not happy with my new bike

[markc]

does anybody have a vaquero and just do not like it? if so why,i would like your opinions

[Scootergptx]

I would like the bars to be pulled back a bit more. Easy fix.

[OldSchool]

What are the things you do not like about the Vaquero?

[hlknvlcn60]

Why would anyone spend thousands of $$ on a bike without checking it out really well first? All bikes have a few things that someone may not like, mostly little things that can be fixed. I would say that 99% of Vaquero owners including myself love the bike. Just set the intake and exhaust up the way you like, get your ecu re-flashed by Ivan, adjust your rear shocks for the ride you want, and go. Any questions about this awesome tourer can be answered by most any member on the forum that owns one. And, the fact that Vaqueros are a very popular bike that leave dealer floors pretty quick....a good seller at a good price.

[Rasta]

If you are not happy with it, what I have seen from people on here that are not happy with their bike, they end up spending a ton of money and time then end up selling it and getting something else. My advice is get rid of it now before you spend any more money than you have already and get what makes you happy.

[Mrstrike]

I learned with my Connie14 that EVERY bike has to be tuned for my taste.
not just the seat, but the bars, pegs, grips, lights and sound.

for me I dont know what does or does NOT work while sitting on the showroom floor, or a 10 min ride.

there were things I loathed about teh vaquero, mainly the performance, and awe-full fueling (fixed with the Ivan ECM, YEA!) but I made a gamble to buy it with some Money set aside for Mods.
... hoping the mods I made would work in the long run.

QUOTE FROM ABOVE

Originally Posted by Rasta

..... My advice is get rid of it now before you spend any more money than you have already and get what makes you happy....

With respect to RASTA, i disagree.
this is not an ON/OFF switch, of either It works, or does not work. This is more of a sliding scale of WORKING<------------>TOO much MONEY

For me I was 70% happy with the bike and I made a calculated risk that I could spend Money to get that last 30% of 'joy' to the finish line.

Markc, you have to ask your self what parts you like, VS. what parts you dont like (money no object).
then find out how much these parts cost/labor/effort will equal $XX amount.
lastly, is $xx amount worth a $16,000 (new)/$12,000(used) bike?

if you got to drop $6k on a new bike BUT YOU KNOW 100000% you will be in love with the finished project, there is some meret to that.

VS.

spending $200 here, $300, there, $600 over there in an effort to HOPE you will learn to like it is a losing path (supporting RASTA's statement) .


my 2 cts
cheers
chad

[Snake Ranch]

When I bought my skoot it was not even close to what I wanted. But it was the closest to what I could see for possibilities. And what I wanted to shell out to start this affair.

Kawasaki and the aftermarket doesn't offer as many accessories, but what I couldn't buy I knew I could make.

To me this skoot has the lines and grace of something older but in the new world.

And I didn't have to be shelling out a bazillion dollars and have to worry about making it home.

Sit down and make a bucket list on what you want and what you are not comfortable with and post it.

There are some real knowledgeable people on this form with good practical knowledge and horse sense. They can help you through this. Give it a year or so.

Give them time to help. Or if money is no object, buy a Harley. They have a lot of options. But be prepared. HD doesn't stand for that, what shall not be named or spoken. But for "Hundred Dollars".

Just kidding, kinda.

Give us a list, and let the the form help.

[Mrstrike]

Originally Posted by Snake Ranch

.....To me this skoot has the lines and grace of something older but in the new world. ....(CHADC: amen, that what sold me VS a used Harley that looked like everyone else)

....Sit down and make a bucket list on what you want and what you are not comfortable with and post it....

couldn't agree more with both statements bud

[Erilflynn]

Originally Posted by markc

does anybody have a vaquero and just do not like it? if so why,i would like your opinions

Like Oldschool said, you really have to tell us why you don't like it and then someone may be able to help you. And, if need be, sell it and move on to something you like.

[smokey]

He does have a point though, I have been riding since 1967, and have probably owned 30 or more bikes in that time. I have never ever found one that suits me right off the bat, either the seat, handlebars, or some other thing like ergonomics, is not suited to my size or style of riding. I do get things and add them to the bike to make it more suited to me. I think that most if not all, bike manufacturers make the ergonomics to suit the average rider, I am sure they do not test every single bike among a range of tall, short, fat, thin etc riders but design them based on their thinking and the design for an "average" person. Of course we know that the "average" person can differ greatly depending on what country they are from, Asians are small, while Europeans and North Americans tend to be variable as there are a lot of immigrants plus the home grown folks.

I have not found any stock seat to be really comfortable, nor the handlebar layout, I think I may have finally found the setup that best suits me in the Russel day long and the Helibars that I now have on the bike, the saving grace of the bars is that they can be adjusted multiple ways, so if my wrist starts bugging me I can simply turn the end of the bars in or out, but it all comes at a price, and that is why I generally stay away from the expensive bikes like Harley and the Gold wings, because I know I am going to spend more on aftermarket goodies, but that is what riding is all about, making the ride to suit you, and that is what makes it fun, at least it does if you can afford it.

[schoeney]

Yes I agree, I think just about every bike out there needs a little tweaking to make it your own.

Some bikez start out a little bit closer to what you expect than others.

You can whittle it down fairly well with the advent of the internet and all the forums available. But even then when people are giving opinions of windshields, seats, comfort you need to read between the lines and figure out things like how big each person is, what type of riding they do, what part of the country they live in, etc. A lot of moving parts.

Some people get lucky and don't have to spend a lot of money to get what fits them well others spend lots of money with different luck.

I spent very little money on my ST 1300 and I love it from a comfort, handling, reliability and power standpoint. But I did do a lot of homework and research before I bought. It works for me but I know there are others it would not work for. I did need to tweak a few things like risers and aftermarket seat. But I was expecting that.

I do know others that have spent $20,000 just to end up trading the bike in months later.

My 2003 Vulcan Nomad was the perfect bike to get back into motorcycling for me. Again it did not cost much but it worked well for me. I never took the plunge of buying a day-long Russell seat when I had the bike but I wish I had.

I guess my suggestion would be to go ahead and make the modifications to make the bike comfortable for you before you decide to throw in the towel.
Unless the things you do not like about the bike are not fixable.



Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[waldowales]

I bought a Triumph Trophy last August, because it is fast, beautiful, has all the goodies one could ever want. I plan to dump it, because it is ridiculously top heavy and unwieldy at low speeds, plus the simplest maintenance is a big job, i.e. replacing the air filter involves removing much of the plastic and the fuel tank. I'll lose a substantial amount of money, but if I keep it, it will only get worse. I love my 2003 Nomad, and won't mind spending money on it, if it turns out there is something I don't like about it. I can live with the lousy gas mileage.

[Rookie13]

Agreed. It all boils down to personal preference. For myself it was based on history of former bikes I have owned or ridden. Before purchasing the Vaq I now own (and enjoy greatly), much research was done, as well as head to head comparisons with other bikes. It was a shootout between a RoadGlide, Victory CC, and the Vaq. The biggest thing was overall cost of ownership after making a "wish list" of each bike and the changes required on each to fit my needs (and wants). Not everyone chooses to leave their bike stock, either. Aside from the second mortgage required for the Kawi passenger backrest, the Vaquero won in every aspect for ME. No, it is not for everyone. Not everyone has to own a HD. BTW, they do make a great bike...for a t-shirt company. Sorry to hear that you are not pleased with your bike, but as others stated- there are many here that have helped me and may be able to give some guidance to you as well.

[lostnavigator]

Give it to me if you dont want it.

[ponch]

Originally Posted by markc

does anybody have a vaquero and just do not like it? if so why,i would like your opinions

What did you ride before hand? What don't you like?

I believe in test riding bikes and if you didn't, that was a mistake. If you did, what happened that was so unexpected? Insofar as ergonomics go, unless you are the average sized male, there's probably some adjustment that needs to be done. Expensive mistakes are, well, expensive, but instructive.