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Honda to Harley and maybe back to Honda.

3K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  Amos Iron Wolf 
#1 ·
So I picked up this 93 HD Electra Glide Sport with full tour packs. Nice bike. It had been setting a bit the last year to so just getting run a little. I got it off a friend who generally took pretty good care of it over the years. The bike has 61K miles on it, but as noted, has been cared for.

I've already spent a grand and some change on the HD getting the 10K service (HD's have a 5K and a 10K service schedule for those who don't know.) and in the process they discovered a shift fork inside was worn and had to be replaced. Had it gone out on the road I'd have been stranded. I get the bike out and then it's acting up after starting. Back to the shop. They checked the jets on the S&S carb (they didn't install it) and it needed the main jet bumped up and some more tweaking. Picked up the bike, rode to work, rode home for lunch and back to work. That evening it gives me grief starting. Had to make a stop on the way home and thought I was stranded with a near dead battery. At the last effort it started using the push button direct to the solenoid (thank goodness it had that added) and got it home. New battery in yesterday.

I came across a beautiful, excellent condition 2004 Honda 1100 Saber outfitted pretty much the way I want on Craigslist locally. Now If I can sell my truck or the Harley fast enough I'll buy that and maybe keep my 94 VT1100C to be turned into a solo bike.

Don't get me wrong, the HD is a really nice bike. A rather heavy bike, but some nice things about it once you get used to riding it. There is something about that rumble and shake sitting at a light that connects down inside. The ritual of starting the bike is a little more involved and connects you a little more in a hard to describe way. There are just some things that are different from a metric and especially a Shadow. I'm used to stopping and killing the engine by putting the kickstand down with the bike in gear. On the HD, you stop, put the bike in neutral, turn off at the ignition/fork lock switch. I still don't use the kill switch on the bars. You put down the Jiffy Stand as it's called, making sure it's full forward and when you lean the bike into it the jiffy stand lock in place. But for an old guy on old legs, it can be a bit of heavy work. Particularly at lights solo and two up even worse.

However, I find the Shadow 1100 to be the right mix of size, power to weight, and being light enough to toss around and flick about. Not dirt bike, small bore flickable, but light and easy to play with. Also a nice thing at stops and when walking the bike back into a parking spot. I don't want to spend a lot of money tweaking out my 94. However, if I could pick up a bike like the one I saw for sale, the 2004 Sabre with Leatherlyke lockable bags and backrest that will probably fit the needs for me and the wife. Both for me commuting to work and solo riding and for two rides with her for some wind therapy.
 
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#2 ·
I know there is something soulful about Harley's character, and I think that's been theyre appeal throughout the decades, but trouble free reliability is nice.

I've really enjoyed my Sabre and never had any issues with keeping up with the bigger bikes. The only time I feel like a little more motor would be nice is riding two up, but that's over 400lbs of people on the bike at that point.

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#3 ·
AMI, stay intouvh if you buy the Honda 1100. I have the LeatherLyke bags on my 750 Shadow Spirit. I also have the large LeatherLyke cruiser case that I can sell you if you can find the right luggage rack. LeatherLyke suggests the lugage rack should have a 30 lb. carrying capacity.

This would finish out you bags and give you a nice tour pack appearance. Check out the cruiser case on their web site. I'll send a picture if you are interested.

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#5 ·
The large is too big for what I have in mind. Looking at the pics of the Sabre on CL again, with the bags it has I don't see how the wife could get her legs on the pegs with those bags on the bike. They're pretty big and from a side view it looks like she "might" be able to get the edge of her heel on the peg with those bags shoving forward.

I'll hopefully get to take some longer rides on the HD over the next week or so and see if we bond more. I'm still spoiled by being able to toss the Shadow around under me though.
 
#4 ·
Good luck with selling the HD and getting a Shadow. I'm picking up my 3rd Shadow tomorrow. I had an 02 Sabre VT1100, a 07 Shadow Spirit 750 C2, and the one I'm picking up tomorrow is a 98 Shadow ACE 1100 Tourer.
 
#8 ·
Rode the VT1100 today and part of yesterday for work. It runs good, but if I go to using it for out of town and commuting once we move I'll need to get a new seat as the Mustang on it is old and coming apart, some saddlebags, new tires, and replace the rear brakes a bit sooner than I was going to. I use the front brake almost entirely on the Shadow with just a little trailing or add to from the back. I noticed I just kind of toss the Shadow around in ways I'm a little leary, okay at the present, chicken to do with the HD. I can just get away with more and slips and missteps on the Shadow I can recover from with the lighter bike.

Part of it is I need to figure out which bike to commit to as the dollars are rather limited. The HD needs a better seat for my part. Plus the additional costs down the road. There is a small crack in the exhaust back past the the crossover that I can wait on, but it will either mean the labor to take it off and weld it or the costs of a new forward exhaust from manifold to mufflers. A fork seal is weeping a little and there is the slight EVO weep from the base and head gasket on the front cylinder. All things that will have to go into the shop for. I don't have the place, time, or set up to wrench anymore and I'm not that great a wrench anyway. I can diagnose okay, but even if I was a super monkey my back can't take much bending around working on bikes or cars. Just changing the battery or doing a good hand washing causes my back to spasm and twist me up.

I would really like to try out a Yamaha V-Star 1300 Touring. I just don't know if it will feel closer the the weight and handling of the FLHS or to the VT1100. Gotta admit I have thought about the STX1300. Not sure how tall the seat is on it. That's another hassle of getting older and stiffer. I can't swing a leg over taller bikes without getting severe cramps in the sides of the hips. Makes it really interesting to try and hold a bike up or ride it on takeoff when those parts are spasming.

Whatever else I go for I will have to sell one bike and the pickup (another reminder I ain't as young as I used to be) or all three vehicles to pay for the next bike. I need to reduce the vehicles I suddenly ended up with and the ones I already had. As soon as this house buying goes through we're planning on trading in my 2014 Juke NISMO, my wife's '14 Versa, and possibly my parent's 14 Sentra for a new Altima or Camry for her, and if we trade the parent's as well, then a new Versa or Corolla that will be ours, but my parents will keep except for days I might need a car for work or something else.

Me, I'm going back to a bike for my primary transportation. I can ride year round here with few exceptions and I have. So if we get moved then the bike will have to be a good commuter for a 70 mile round trip, be up for two up day trips, and still handle the slow speed stuff for my old legs with the not so petite, but very loved wife on the back. Currently it's easier to ride both of us around town and stop and go on the Shadow. Over the open road it's a wash. Both bikes do well. Her seat on either currently is good, for me the HD sucks until I replace the seat.

The real issue is the range of the bikes. On the HD I can easily get over 150 miles easily and have a good bit more before hitting the reserve. The Shadow's range means not going some places because it's too far between fuel stops.
 
#12 ·
I found an old flyer from my local Honda dealer. The prices are 2014 MSRP, but you can always deal. Valkyrie - $17999, Wing F6B - $21499, Gold Wing - $24999. You may want to consider a tricked out used motorcyle since someone else took the depreciation hit. and probably added most of the accessories you need.


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#13 ·
Leatherlykes mount in one position only w/o fabricating a sub plate to relocate the mounting hardware. I also had a holding pin come loose and the bag dropped down onto the exhaust. Patched with Devcon and was good as new but it shouldn't have failed but otherwise very durable bags. The Contemporarys are somewhat sleeker profile than the studded versions.
 
#14 ·
H13, how has that Valkyrie been reliability and maintenance wise? I have a former RC member who has one, but rides it little and he keeps having to have the carbs resynced. He spends most riding time on his Victory dresser.

There is a Valkyrie for sale locally bagged out and I'd kind of thought about it a little.



Gotta sell before I can buy though. I'm not going for a new bike or one I need to finance at this point.

Would still like to try out the STX 1300 too.

Will fire up the HD today and put some more miles on it today probably.
 
#15 ·
As Hman hasn't answered yet i'll put in my two cents. The Valks like any bike are meant to be ridden and like any bike they have their peculiarities. On the whole after having owned two of them, my favorite ride ever. No more maintenance than any other shaft driven bike and on long hauls it's a breeze.
 
#17 ·
Thanks,

Definitely done with the HD. Just put in a new battery and it appears I now have a charging system issue. Ran great at first, a 20-25 mile out trip, turned it off and near dead battery issue. Fortunately I was at a boat ramp parking lot and able to bump start to get home. Will have to take my Sunday off (I have split days off) and charge up the battery, pull the meter out and do diagnostics.

Hopefully, it's the regulator. Easiest fix and not trying to run down bad grounds or shorts. If it's the stator it will have to set until I can get the extra cash set by and have it trailered to the shop and fixed. I don't have the place or time or a good enough back to work on it.

I may give a Sportster I know of a try if I can work out a trade or sell mine and buy it cheap. Then again, I may just pick up another Honda for a two up and solo fun bike and use my current VT1100 for a commuter.
 
#18 ·
a little confused about how one could compare the reliability, ridability, weight, and more of a 1993 geezer glide to a 1994 and 2004 honda shadow? apples to oranges, plain as day.

c'mon.

1. hondas are light, no question
2. vts are closer to sportys and old dyna, not geezer glides.

madness
 
#19 ·
Amos, for what it’s worth, I attest that over the years (I’m in my seventies), my bikes have ranged across the board. My HD’s were a thrill but need to be constantly maintained… sure it looks and sounds and feels great (from the pan head to the knuckle and shovel head – never tried the evolution motor) but it was never meant to be a snappy bike and it was always heavy and the mirrors were useless because they shake so much, == that’s when getting on the ground to work on it was no problem. My Kawasaki’s were fast and furious, Yamaha’s are equal to Honda’s. My current ride is ’04 Sabre 1100 which has proven to be the most dependable I have ever had – period. I am confined to a large body with worn out everything except my mind that refuses to age, my Sabre is, in my opinion, my best choice: easy to handle, smooth, powerful, easy to work on with a hydraulic table lift from HF and a bit of modification to the wheel chuck on same for around three hundred bucks total (I use an old office chair with castor wheels and adjustable height lever to assist me as well.) I still have the desire to ride but less than 75% of the distance and time that I enjoyed way back, and now it’s almost always solo – 1 up (Ok, I do get the young wild one now and then that will give Pappy the thrill of showing-off and have others gaze in amazement with the question “Wow, what does She see in him?”… But that’s another subject.) So, that’s how it works for me, and I honestly hope this will assist you in making the right decisions. Enjoy your life as much as you can as long as you can because it’s not a rehearsal – you only get one chance! P.S. I use Non-Ethanol gasoline, Rotella Oil, and Seafoam. All my vehicles are in a decent garage.
 
#20 ·
Yup. Still dealing with the charging issue. Replaced the rectifier/regulator and went to an AGM battery. Still not getting right reading across the battery terminals for voltage. Stator tests okay for resistance and is putting out AC volts properly. I forgot to test running voltage on the regulator side of the circuit breaker under the seat though so tomorrow I'll do that to see if the circuit breaker is the problem. If that doesn't work then it's off to the shop and let them figure it out.

I have split days off and work days are noon to 9pm. So not time to get involved in the morning then get degreased and dressed for work. No place to mess with the bike in the late evening nor do I want to. So it's off days only while fitting everything else in. So a lot of down time for very little riding is irritating.

There are a few things that are HD that I like. I may still give a newer EFI Sportster a try. If can sell my 93 F150 4x4 and both bikes in time the HD dealer in San Antonio has a clean looking XL1200C with windshield, bags, and passenger backrest, with just over 7K miles on it for $8995. The bike is set up pretty much the way I would like it to be. Great for commuting to work, fun solo rides, and taking off for a day with the wife on the back. Enough power and still light enough for my old legs.

Since commuting (if we ever get closed on this house and move) and my individual transportation are high on the list I have looked at the Honda CB500X with added panniers. I like the idea of it being a basis for some adventure bike buildups. With little modification, or even stock, it should be fine for the "What's up there?" side trips up gravel and dirt roads. Not talking rugged trails. Just your ordinary gravel and dirt roads like I used to rip that old Sears 106cc Gilera Special up and down as a teenager. I also did a LOT of off road riding on the poor, but wonderfully amazing and reliable when it should have died bike. So something that would be 85-90% street and 10-15% gravel and caliche road has a bit of an appeal for me and my exploratory desire.

As far as comparing. I'm not comparing the handling of the FLHS to the VT1100 as peer to peer. We're talking several hundred pounds a lot of bulk difference plus all the tour luggage and other stuff. One of the considerations is that I'm having to admit that the weight and bulk of the FLHS might just be more than this old man needs to actually fit his needs. Sucks to admit such things. No doubt the Shadow is a lighter handling, more flickable bike relative to the FLHS. That said the FLHS once underway isn't hard to guide around and sort of flick around underneath you. It's just a bit more of a barge at really lower speeds around town.

Another aspect that really surprised me is that while the passenger seat setup is great for the wife the stock driver seat on the 93 FLHS is pretty lousy. Thinner padding and uncomfortable. You would think on a touring bike that the driver's seat would be a lot more comfortable.Also the Shadow is a fire it up and bike. The FLHS is a cold beast that takes longer to warm up than it does to get work from where I currently live.

There is a pleasure, at least I recall there being a good bit when I first got the HD before all this, to rumbling the backroads with the Glide and I was wanting to do a lot more of it and range out farther with the advantage of the larger tank and better MPG of the Glide over the Shadow. But so far the supposed touring bike, when I've been able to get it out, doesn't really have any significant comfort or anything special over the Shadow in terms of ride quality. That could be addressed with a new seat on one level. The Shadow has an aging Mustang wide touring seat that has seen some days and needs replaced. However, it is still a real pleasure to drop your butt on after two or three hours of the FLHS with it's stock seat.

Both bikes are just one year apart. The HD just rolled 62K miles and the Shadow has 52K miles on it. The HD, until left to sit for a few years with just a little running now and then, was generally kept up and all services and any repairs needed done to it. To be fair the VT1100 was gone through and everything the held liquid flushed and cleanded and reloaded, the carb rejetted to match the new pipes, and certain components upgraded like coil and voltage regulator. Other than not getting ran at highway speeds for a while after the go over which needed some Seafoam treatments and actually riding the bike at those speeds for a while, the bike was pretty fresh when I got it. The tires have great tread, but weather cracking on the sidewalls means if I keep it I will need to replace them.

So whichever bike, if any, I keep money will need to be spent on seating and some other things bike dependent to get the bike really fit to me and up to speed for daily use. In the case of the Shadow it means bags and before long replace the seat. On the HD I have a LOT of carry capacity, but the seat has to get an upgrade. I also worry more about the HD developing more issues and requiring a lot more money to keep on the road in daily use. Fact is running either bike daily if/when the commute changes into a 70-80 mile round trip, plus the other riding concerns me in terms of future issues coming sooner with the miles each bike already has on it. On the HD's side you can get parts and keep rebuilding that bike from the ground up or even buy a new EVO engine or upgrade to a S&S larger displacement engine and keep going. I would expect less stuff and less maintenance on the Shadow, but at the age it is some parts get harder to find. Lack of long term (compared to HD) platform support by the metric makers can mean a small part can sideline an otherwise healthy machine while you search out a used part or some alternative.

Either way and as much as I would also love a Goldwing, I just need to stay away from bikes that are pushing half a ton and that are so wide I have to spread em just a little more than is comfortable. A VTX1300 or a Star 1300 Tour might be really nice and almost ideal, but still a bit heavier and apologies to those who love them, but I really do NOT like floorboards. I've tried em and I don't like em. So if I can I will give a lower mileage, not quite so old Sportster a chance or maybe pick up a clean ST 1300 Honda sport tourer.

Suffice to say I have come to appreciate my old Shadow 1100 a lot more. I just wish I had more range on it. And maybe a bit less miles.
 
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