Coming home from work today, I decided to make a few stops. Stop number one was my regular bike dealer, Ride Now Motor Sports. To tell you the truth, I don't care much for their service but they are one of the only Honda dealers in the valley.After a few smokes, I sat on an older, used CBR750 and a new 919 (pictured on the left). They both felt OK, but the 919 was a bit too tall. Supposedly, the suspension can be adjusted to lower it a bit. The look is just nice. Not too sporty or over complex. Plenty of class. Both leather or mesh would look good on this ride.
After making that stop, I ride over to the henderson Harley Davidson dealer. Most of their motorcycles are just too large. The only two bikes they make that fit me are the Buell Blast and Sportster 883. The Blast looks and feels nice, but is just too darned tall and can't be lowered much. Now the Sportster 883...
This is a nice, small, inexpensive bike. It weighs in at about 500 pounds and is very well balanced.
There is an entire line of accessories for both and they are rather inexpensive, around $8,000. At that price, either one could be an addition or replacement to my little Honda Rebel.
But, do I really want to replace my Rebel? I LIKE my little 80 MPG Rebel. It is a great commuter bike. Who knows... It will be a while... No choices tonight.
3 comments:
I love Standards, it doesn't matter whether they're a Honda or a Harley, they fit perfectly with my K.I.S.S. philosophy in life.
If it were me, I'd buy in addition to the Rebel and not replace it for another, I've always had more than one bike and love it, also the Rebel has to cost next to nothing to own and maintain.
Thanks Earl,
Yesterday I went again to sit on the 919. The dealership promised that if I bought it, they would fit the suspension to my short little legs. Nice touch.
Unfortunately they only had one bike left and Honda discontinued that model here in the states. 2007 is the last model offered. That's OK. I have seen several on CraigsList at a decent price. By the time I am ready to buy, I am sure there will still be plenty used available.
Yes, I too like the standards. I lament that there aren't more standards available. Seems like so many people want a specialized bike. That's OK, but for those of us that like the simple standard, it is difficult.
I thought about it, and there is just no way I will get rid of my Rebel. 80 MPG on average? $12 per oil change with the GOOD oil? A bike that even I can perform recommended tuneups? No way I am selling or trading her in!
There are some great bargains out there on used "standards" because they are not cool enough for silly people who value form over function. Look around for a nice CB750 Nighthawk, Suzuki Bandit, Kaw Versys, Yamaha FZ1 600, and one of my favorites, the Suzuki SV650. Let someone else take the depreciation on a newer bike and you get extra money for new riding gear!
BTW, beware RideNow. They will find more ways to get money out of your pocket than you can imagine. Their reputation here in the Phoenix area is not good. If you must deal with them, deal only on an out the door price otherwise they will add on ridiculous fees on one sort or another. I talked to them about a 50cc Honda scooter for my wife and they wanted nearly $1200 dollars above the retail price of the $1800 scooter by the time they finished adding freight, set-up, doc fees, Friday night beer fees, etc. Not happening.
I agree with what someone else said about keeping the Rebel. If the money isn't an issue you might as well keep it for casual rides, commuting, or whatever suits your fancy.
Doug
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