kev@voder.UUCP (Kevin Hoskins) (08/21/86)
First I want to thank all of you that responded to my recent questions concerning time of year to make a purchase and insurance. Now let me fill you in on some other elements that go into the equation that determines which motorcycle I finally purchase. As you saw in the 'Keywords' heading above I'll be doing about 120 miles a day round trip from my home to work. Given the minimum number weeks as 40, or 200 days, the total miles per year is 24,000. 50 weeks brings the total to 30,000. None of this takes into account trips to the gas station (there will be MANY) or fun rides in the hills/mountains that surround the area where I live. Is this still a good idea? I mean am I still operating in something that resembles rational cognitive processes? Can a modern motorcycle engine (or the whole motorcycle for that matter) hold up to that kind of high mileage and last for three years or longer? Another item that concerns me very much is that to make this purchase I probably will have to sell one of our cars. That leaves us with one car and the (newly purchased) motorcycle. Well that's okay between April and September when it's not raining. But when it IS raining I might have to take the car, which leaves the rest of my family without transportation. That may not be to good. And if I don't drive the car, should I even be trying to ride in the rain? I have gone to some of the dealers in my area (all four major Japanese manufactures were represented). First to fall from the list of possible choices were the 'did-I-make-a-wrong-turn-trying-to-get-to-the-pits-boy-racer- eat-up-the-canyon-road' type of vehicle (which I do like). But I cannot quite see myself sitting in that bent-over position for over an hour while I travel to work. So that, unfortunately, seems to remove them from my list. Most of the dealers seem to be in agreement with the suggestion that I purchase a large displacement machine (1 litre or >). The large engine will not have to work as hard as .75 litre and therefore should last much longer. These seems reasonable. After all the above verbage my question is simple: (and assuming that you answered yes to my question about "...rational cognitive...") what motorcycle would you recommend that I consider purchasing that will give me very good reliability and VERY long mileage? Thank you! P.S. I have placed the 1985 Honda V65 Sabre on my possibility list. There are still some new non-current models available.
dob@ihlpa.UUCP (Daniel M. O'Brien) (08/22/86)
> First I want to thank all of you that responded to my recent > questions concerning time of year to make a purchase and insurance. > Now let me fill you in on some other elements that go into the > equation that determines which motorcycle I finally purchase. > > As you saw in the 'Keywords' heading above I'll be doing about > 120 miles a day round trip from my home to work. Given the minimum > number weeks as 40, or 200 days, the total miles per year is 24,000. > 50 weeks brings the total to 30,000. None of this takes into account > trips to the gas station (there will be MANY) or fun rides in the > hills/mountains that surround the area where I live. ... > I have gone to some of the dealers in my area (all four major Japanese > manufactures were represented). First to fall from the list of possible > choices were the 'did-I-make-a-wrong-turn-trying-to-get-to-the-pits-boy-racer- > eat-up-the-canyon-road' type of vehicle (which I do like). But I cannot > quite see myself sitting in that bent-over position for over an hour while > I travel to work. So that, unfortunately, seems to remove them from > my list. Why not consider the Yamaha FJ1100 or the new FJ1200. Although it may look like you would be bent over/uncomfortable, but it's not. Most mags rate the FJ1100/1200 very highly for comfort/sport/touring, even two-up touring! I would have bought one instead of my Honda 500 Interceptor but couldn't justify the extra cost/size for the limitted amount of riding I do. Your commutting would. Cheers, -- Daniel M. O'Brien (ihnp4!ihlpa!dob) AT&T Bell Laboratories IH 4A-257, x 4782 Naperville-Wheaton Road Naperville, IL 60566
pag00@amdahl.UUCP (Pria Graves) (08/22/86)
In article <2339@voder.UUCP> kev@voder.UUCP (Kevin Hoskins) writes: > As you saw in the 'Keywords' heading above I'll be doing about > 120 miles a day round trip from my home to work. Given the minimum > number weeks as 40, or 200 days, the total miles per year is 24,000. > 50 weeks brings the total to 30,000. None of this takes into account > trips to the gas station (there will be MANY) or fun rides in the > hills/mountains that surround the area where I live. > > Is this still a good idea? I mean am I still operating in something > that resembles rational cognitive processes? Can a modern motorcycle engine > (or the whole motorcycle for that matter) hold up to that kind of > high mileage and last for three years or longer? ..... > That may not be to good. And if I don't > drive the car, should I even be trying to ride in the rain? > The only motorcycle I know of which may be counted upon to last 100,000 miles or more without (usually) major surjury is the BMW. They are barely broken in at 20,000 while most motorcycles are worn out. I gather that some of the larger water cooled Japanese bikes last longer than their predicessors but I don't have personal knowlege of that. I do know a large number of BMWs, however, that run quite well as they approach the century mark (my husband's for example - mine only has 75,000). Another point is that bikes with a shaft drive (including BMW) are far less wearing to ride. On a 550 Honda the farthest I could manage in a day was 450 miles. I have done 700 on the BMW and still been able to walk. As for rain, yes you can do it. It gets a bit old but it can be done. I can commute by train which leaves our one car for my husband most rainy days but we have both had to ride in a fair bit of wet on vacations (Oregon and Washington are ALWAYS wet). My advice? Do it. Just make sure you always have good tires (Metzler or Continental) and replace them frequently. And get a good rain suit. -- Pria ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,amd,nsc}!amdahl!pag00 (408) 746 7539 (Disclaimer: even I don't necessarily agree!)
animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (08/22/86)
> > First I want to thank all of you that responded to my recent > questions concerning time of year to make a purchase and insurance. > Now let me fill you in on some other elements that go into the > equation that determines which motorcycle I finally purchase. > > As you saw in the 'Keywords' heading above I'll be doing about > 120 miles a day round trip from my home to work. Given the minimum > number weeks as 40, or 200 days, the total miles per year is 24,000. > 50 weeks brings the total to 30,000. None of this takes into account > trips to the gas station (there will be MANY) or fun rides in the > hills/mountains that surround the area where I live. > > Is this still a good idea? I mean am I still operating in something > that resembles rational cognitive processes? Can a modern motorcycle engine > (or the whole motorcycle for that matter) hold up to that kind of > high mileage and last for three years or longer? > > Another item that concerns me very much is that to make this > purchase I probably will have to sell one of our cars. That leaves us > with one car and the (newly purchased) motorcycle. Well that's okay > between April and September when it's not raining. But when it IS > raining I might have to take the car, which leaves the rest of my > family without transportation. That may not be to good. And if I don't > drive the car, should I even be trying to ride in the rain? > > I have gone to some of the dealers in my area (all four major Japanese > manufactures were represented). First to fall from the list of possible choices were the 'did-I-make-a-wrong-turn-trying-to-get-to-the-pits-boy-racer- > eat-up-the-canyon-road' type of vehicle (which I do like). But I cannot > quite see myself sitting in that bent-over position for over an hour while > I travel to work. So that, unfortunately, seems to remove them from > my list. > > Most of the dealers seem to be in agreement with the suggestion that > I purchase a large displacement machine (1 litre or >). The large engine > will not have to work as hard as .75 litre and therefore should last > much longer. These seems reasonable. > > After all the above verbage my question is simple: (and assuming > that you answered yes to my question about "...rational cognitive...") > what motorcycle would you recommend that I consider purchasing that will > give me very good reliability and VERY long mileage? > > Thank you! > > > P.S. I have placed the 1985 Honda V65 Sabre on my possibility list. There > are still some new non-current models available. Virtually anything you buy from US, Japan or Germany will last over 100K miles without needing major work (over 750cc, at least). Since you are talking about selling one of your cars, I somehow suspect that you'll also be doing your own maintenance to save money. I would recommend that you quiz your local dealer about exactly how much work it is to change oil&filter, adjust valves (if needed), change coolant, adjust chain (if needed), change fork oil (something few people remember to do), R&R wheels (you can save big bucks on new tires by removing wheels yourself), etc. The origninal Interceptor, for instance, required draining and removing the lower radiator to change the oil filter (or required a mechanic with very small hands); the bike was not designed with ease of maintenance as a priority. Also consider the relative virtues of chain vs. belt vs. shaft; when you put on over 20K miles a year the expenses of chain replacement add up. As for the V65 Sabre, you might be interested to know that Road Rider rated this machine one of the best all-around motorcycles made. It is very fast in a straight line, handles very well (probably as well as an Interceptor unless you are a very exceptional rider), is remarkable comfortable for long distance touring and looks pretty good. (The only thing that kept it from being a total "all-purpose" bike was that it lacked the necessary ground clearance to do serious off-road riding!) Honda also sells a very attractive (at least to me) sport-touring fairing for this bike, which makes it a very nice package. Dan Starr "But are we THERE yet?"
mazlack@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Lawrence J. Mazlack) (08/25/86)
> Most of the dealers seem to be in agreement with the suggestion that >I purchase a large displacement machine (1 litre or >). The large engine >will not have to work as hard as .75 litre and therefore should last >much longer. These seems reasonable. Well, naturally a dealer wants to sell you a bigger bike - they get more. Myself, if you are a new rider, I sure wouldn't buy a big bike - that is, unless you don't care very much if your machine gets scratched and dented. > After all the above verbage my question is simple: (and assuming >that you answered yes to my question about "...rational cognitive...") >what motorcycle would you recommend that I consider purchasing that will >give me very good reliability and VERY long mileage? I would suggest one of the BMW twins (before this, current model year). They are highly reliable, often run over 100,000 miles before needing a major engine overhaul. The down side is that they are expensive. ...Larry mazlack@ernie.berkeley.edu
bob@madvax.UUCP (Bob Palin) (08/27/86)
> > P.S. I have placed the 1985 Honda V65 Sabre on my possibility list. There > are still some new non-current models available. You should talk to people with the V65 Sabre first, if a windshield is fitted they are very noisy - doesn't seem to be a problem without one, but who wants to ride 120 miles a day into the wind, especially if you ride when it's cold out. Sabres are also expensive to service costing around $140 plus parts each time. They are a nice bike otherwise and as it happens I have a 700 for sale right now, only $1550 too. ( 1984, 16K miles, 2 years left on warranty ) For the kind of mileage you are contemplating you need a solid non sporty type bike, a Gold Wing would be perfect or a BMW perhaps. They are expensive but will last a long time, allow you to ride in the rain with minimal discomfort and relieve the commuting tedium with a radio/tape player. I ride my Goldy ( The Battlestar ) all year round with no problem and don't even own a car. If you have not ridden a bike much before you should consider not investing too much for the first one and replacing it after a year or two if you still ant to ride. ( How about $1550 ? ) Mid size bikes will last that long easily if not mis-treated, my Honda 750F was still going well at 48K miles when it was stolen. Bob Palin, Varian, Walnut Creek, Ca (415)945-2278 zehntel!varian!bob
jp@faron.UUCP (Jeffrey Picciotto) (08/29/86)
RTLWYM >> = someone > = someone else = me >>... First to fall from the list of possible >>choices were the 'did-I-make-a-wrong-turn-trying-to-get-to-the-pits-boy-racer >>-eat-up-the-canyon-road' type of vehicle (which I do like). But I cannot >>quite see myself sitting in that bent-over position for over an hour while >>I travel to work. So that, unfortunately, seems to remove them from >>my list. > > Why not consider the Yamaha FJ1100 or the new FJ1200. Although it may look > like you would be bent over/uncomfortable, but it's not. Most mags rate the > FJ1100/1200 very highly for comfort/sport/touring, even two-up touring! > Daniel M. O'Brien (ihnp4!ihlpa!dob) In fact, for a rider with some experience, the FJ1200 is a great bike. I recently rode Boston->Cincinnati->Boston on mine. The ride each way is about 16 hours (at a good clip - it's 900+ miles). I did each one way ride in one swoop. For the first several hours it's great - after that your butt starts to let you know that you're not riding a sofa :-). As far as the riding position goes: if you're moving, you're ok (the wind 'blast' holds you up). If your commute is stop-and-go for an hour a more upright position might be better, otherwise, once you get used to the sligthly more aggressive position, it's at least as comfy as the upright posture. (And the seat on the 1200 is infinitely better than the one on the Maxxim (softer, and provides for moving your butt around if it gets sore)). My only complaints with the FJ1200: the fairing buzzes around 4-5 Krpm (where I frequently find myself), and more importantly, the application of the front brakes in a curve has very disconcerting results: the bike's lean angle changes a bit (up if you brake, down if you release). It really sucks if you're into twisty mountain roads. --jeff ...!linus!faron!jp jpicc@mitre-bedford.arpa
oper@ihlpa.UUCP (UNIX OPERATIONS) (08/29/86)
> > First I want to thank all of you that responded to my recent > questions concerning time of year to make a purchase and insurance. > Now let me fill you in on some other elements that go into the > equation that determines which motorcycle I finally purchase. > > As you saw in the 'Keywords' heading above I'll be doing about > 120 miles a day round trip from my home to work. Given the minimum > number weeks as 40, or 200 days, the total miles per year is 24,000. > 50 weeks brings the total to 30,000. None of this takes into account > trips to the gas station (there will be MANY) or fun rides in the > hills/mountains that surround the area where I live. > > Is this still a good idea? I mean am I still operating in something > that resembles rational cognitive processes? Can a modern motorcycle engine > (or the whole motorcycle for that matter) hold up to that kind of > high mileage and last for three years or longer? > > Another item that concerns me very much is that to make this > purchase I probably will have to sell one of our cars. That leaves us > with one car and the (newly purchased) motorcycle. Well that's okay > between April and September when it's not raining. But when it IS > raining I might have to take the car, which leaves the rest of my > family without transportation. That may not be to good. And if I don't > drive the car, should I even be trying to ride in the rain? > > I have gone to some of the dealers in my area (all four major Japanese > manufactures were represented). First to fall from the list of possible choices were the 'did-I-make-a-wrong-turn-trying-to-get-to-the-pits-boy-racer- > eat-up-the-canyon-road' type of vehicle (which I do like). But I cannot > quite see myself sitting in that bent-over position for over an hour while > I travel to work. So that, unfortunately, seems to remove them from > my list. > > Most of the dealers seem to be in agreement with the suggestion that > I purchase a large displacement machine (1 litre or >). The large engine > will not have to work as hard as .75 litre and therefore should last > much longer. These seems reasonable. > > After all the above verbage my question is simple: (and assuming > that you answered yes to my question about "...rational cognitive...") > what motorcycle would you recommend that I consider purchasing that will > give me very good reliability and VERY long mileage? > > Thank you! > > > P.S. I have placed the 1985 Honda V65 Sabre on my possibility list. There > are still some new non-current models available. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** I have a 700cc magna, It's smooth, stylish comfortable, quick, handles nice, gets loads of attention and is a good bike. They aftermarket people have even come out with a sliding backrest for it. Now for the bad news. I get 25mph in the city and doing good to reach 90mph in straight highway driving. The going rate for a V-four tune-up in my area is $80.00. The shop says that the engines are a pain to work on. I have an alright lower rpm range. a mean upper middle and a eh, top. Cruisers definatly seem to be the way to go for you. But look real carefully. An article posted in cycle world showed a lack of good range with honda's v-four 750R. A freind of mine has a zuke GS750(suzuki). He gets 50mpg. But he isn't as smooth and comfortable as I am. P.S. Get a rain suit. -
mojo@mp-mojo.UUCP (Mojo Jones) (09/03/86)
> From: jp@faron.UUCP (Jeffrey Picciotto) > [on the FJ1200] > (And the seat > on the 1200 is infinitely better than the one on the Maxxim (softer, and > provides for moving your butt around if it gets sore)). You don't really mean an '85 or '86 Maxim, do you? My Maxim seat seems a lot more of a touring saddle than the FJ or the older Maxims, and it's an upright seating position. Softer? Really? It didn't seem that way when I compared. 16 hours in my Maxim-X saddle is a piece of cake. (Just curious, not a flame!) > more importantly, the application > of the front brakes in a curve has very disconcerting results: the bike's > lean angle changes a bit (up if you brake, down if you release). It > really sucks if you're into twisty mountain roads. "Slow, look, lean, and roll on the throttle" -- Slow down more, accelerate harder, don't use the brake in the turn. But of course you'll always have to brake in a turn someday, and any bike will tend upright when you apply the brakes in a turn. Maybe someone else can tell me if it's a gyroscopic phenomenon. It feels like it is. > --jeff > ...!linus!faron!jp > jpicc@mitre-bedford.arpa Mojo ... Morris Jones, MicroPro Int'l Corp., Product Development Northern Calif. Motorcycle Safety Council, MSF Instructor {lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!mp-mojo!mojo Not the opinion of MicroPro!
jp@faron.UUCP (Jeffrey Picciotto) (09/04/86)
>> From: jp@faron.UUCP (Jeffrey Picciotto) [on the FJ1200] >> (And the seat >> on the 1200 is infinitely better than the one on the Maxxim (softer, and >> provides for moving your butt around if it gets sore)). > You don't really mean an '85 or '86 Maxim, do you? My Maxim seat seems > a lot more of a touring saddle than the FJ or the older Maxims, and it's > an upright seating position. > > Mojo {lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!mp-mojo!mojo You're right: the maxim I was comparing with was an '81 maxim 550 (my previous bike). I've heard that the new maxims (especially the maxim x) have much better seats - I've haven't tried one. (In fact I believe that the mags rated the maxim x's seat the best in the cruiser class). As far as what's comfy for a tour: I'm sure everybody has a different opinion. Mine is: the FJ's saddle is soft (compared to what I had before). It's also wide enough to move around in. The riding position (leaned forward - but no where near as aggressive as, say, a Ninja) is very good on the arms when you're moving. Your weight and the wind blast frequently cancel each other out (almost completely). --jeff ("hate the winter") picciotto ..!linus!faron!jp jpicc@mitre-bedford.arpa
ehrhart@sri-spam.ARPA (Tim Ehrhart) (09/07/86)
In article <2339@voder.UUCP> kev@voder.UUCP (Kevin Hoskins) writes: > > As you saw in the 'Keywords' heading above I'll be doing about >120 miles a day round trip from my home to work. > Is this still a good idea? I mean am I still operating in something >that resembles rational cognitive processes? Can a modern motorcycle engine >(or the whole motorcycle for that matter) hold up to that kind of >high mileage and last for three years or longer? > I don't think that's crazy, I ride 56 miles per day, 50 weeks per year and have been doing so for 2 1/2 years now. The first two years were spent on a Honda FT500 (a thumper too boot!) and the bike held up fine. I now have a Nighthawk 700s and am enjoying the ride even more now. > Another item that concerns me very much is that to make this >purchase I probably will have to sell one of our cars. That leaves us >with one car and the (newly purchased) motorcycle. Well that's okay >between April and September when it's not raining. But when it IS >raining I might have to take the car, which leaves the rest of my >family without transportation. That may not be to good. And if I don't >drive the car, should I even be trying to ride in the rain? > I personally don't find it a problem, one just needs a damn good rainsuit. I've got a Hein Gericke with built in mittens and boot covers. I arrive dry even after 45 minutes in any kind of rain. Also the wife makes me ride in the rain, she says it's my choice to have a bike instead of a second car :) > Most of the dealers seem to be in agreement with the suggestion that >I purchase a large displacement machine (1 litre or >). The large engine >will not have to work as hard as .75 litre and therefore should last >much longer. These seems reasonable. I think that's a bit of salemanship (i.e. more profit on larger bikes, more commission for them ???). I think .7 liter to < 1.0 is fine. Also bigger bike == bigger insurance premiums. > After all the above verbage my question is simple: (and assuming >that you answered yes to my question about "...rational cognitive...") >what motorcycle would you recommend that I consider purchasing that will >give me very good reliability and VERY long mileage? > I won't recommend a bike, but some features I find invaluable for a heavy commute bike: SHAFT DRIVE, WATER COOLING. Chains go must too fast and at your rate would need to be oiled at least twice a week. Rain and associated road grime play hell with chains. Water cooling keeps the engine operating at a much more regulated tempature, this is important in those hot summer traffic jams, and cold rainy winter days. > >P.S. I have placed the 1985 Honda V65 Sabre on my possibility list. There >are still some new non-current models available. Good idea, look for non-current models. I've seen V65's for $3K in the SF bay area! Not a bad price. Go for it.... Tim Ehrhart