Hey Everyone! I am about to trade in my Honda Reflex Scooter for my first "Real Bike"

[matcom]

Specifically:



Yamaha 650 Cruiser V-Twin Silverado

Reviews are good. MIGHT need to change the seat but the 2008 reviews aren't really in yet. Local dealer is having a sale on the 26th of April and it looks like we are headed out with the intention of a trade-in/purchase.

Can't WAIT!

Supposed to handle GREAT and looks like a SCHWEET ride!

:hi:

[Robb]

1. From a 250 to a twin!

Yikes! :D

...You got that in you, buckaroo? Looks like a great road machine. Don't forget to upgrade your safety gear along with the bike. :hi:

[ThomWV]

2. Outstanding!

Congratulations. Don't look too eager or the dealer will own you. Make sure you take it on a test ride and be careful. The change in wheel size is going to make a huge difference in how this bike handles compared to your scooter - and you will be MUCH safer because of it. In fact I can no emphasize that too much. Bigger wheels are safer wheels; by making this move up you've probably doubled your life expectancy.

[matcom]

5. actually I am going to have it delivered (no road test)

I have read all the reviews out there. I won't take it in traffic until I feel 100% safe on it which means a couple of days tooling around my neighborhood.

Did the same when I bought the Reflex. I'm not shy OR proud :D

[matcom]

10. Thom,

Can you tell me what to expect specifically in the handling department? Wider turns, shorter turns, tougher to manuver?

THANKS!

:hi:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. I've been kicking around the same idea-- Reflex vs a medium cruiser.

Been looking at Vulcans and Shadows.
Why'd you decide on the Yamaha?

[matcom]

4. didn't want to go too big (650 is plenty for me right now)....

low seat (for some reason that appeals to me). it is supposed to be SUPER easy to shift for beginners.

saddle bags etc... are stock. Let's face it. It looks BADASS :D

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. It does look cool.

When you say it's supposed to be easy to shift for beginners, where did you hear/read that? That's the main thing holding me back from giving up the reflex-- the shifting is a pain. I learned how to do it in the MSF class but I didn't like it all that much. One reason I was leaning toward the Honda Shadow over the Kawasaki Vulcan (both are in the 600-ish displacement neighborhood) was the Shadow was 4-speed instead of 5. I figured that would be simpler, though the Honda Rebel I learned on had a really fussy clutch.

[matcom]

7. bad idea

you will want that extra gear trust me.

got the info from reading a TON on online reviews from owners of previous-year models. actually one of the only negatives of this bike is a lot of people wish this had a 6th gear

[ThomWV]

11. Shifting

Just about the only thing that anyone could have been referring to if they were talking about ease of shifting a motorcycle is how hard it is to pull in the shift lever. I don't recall that I've ever been on any Yamaha that had a hard clutch pull, certainly the clutch on my wife's 535 Yamaha Virago could be pulled in with 2 fingers. The only other thing they might be talking about is shifter placement, but you're looking at a bike with floorboards and it doesn't get much more comfortable than that.

You always want more gears, particularly on the highway. At 70 mph my bike is turning 3,000 RPM and even with that low an RPM I'd still like to have a 6th gear. You'll want more engine too, you'll see. There's never enough engine. You get a new bike and it feels like its got all the power in the world, and then you ride it for a couple of months and you think to yourself, 'this thing's a dog, I gotta get me something with more power'. Happens to everyone.

[guitar man]

8. sweet!!

That will be a nice step up. I have a freind who has a bike just like that. Rock solid dependable, never a problem and he has ridden the crap out of it.

We swapped bikes on a ride last summer and I really liked riding it. It was a little lacking on the interstate for my tastes, but was a blast on the 60-65mph two lanes and backroads. It's going to seem like a Cadillac stepping up from that scooter though.

Have fun :hi:

[dmallind]

9. Good luck and since you asked about negotiation

This might be a good bargaining chip. Honda East are probably the cheapest dealer in the Eastern part of the country and they list a few of these for 5999. Your local dealer may not match and sell you instead on local service and ease of paperwork etc (all true of course) but should get them to move a bit from 7199.

http://www.cycletrader.com/find/search-results/Type-Motorcycle/Category-All%20Motorcycles/Make-Yamaha/MakeSel-1/Keywords-Silverado%20650%202008/Zip-68512/Radius-any/Sort-Year:DESC/

There's also some decent financing deals right now.

I'm not a cruiser guy myself but looks like it could be a nice comfy middleweight for those who are. Enjoy!