Bought a Vulcan 900 this morning

[burkbuilds]

Well, here I am, 2 1/2 months out from my crash, still in a wheelchair and what did I do, what else, I bought a new bike this morning. I've been watching this nice VN 900

for a few weeks since I saw it in the showroom while the dealer was getting me a repair estimate on my Vulcan 500. It's a deep maroon with a beige swatch down the

middle and a little gold pin strip where the two colors meet. I ordered a trike kit for it this morning and I've got both scheduled for delivery at my house in about two

weeks. That should give me enough time to finish getting the 500 ready to sell. The dealer offered to put my 500 on the floor of his showroom for me for a flat fee of

$100 if it sells. He said he often gets people in looking for used bikes and he though mine would move pretty well.

Wouldn't you know I forgot to take my camera with me, so nothing to show yet but as soon as it gets here I'll put some up and I will also document the conversion to the

trike as well.

I'm hoping that the Doctor's will let me start putting weight on my foot by the time this all gets delivered. :)

[JWR]

Way to go.

Hope rehab goes well.

[Water Warrior 2]

Hey hey hey!! That sounds great BB. The 900 is a darn nice bike. It would be on my short list if I decided to venture out on a new cruiser. Pics will be coming soon.............right??

[burkbuilds]

Thanks guys and yes I will have pics soon. I'll have to admit that I weighed my options with factors like, what bike would be easiest to

convert to a trike, gas mileage, and available trike kits for each model. Yamaha has a similar size bike that would also be a great

choice, but most of the Suzuki models now have shaft drive, which is a great system but less options for trike conversions and the

ones that are available are pretty expensive. I also wanted to continue doing business with the dealer I bought my 500 from, Rose

Kawasaki. They have been terrific to deal with, fair with prices, helpful with anything I've needed or asked their help with since I

bought the 500 from them in 2009. Rose is a small family owned business, they are less than 2 miles from my home and I just like doing

business with them. When I told them I was interested in buying a 900 to convert to a trike, they offered me a top of the line 900 for

about $800 below retail and offered to help me sell my 500.

All that being said, the 900 is a really nice bike. Great looks, fuel injection, 45mpg, heel toe shifter, nice factory floorboards, beautiful

chrome and paint, a 5.1 gallon fuel tank, decent factory seat and available options from Mustang seats, and available add on's from lots

of suppliers to help you customize your ride. The 900 has several years under its belt and it appears to be the bike Kawasaki has

opted to make their "small" bike for the cruiser category for the near future. I've already talked with a local paint shop that does great

work about matching up the paint for the trike kit to the factory paint job and I think this is going to make a really nice trike. My wife,

who is adamant that she won't get on a bike, has even indicated that she might be willing to ride with me on a trike. If she won't one

of my physical therapists has already volunteered, lol.

[blaine]

Way to get back on the "horse" burkbuilds.I wish you a speedy recovery & the best of luck in the future.
:2tup: :)

[Rookie Rider]

Sounds great. Rose sounds very nice to deal with. Get well and feel better soon.

[Water Warrior 2]

BB your enthusiasm is heartening. Really looking forward to the the next chapter.

[northsidegz]

Sounds like you really did your homework. Sounds like a great choice and hope you heal up soon to be able to ride it!

[PimpS]

Congrats! One of the most beautiful cruisers! Stay well!

[burkbuilds]

Thanks everyone. I went by the dealership this morning and snapped a few pics so I could show everyone what the bike looks like. In general I've always said that motorcycles should be black, and I do like black bikes a lot, but in this case, I'm trying to build a Trike that looks like something a little more "mature" rider might find appealing. Why, well, if this goes well, I am seriously considering trying to market some Trikes locally. I've already spoken to one dealer and there seems to be some interest in a nice "entry level" Trike that costs less than $20,000 I figure the worst that can happen is that I get no orders and I end up with a nice trike for myself.

Well, here's some pics of the bike as it sits now.

http://s15.postimage.org/48fx69vpz/2012_Vulcan_900_012.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/48fx69vpz/)

http://s17.postimage.org/fszwpml5n/2012_Vulcan_900_015.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/fszwpml5n/)

http://s16.postimage.org/aswy17uu9/2012_Vulcan_900_021.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/aswy17uu9/)

http://s18.postimage.org/iuxodfx4l/2012_Vulcan_900_018.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/iuxodfx4l/)

http://s14.postimage.org/gqm4vkkv1/2012_Vulcan_900_020.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/gqm4vkkv1/)

http://s14.postimage.org/jahrpo8f1/2012_Vulcan_900_022.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/jahrpo8f1/)

http://s15.postimage.org/3tdu4qok7/2012_Vulcan_900_016.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/3tdu4qok7/)

http://s14.postimage.org/t5i3ndr4t/2012_Vulcan_900_019.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/t5i3ndr4t/)

[northsidegz]

Nice!

[PimpS]

Beauty!

[Water Warrior 2]

Judging by the pics I would have to say you really really Really like the bike. Should make a nice trike. Is the kawa dealer installing the kit?

[burkbuilds]

I am doing the kit myself. The bike and the kit are scheduled to be delivered in about 2 weeks. I will try to do a good job of snapping pics of the process and posting them here if anyone is interested.

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like a challenge but you are up for it. Just don't set back your rehab by doing something silly.

[Rionna]

Hope you're up and riding real soon. Best wishes on a complete and fast recovery.

[mole2]

Congrats on the new bike...it's beautiful. Document the conversion as sometime in the future I will have to tackle that. Get well fast and ride safe.


:)

[PimpS]

Great! How many of you ride trikes or did one in the past? Isn't trike a bit harder to steer? I was driving tricycle and it was hard when going to corner, curve... It was like tricycle was telling me: I'm goin' this way like i want, not like you want... '' :) I prosume you really have to know the bike, his cornering and you need to plan your curve more...
Burkbuilds, do post your pics, it is always a pleasure to see what master of skills is doing!

Speedy recovery and safe driving!

[burkbuilds]

Trikes definitely steer differently than two wheels. Instead of leaning you do actually turn the front wheel much like you'd steer a car. I think I'll miss the leaning, but at least I'll be out in the open not caged up. One of my friends had a BMW with a side car for a long time, he said it took a lot of getting used to as well.

I plan to document the conversion really well with pictures and text and I'll be sure and post them on the forum.