Anybody have any experience with the S-40?

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

I am looking at these bikes: Honda VT 600C Shadow: Suzuki S-50 Boulevard (800cc) and a Kawasaki Vulcan 500LTD : I'm still thinking about the Suzuki S-40 Boulevard too though. Please tell me how you think these bike compare for the use I plan to put them too.

I think you are in the right ballpark and now you are down to what fits you best and what becomes available that you can afford. Any of them would no doubt do the job.

Are you on a tight time schedule for your Atlanta trips? Guess I should have looked at a map; US 41 north follows 75 pretty closely into Atlanta. I'm assuming it does going south too. Until you start getting really close in, that is a good alternative.......but takes a little longer.

If you can endure 2 straight hours on the GZ seat, then you are to be commended.....for an iron butt !! :shocked: 2 hours was my absolute max. and that was with a gel seat pad. MUCH better if you can stop just for a couple of minutes each hour to stretch.

[burkbuilds]

Easy, I didn't do the entire stretch without stopping, but even stopping once an hour I was still pretty uncomfortable by the end of the trip down. I could take 41 South, but as you noted, it stretches my time out by at least 30%, although it is a much prettier ride than the interstate but time will be an issue, in my head anyway.

Water Warrior, the M-50 does look like the ideal bike for this, but I think it's out of my budget range quite a bit. The S-40 is more in the area of my budget, especially if I could find an 07, or 08 model without many miles on it, but I think you guys are right in saying I would probably regret it if I went that route and had to ride it week in and out to Atlanta.

The more I've read and looked on line today, I think I've got it narrowed down to two bikes. One would be the Honda VT600 like Easy found, love the looks, really nice bike the other would be the Kawasaki Vulcan 500. I really like the looks of the Honda better, but I like the Vulcan's 6 speed transmission for the highway and the 4 gallon tank gives me more options for when want to fill up. I don't like that the Vulcan is a higher compression motor and probably requires higher octane gas though. Several reviews I've read say it's a smoother, less vibration ride than the Honda, and the seat comfort seems to get good reviews on highway trips. I can pick one of those up new for about $5500 at the dealers, or used with low miles in the $3300-$3800 range it looks like.
Those two would be my first choices, if I can't find what I want in those models, my third choice would be the Suzuki S-50. Anything much bigger than those three models is pretty much out of my price range and besides, I don't really like the feel of the bigger bikes, just seems to bulky and awkward to me. Maybe a few more years of riding and I won't feel that way, but I do now.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

In your location I would be looking for water cooling for those really hot days on the road. A drive shaft would be less labor intensive overall too. Don't know your finances but try to find a M-50, it is an FI bike. Better seating than the S-50 for longer rides. Good luck searching.

M-50 is nice... it was the specil edition i checked out.. not sure if there is any difference in the regular and special edition besides the color.. it felt a lot like the gz to me as far as the way it was balanced it really didnt feel any heaver than when i get on my gz and stand it up even tho it is heavier. some of those big bikes i get on and its a chore to get it off the kick stand.. i cant stand the feel of most of the bigger bikes either but i loved the m50 only big bike i have got on and liked...

if i remember correctly the s50 and the m50 were pretty close in price. how ever the dealer had a lot of their bikes marked down too. dont remember if the m50 was on sale or not..

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

....... in my head anyway.

I like the Vulcan's 6 speed transmission for the highway and the 4 gallon tank gives me more options for when want to fill up. I don't like that the Vulcan is a higher compression motor and probably requires higher octane gas though.

It is funny how thinking too much can often get you INTO more trouble than out !! :shocked:

Regardless of how many gears you have, I think you end up (in top gear) in pretty much the same place. I didn't think I would like the 4 speed but I really DO. It'll do 60 in third easily....and it's not broken in good yet. I suspect the total HP is similar with the smaller motor having higher compression and maybe a higher red-line. I'd be surprised if the 500 didn't run on regular; certainly mid-grade. I can see situations already where I would like to have an extra gallon in the tank but if it gets 50 mpg, that's about 100+ miles per fillup and that would be around 2 hours.......stop required anyway.

My local dealer has a couple of Vulcan 500's on the floor. On special, I think for a few bucks UNDER $5K. Slightly higher seat than the Shadow, I think.

[primal]

Vulcan 500s will most DEFINITELY run on regular octane gas. I honestly don't know of any bikes, even race replicas, that actually REQUIRE using a high octane fuel. Maybe one of the more exotic bikes like Ducati, but certainly none of the Big 4.

Easy is right about the gears. When an engine has as much torque as a v-twin (even a 600cc one), then its much easier to have fewer but taller gears.

[burkbuilds]

Good points about the gears, hadn't really thought about it, but your right, that 6th gear is not an "overdrive" so the final ratio is probably pretty much the same as Easy's 4 speed, just more shifting to get there. Glad to hear I won't have to run high octane if I get one of these.

Just found a 2007 with 1200 miles pretty close to home at a dealers for $3999 I think I'll look into that this week. How does that price sound to you guys? Would you consider trading in the GZ or do you think I should just sell it outright myself?

I do like the idea of the 4 gallon tank, that means I can leave home, stop at a rest area instead of a gas station, go on to school, leave school and then look for gas. If I have to stop for gas in less than 125 miles, I'll have to fill up somewhere close to Atlanta and my choices, and wait time in line at the pumps might be a headache. Plus, when they had the gas shortages last year, Atlanta was out fast, and my daughter who lives there had a hard time finding gas, and had to wait in line for hours. Didn't have that problem here close to home, so I'd much prefer filling up here before I leave and not having to worry about buying gas in Metro Atlanta.

[dannylightning]

the more gears = more shifting. i think a 4 speed sounds nice

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

Just found a 2007 with 1200 miles pretty close to home at a dealers for $3999 I think I'll look into that this week. How does that price sound to you guys? Would you consider trading in the GZ or do you think I should just sell it outright myself?

Depends a LOT on your situation. Sounds like you would have to sell the GZ FIRST in your situation and by then, the "new" one might be gone.

Check Kelly and NADA and Edmonds (sp?) for prices. My guess on net price with trade in would be at least $2500; probably a little more.

You should really press for a test ride. If you ride IN on a bike and look like a responsible individual with money, that shouldn't be much of a problem with a used machine.

Good luck!

[burkbuilds]

Thanks Easy, I will press for a test ride before I buy a used bike especially, although I'll admit that I bought my GZ off the internet without ever even sitting on it.
I also noticed the local Kawasaki dealer has an 2008 Vulcan 500 sitting in the window and marked down with a hand written sign indicating they are willing to negotiate the price a little. They had it listed for $5300, but it is a 2008 even if it's never been ridden so I think they'll go lower, and they might even take my GZ as a trade in for part of the down payment. Any thoughts on that?
By the way, thanks for everybody's input, you guys have really helped me sort through a lot of issues and avoid some choices that I think I would have been kicking myself over if you hadn't spoken up!

[Water Warrior 2]

Nothing wrong with a new 2008 sitting in the window. Might be a real bargain if you negotiate well. The Vulcan 500 is a proven bike with a nice 2 cylinder engine that works well.