What does the wife want to do?????

[oldgoat]

I have the 2000 Honda shadow ACE 750 bought it off a member here leadwolf56 or should I say his wife Sue?

 

after a total knee operation and back problems I had to sell my 1984 venture.

 

I just want to say the 750 has taken me places that I enjoy. I have had her out on the interstate and she holds out darn well.

I have not tried a state to state run on her. I have to admit I am just a little scared to be out there with all that traffic.

she is not a heavy bike. runs out well at 80mph if need be can do a little more.

like any v twin well most any way she does vibrate the mirrors a little and that can drive you kind of crazy.

if I was to go to a bigger bike for myself. I would have to say I would go to the Honda shadow 1100.

[CaptainJoe]

I'd get her a bike she likes and can handle easily to learn on.

 

Right now she needs saddle time.

 

My wife still has her 250 V-star. It will do 65 mph. Being she only rides back roads, 55 mph is not a problem. She has no intention to upgrade.

 

Later on, when I get older, I will probably drop back to a 650 or so... (a 300 mile bike) which I will tow to my vacation destinations.

[Marcarl]

Now let's see and analysis this.

You go for a trip, have lots of fun, see lots of stuff, do somethings that are different,,,,,etc,etc,, but in the end you come home and have to save and wait for the next time you can go out on another trip. In the meantime you save and scrimp, give up the little things that happen around just to get away again,,and maybe sometime down the road you won't know what it's like to be HOME anymore.

Or you could buy your honey a scoot, and then go out tonight for a ride, enjoy it, and go again tomorrow night. You could and would have lots of fun, see lots of stuff, do somethings that are different,,,,,etc,etc,,and you could keep doing this for a long time and not have to worry so much about when and where.

Major difference is that the one you do a couple of times per year and the other a couple of times per week,,,, now I got to think about how best to advise you,,,,,,later!

[Yammer Dan]

That Shadow is sharp if she can sit it good. Low speed handling as of course you know is the hardest. If she could get it in a parking lot or something just to see how it fits?? That one could be personalized a lot so expect to be broke for a while....

[WRIDR]

Hi Folks:

 

There is another option nobody ever thinks of, but based on this discussion so far, it might be a better fit for a 'newer' rider than the larger Honda 1100 cc.

 

At 72 years of age, handicapped by advancing arthritis, last Fall we reluctantly downsized from our beloved '09 RSTD to a Yamaha V-Star 950cc Tourer. Over 300 pounds lighter at just over 600 pounds, and with a seat height of only 26 inches, this bike has kept us riding. It appears to be a full-size bike, but with far superior handling and maneuverability. It also gives away nothing in terms of performance up to 70-80 mph. With fuel injection it accelerates like a drag bike, and holds its own on the big roads. There is noticeable wind impact at high speeds with the stock model, but that can be overcome with add-ons.

 

Here's where it gets really interesting: Yamaha's pricing of the wee Beast - brand new list - is under $10,000, and there are LOTS of used models available in the $5000 range from Newbie trade-ins who move on to larger machines. Unquestioned reliability, and styling that is very attractive to most. A lot of on-lookers assume it's a full-size cruiser, so no image problem.

 

Might be worth taking a look at one of these? Cheers, WRIDR.

[Monty]

Thanks for all of the replies. She is on the fence. She loves the bike trips alot, but she has also been mentioning that she has really been thinking about getting a bike lately.

 

Now...my wife is a bit different than most. I have to pretty much MAKE her spend money on herself. Heck, I drive a 2012 truck, and she drives 1997 truck. It's even a 5 speed manual. She likes trucks & bikes...lol. She always has a ton of excuses for not buying something, so I just have to be aggressive & just do it. It's not like we can't afford it. We've been married for 29 years now, so I guess it all works.

[cowpuc]

Hey Monty,, ya might also want to develop a list of pro's and con's with your wife concerning the whole matter.. Tip and I actually started down the path that you folks are talking about and, while developing that list - found out that we really enjoy riding two up far more than each having our own machine. Tip spent some time on her own bike and, even though she really enjoyed it, the added expenses of running another bike/ added danger of now having two of us that were targets / additional probabilities of having maintenance issues while traveling were all disconcerting.. Anyway,, in the end,, we decided that staying with one bike that we rode together was better in our case..

 

If you two have decided that you are going forward and asked my opinion.. First I would say CONGRATS!!:guitarist 2::cool10: And then I would say that I think a smaller bike to begin with is crucial, one that SHE owns and not the other way around.. I have no idea how long its been since your wife has been on a Motocross bike - 5 years is one thing - 25 years is another (human bodys change and so does the ability to wheelie over down logs and stuff). Also whether or not she actually raced one or seriously trail rode it. Monty, you mentioning that she has never ridden the street kind of give me the willies..

I have a really good friend and neighbor who went thru some very similar senario stuff Monty. They have ridden two up and found that it wasnt that special (both liked to listen to their own music - not chit chat and share the moment) and she wanted her own bike and had also ridden "trail bikes" as a kid.. Bought a new Sporty for her.. She did the testing all went well, rode for two summers - put a few thou on it.. One day while turning around in our road - the bike fell over against her leg enough to nock her hand loose on the clutch - it lunged forward causing her throttle hand to twist the throttle and her and the bike ended up in our ditch (pretty deep muck).. The thought of that happening at an intersection with cars present caused her to re-evaluate.. She sold the Sporty that was to big for her and bought a cheapy Chinese 150 Scooter.. LOVED it cause she didnt have to "think" (I have always felt that the street is no place to be thinking about the clutch - this should already be habit so you can think about what the other drivers are doing) about shifting and the clutch - put wayyyy more miles on the scooter (4k in one year). Sold it and bought a Big Honda Scooter (600 - things amazing) and LOVES it. Been all over Michigan on it..

Just some thoughts my friend that I hope you take in the spirit I offer it!! Regardless of what you folks decide, I hope you both have a BLAST out there enjoying your time together Monty!!

 

Your ol pal Puc!!

[Eck]

With out her having a license at the present time, I would say have her take a safety riding course (lowers her insurance) and then she could spend the summer looking and test riding bikes that may be of interest to her. Take the trips you have already scheduled. With summer coming on in full swing the prices of bikes just went up.

Oct or Nov time frame would be the time to really start looking for prices tend to decline with the winter months approaching.

[djh3]

Well a couple ideas popped into my head. Cutback on the amount of trips, and see if financially that works for you. I'm sure you probably already looked at this option. Where abouts in Fla is your ship reunion?My brother in law goes to his most every year I think.He was on an ammo supply ship back in the mid 50's I would guess. If you need a place to toss the tent look me up. Nuttin fancy, but got a cement pond and some dry land.

As far as "starter" bikes, I have a friend that just loves those 1100 Hondas. For a bigger bike he says they are pretty maneuverable. To me a 650 would be if'y for long distances. I had a 900 Vulcan that was OK one up and served me well. Sportys are good if you get the "low" model. They are an inch or so lower in the saddle. The 883's are widely available and lots out there. (quick check of CL and found 5 2000 or newer under 3K) Lots of gals ride them. I would agree, now is getting prime time for buying.

Good luck in your endeavor what ever it may be. Let us know when your heading down to Fla, maybe we can arrange a meet and eat.

[CaptainJoe]

It's all about the the wind....

I rode my 650 V-star to Eugene Oregon from WV. We traveled the interstates at +70 mph plus doing 500 mile days, and kept up with two Harley ultras. Without a faring, the wind will "definitely" have an impact on ya.

 

Now, cut that back to 55 mph on back roads, doing 300 mile days without a faring, and it's downright enjoyable.

 

None of the rides you mentioned are long distance requiring interstate riding...

 

Think about it.

Edited April 6, 2015 by CaptainJoe