New Warrior owner...we'll see for how long.

[yellowbee]

Originally Posted by LeaderDuece

Welcome to the forum. I guess...

Thats about how I feel too.
Sounds to me like you should've done a little more research cuz I think you bought the wrong bike. If you like the sport bikes but wanted more comfort why not get a sport touring bike. If the warrior is too slow, you wont be happy with any cruiser imo, there might be a few a little faster but I dont think they are more comfortable. You could always go trade for one of them Beemers but dont forget the neon green jump suit that goes with it.

[active1951]

Originally Posted by theAmazingKickstand

Hey all,

I just got a pristine 2006 Warrior with 3,900 miles and rode it home for 200 miles.
I'm coming off of much quicker sport bikes but needed something more comfy for my 80 mile commute.
What was your last sportbike?

It was down to a Warrior and an ST1300 (srsly!) and the Warriors are a few grand cheaper.
ST1300 would make a great commuter.

Soo um....it's slow.
Do not wring it's neck, shift early.

I knew that going in but never experienced it.
First thing I need is a windscreen. Some initial disappointments were that the two chrome shields were getting in the way of my legs but I see that there's a way to get rid of both of those. Also the seat was surprisingly uncomfortable after an hour.
Give the seat time, I can go 2 hours without a problem now, BTW give the whole bike some time ....

I had a lot of pressure on my tail bone. I might get an airhawk so I can move it to the next bike if cruising isn't for me.
If memory serves the warrior is about as quick as a newer air-cooled BMW.

IF anyone is selling a

Non hideous clear shield with no chrome
Extended footpegs or floorboards
Hard-ish luggage with no straps or tassles
Black simple luggage rack
and the bits and pieces I'd need to remove those two huge chrome air intake bits on both sides I'd be very interested.
Not interested in chrome, studs, tassles, chaps, meth, crosses, doo-rags, etc.
I saw someone here had one of the chrome side covers replaced with a cross.
Has anyone seen a star of david cover for sale.....cuz I'd totally rock that....even if it had a bit of chrome.

Oh, do I have to worry about air cooling while crawling through traffic? Lane splitting on this was a bit more cumbersome than on my other bike.
If you use the available torque it is a blast in traffic.

Thanks,
Mike in (near) San Francisco, CA

Soo um, welcome ......
.
.

[twicechosen]

I remember a guy buying a bike and then complained that is was not like his old bike. Astute observation that, it's not the old bike. In a relationship if the other person is just like you, then one of you may not be needed. The new bike SHOULN'T be like the old bike or handle like the old bike, if it does you have the old bike. Once I got the Warrior I realized I had the best of both worlds of power and mobility. Sure it doesn't handle like a bicycle because it's not a bicycle or sport bike. All that said, welcome, you will get help here.

[MikeOlmt]

If you're coming from Liter sport bikes.. then this is very different!

It's not got the top end... it's a pushrod motor. What it does have is GOBS of low end torque to pull hard! If you re-gear it with a smaller rear pulley, it smooths out the power a bit more and allows you a slightly more comfy cruise at highway speeds.

Yes, the stock seat sucks!!! Everyone here will tell you that. You will need either an airhawk pad or a new seat to make it better. I would like to try the airhawk to see what it does... But I need the proper seat for my year anyway... then I could re-pad it with a silicone gel insert and make my butt happy!

There is a lot of extra power to be had with exhaust and Churchkey's VBAK intake kit and a tuner. Plus if you really want more power there are high compression large bore kits available for the motor.

Give it some time, learn it's idiosyncrasies, and you just may come to love it like we all do!

Also, Tires make a huge difference in how the bike handles and feels. I went with the Michelin Road2's all around with the 190 in the rear, and it's much easier to turn in and flick around!!

Have fun, welcome to the forum, and let the modbug bite!!!!! ;-)

[wmfrow]

I haven't been able to ride for a little over 3 years. LOL I was at Harley today and i just didn't see anything I would want over My 02 Warrior. I'm pretty happy I think you will be to. welcome to the forum

[theAmazingKickstand]

Originally Posted by active1951

Soo um, welcome ......
.
.

Edit: If you don't wanna read the whole thing, please just read the last paragraph.

Thank you everyone!!! I hope you guys have a sense of humor or I will get perma banned soon.

My last bike, that I still have but will need to sell, is a Buell 1125R. It is the very best motorcycle I've ever owned. The thing pulls from idle to redline like a freight train. I bought because I was looking for a big ass top of the line deisel train Vtwin and these were going for a few grand less than Aprilia Tuono'l and KTM Dukes. It now has 28k miles and pretty much worthless cuz it says Buell on it....and has 28k miles. It's been surprsinglyh 100% reliable without a single issue. FYI I need to pull the motor every 10k miles to adjust the valves. It's a hassle but I've gotten quick at it. I recently put a CR triple clamp and handle bars on hoping that making into a standard would make the freeway more bearable. It did but I still have that super harsh ride and no leg room. Rather than continue ruining and amazing motorcycle I bit the bullet and decided to get something practical. I did a ton of research and for me the Warrior was the best cruiser option. If I got a cruiser it had to be aircooled so that leaves out most non HD's and there's no way I'm paying for a POS of HD.

I'm not a cruiser guy; I don't like the look or the "lifestyle" or the flames and drinking and the whole harley shindig.....but I don't like the sport bike stereotype either.
The ST1300 would probably be perfect for me but it's more than I want to spend on a bike cuz I'm super cheap.
I read a lot about the monster torque and to be honest was dissapointed. The Buell will run away from this bike with my shoulder sockets at any rpm from idle.

Anyway, the one nice thing is that I'm very happy and relaxed going the speed limit everywhere. Every other bike I've owned was in a sweet spot cruising at 90mph and made me feel finicky going slower.....I think the ST would have similar issues.

Since I made a 400 miles round trip to get it and spent $70 on amsoil and a filter I'm going to keep it until next summer at least. I'll get my money back for sure should I change my mind or ride it until an ST pops up for cheap.

I normally get bored and tired of bikes (because I keep buying a race track bike for commuting) after 3k miles. The Buell I've had for 15k miles. This one seems like a keeper too.

I'm not a cruiser guy. I just needed something nice and cheap to sit on the freeway with for 80 miles/day and I'm tired of buzzy million HP 4cyl. that I can't use anywhere and have no leg room.


A very upsetting side note I found today!!!!
About 8 qts of motor oil came out total!!!! The orignal owner was a very nice and honest gentleman who had the oil changed once at the dealer he bought from about 1000 miles ago. My guess is they only drained the tank or the engine and then filled it with 5 qts. without checking anything.
How ****** am I? I'm guessing the only reason the motor hasn't blown every seal is because there is indeed a a seperate tank on these. I over filled my Buell by a FOURTH of a qt and it started shooting oil out every breather all over the place. Oh, is there no oil light on these?

Again,
Thank you all for the welcome.

[Jbat]

Originally Posted by theAmazingKickstand

A very upsetting side note I found today!!!!
About 8 qts of motor oil came out total!!!! The orignal owner was a very nice and honest gentleman who had the oil changed once at the dealer he bought from about 1000 miles ago. My guess is they only drained the tank or the engine and then filled it with 5 qts. without checking anything.
How ****** am I? I'm guessing the only reason the motor hasn't blown every seal is because there is indeed a a seperate tank on these. I over filled my Buell by a FOURTH of a qt and it started shooting oil out every breather all over the place. Oh, is there no oil light on these?

Again,
Thank you all for the welcome.

well no wonder it ran like a dog, when overfilled they run rich, don't like to rev, and generally lack response. No oil light on these, just the dipstick. Make sure the bike is good and hot when you check the oil (ie. ride 20 min) and then let it idle for at least 30 sec without touching the throttle before shutting off. Then check the oil. If you don't check it this way it is easy to over fill as it will read low when cold. There are many good videos on how to properly check the oil on here if you still have any questions.

[LeaderDuece]

You seem likes nice enough guy, and you're just being honest/yourself, but I'd like to just make a couple of comments:

You've noted more than once that you're not a cruiser guy and don't like that whole image/lifestyle etc. Well, neither are we. If we were, we'd own Harley's not Warriors. I'm the rare exception with bags on my Warrior, and they aren't those gay Harley police bags either, I custom fitted some silverado bags. Most of us don't wear all that crap you were complaining about (I wear Joe Rocket jackets with skid lid half helmets) and we don't have whips hanging from our throttle grips. I wouldn't know meth if you set it on a table in front of me. Many of us enjoy doing mods to improve horsepower or set us apart from the crowd, not to be more like it. If you compare the Warrior to a bike from another class or style of bike, of course it isn't going to come out favorably. If you compare it to another cruiser, that's a different story. It's not the fastest (its design is 10 years old now) but it is one of, if not the best, handling cruisers out there. Combine that with its above average power and off the line speed, and its the perfect bike for most of us. If its not the perfect bike for you, that's cool. If everyone liked it then they would still be making it. It's a great platform for modding, but you have to approach it as a joy, not a chore. I spent yesterday working on mine, and it was the best part of the weekend, not the worst. Your title says it all - you're acting like you made a mistake buying it in the first place. We'd love to prove you wrong, but you have to be a little more open minded, and stop stereotyping us all as the type of cruiser dude you despise.

That is all

[dragstar]

To me it really sounds like you bought the wrong bike. I love my warrior, and will probably never sell it, but it seems like you won't be happy with anything that resembles a cruiser. Most of us are not the cruiser guys either, but if you despise every thing about cruisers, why did you buy one? I know you can get them cheap, but there has to be something that fits you better and it's a similar price.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Motorcycle.com Free App

[rcoligan2]

Welcome to the forum!

The DarkMidKnightWarrior