Hi - New member from South Africa

[Alec]

With a bit of luck I will be picking up my new bike tomorrow. A 2001 VT 1100 American with around 38 000kms on it - quite excited TBO! Sold my last bike, a KLR650 last week - these days I do more two up cruising and am looking for comfort!

Just a couple of questions for some of the board pro's.

1) My wife and myself are, err, not exactly light...around 420lb in the nick, guess add another 30lbs worth of clothing, boot and helmets, 450lb

Is the frame capable of taking the weight? I know shocks might need to be upgraded - but will the frame be ok? I have quite the imagination of travelling at 80 mph and the frame breaking in two....the wife would not be amused!

2) I am quite tall at around 6' 7 - from what I have seen, this cruiser should be a fairly good fit - and mods to make it a better fit for us long lads?

3) Lastly - anything that I really NEED to check before purchasing

Cheers
Alec

[coreenleann]

At one point my husband was 390 and I was 220 the bike held us fine. (And by the grace of God we're combined 100lbs lighter now!). Good luck and enjoy your rides with your wife

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[Alec]

Originally Posted by coreenleann

At one point my husband was 390 and I was 220 the bike held us fine. (And by the grace of God we're combined 100lbs lighter now!). Good luck and enjoy your rides with your wife

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Cheers for that - glad to know the frame can handle it. Congrats on the weight loss, think the wife and I might aim for a few kilo's off next year - but first get through the festive season!

[SuperboyX]

Welcome to the Forum Alec.

[Prosser]

Jealous that you've got nice rising weather there just now. Snow and cold here.


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[Alec]

That's the one thing we have in Cape Town, great weather for most of the year. Plus some really nice roads, chuck in the mountains and the sea, and you'd be crazy not to have a bike! Yesterday was a bit too warm at 40c/104! From what I've seen, seems quite similar to California.

Looks like I'll be picking up the bike in a few hours - first cruiser for me - just hope it "fits".

[Lakota]

Welcome, and post a photo when you can . . .

[Uncle Charlie]

Hey there, Alec - welcome to the Forum! I don't know what sort of foot rests your bike will have in place when you take delivery, but if it just comes with driver & passenger foot-pegs, you might want to consider floorboards. Most of the floorboard sets that I've seen allow for some customization to accommodate different driver & rider sizes & body types.

Another good modification you might consider is the installation of highway bars (sometimes called 'crash bars' although I don't choose to use that particular reference). Then, highway pegs can be attached to the highway bars, providing quite a bit of flexibility in terms of available foot positions. Not too long ago, I removed the straight pegs that were attached to the highway bars on my bike when I bought it and replaced them with Kuryaken 'Longhorn' adjustable offset arms with their 'dually' ISO pedals attached. These then clamp onto the highway bars and provide an amazing amount of flexibility in foot position for the driver. I would venture to say that even a long-legged fellow like yourself should have no trouble at all finding a configuration of this system that allows you to 'stretch your legs' while still on your bike.

[Alec]

Well, took possession of the bike yesterday evening and had my first ride on a cruiser. Loved it! My last two bikes where big on/offs, a klr and an xt, so the seating position is totally different, but I really like it. The ride back was 30 miles with a huge crosswind - I cannot say I was as fresh as a daisy getting off, but with a bit of time and fiddling I am sure I will get it set up just right. My wife loved the back seat and thought it was very comfortable.

The bad: Bike was in as good condition as advertised, front wheel a mess, front shocks not too hot probably need a rebuild, handle bars look like they have been tied to the back of a car and dragged for a few miles, back rest cushion gone, and a few other bits that need replacing.

The good: paint work pretty good, engine seems good, gearbox seems fine, exhausts good as with tires and generally all there.

With a bit of haggling I got it for $3000 and have $600 to get it back to a decent shape - so will just have to see. BTW bikes cost way more in South Africa than in the States - you lucky people!!

First things would be back cushion, probably a battery, chrome the front wheel and sort out forks - but new mirrors, indicators, screen and some panniers will be purchased in time!

Posting pictures from the add - it was sold as a 2001 Honda Shadow VT 1100 American - speedo it in KMs, what model in the states does it resemble? Haven't seen it on the forum?





will have to learn how to upload pic's! but this is the link to the add.

http://capetown-westerncape.gumtree....AdId=429733877

[Alec]

Thanks for that UC.

I think the floorboards will be a great addition - first for the wife, she has a birthday coming up and I think they will make a perfect present

Although I am quite tall, my legs are pretty "normal" (at least I have no problems buying jeans!) - and felt fairly comfortable yesterday, but will be able to judge better after a few more rides. I like the idea of not moving the controls, but having another option for resting my feet though...will be doing a bit of searching on the web and getting a feel for prices, cheers!