Looking to buy in the next couple of months.

[johnberryus]

Hello Vulcan Bagger Hive Mind,

I am looking to upgrade the Nomad I've been riding for the last 3 years to a true touring bike, the Voyager is a strong candidate but I have some concerns about reliability/ durability.
The Nomad has just rolled over to 90,000 miles 60,000 of which are mine, and I know the 1700's are no longer shaft drive, which eliminates a couple of big hassles I had, But ...

How is the rest of the bike holding up for you guy's?
Those that have switched to the Voyager, what have you enjoyed or been disappointed by?
What major failures have you had or heard of?

I'm looking for a low mileage used model, already have my eye on a couple of nice 2010's.

Give me you knowledge.
(Before you get all by a Victory/ Harley / Indian, or whatever on me the budget is going to be under 12,000)

Thanks guys.

[redjay]

gv550 is your best bet for Voyager knowledge. Over 400,000 kms on his.

I had a 2010 Voyager and had no issues with it apart from a leaking rear shock replaced under warranty.

[gv550]

The 1700 will have equal or better reliability than your 1600. The 1700 will also out-perform the 1600 in every way, more power, better braking, quicker handling and burn less fuel. Many riders including myself have went from a 1600 to 1700 and although some of those have since went on to other brands of bikes, I don't know of anyone who went back to 1600.
The 1700 engine is the definition of reliability, I ran mine a quarter million miles and it needed nothing. The clutch is much better than the 1600, no need for spring or plate replacement or aftermarket washers. The gearbox does not shift as nice as your 1600 and there have been some gear and shaft failures, mostly on 09 and 10 models. The belt drive is debatable, some find it noisy, some have failed but it weighs less and likely contributes to lower fuel consumption. I've replaced my belt twice, but also needed 2 driveshafts in my 1600.
For your budget, I'd hold out for a later model. 11 had transmission improvements, 12 had KAMS and radio improvements.

[schoeney]

250k and two belts, that is good! GV550. Do you still have your Voyager? sounds like you don't?

[OldSchool]

Here is one fairly close to you. 2013 model with ABS which I bet you could get close to your budget for. Heck they don't even know what they are selling.

http://bakersfield.craigslist.org/mcd/4967943661.html

[Ipack]

I'm not going to be able to help you a lot but will add my thoughts . I just purchased a 2012 model Voyager , I drove it off for like $12,000 with a 3yr warranty . The bike has just under 18k miles on it . Non ABS , After spending some time cleaning and polishing the nitty gritty areas the bike looks new . I did a pretty complete service on it including brake system flush and fill front and rear , clutch fluid change , coolant flush and a oil change . The original owner was kind enough to do Cobra tri-oval slip ons , PCV and K&N Air Filter ....The bike runs strong and smooth . I have little doubt I will put up to 100k on this machine with little trouble . My previous bike was a Harley Road King Classic ....I like the voyager better ...much smoother , more power , very stable on the highway at reasonable speeds ..Ive had mine to 85mph and still smooth and tracks straight down the road..... gears 1-4 are all you need in town , gear 5 is good up to about 60 ...gear 6 at 60 mph the bike is resting at 2000 rpms ...I did a nice ride last Sunday 200 miles total 100 out and back with my wife we enjoyed it...I don't think the voyager will leave you wanting anything ...they are good looking bikes well suited to the task of touring ...and you don't have all the issues that come along with a Harley....Kaw builds a nice motor taken care of will last as long as you need it to. mine has 17k on it and sounds like a sewing machine ......use a Ipod with your stero the audio is much better than the radio......

[johnberryus]

Thanks for the responses guys, I like what I'm hearing about the bike. Looks like I need to find a '12, I had been looking at a couple of '10s.
@OldSchool they definitely did not know what they had but the sold that bike over a month ago, I asked about it two days ago.
What were the improvements to the radio and what is KAMS?

[OldSchool]

Cant help with the improvements to the radio , but this is KAMS

http://www.kawasaki.com/Accessories/...0AAF/999940370

You know if you expand your horizon just a bit you can probably find a new voyager for about the price of your budget. There are still new 13's and 14's around the country just looking for a good home. You can pretty much get one shipped from anywhere to you for about 500 to 700 bucks. There are web sights that will calculate shipping for you. May not get ABS but I bet you can deal. Here is a sampling of a current ad in my area to give you an idea.

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcd/4992502904.html

[gv550]

Originally Posted by schoeney

250k and two belts, that is good! GV550. Do you still have your Voyager? sounds like you don't?

Yes, and riding it every day.

[gv550]

Originally Posted by johnberryus

Thanks for the responses guys, I like what I'm hearing about the bike. Looks like I need to find a '12, I had been looking at a couple of '10s.
@OldSchool they definitely did not know what they had but the sold that bike over a month ago, I asked about it two days ago.
What were the improvements to the radio and what is KAMS?

Early radios had some failures, they wouldn't shut off. In 12 the radio was updated to allow gps integration.

[dshelly]

Be sure to ride one before you buy . The bike may look nice but until you ride one you won't know if that's what you want or not. Before I decided on my HD Ultra Classic, I checked out many different ones. One thing I really looked at was the ABS. Never had that before, but after talking to guys where it's saved their asses, I knew that was something I wanted.

My new bike is coming from Rhode Island. Old School is right, $500-$700 will get it shipped right to your door. I ended up saving around $3K on this bike instead of what I could have found around here.

[Win_surfur]

I bought an '11, with 4811 miles on it a couple years ago. Never had a big bike like this. Had a 1500 for a year, then wanted the whole shootin match (Gauges, fairing, stereo). It has 22,530 on it now, never an issue. Several upgardes to it, and it purs at 80mph. My wife & I ride as much as Florida weather will permit, hate riding in the rain - the florida tourists drive bad enough when it's dry! Never been on another big bike, don't feel the need to. This one is just right.

[HwyRider]

Here's an 11 with low miles. Has been on the market for a few weeks first on craigslist then eBay. Has a transferable warranty which is a plus. He's probably looking for 10k. You could probably get one of the people that live up in this area to take a look at it for you.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-Vul...m=251970434197

[johnberryus]

Originally Posted by dshelly

Be sure to ride one before you buy . The bike may look nice but until you ride one you won't know if that's what you want or not. Before I decided on my HD Ultra Classic, I checked out many different ones. One thing I really looked at was the ABS. Never had that before, but after talking to guys where it's saved their asses, I knew that was something I wanted.

My new bike is coming from Rhode Island. Old School is right, $500-$700 will get it shipped right to your door. I ended up saving around $3K on this bike instead of what I could have found around here.

I have ridden the crap out of every touring V-twin out there including the Voyager. I will say the Rushmore Harley Ultra is my favorite but not in the budget.

Originally Posted by HwyRider

Here's an 11 with low miles. Has been on the market for a few weeks first on craigslist then eBay. Has a transferable warranty which is a plus. He's probably looking for 10k. You could probably get one of the people that live up in this area to take a look at it for you.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-Vul...m=251970434197

Thanks for the link, As I get closer I may ask for help looking at out of state bikes.

Originally Posted by gv550

Yes, and riding it every day.

I am seriously impressed that you've got one with 250k miles and your still riding it everyday.

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Cant help with the improvements to the radio , but this is KAMS

http://www.kawasaki.com/Accessories/...0AAF/999940370

You know if you expand your horizon just a bit you can probably find a new voyager for about the price of your budget. There are still new 13's and 14's around the country just looking for a good home. You can pretty much get one shipped from anywhere to you for about 500 to 700 bucks. There are web sights that will calculate shipping for you. May not get ABS but I bet you can deal. Here is a sampling of a current ad in my area to give you an idea.

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcd/4992502904.html

As far as out of state bikes are concerned, Can't buy new, California requires vehicles brought in from out of state to have at least 7500 miles on them. That may be avoidable if they are a 50 state bike but I'm not sure.

[Win_surfur]

I live in Orlando, flew to Virginia to get mine as I couldn't find one down here, that fit my budget. 750 miles back home, stayed overnight in South Carolina, as there were a TON of dead deer along the road.