If the price is ok then from the collectors side of the coin it might be a decent purchase but no way for use as a daily commuter transportation.. Reliability / availability of repair parts. .. The much improved technology of current manufactored bikes must be compaired against the old school ways of doing things............... Remember back in the day on the "Scrambler" models some people replaced the stock exhaust pipes with "copper tubing pipes" which changed the exhaust tone and sound of the.. ............................ drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
It'd work as a commuter but about the same as a 1970 Plymouth Valiant would as a car.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
You could have stopped after this first sentence and that would be enough to scare me away from the deal.

Does it have the soft ribbed Honda grips still?

I had that exact same bike. Bought it used 1973. I was living in Seattle at the time and drove the crap out of it. It was a great bike that I wished I still owned.

Please, just get a modern machine like the SV650. Post 2003 for fuel injection.

Well, as most suspected, the old girl didn't cut it.

Was in good shape and ran well but it's a mini bike, very little juice.

Looked at a Royal Enfield Hunter 300, I was impressed and it would be great if I lived in a big city, but I don't see it as good for a semi rural area. 5th gear gave it nothing and it seemed to top out, at least for me, at about 62mph.

Fortunately, a dealership close to me had a used 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan s base with all of 727 mi on it and they went real good on the price. Finally picked it up late in the day so I didn't get too long to ride it before heavy rains came. It fits me like a glove and has plenty of power. Bike prefers to stay around 5000 to 6,000 RPM. Listed weight is 492 lb but it feels much lighter.

Thanks for all the input, I'll be enjoying her tomorrow.

Sounds like a terrific acquisition, Enjoy!

I had one of those CL350's in college - great bike, but I agree that your new bike will serve you much better.

quote:

Originally posted by Belwolf:

Thanks for all the input, I'll be enjoying her tomorrow.

Congrats on the new bike. Enjoy yourself and be careful out there.

Glad you went with a modern motorcycle congrats on your new Vulcan!

quote:

It fits me like a glove and has plenty of power. Bike Rider prefers to stay around 5000 to 6,000 RPM.

FIFY Enjoy...

Congrats, loved the Vulcan S for the year I had it.
The engine definitely prefers mid to upper rpm. I went on a long ride with member tatortodd when I had mine & gpt 56mpg out of it. Commuting, was in the upper 40s.
Cruiser comfort with a 10k rpm redline.

If you want to adjust the fit, Kawi makes a near/mid/far kit for the footpegs & handlebars to adjust the fit.
I also had to adjust the angle of the shifter a bit, as it was way too high when I initially got it.

I had the cl360 I made into a little cafe racer. I daily commuted for a year every time the weather was nice when I lived very close to work. Wasn't ideal, but it was fun! Made it into a little cafe bike before I sold it to a friend.



This little scrambler had one of the prettiest original exhaust (pictured) I've ever seen on a motorcycle.