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Tips for Buying

9K views 81 replies 20 participants last post by  iowawarrior 
#1 ·
Hey Guys,

I'm really looking to upgrade from a V-star 650 to a Warrior. I have a few questions though. Are there any "known" or "common" problems that crop of with the Warrior? Anything to really check out/for before making a purchase?

What oil weight to you typically run when using synthetics?

I like to do some distance riding (not iron butt) but maybe 400-600 miles from time to time. I know this will require a different seat than the stock one and of course some saddlebags/luggage. Do many of you ride distances? Have you noticed any major comfort issues with the warrior for such distances? The 650 did fine.. little weak on some of the hills and when passing but otherwise it worked fine after adding forward control extensions and a mustang seat.

Thanks in advance!

-pdxwarrior
 
#34 ·
Okay - I wrote to both, the bike for 6500 and the one for 6200. So far I have a response from the owner of the bike for 6200 - this is the one with the speedstar exhaust. Here's his reply:
Hello, I wanted to take a few minutes to get back with you on my warrior project? first I haven't made any intake mods I was in the process of doing so but I only found improvements on performance, so with time I'm sure I would look into stage 4 kits but really haven't found the need to do so. Also on tuning NO same as before only progress. If you have done research on these particular bikes most warrior projects have more than mine, but like I said it's so much bike I'm not in need of more speed. I put a Dunlop-Sportmax you can check them out on line a top of the line tire- 200/55R the 2 reasons I did that is to give me better highway travel and to fill in the wheel well without lowering it- if I was to lower it anymore I would lose cornering I DID NOT want to do that. I will be around this weekend unless I'm up at the mountain taking advantage of the new snow. I want to let you know that I'm under-selling this bike SO I don't have any wiggle room If you know what I mean, however, Its well worth my selling price I'm in the market for a dual sport these days.


As a result - I think that's out - not really wanting to pay the full amount there. Waiting to hear back on the other...hmmmm

Btw has anyone else gone to the 200/55R tire? Is his reasoning right or ??
 
#36 ·
Okay - I wrote to both, the bike for 6500 and the one for 6200. So far I have a response from the owner of the bike for 6200 - this is the one with the speedstar exhaust. Here's his reply:
Hello, I wanted to take a few minutes to get back with you on my warrior project? first I haven't made any intake mods I was in the process of doing so but I only found improvements on performance, so with time I'm sure I would look into stage 4 kits but really haven't found the need to do so. Also on tuning NO same as before only progress. If you have done research on these particular bikes most warrior projects have more than mine, but like I said it's so much bike I'm not in need of more speed. I put a Dunlop-Sportmax you can check them out on line a top of the line tire- 200/55R the 2 reasons I did that is to give me better highway travel and to fill in the wheel well without lowering it- if I was to lower it anymore I would lose cornering I DID NOT want to do that. I will be around this weekend unless I'm up at the mountain taking advantage of the new snow. I want to let you know that I'm under-selling this bike SO I don't have any wiggle room If you know what I mean, however, Its well worth my selling price I'm in the market for a dual sport these days.


As a result - I think that's out - not really wanting to pay the full amount there. Waiting to hear back on the other...hmmmm

Btw has anyone else gone to the 200/55R tire? Is his reasoning right or ??
Well -you're not too interested in his bike anyway, so it's kind of a moot point, but...

A speedstar exhaust is highly sought after, so that's why some guys are drooling and recommending that one. It is one of the only exhausts that actually improves performance, and it's really hard to scrape it, so it's a keeper. But if you got that bike and didn't like it, then you could EASILY sell it on the forum and get some pipes you like. I personally think they're fugly, but to each his own.

So on the right side, he took the stock airbox off, and put nothing back on. In a way this is no big deal, because you don't need a right side intake, the primary intake is under the tank, and comes in from the front bottom of the tank. A lot of guys remove the right side completely, or put a plate or a dragon or something there. I have a DIY cone, but it's more for looks than performance, although it does actually increase air flow. --- having said all of this, if he took the right side intake off, and DIDN'T block off the intake hole where it goes into the airbox, then he's running unfiltered air into the airbox under the tank. That could mean you have little particles of crap in the throttle bodies. Maybe no big deal, maybe a problem later.

His wandering story about stage IV kits is just him throwing out fancy terms. A stage IV kit has HC pistons, a competition cam etc. It doesn't have anything to do with the intake. You can improve the intake without all of that stuff, or you can do all of that stuff without touching the intake. You could put a SpeedStar intake on the right side, but again it's just the secondary intake, not the primary, so the air increase will not be dramatic.

As far as the Dunlop tire, it's basically a stock size tire. It might be a 1/2 inch taller than stock or something, I wouldn't know (we do have a tire comparison chart around here somewhere), so his story about filling in the fender really isn't worth a hill of beans either. I have to ask though -did he lower the rear end? I don't remember seeing it lowered. If he didn't, then the tire doesn't even reach the fender anyway. If he did, then it filled it in an extra half inch. Whoopee... I actually run a 190 instead of the stock 200, I like the extra handling it gives you, and you can't really tell by looking anyway. It also lasts longer. A lot of guys are like me. If you don't go fat, you probably go smaller. You used to be able to get a Metzler 210, but I think those have all dried up. That actually did fill in the fender a bit more. So... that whole story is just that -a story- but if it's a new tire then that's all that matters anyway. They aren't cheap, and a lot of us tend to go through a tire a year or so.

-edit: I note he said he wanted to fill in the fender without lowering it -so yeah, that whole story is lame. But he's just trying to impress you. Also, many have lowered the bike and love it. The only drawback is that it scrapes a lot easier. If you ride like that, you probably won't lower it. If you don't, you very well may...

Finally, he says he's underselling the bike already. Hmmm, not really...

Here's the link to KBB values for that bike:

Kelley Blue Book

Trade in value is $4205, and retail value is $6105. As you know, private value is somewhere in between.Obviously he has a few add ons, but he's not underselling it.
 
#35 ·
if you can get the guy to go down to 6,000 on the stock one, that'd be a deal.maybe less. show up with cash and drive a hard bargain. you can always go up. 9,000 for the new one is still cheaper than "list" in '09 but why pay 3,000 for 4,000 miles. actually, these things are gorgeous these days when you see a stock one. they used to be hideous with that pipe but you never see them anymore so they are cool. and if you're coming from that 650 you'll be so impressed with the power and handling that you won't NEED to change anything. ride it for a while and keep an eye on the forum and when/if you decide you want to change pipes or whatever, then you'll have a better idea of what's what. a warranty is a warranty and that's nice, but you won't need it. i don't know what he's talking about with the intake and performance and stage 4 gibberish, but if you want a little more power you can get some bolt on stuff, like i said, later. i don't know if that tires fills up the wheel well any better but he might be right. but that's not really your concern on the other bike. the water heater covers up that space nicely.
 
#37 ·
I can see where the guy with the speedstar can try to argue he's "underselling", but only because of the add on
features. You pointed out that he could be running it without a filter on the right side - if so, he could be
getting stuff in the motor. It's things like that that bother me when I start looking at people that have done
"mods" even though they could be "harmless" in thought.

To be honest, I'm thinking stock might be the way to go, for starting out at least. The jump from a 650 to a 1700
is a big jump to begin with. It wouldn't be bad to learn to tame the beast before I upset it. I'm not sure which
power commander is installed on the bike for $4900. If it were installed "wrong" could it cause problems? I
realize you can tweak the settings using the software and such to resolve it - the question though would be what
damage, if any, could have been done in the mean time.

At this point, I'm considering the one for 6500 and the other for 4900. Have yet to hear back on the stock one.
It is closer and if they'd negotiate on their price I may skip over the other completely (it is a 2 hour drive,
one way). Saving a 1000 or so dollars for 7000 miles may not be worth all that anyways. Not saying it is a bad
deal, just wish it were a bit closer.


Do these bikes scrape a lot or easily? I realize some of the answer lies in what line you choose in the corner,
speed, etc. However, I can scape the Vstar with some ease. I ride with a friend that's on a 750 Shadow Aero and
he rarely scrapes. One person told him that it's the difference in the suspension (dual shock on the side vs
the single monoshock design). Not sure if there's much truth to that or not. If so, then the warrior may have
similar issues.

I'm not really looking at lowering it... but I could see replacing the seat in time. Possible with a Saddlemen
Profiler seat... anyone tried one of these? I like the low profile look like that.
 
#40 ·
I can see where the guy with the speedstar can try to argue he's "underselling", but only because of the add on
features. You pointed out that he could be running it without a filter on the right side - if so, he could be
getting stuff in the motor. It's things like that that bother me when I start looking at people that have done
"mods" even though they could be "harmless" in thought.

To be honest, I'm thinking stock might be the way to go, for starting out at least. The jump from a 650 to a 1700
is a big jump to begin with. It wouldn't be bad to learn to tame the beast before I upset it. I'm not sure which
power commander is installed on the bike for $4900. If it were installed "wrong" could it cause problems? I
realize you can tweak the settings using the software and such to resolve it - the question though would be what
damage, if any, could have been done in the mean time.

At this point, I'm considering the one for 6500 and the other for 4900. Have yet to hear back on the stock one.
It is closer and if they'd negotiate on their price I may skip over the other completely (it is a 2 hour drive,
one way). Saving a 1000 or so dollars for 7000 miles may not be worth all that anyways. Not saying it is a bad
deal, just wish it were a bit closer.


Do these bikes scrape a lot or easily? I realize some of the answer lies in what line you choose in the corner,
speed, etc. However, I can scape the Vstar with some ease. I ride with a friend that's on a 750 Shadow Aero and
he rarely scrapes. One person told him that it's the difference in the suspension (dual shock on the side vs
the single monoshock design). Not sure if there's much truth to that or not. If so, then the warrior may have
similar issues.

I'm not really looking at lowering it... but I could see replacing the seat in time. Possible with a Saddlemen
Profiler seat... anyone tried one of these? I like the low profile look like that.
It would have either a PC III or a PCV. We have maps on the forum for different pipes, air intakes etc., so you could download any of those maps and tweak it if you felt it wasn't tuned right. Or of course you can just pay to get it tuned. Yes, you can hook the OLD ones up wrong, but the newer ones -which he almost certainly has based on the year of the bike- are pretty dummy proof to hook up.

These bikes scrape, but I wouldn't say easily. Having said that, most of us scrape them :D It kind of comes with the territory of the bike. In other words, we bought them because we're not floorboard guys. We LIKE to scrape. I guess you could compare chicken strips on the back -mine are about 1/16th of an inch or so. Just can't quite get that last bit. But that's not bragging, my brother in law has an RC-51, and he has scuffs on his sidewalls. A LOT of scuffs. There are some awesome pictures of some members riding the Dragon with frames scraping and shooting sparks -doing the finger drag on the yellow line- but those guys are almost as far over as a sport bike. Try dragging the yellow line on your V-Star and let me know how that works out for you :D Anyway, yeah it scrapes, if you've got the balls to do it :D :D :D

We don't use Saddleman seats. We use Corbins mostly. So look up a Corbin Stinger if you like that type of seat. Really top of the line. If you want a plush caddilacky kind of seat, you can get a Mustang, which members who ride long distances often get. I have a Corbin Dual Tour for riding 2 up. It's fugly, so I only use it when I have a passenger. Otherwise, I have a Pacific Coast Star shaved seat. Love that thing. I'm practically even with the engine. You really feel IN the bike instead of perched ON the bike. Makes a big difference in handling.

I don't disagree with mods -and who does them. The first question I would be asking is if he blocked off the airbox when he removed the right side intake.

I'd drive 350 miles both ways to save over a grand. That's not chump change to me. He might even drive part of the way towards you. Even 50 miles would make a big difference. If you said you had cash in hand, and unless it has issues you're unaware of you'll buy it, he might just go for that. If he did, you'd probably feel better that he had nothing to hide.
 
#38 ·
The Warrior is capable of some retty decent lean angles right out of the box, I would guess more than your V Star. I think I have heard 36 degrees for the Warrior.

It never ceases to amaze me what people say about motorcycles. The type of rear shocks has nothing to do with lean angles, it is the geometry of the frame and what parts are located where nearest the ground. Dual rear shocks loook kind of cool, but are a cheap and less effective solution than the mono shock which is what you will find on every "performance" motorcycle.
 
#39 ·
I was curious about that... because pretty much *all* sport bikes have monoshocks... and they seem to handle just fine... also the foot controls, etc are higher up on the frame/bike allowing you to lean more before scraping.

Not sure how the 36 degrees compares to that of the Vstar. Hope I scrape less often though :)
 
#41 ·
Sounds like I'll be okay with the scraping bit. I don't need to be dragging the yellow line :) Chicken strips is a good way to measure that, I wasn't thinking that way when I was posting/questioning. I can't even imagine having scuffs on the sidewalls - that's crazy!

Is there a reason people are avoiding Saddlemens? Bad reviews? Crappy seats? I have a Mustang seat on the Vstar, but the one thing I hate is the size/look. It's comfy as ****, but it adds a lot of bulk to the bike. Took a while to get used to the look and even though I can stand it now, I still prefer the smaller looking seats. The "young guns" isn't too bad... but doesn't look like it fits the later years. The Stinger and the Rumble seat are fugly as all get out. They are huge! Not so much wide, but thick in the middle.. they totally change the profile of bike from the side. The Mustang Daytripper isn't too bad, but I wish it blended into the rear fender better. That Pacific Coast Star isn't bad either....hmm, options!

Okay for this weekend - have to see what happens. First, I haven't heard back from the guy with the stock one. Not sure what's going on there. Second, there could be a chance of snow this weekend so that could make getting the bike an issue. Playing it by ear.
 
#48 ·
I have a Young Guns seat & a PCS Potato Chip seat (modded my '08 to accept a two up seat, very simple to do). The Corbin is a bit more comfortable, but the PCS looks badass and does sit you more "in" the bike than "on" it. This is NOT to say that the PCS isn't comfortable. I did NYC-Syracuse round trip (500 miles total) back in October on my PCS and it did just fine. Haven't heard anything about Saddlemens, but most of the forum swears by Mustang for comfort.....I just prefer a more low profile seat like you


Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#43 ·
You will love this bike. I had a V-Star 650 custom that I traded in on my Warrior. Never looked back since that great day in 04. Ive had other bikes since then as my second ride but the warriors a keeper.My list of second bikes includes sport naked bikes and even my old friend my Hayabusa. The last I do miss but not enough to give up my Warrior. Enjoy having a Warrior.
 
#44 ·
Drove 2 1/2 hours to get my 05 from a Victory dealer for 5k last Oct. had 12k miles after finding this forum I found I have almost 3k in aftermarket parts on it. Looks great runs great, one of my best buys ever. (IMO) The cheaper one your looking at has pipes and PCIII thats almost 1k right there, think I would take a hard look at that one.
 
#47 · (Edited)
Justbought a Warrior myself. Went from a 650 custom . The seat height is a problem for me legs are to short. Im lowering mine next week. Braking is far superior to 650. Ive only ridden mine twice so far Only thing to watch out for is puckering of shorts the first time you accelerate. Mine came with Jardine straight pipes on it so im looking for some 2.25 baffles for pipes its way to loud.
 
#50 ·
Thanks for everyone's help and votes for confidence.

I never heard anything back from the seller with the stock one. Yesterday I drove down and checked out the one for 4900. While talking to him on the phone, he mentioned one more thing about it. One tail light has some scratches in the plastic and there's a little chip in the paint. He thinks someone backed into it when the bikes were too close or something. Had me a little concerned (that maybe it was a sign it had been dropped) but when I showed up it wasn't anything to be concerned about.

The bike fires right up and sounds incredible. It has Hard Krome American Classic II's on it. My friend describes the sound as a "flesh eating monster." He didn't let me take it too far for the test ride (he had no insurance on it and really had no way of judging my skill level). The mechanics of shifting felt great and it definitely has some get-up-go to put it mildly.

I was hoping to get him to budge a little more on his price, but he let it go for 4700. The bike only has one mirror right now, but he included a set of Kuryakyn Turn Signal Mirrors. I like the look at the are in good shape. Not sure if I'll use them yet or not. It would clean up the bike by being able to remove the front turn signals but having the faster flashing is kind of annoying. Granted he included the load equalizer that is supposed to fix it (but it never did much on my 650). He also included the stock exhaust and software for the Power Commander. From what he explained the original owner (he was the second owner) had the PC and Pipes put on from the dealer when it was originally purchased.

I have yet to really get out and ride this thing. Got home yesterday as the sun was going down and by the time we were done unloading, etc - it was dark. Hoping that it stays dry today so I get do a little riding. From what I've felt so far, it'll be a long time before I ever "push" this one!

Oh, as for scraping - I don't see that being a big issue yet. I looked underneath and I could find one little scrap on the exhaust. Certainly has more leaning ability than the 650.

I'll post pictures today after it warms up a bit outside.

Lastchance - Thanks for the information, I'll have to look into that idea. Thinking something like that might be perfect for mounting my tailbag to instead of using a sissy bar.

Ronrider - Congrats on your purchase! Glad to hear I'm not the only one taking the big step from a 650 to a 1700. I really enjoyed the 650, but **** - a new era has dawned! One things for sure - even with V&H Cruzers on the 650, I could stand next to it at idle and have a conversation. This is not so with the Warrior and Hard Krome pipes. Sheesh!

cintron - It'll be a little while before I purchase a seat - gonna have to do some more research and put some miles on the stock one to get an idea of what I really want. I think in time I might move the controls forward. We'll see though. I have some Kurykyn swingwings that were on the 650 and I can get an adapter to put these on the Warrior. The ability to stretch there might be all that I need. If not, then I can move stuff forward. Originally I moved the 650 pegs forward 4 inches, then I bought a Mustang seat and that moved ME forward 4 inches!! Whoops, didn't see that coming!
 
#54 ·
I paid $8700 new from the dealer on my '09. Couldn't get them to budge down to $8500. That was in April though. You might have a better time of it now. At the time, used bikes in my area were more than that.

Going used can definitely save you some money though. Most people swap out the pipes immediately and you are likely to get a VBAK and PC5 out of it as well. That's at least $1K.

Something to be said for being the only owner though. At least then you know it's been broken in right.
 
#58 ·
So quick question - for those of you that went from the Vstar 650s (specifically the custom, but maybe the classic as well) - does the sidestand on the Warrior seem completely different? I realize it's considerably further forward on the bike, but I've noticed that I have a hard time catching it with my foot when I want to put it down. Then when I do catch it, it seems pretty stiff (sure heavier spring - but really? that much different?)

I haven't looked yet, maybe it can be rotated to stick out a bit more when it's up, or maybe it's just me getting used to everything.

On another note - I took the bike out around the neighborhood and then hit the freeway, back to surface streets and then back into my neck of the woods. Total was right around 15 miles or so. I had a "Clevver" clutch lever on the 650 which really changed the feel and the weight. I'm not sure if it was the fact I haven't ridden in a while, the difference in the weight of the clutch or the cold weather - or maybe all of it combined.. but I could definitely feel my clutch hand fatiguing. Other than that, the ride was great. Bike moves along with no issues. Have to get used to counting/knowing the gears again. Doing 65 comfortably (3,000 rpms) in 3rd throws you off, lol!
 
#63 ·
There is no clever for the Warrior. You'll have to man up Bucky :). --- also, because of the high amount of resistance the clutch cable stretches a lot, and if you ride a lot you'll have to adjust it about every month or two.

If you take your bike to a car wash and really clean the hinge point of the kickstand then it will practically drop on its own. You can put a larger rubber bump stop on the frame, or a slightly longer bolt or something along that line to get the kickstand to stick out a bit more as well. Spray the hinge point with some silicone spray after you clean it.

Also, when you clean it spray the hinge point of the shift lever and it will shift easier as well :)
 
#59 ·
Yes the side stand is very different. You may need to clean and lube it. There is a couple threads on here about it and adding a screw in the end or a longer bolt under the bump stop to make it better. Yes the clutch pull is harder as well. I went through the same issue when I got mine. You get used to it. There is also a few threads about trying to reduce the pull needed. I don't recall any being successful though.

The DarkMidKnightWarrior
 
#60 ·
Congratulations on the purchase ! You will definitely enjoy it.

rcoligan2 is right on the money with the kickstand. I can't for the life of me get it down on the first try with boots on. Same with the clutch... compared to the vstar, it's quite a pull, but you will adjust, and after a week or two, you won't notice.

On the seat issue, I know some die hards that can do the 300+mile trips, but I am a wuss :). I know that the Mustang seat is MUCH more comfy than the stocker, but it does sit you up and forward a couple of inches, like on your vstar. I use it for trips greater than 20 minutes as the stock seat has a much higher cool factor... When I go to my further office, it's exactly 20 minutes ;). Also, your s.o. will probably not go for a second ride with you after they ride passenger on that stock seat :)

justin-sitting in the fiumicino lounge....
 
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