this is costing too much

[kiawrench]

added on 04/25/04  837pm:
just disregard this entire post--- i was mad at bike and got childish


 ?Have decided that owning a vision just isnt cost effective,

Here is what i have:
1982 Vision
updated wiring harness
"shark nose" fairing
seca II hard saddle bags
new fork brace
pirrelli tires, less than 100 miles on them
factory seat and
recovered seat with radical foam reduction ?
luggage rack, solid , from cb 750
back rest , custom, covered to match low boy seat
assortment of spare parts and stuff
tci is good, regulator good,
9100 original miles,
clear title

Am going to post this in my local paper, i just can not keep putting money into a bike like i have been, wife is sick. decided to see about a new v-star 650 classic. found i can buy one and spend less per month than the vision has cost me .

 ? ? ?

[jasonm.]

I test road a V-star 650(for the wife)...piece of slow junk. Vibes so bad past 65mph. makes it a pain...It only has about 35hp. at the wheel. A Vision has at least 10 more hp. than that. My '83 recorded just short of 55hp.

[Blake]

on the other hand..

i have a v-star 650.. custom.. 1998.. first year it came out.


personally i dont think its bad at all.  its a completely different ride than the vision for sure, but compared to some other bikes, its a definate better ride.  it only has 40hp, yes, but then the HD sporster 996 only has 43hp.  its definately not a rocket, but you can cruise on it all day around 60-70 with vibrations not as bad as some other middle weight cruiser bikes, but then again, if i was going to do any serious highway riding at that speed, i definately would get a bigger bike with lower gearing.  The think i like best is it has some nice low RPM torque just to cruise around the back roads at a cruising pace.


just my 2 cents from owning one.


blake

82 vision
98 V-star 650 custom
78 XS650 (vibration monster)
78 GT80


..welcome to yamaha heaven..

[kiawrench]

jason,,
 My decision to put the vision up is purely economic. I cant afford to fix a bike all the time .
 I put the vision up for sale because it just cost too much to keep it on the road every day . I love the ride it has, i really like the handling on mountain roads, but i just cant afford it as a daily ride .
   If the bike doesnt sell, i will fix it back up, and just garage it until i feel the need for a poker run , or maybe a good run on the blue ridge.
 As for the v-star 650, the bike and i fit , i can hold it up while seated and it seems to be a decent ride for someone my size. beats the heck out of buying a ridley  just to touch the ground,, lol

[kiawrench]

oh jason,,
 ? ?if no one has ever told you ,, i am just over 5 ft tall, a bit over 120 lbs,,, sitting on a vision at a red light is a hop off , hop on affair. but i still love the bike . this is starting to take it's toll on my kness, both of which have been replaced due to several injuries recieved in military .

 the normal foot control position on the 650 classic looks like forward controls when i ride it ,, lol

[Waapman]

How much for the bike?

[kiawrench]

 I put her in paper for 900.00 . that includes oem seat,a couple of regulators and some head set items.
 ?really hate to part with it , but i just cant afford it anymore.
 ?it does need stator replaced right now , but one more penny into it ,and price has to go up too (i do have set of side cover gaskets), a tool i made for doing fork rebuilds . will toss in wet bags for the saddle bags . thing is , will run for a while on battery, but somedays it just wont charge up ,other days it will.if a forum member wants it , will kick in the original leather saddlebags too.

[Lucky]

any interest in selling the fork tool seperatly? I've got to do fork seals soon

[wolfman]

No offense meant my friend, but as I look at your list, I do not see alot of "repairs".  I do see alot of optional add-ons. (The Fairing I sold you included) You could replace every part of the charging system for probably less than you have spent on "upgrades" alone.  I am into my own 82' at this point for over $1400, (paid $550 for the bike 5 years ago) of which only about $200 or so is for "repairs" (Fork seals, rusted out tank, battery and mis. little parts) I am only afraid that if you get another bike, the upgrades you'll want for it will simply put you right back where you are now, and that you will fail to recoup what you have already spent on the V.  This might be something to think about.  You may see that it may actually be "Cheaper to keep her" unless you really simply just want something else....

[Rick G]

We did a tune and service  on a Yamaha Road Star   last week , it ran 180.00 plus  oil and plugs !  and we are cheaper that the local dealer by far.
I've spent  probably 800.00 on mine , over a 5 year period , pretty reasonable , if you ask me.!

[kiawrench]

 i sort of figured a lot of you had already been seeing the cost of repairs as we have gone along in the past year ,
new starter clutch ,rollers,spring and pins ,
new stator in first week
have replaced regulator twice
 replaced wiring harness with one fom Lucky
water pump and thermo
front brakes
flywheel /induction magnet (beause i was not  carefull when did starter clutch )
 have done the valve adjustment -
 repair of fuel tank
replacement of all rubber hoses
had to get radiator tanked and sealed
_most of these items in this list came from yamaha ,or done there .
  i guess all of that stuff doesnt count in the first list ,
 i just posted the "upgrades"
 most of this would have been a zero cost repair if i had bought the parts bike first.but ,"hindsight,,
  if it doesnt sell from my first ad, no problem, i will replace stator again and keep her . plenty of room for a sunday bike in my garage .
            

[jasonm.]

Kia, I guess you are correct , choosing the 650 for someone your stature. An old Honda Shadow is an even better choice. Some models have hydraulic valve adj. So less maint. The late 80's model were the best(700 to 800cc). They had not detuned them yet.

[Rick G]

Your right about the Shadow, but one thing I've noticed about them is the poor electrical output , most barely get over 13 vollts.

[kiawrench]

  OK , WOLFIE   your logic won out,, is cheaper to keep her,, for now ,,guess i wont be getting rid of the vision ,,,
 ? had 6 people look at it , all six thought it was something else.
 ? ? redid the math , may as well fix it , keep it for a bit .
 ?even with excellent credit, cant buy the vstar , hospital bills still too much of a drain for now .
 am going to replace stator , cut in a few extra grounds in the main harness , and am installing the new r/r/ i had for the kawa 1100sp . (i did something good with that old bird )
  after shlepping around in dealerships for two days,, i noticed almost 2/3 of the new bikes have the r/r out front on a peg, or have tweaked direct airflow over the fins .
          now if i could just figure out how to lower the rear of a vision without getting hurt ,,,,,

[Lucky]

if only platform riding boots came into fashion... ;D

[kiawrench]

awwwwwwwwww dont need platforms,, need engineering whiz,,, let him reposition that fat topped rear shock ?so i can drop the seat anther couple of inches,,,, lol
 i just slide a bit left and set a foot down at the lights, ? is ok unless riding in down town area,
but a trip through all of those red lights a time or two in a day, my left knee will swell to point that jeans are hard to deal with .
 ? maybe what i really need to fix is the darn knees,,,
the scour flea markes,yard sales ,, find good set of 1977 knuckle dragging stack heel disco boots,,,,
 whhhooooooeeee! that would be a sight ?

 or better yet ,, just ride nekki   then jeans wont rub swollen knees   wait ,, that is just to funny of a sight ,,,, best not ,if had to push bike, may get a bit drafty

[JaBey]

Hey kia...I just wanted to thank you for your list. I've had my primary Vision since 91' and I haven't replaced a damn thing on it:-P Well batteries and a couple vacuum hoses don't count...so I feel TONS better about my bike...hehe!

If stature is a problem, you really should look into buying a Honda V65 Sabre. My father is 5'8 and he can't touch the ground sitting on my Sabre...hehe! I'm 6'1, so it was a nice change. Most bikes are like sitting on a kids BMX for me.

[Rick G]

Kia , hang on to it for a while , you have taken care of most of the common problems  . I was lucky with my first one  , I added tires and  rebuilt the water pump and hit the road. nothing serious crapped out for 3 years.

[kiawrench]

ok, kept the vision,,,,,, sort of

 ? ?since last post, :
 fixed the electrical again, new stator from ricks ,NEW and IMPROVED ? ?(now with one year warranty )

 ?stripped bike down as long as i had a start, used aircraft stripper on tank,front fender, fairing ,hard saddlebags ,and backrest/luggage rack .
 ? have sanded ,filled deep scratches, taped, primed and lacquered until i couldn't stay awake from the vapors,
finished her tonight , just need to wait a few days and buff her out , 5 coats of ghost silver metalic ,5 coats of clear, sanded gently between every coat. just like the book said ,,,
 ? sort of helps my employer let me use the spray booth in the body shop. crank the heat up to 95 , turn on the drier lights and let ?the girl cook . used ppg ?primer, lacquer and clear coat, was going pearl, but needed to sell more glassware ----
 ?finished the soft buff tonight and applied graphics ,will add in the yamaha logo and some side cover emblems after final buff.
 ? just have to drop engine next week, going to strip it , heat it ,prime and paint that super glossy black and then replace all the rubber hoses.
 ?i decided that if i was going to keep her, she may as well look sweet.
 ? if anyone interested, can buy some really sweet graphics at e-bay ? ?be sure to look at the 12 color wolf series,,, the 4 wolf panel and the two lone wolf set look real good on a vision ?
 ?