AZ Bike Week test ride report
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AZ Bike Week test ride report ken 04-02-2007
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Posted by on April 2, 2007, 1:10 pm
(I'm 49 and I still consider myself a newbie rider. Only been riding
for a year and a half but I commute almost every day on the bike. This
report is from that perspective.)

I had originally wanted to go to AZ Bike week so I could test ride the
new Vulcan 900 but we couldn't wait and bought one a few weeks ago.
Went to the show anyway and rode six different bikes in two days.

First one was the Harley Street Bob with the mini-apes. Nice bike! I
gotta get me one of those! Really liked the handling. It went around
corners easily and stood itself back up effortlessly. The power was
more than I would ever need. It felt good to drop a gear and twist the
throttle so I could catch up with the rest of the group. The seating
position is very comfortable and I really liked having my hands and
arms up that high on the mini-apes. It felt like I imagined a Harley
should feel. That was my very first-ever ride on a Harley and the
first time I've ever experienced the (in)famous unbalanced Harley
engine. The shake wasn't at all disturbing but I can see where it
might make me want to find a motel after only 4 hours on the road
instead of 6. Still, it was a lot of fun.

Second was a Yamaha V Star Classic 1100. This was also an easy bike to
handle. No surprises at all. Very refined ride experience. It was
almost boring. Power was good but the Street Bob had more.

Third was a Victory Hammer. I'll never buy one. Even though it felt
more powerful than the Harley Street Bob, the one I rode had a huge
rear tire that was almost flat across the bottom. It was a pig in the
corners. I almost ran into the curb on my first turn. It took a lot of
effort to get that big rear tire up off the flat and onto the rounded
edge. Then it wanted to fall back onto the flat center. It took
considerable concentration to get it started turning and considerable
effort to keep it turning. However, I'm sure I looked appropriately
cool going straight down the boulevard on that sharp looking bike!

Fourth was a Kawasaki Ninja 650R. I asked for a "mild sport bike" and
this was their suggestion. It had a somewhat standard seating position
with my knees slightly bent and able to hug the tank very naturally as
I eased it into the corners. (Remember, I'm a newbie.) This particular
bike was a bit twitchy at the low end of the throttle but once I got
the rpms up around 4 or 5K it was fine. I really enjoyed the test ride
but I don't think I'll ever buy a sport bike. I lean more toward the
practical and I would have a hard time carrying all my commuting and
work stuff on this bike. Here in Albuquerque, it's difficult during
three seasons because it's still pretty cold when I leave in the
morning so I have to really gear up. In the afternoon I have to pack
all that cold-weather gear for the hot ride home. Still, a very fun
ride and this was the only test ride where I "accidently" got up over
85. It was easy to do and I had to back down quickly when I noticed it
because we were in city traffic.

The fifth ride was on a Harley Street Glide. This one also had the
unbalanced engine and the shake at idle and low rpms was pronounced.
This was another easy handling bike. It cornered easily and was very
stable at slow speed. I could almost come to a complete stop before I
had to put my foot out. (Remember, newbie.) Power was great. Twist and
hang on!

Lastly, I wanted to try a Harley with a balanced engine so I asked for
a Softail and they gave me a Fat Bob. The engine shake was noticably
less but you could still feel some. I guess that's just part of the
Harley experience and, to be honest, I liked it. I think there's a
Harley in my future. This bike had forward controls and a flat bar so
the seating position was leaning slightly forward with my feet and
hands extended. I'm sure I looked cool but it wasn't very comfortable.
I think it would be better with mini apes on it. Power was ok but the
other two Harleys felt gutsier. Maybe the shake made that impression.
Handling wasn't as good though. This one had a big rear tire that felt
similar to the Victory Hammer on the turns. It wasn't as bad as the
Victory but it took me a few turns to get used to it. By the end of
the ride I was swinging into the curves very naturally.

That's it. Six bikes in two days and it was a blast! It was really
nice of those manufactures to do this cause where else could I test
ride so many bikes within so short a time so I could mentally compare
them? The Victory Hammer was the most surprising ride of them all. I
would not have been a happy camper if I had bought one then found out
what a pig it was!

Ken in Albuquerque
-- Interested in New Mexico? Come visit us at
-- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nmgeneral/

Posted by Robert Bolton on April 3, 2007, 12:39 am

> (I'm 49 and I still consider myself a newbie rider. Only been riding
> for a year and a half but I commute almost every day on the bike. This
> report is from that perspective.)
>
> I had originally wanted to go to AZ Bike week so I could test ride the
> new Vulcan 900 but we couldn't wait and bought one a few weeks ago.
> Went to the show anyway and rode six different bikes in two days.
>
> First one was the Harley Street Bob
....
> Second was a Yamaha V Star Classic 1100.
....
> Third was a Victory Hammer.
....
> Fourth was a Kawasaki Ninja 650R.
....
> The fifth ride was on a Harley Street Glide.
....
> Lastly, I wanted to try a Harley with a balanced engine so I asked for
> a Softail and they gave me a Fat Bob.
....
> That's it. Six bikes in two days and it was a blast! It was really
> nice of those manufactures to do this cause where else could I test
> ride so many bikes within so short a time so I could mentally compare
> them? The Victory Hammer was the most surprising ride of them all. I
> would not have been a happy camper if I had bought one then found out
> what a pig it was!
>

Thanks for the write up, Ken. What were you riding before you bought the
Vulcan?

Robert



Posted by Ken Long on April 3, 2007, 10:48 am
On Mon, 2 Apr 2007 20:39:47 -0800, "Robert Bolton"

>Thanks for the write up, Ken. What were you riding
>before you bought the Vulcan?

First bike was a Suzuki Savage, now called the Boulevard S40. Still
have it but it's in pieces in the garage while I redo the cam chain.
(Known weakness on this engine.) This bike was great for building my
confidence in the beginning and I still enjoy commuting on it and
taking short day trips but it's very lightweight and can be a little
unstable on the freeway with gusty winds and 18-wheelers plus it only
has a 120 mile cruising range.

Second bike is an '83 Honda GL650 Silverwing. This is the one I'll
ride when Merrilou and I go on trips together. Merrilou will ride the
900. The GL650 is great for all around practical use but it's a bit
top heavy and has a tall seat height. Merrilou won't ride this one
because of those two features. It's a great road bike and will cruise
at 80 all day long. With the big tank and the 50 mpg, I can easily go
185 miles between fill ups.

I'll probably sell the Savage once I get it fixed. Don't really have
room in the garage for three.

Ken
-- Interested in New Mexico? Come visit us at
-- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nmgeneral/

Posted by Robert Bolton on April 4, 2007, 12:34 am

> On Mon, 2 Apr 2007 20:39:47 -0800, "Robert Bolton"
>
>>Thanks for the write up, Ken. What were you riding
>>before you bought the Vulcan?
>
> First bike was a Suzuki Savage, now called the Boulevard S40. Still
> have it but it's in pieces in the garage while I redo the cam chain.
> (Known weakness on this engine.) This bike was great for building my
> confidence in the beginning and I still enjoy commuting on it and
> taking short day trips but it's very lightweight and can be a little
> unstable on the freeway with gusty winds and 18-wheelers plus it only
> has a 120 mile cruising range.
>
My return bike was a Nighthawk so I can relate to being blown around. Fun
in a way though.

> Second bike is an '83 Honda GL650 Silverwing. This is the one I'll
> ride when Merrilou and I go on trips together. Merrilou will ride the
> 900. The GL650 is great for all around practical use but it's a bit
> top heavy and has a tall seat height. Merrilou won't ride this one
> because of those two features. It's a great road bike and will cruise
> at 80 all day long. With the big tank and the 50 mpg, I can easily go
> 185 miles between fill ups.
>
My brother had a non-running Silverwing for awhile. Don't know what ever
happened to it but it's gone now.

Happy Trails,
Robert



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