Relative newbie (one year on a 900 custom) thinking of moving up to a C14...

[arcadiandj]

The 900 was my first bike. I've had no problems with my 900, but know in my heart that sport touring is proably a better fit. What I wonder is, what do I need to keep in mind moving from the 900 to the C14? Thoughts/guidance? TIA.

[elr658]

Hang bags on the 900 and stick with what you got.

[rbentnail]

Take an extra long time to learn the new bike. It is significantly different from what you are riding now and will take lots of practice.

And hang on tight.

[NCDave]

Beat me to it Russ! I was going to say "Hold on"!!!

Go for it and don't look back. Motorcycle riding is a personal choice and you should follow your heart. I picked up a 650R along with my vulcan and I don't regret it a bit. it's fun to be able to be more aggressive in the curves!

As for the C14, there have been reports of plusses and minuses as compared to others, but I doubt you'll regret it for a minute!

[D_H_TX_900LTC]

I hear you. I have a 2007 900LT and was buying a used KLR650 last Saturday. The owner let me ride a C14.

The 900 will be traded in the next 2 months........

[PumaATC]

Is it too big of a jump to go from an Ex500 to the C14? I really want to start riding longer distances and take long trips home (to Illinois from Alabama) and I don't think the ex500 is the best fir for that.

[D_H_TX_900LTC]

Originally Posted by PumaATC

Is it too big of a jump to go from an Ex500 to the C14? I really want to start riding longer distances and take long trips home (to Illinois from Alabama) and I don't think the ex500 is the best fir for that.

Just be careful and get used to the power and the weight.
I intend to ride from Dallas to Alabama (Tuscaloosa) this spring on whatever bike I have at the time. If it's the 900 or the C14............

[loosenuts]

i think you guys need to come off your cruisers and start out on an older 1000 with less power, one approach to fast and you will wash out and wreck, you wont feel like your going 90 into that turn, it will feel more like 40 till u look at speedo n by then its to late... just speakin from experience....

[Sabrehawk]

The Connie is a great long distance ride, but take time to
get to know her before taking her too far too fast. I've got one "Iron Butt" and a trip to Daytona on mine so far,and headed for the Mt.s this week to test twisting.

[Still lost]

Stick with the Vtwin for a bit longer. A year gets you more confidence but a bit longer will give you the instincts and reflexes that you need to save a lot of pain. I ride a Vtwin (Nomad 1500) and we got a C14 last year. Before the C14 though I've been riding our Magna V65 1100 V4 so I knew what to expect from the the C14 but all the same the inline and V4's are very different animals from the Vtwins and they don't forgive. I switch back and forth from the Vtwins to the 4's and even though I know what to expect and have been doing it for some time I still find myself forgetting the difference and doing foolish things. I have to remind myself often to pay attention and there's a corner just past our driveway that has cost me more than a little tire rubber when I've forgotten. Where you'll find a difference in the 4 cylinders is that the speed run up isn't there. Your 900 will accelerate to speed and give you time to react. The C14 is there much more immediately and there's no run up and it can intimidate.

The 900 custom is a nice ride and a good personal tourer. Enjoy it for a while and see some country on it and get the feel of it. Smell the flowers and enjoy the scenery for a bit.

It'll go by a lot faster on the C14 and you get less time to appreciate it.

If you trade, consider a bigger Vtwin as well as the C14 as options.

Whatever you decide, ride safe and enjoy.

[Still lost]

Ditto to loosenuts.

Good advice.

Don't be in a hurry.

[D_H_TX_900LTC]

I rode to the dealership and back on the 900 Saturday. It's about 35 miles each way on interstate so I could open the 900 up. Cruising along at an indicated 80 (probably closer to actual 70) there is more than a little vibration. It would not be pleasant to ride for more than 2 hours. The Connie was liquid-smooth at the same speed. I hear what you guys are saying, but just because all the power is there doesn't mean you have to use it all the time.........

[Still lost]

Personal opinion only but the 500 isn't a good long haul ride if you have the choice alhough anything can be made to work. Then again I need big bikes because we ride where there are long hills. At more than I care to admit over 200 lbs and 6 foot plus it's good to stay ahead of traffic, then again 2 up riding has considerable benefit.

Still, the jump from the 500 to the C14 is considerable.

Also, the 6 foot plus helps because our C14 is a tall and heavy bike. I have good height and I wouldn't want to find myself looking for the pavement on a high crown sretch of road, heaven forbid that I should find myself trying to put my foot down when I've stopped over a pothole or broken pavement.

Might be adviseable to take an intermediate step between the 500 and the C14 for your trip home.

[Ken]

Originally Posted by arcadiandj

The 900 was my first bike. I've had no problems with my 900, but know in my heart that sport touring is proably a better fit. What I wonder is, what do I need to keep in mind moving from the 900 to the C14? Thoughts/guidance? TIA.

Might I suggest something else?

I see from your post history on advice for riding 2-up, getting bugs out of a mesh jacket, etc., that you are new to the sport.

Over the last ten years I've moved from a little Suzuki 450 to learn on, a small Magna power cruiser, a Vulcan 1500, a Yamaha sport bike, a big Honda ST1300 sport tourer, a 919, and finally settled on a Bandit 1250 which I find to be a perfect combination of performance, ability, price, tourer, comfort, and versatility. As you can see I also wanted to scratch the sport touring itch. But it's a huge jump -- tons more power, a LOT more weight, more insurance cost, and a substantial learning curve.

Please consider more time and some formal education. Take the Motorcycle Safety Beginner Rider Course and then the MSF Experienced Rider Course. Maybe buy Jerry Paladino's 'Ride Like a Pro' DVD and practice his exercises solo and 2-up. You should consider yourself an expert at low speed maneuvering (1.5 lane u-turns, figure 8's inside a 20'x40' box, emergency braking and avoidance techniques, etc.) before venturing into the heavy world of a sport touring bike.

You are, at this point, as dangerous on a bike as you will ever be. At this point you should re-evaluate, and take extra special care that you are not becoming complacent.

You have a fantastic bike in the 900. Give yourself another six or eight months and use that time to really focus on improving your ridership.

Then go get the C14.

[arcadiandj]

Originally Posted by Ken

You are, at this point, as dangerous on a bike as you will ever be. At this point you should re-evaluate, and take extra special care that you are not becoming complacent.

Thank you all for the great responses. Ken, could you please explain the above quote? As I have grown more comfortable, I remember a teacher I knew a while back who once said, "Once you think you know the bike you are in trouble." What I understood him to be saying, was that once you think you know everything, is when you are at greatest risk for doing something stupid. At this point in my riding, what should I be looking out for? Any one else with thoughts please chime in.

[Ken]

Re-reading my post, I sounded really preachy. Sorry about that. I was reflecting on a friend who went down hard exactly one year ago and still on the mend. He was in the over-confident crowd though.

Nearly every rider hits a point in the sport where they are past the point of feeling like a complete rookie -- they can shift effortlessly, glide through sweepers at a reasonable rate, start off in a completely straight line, stop gracefully, and start to spend more time enjoying the ride than concentrating on the ride. And that's what I meant. It's at this point where it's easy to become complacent or overconfident. Some may even become bored and want more out of their bike. In many cases their wants are greater than their ability.

What they haven't done is master the basics. They don't do a couple days each Spring in a parking lot to brush the rust off and do some figure eights, emergency braking practice and other evasive maneuvers that are so important. They can't do a proper u-turn on a narrow road without wandering into the shoulder, or they duck walk the bike instead. And then when they try to go out 2-up before mastering these techniques, they get in trouble because the bike is suddenly 100-200 pounds top-heavier than it was while solo.

Most of us fall in love with the sport after a short time in the saddle. Many will go down or even perish after becoming complacent and losing focus on the ride or, worse, becoming overconfident. You may or may not fall into one of these categories. You know what they say, "It's not if you'll go down, but when." Be careful out there. Do an honest self assessment of your comfort, confidence, and skill level before bounding off on one of the most powerful production bikes out there.

Good luck!

[D_H_TX_900LTC]

I didn't think it sounded "preachy"- all good points. It's good to see that there is concern for the safety of fellow riders- even if you don't know them. It all comes down to a personal decision, and the fact that the question was asked in a public forum could indicate a little uncertainty on the part of the original poster regarding the move up to a C14.
My problem is that for the first time in my adult life, I can actually afford most of the things I hanker for. So the C14 is attainable and beckoning........
Will it be the most powerful bike I've ever owned? Undoubtably. Will I use all that power? Probably not. The enjoyment of riding is normally selfish, but there is always that responsibility to stay upright because people depend on you.

[bross]

Originally Posted by Ken

Re-reading my post, I sounded really preachy. Sorry about that. I was reflecting on a friend who went down hard exactly one year ago and still on the mend. He was in the over-confident crowd though.

Nearly every rider hits a point in the sport where they are past the point of feeling like a complete rookie -- they can shift effortlessly, glide through sweepers at a reasonable rate, start off in a completely straight line, stop gracefully, and start to spend more time enjoying the ride than concentrating on the ride. And that's what I meant. It's at this point where it's easy to become complacent or overconfident. Some may even become bored and want more out of their bike. In many cases their wants are greater than their ability.

What they haven't done is master the basics. They don't do a couple days each Spring in a parking lot to brush the rust off and do some figure eights, emergency braking practice and other evasive maneuvers that are so important. They can't do a proper u-turn on a narrow road without wandering into the shoulder, or they duck walk the bike instead. And then when they try to go out 2-up before mastering these techniques, they get in trouble because the bike is suddenly 100-200 pounds top-heavier than it was while solo.

Most of us fall in love with the sport after a short time in the saddle. Many will go down or even perish after becoming complacent and losing focus on the ride or, worse, becoming overconfident. You may or may not fall into one of these categories. You know what they say, "It's not if you'll go down, but when." Be careful out there. Do an honest self assessment of your comfort, confidence, and skill level before bounding off on one of the most powerful production bikes out there.

Good luck!

Pretty much exactly what happened to me as well Ken. Been riding for about a year and a half and I was everything you said above. I was feeling pretty good about my riding and thinking I was doing well. I practiced swerving and hard stops etc. But leaving work one day, in our work parking lot, a car started to back out and I swerved (using countersteering, which was good), but I locked both brakes and washed the bike out from under me. It all happened in an instant and I can't believe the force I smacked the ground with my head! I was wearing all my gear and most importantly a full face helmet. I was the poster child for heads hitting the ground in front lower portion of your jaw that day. If I hadn't of been wearing my full face helmet I would have broken my jaw at least, probably much worse.

Because I was wearing all my gear, I got up and rode away from that, without a scratch, but some of my gear needed to be replaced. My helmet, boots and gloves. Damage to the bike, my meanstreak, was minimal, just light scrapes on the footpegs, handlebar end and headlight bucket. My saddlebags saved most of the damage and came out unscathed because my boot was caught under the saddle bag and it was my boot that was dragging along the ground.

This was an excellent "wake up" call for me. I had been getting over confident and because I had been practicing swerving etc. I thought I was prepared. What I hadn't prepared for was fighting that urge to grab the brakes like you do in your car, just mash the pedal to floor and let ABS handle it. I didn't squeeze slowly at first, progressing to stronger braking.

I'm just thankful this happened in my parking lot at work and not on the road and not involving other vehicles. It ended up costing a few thousand $$$$ replacing gear and scratched parts but was a lesson well worth it.

I have gone down, and I know how bloody fast it happens and I hope this is it for my crashing. I still think of that crash and it keeps me honest when I start getting too confident again. I heard someone say there's 3 states to motorcycling:
1) learning (confidence building)
2) complacency (confidence built, I'm GOOD at this)
3) crash (Start at #1)

The trick is to stay between #1 and #2, never stop learning, but don't be scared, and don't get too cocky. You NEED to be confident to ride, just not TOO confident.

Been riding 5 years since my crash, over a 100,000kms ridden and no more crashes. My wife and I are signed up for our Advanced Rider class in May. Personally, I probably never would have signed up for it, but she's been riding for 4 years now and wants to brush up her skills so I agreed to take it with her. Probably a good thing too, I may be getting too close to #2 again.

My wife's the smart one in the family, we were both wearing half shell helmets when we started riding but she really didn't like the wind noise (I loved it). She went shopping for a full face helmet and I knew they were safer. We both bought full face helmets that day, a few months before I crashed.

[arcadiandj]

I'm 42, used to race road bicycles and crashed on them too often. The damage I experienced on bicycles was bad enough to let me know how dangerous a motorcycle could be. As such, I am happy to have discussions like these so that I can reduce risk. I really appreciate people with more experience sharing their knowledge. Thank you.

[bross]

Originally Posted by arcadiandj

I'm 42, used to race road bicycles and crashed on them too often. The damage I experienced on bicycles was bad enough to let me know how dangerous a motorcycle could be. As such, I am happy to have discussions like these so that I can reduce risk. I really appreciate people with more experience sharing their knowledge. Thank you.

I've learned in the past few years that I don't crash as well as I did when I was twenty. I'm 46 and thankfully we sold all our dirt bikes last year. The last 5-6 years taking the kids out dirt biking and quadding has been hard on my body. Simple little crashes that were nothing in my 20s would take over a month to heal. Then I'd go crash and injure myself again! Thankfully I've never gotten into bicycles in a big way cause I'd have to agree, that would hurt!