Your making a great choice in motorcycle - bought mine new in 2002 and now have 21K on it with NO problems, just enjoyable, trouble-free cruising.
As far as the initial pickup, I made a checklist to be sure everything was okay when I picked it up. I recommend you always assume the dealer is an idiot or at best, cares only for his interests, not yours. That way, I am never disappointed.
Some things I would check before the bike leaves is:
- odometer, should read zero or whatever you put on the bike, unless you negotiated the mileage in the price
- fluids, check them all yourself or with the assistance of their mechanic...verify them, do NOT take anyone's word they are okay (my coolant tank was bone dry when I came to pick it up) - these include oil, coolant, clutch fluid, front brake reservoir, rear brake reservoir
- examine the bike carefully for ANY scratch you did not see before - don't accept it - make them replace the scratched part
- tire pressure same as fluids
- make sure you receive a new battery (look at it, you can tell)
- make sure the tool kit is in the left side panel of the bike
- make sure each light is functional
- start it up and let it idle until it gets hot - the radiator fan should start eventually in an protected area (may take awhile, or, if outside this time of the year, may not start)
- ride the bike at least in the dealer lot and see if all works well (clutch, shifter, brakes) - should be easy to find neutral, that's a Kaw feature
- get your operator manual and follow its break-in recommendation
Be sure that at your first oil change that you (or whomever changes the oil and filter) removes the oil screen and cleans it. This is a screen accessible from the left bottom side of the engine.
There's a start...come back to this forum for more later...and welcome to the wonderful world of Kaw Cruisers!
T-man
