visionary
minneapolis
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Joined: 02/28/2008
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Hello,
I am a new member searching for a new bike. Its primary use is as a daily commuter. I also take day-long rides on the weekends, and intend to enjoy longer (1000-2000 mile) trips with a new machine. Few machines appeal to me. I have narrowed the "field" to two: the Kawasaki Versys and the BMW F800ST. I have a couple of questions, to which I welcome any input.
The Kawasaki should be a great commuter. The only real issue is with the seat. It is a tall bike, and in order to afford an easier reach to the ground, they employed the Ducati Multistrada-style solution of triangulating the shape of the seat. Thus there is full support in the "riding" position, but by sliding forward toward the tank where the seat narrows, ones legs reach further. Unfortunately, Kawasaki made the fatal mistake of sloping the seat toward the tank to improve ther reach even further. The rider must either constantly strain to prevent sliding forward, or sit forward on a very narrow post. Virtually all testers commented on this; after sitting on it for some time, I tend to agree. I have no experience with an aftermarket seat. My question is this:
Is it foolish to buy a bike for which, in order to tour comfortably, I almost certainly will have to find a replacement seat?
The BMW has a power advantage, and ought to be a better tourer. However, it has some problems of its own, though testers do not agree on the incidence and severity of these. The only real concern to me is engine vibration, which three testers (including those at Rider) cited as severe enough to cause numbness at normal cruising speeds. My current V-twin is silky-smooth, so I haven't had to deal with this before, either. Obvoiusly, I will test ride both bikes when the snow melts in Minnesota, but I don't know if a fifteen minute test ride can properly reveal long-term faults. My question concerning engine vibration is:
Are some people truly not bothered by vibration of certain frequencies, or do these people just ignore it? Vibration would seem to be a deal-killer in a tourer. Can handlebar and footpeg vibration be effectively damped?
Thank you to anyone willing to contribute.
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VStarman
Nebraska
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Joined: 10/22/2006
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You know, I, like you, thirst for something different.. I like 1000-1500 mile rides and long touring trips... and I dream of the Concours14 and such...
But a Cruiser bike is designed for comfort... Add a Mustang or Corbin seat and they are hard to beat...
Yes comfort is always important on a touring trip... If your butt is killing you every 75 miles, and you know there is a way to fix it... you will!
Soooo... It's hard to beat a cruiser bike for comfort!
That being said, I have read good comments about the comfort of the Suzuki Bandit...
* This post was
edited 02/29/08 12:02pm by VStarman *
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stinky41
kings park NY 11754
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Joined: 02/23/2008
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I also read up on the Kawi and thought it looked like a peach. I saw the videos on the Kawi web site and the bike rcvd high grades from just about everyone who tested it.
I have to say though, I am also a cruizer person. I ride the vstar 1300.
When I was at Americade last year I demod the BMW and was not impressed.
I was not comfortable with its ergonmnics. Then again I am a cruizer guy.
So maybe just me and my taste. However for the 6800 price on the Kawi, it seems like a better deal. For the difference in price you can update that seat for something more easier on the rear.
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Vstar-Guy
USA
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Joined: 01/15/2005
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“Is it foolish to buy a bike for which, in order to tour comfortably, I almost certainly will have to find a replacement seat?”
“Are some people truly not bothered by vibration of certain frequencies, or do these people just ignore it? Vibration would seem to be a deal-killer in a tourer. Can handlebar and footpeg vibration be effectively damped?”
In order to Ride Safely you must Expect the Unexpected!
The RIDE is the Destination!
Always Remember: Stupid Hurts!
VStarGuy
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Vstar-Guy
USA
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Disregard my first reply, I tried to use color font to distinguish between your question and my answer and it left out my answer???
So your question appears in quotes.
“Is it foolish to buy a bike for which, in order to tour comfortably, I almost certainly will have to find a replacement seat?”
I don’t think so. I think the general rule is that most stock seats are not desired for many reasons. I’m not a long time experienced biker but I did replace my stock seat and others I know did the same for various reasons.
“Are some people truly not bothered by vibration of certain frequencies, or do these people just ignore it? Vibration would seem to be a deal-killer in a tourer. Can handlebar and footpeg vibration be effectively damped?”
I don’t know about footpeg or handlebar vibration but I know that my seat vibration was significantly diminished when I replace the stock seat with a Corbin seat. One other thing I did notice was changing to synthetic oil did relieve some of the vibration and the whining from the tranny. I have learned V-Stars or Yamaha’s in general have a reputation for whining sound from the engine/transmission. As I recall, it had something with the design of certain gears of the bike. I used Mobil Extended Milage 10-30 in a 650 Vstar classic.
Note: As long as the bottom half of the “target” on the back of the oil container does NOT contain any text it is safe to use in a wet clutch bike. If the text on the bottom half reads “Energy Conserving” DO NOT USE IT IN A WET CLUTCH BIKE. “Energy Conserving” means friction proofers were added to the oil. It will cause clutch slippage and you don’t want that. Good Luck
Ride Safely!
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Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
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Joined: 02/02/2005
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The only thing I can comment on is the BMW dealer. We only have one dealer in my area, and they are very proud of the bikes they sell, based on how much they ask for them. Service is also an issue, as the service dept will be more than glad to keep your bike for as long as it takes for them to fix it, notwithstanding the fact that it is a simple issue, that could easily be quickly fixed with the proper and very expensive specific tool that will only work on that bike.
I got very frustrated very quickly with the dealer, and was glad to get rid of the Boxer.
* This post was
edited 02/29/08 05:54pm by Ride_Slow2004 *
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THEBurninator
Washburn, MO
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Joined: 08/11/2003
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The good thing about BMW is most dealers will let you test ride their bikes. Ride one for yourself and see what the vibes are like.
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VStarman
Nebraska
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Joined: 10/22/2006
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Not every one that buys a motorcycle wants to tour with it...
The vast majority want a "Pretty Seat", and the arteeeeests that design our pretty bikes also like "Pretty Seats"...
I can't say that a Mustang seat is a beautiful work of art...
But it sure is nice to my butt!
If I bought a Concours14 and it was not nice to my butt;
I'll bet that Mustang does not make a seat for this bike!
What is my poor butt to do???
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THEBurninator
Washburn, MO
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Joined: 08/11/2003
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VStarman wrote:Not every one that buys a motorcycle wants to tour with it...
The vast majority want a "Pretty Seat", and the arteeeeests that design our pretty bikes also like "Pretty Seats"...
I can't say that a Mustang seat is a beautiful work of art...
But it sure is nice to my butt!
If I bought a Concours14 and it was not nice to my butt;
I'll bet that Mustang does not make a seat for this bike!
What is my poor butt to do???
Mustang makes seats mainly for cruisers.
Sargent and Corbin make comfortable aftermarket seats for most sport and sport touring bikes. I have a Sargent on my Speed Triple and am impressed with the quality, style, and comfort. The worse part was the 350 dollar price tag.
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VStarman
Nebraska
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$350. is probably a good number for a Mustang seat for a cruiser bike..
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