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Boulevard S40 (Long)
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August 1, 2009 at 3:46 pm #3225owlieParticipant
The last two evenings I have been sans spouse for my late afternoon commutes. I took this as an excellent opportunity to go warm up the seats of a few bikes at my local dealerships. I sat on everything from a Rebel to a Ducati (sometimes I pity the poor salespeople who have to deal with me…).
I started at the Harely dealership, looking at the Blast again. The Blast will always hold a special place in my heart as the first bike I ever sat on (moving or not). Unfortunately, having actually ridden a motorcycle now for the BRC, I had a better idea of what I was looking for ergonomically. I still liked the seating position of the Blast, and the regular seat was a comfortable fit. What I didn’t like was a ridge that it has on either side of the tank; this hit me strangly on the inside of my legs and I think would drive me nuts after half an hour or so. So I moved on.
The next dealership I went to seemed to have a little of everything; Hondas, Ducatis, Suzukis, etc. I think that the salesperson was somewhat on the inexperienced side- or perhaps he was desparate for a sale. Maybe both? We started with the GS500. This was too tall for me and I really didn’t like having my arms almost straight out in front of me. Even if I had leaned forward, I didn’t think that it would have provided me with the comfortable and relaxing ride I was looking for. Next he tried to put me on a couple of dual sports. Much too high. I would have needed a step stool to clamber onto one of them. Ha! Good luck! He tried to convince me I would really love to have a Ducati. Really, it was a small Ducati, a great beginner bike. Right. I think I’ll continue to look.
Finally I convinced this poor guy to show me the Rebels up front (which I had been admiring when he came up and introduced himself). Those felt pretty good. The handles were in the right place. The pegs weren’t too far forward (my biggest worry with the cruiser style). Everything I had heard about them was positive. The only real drawback was that they are 250s. I tell myself that I don’t expect to do alot of highway riding the first year or two, but since I do right now in my cage, I know that I probably will once I have had a few weeks to get comfortable in the saddle. But, I added the Rebel to my list of bikes to take a second look at.
The Yamaha dealer was next on my list. I have to say, that the V-Stars are some sexy looking bikes. They didn’t have any of the 250’s in stock, so I only got to sit on one of the 650 Classics. The sales person was impressed that I didn’t seem to have any trouble pulling it upright, then made me put it down and gave me a great tip for doing so with less muscle. (While on the sidestand, turn the handlebars full-lock right and then roll it up.) I liked the look, and it was comfortable to sit on, but it felt like a big bike. Granted, it was probably the heaviest bike I have sat on, but it really felt like a lot more bike than I wanted. I know I wouldn’t know the difference once I got going at highway speeds, but I’m a little more concerned about knowing the difference when I am trying to wrestle it around a parking lot. So a maybe, but probably not.
So, last night I swung by the Suzuki dealership and they had a Boulevard S40 sitting there. Oh, my. Umm. Well. You see. It was magenta. And well, it was magenta. And then he pulled it out so I could sit on it. And not only was it magenta, but when my feet were on the ground, my derriere was still on the seat. And the enginners must have had some divine intervention on the handle bars, because they felt like they were prefectly placed. Not too high, not too close or far away. The pegs were forward just a little bit, but not so far I felt like I wouldn’t have leverage to stand on them. And there was no problem trying to operate the shifter. And did I mention that it was magenta?
If I had a shred less self control, I would have written them a check right there. But goals and rewards only work if applied in the right order. 17 days and counting until I get my test results. Come the 18th, if I passed, I’m going back for that bike. If I didn’t, I’m taking a picture and putting it on the wall over my study materials for motivation.
But, I still have to go look at bikes at the Kawasaki dealership. Maybe I’ll like the Vulcan or the Ninja better? But this feels like when I picked out my wedding dress. It just feels right. I think I could sit on another 30 bikes and still go back for that S40.
Before I sign off- THANK YOU to everyone for your advice, wrangling, and comisseration. Everything that I have read here over the last several months made it a much less stressful experience at the dealerships. I actually had things to talk about besides where the handlebars were and what color the bikes came in (though that is mostly what I discussed above- for discussion of HP, cc’s, and torque, there are myriad other discussions already on this board). I think that the salespeople were pleasantly surprised to find a female who had her act together. The first question all of them asked, except the “Ducati as a great beginner bike” guy, was if I had already done the MSF class. Everyone on this board has been helpful, and I appreciate the great advice and shared experiences.
Thanks,
OwlieAugust 1, 2009 at 4:45 pm #21132briderdtParticipantThe 696 was used in several basic rider MSF courses… Ducati used them as an intro, and had a lot of press folks there. But yeah, they used DUCATIS in the BRC! Check out some of the mags from, oh, last October or so.
August 1, 2009 at 7:09 pm #21134owlieParticipantWell, I’m glad he wasn’t completely off base. But still, not what I was looking for.
August 2, 2009 at 12:11 am #21136MunchParticipantThe only thing I got to add…if you don’t already have enough going through your head now. Any bike on the show room floor is a generic set up, meant to fit many but not all. If you like a bike and not the handle bar placement as above… ask how much more cost would be incurred to get risers for the handle bars to make it fit YOU. Same thing with pegs/floor boards.
My Vulcan 500 was a good fit for me, just not me and one of my kids for extended runs. I got my 900 and though it felt good under me the handle bars were a bit forward for me putting pressure on my lower back. I already knew I wanted a drivers back rest and once I got it I found that the handlebars were still to far forward to make use of it. So…got my risers for the handle bars… perfect, I now truly ride in my lounge chair.
So don’t let a stock set up turn you off completely you can adjust and change many things on any bike to make it comfortable for you. Just depends on your budget limitations and how much you like that bike.August 2, 2009 at 2:35 am #21139owlieParticipantThanks for the great advice. One of the people at the Honda dealership I stopped at today said the same thing when I mentioned that the gear shift seemed awkwardly placed on a dual sport I tried.
I think one of the real problems I am running into in my area is that most people are not thinking about new summer toys right now and so the inventory is lower across the board on bikes. A lot of the sales people seem to be trying to put me on larger bikes because they don’t have any of the smaller bikes I am asking about in stock.
August 2, 2009 at 3:43 am #21140roborabbitParticipantIf you do end up buying new just remember that if they don’t have the bike on-hand that you won’t be able to deal much price wise. Dealers don’t have much motivation to order a bike and put in all the work that goes into a sale for a low profit. A good general rule for buying a new bike is that 100-200$ under MSRP with tax/title/license + other fees included on a bike they currently have in inventory is a pretty good deal (on entry level bikes IE ninja 250, 500, rebel, KLR, DRZ400 etc; on the higher end bikes (gsrx etc) there is much more room to deal). If they have to order it from a warehouse or another dealer a good deal would be around MSRP + tax with fees included. Depending on the bike. Figure dealer price + tax + 10-20% profit is normally a good deal. You can get a pretty accurate estimate for what your dealer pays for the bike from googling / forums. Just remember you don’t exactly want to reem the dealer incase you need to get the bike serviced there one day . 1 or 2 % profit can make the difference between them being a dealer that goes the extra mile or a place that nickle and dimes you for everything.
August 2, 2009 at 4:21 am #21141Joseph HannaParticipantI’m going into my 8th week on my s40. It’s a great bike. Light, agile, quick. It does fine up to 60 plus. Great mileage. Good looking ect, ect.
My only warning which may or may not not apply to you is…. After being told “you’ll want a bigger bike soon” by a thousand people I still opted to go with the s40. At the time it felt as the perfect fit. All was cool until a friend of mine whom I ride with went out of town on vacation. He offered me his 2008 s50 to ride in his absence. For an hour or two it felt a bit big and heavy. Then suddenly it didn’t. It just felt good. It just felt great. I put 350 miles on that bike in two days.
Mind you the s40 still feels good but now in a much different way. The s50 is solid. It rumbles nicely. It doesn’t jolt with the road as much. Much less shifting with the s50 than with the s40. Rolling on power with the s50 in third gear is visceral.
By contrast the s40 is like a gigantic electric powered motorcycle. I suspect it’s quicker than the s50 in first and second gear but it just accelerates in a much different manor. It’s quite and smooth. Maybe lacking a tad of emotion. That might not be of any concern of yours especially if you just learning and that’s cool.
Don’t get me wrong the s40 is a brilliant, good looking/running bike especially for beginners and it may be perfect for you. I’m just bummed cause for me I’m gonna take a financial hit on my new s40 cause I MUST have an s50. I MUST have an s50.
Good luck and ride safely.
August 2, 2009 at 4:08 pm #21148owlieParticipantThanks for the advice on bargaining. I was kind of wondering where to start.
In all honesty, there is only 8-10 weeks left in our riding season. If the dealer doesn’t have it on the floor, or I can’t find it used, I’ll probably be waiting until spring.
August 2, 2009 at 4:20 pm #21151owlieParticipantOkay, so I thought about this a little more, and looked at the bikes I was trying from the category perspective. My complaint about where the handles bars are on several of the bikes is probably more along the lines of not thinking the riding posture is comfortable since they were all sport bikes. In all honesty though, I have no idea how I would feel about this riding posture without actually riding one.
August 2, 2009 at 4:29 pm #21152owlieParticipantThis is the best explanation I have heard of the “you’ll be bored with it soon” phenomena. While I have sat on and thought about getting a 250, I think that this has talked me out of even considering it.
Good Luck on your trade-up.
August 2, 2009 at 7:48 pm #21156BuddhaDogParticipantI took the BRCin February with no previous riding experience, then bought a used 2001 LS650 Savage/S40 in April. I was looking at the V-Star 250 but the lack of power on the 250’s at the BRC made me concerned. I wanted to start on something not too big but with a little more juice.
For the S40, I can tell you all opinions are valid: it’s a great bike that you can keep for a long time AND you’ll want something bigger/better/faster soon. It has been a great bike to learn and I continually remind myself that the bike is capable of more than I am right now. It’s great around town and on back roads, and gets 60+ mpg. It is lightweight with good power. It can run 65 mph+ but being light with a skinny front tire makes it feel a little unstable to me at highway speeds. It backfires some, which hasn’t bothered me (makes me feel like a punk when I’m riding through the rich neighborhoods) and vibrates a little, but all in all a great first bike that can last a long time.
For me, though, I’m getting the itch to trade up to something around 800–900 cc’s but also not ruling out 1100–1300cc bikes, either. I want a little more weight, a little more “presence” and that v-twin rumble. Thinking I’ll keep it for at least a year before really shopping, though.
Owlie, just a quick FYI, the BRC I attended had a Blast. I tried riding it, but the clutch was so finicky I kept stalling. Switched mid-course to the Suzuki 250 and had no troubles.
August 2, 2009 at 9:02 pm #21158SpoolParticipantYou know just about everyone I know who rides wants a more powerful, bigger, better bike. It’s just the way it goes. One of my close friends has a Harley Street Bob. His is the 88ci motor (1450cc). I remember when he got it how impressed he was with the power, saying it was all he’d ever need. A few months into owning the bike he upgraded the pipes and added a power commander to get more power. Not to long after that a high performance intake for more power. The next season he had high performance cams installed for more power. Anyone seeing a theme here? Now he is talking about a big bore kit (I believe to a 1550). I’ve ridden this bike, it’s a great ride and IMO is insanely powerful the way it is now. Its the same way with people who buy sport bikes. There is no R type sport bike out there that can be used anywhere near it’s full potential on public roads, yet people upgrade them for more power all the time.
The point I’m trying to make here is that it doesn’t matter what bike you start with after getting familiar with it, 99% of riders want to upgrade. In most cases it’s not about needing a bigger, stronger, faster machine it’s simply wanting one. Unless you need the power for two up riding there is really no “need” for a bike more powerful than the S40. But that’s not going to stop you from wanting one.
Buy a bike that you are comfortable with now. But buy it knowing this, sooner or later (usually sooner) your going to want an upgrade. Everyone does. That’s the beauty of motorcycles, there’s ton’s of different styles out there and it’s great to try them all.
August 2, 2009 at 11:30 pm #21159Joseph HannaParticipantTotally agree with you guys. The urge to upgrade is as bad with bikes as it is with guitars That said the vast, vast majority will outgrow the s40 for obvious and logical reasons. The vast, vast majority of riders will outgrow the 883 for not so obvious and totally ill-logical reasons.
I make the point for new riders and purchasers only
August 3, 2009 at 12:08 am #21161briderdtParticipantWhen I was looking to buy my bike, I was pretty set on the sport bike genre, thinking that my bicycle racing background would make the sport bike position more comfortable. Well, every time I threw a leg over a sport bike in the store, something felt wrong. My feet found the pegs naturally, but they all (including the GS500) felt WAY low and forward.
Then I had a breakthrough…
I put the GS500 on the centerstand and got on the bike with BOTH feet on the pegs. Dramatic difference. Suddenly the bars didn’t feel too low, in fact they felt too HIGH. When you only have one foot on the peg and one on the floor, you can’t use your core properly, and you’ll have a LOT of weight on your hands. And it’ll feel wrong.
At the very least, have the shop floor guy hold the bike up for you so you can put both feet up. Your eyes will be opened too.
I did this with a couple guys I work with (one of which has been dead set on a Vstar), and he went from “I’d never want a sport bike” to “Hey, this is really comfortable.”
August 5, 2009 at 1:56 am #21228owlieParticipantAh, well…
Point taken that some people will always want to trade up to bigger, better, and faster. I’ll keep it in mind.
For myself, I drive a 2002 Saturn sedan. My boss has been after me to trade up to a Mercedes for years. Even a Subaru would be better than the Saturn. I’ll drive my Saturn until the wheels fall off.
Something tells me that if I find a bike I am comfortable riding, trading up for more power or sex appeal isn’t going to be really important to me.
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