Anybody Rode The VTX 1300c?

[jkulysses]

Now that I moved back to Oregon my dad finally got to ride my bike. Well, he fell in love with it and now he wants to sell his enduro and get a crusier too so we can go on rides together. He really likes my bike, but doesn't want to get the same exact bike that I have. He really wants to see the M109r in person because by looking at pictures it is his favorite one. He also sat on A VTX1300c and the VTX1800c yesterday. He really liked both of those and he has always been a Honda fan. He could get the 05' vtx1300c for around $8,000 which seems like a pretty good deal to me. The only reason he wouldn't get the 1800c is because they wanted over $13,000 for it and he can get the M109r for less than that. Just wondering if this is actually a pretty good bike or if it is like the vstar 1100, which is underpowered for its size. He also liked the midnight warrior, which was around $11,000 for an 05', but doesn't like the huge cannister exhaust or the fact that it is air cooled. It is not as comfy as the VTX bikes either. He liked the meanstreak too, but likes the price of that vtx1300c the best. The only reason he doens't want to get an M50 is because the only color he likes is the blue one and he doesn't want to get the same exact bike as me. The M50 is kind of hard to find around here too. I've only seen one and it was a red 05' and they wanted $7,149 for it. Wow, i typed way too much.

[bulkhead]

The VTX 1300's are great value for the money. Single pin crank and lots of add-ons available. Go to vtxoa.com for info. Hope it wasn't wrong to do that.

[tlwisner]

Personally, if I buy a bigger cruiser, it will have:

Hydraulic valve lifters (no valve adjustments)
Fuel Injection

That said, the VTX 1300s my freinds ride are nice bikes - and there are some great deals on them as you have seen. There's also a HUGE amount of aftermarket support for both VTX bikes.

[Trapper]

I took a demo ride on the VTX 1300. I liked it. Pretty good power. I found the bars really wide, but I find that on a lot of cruisers compared to my Marauder.

[BillyBumbler]

I like his taste, the VTX 1300c was my first choice as well. I didn't get it because the M50 was already stretching my budget and I thought it would be too much bike for my first. I saw a silver one at the grocery store the other day. Looked sweet!

[hdofdc]

I have a m50. One of my co-workers has a vtx1300 and the other a 1100 shadow. The vtx1300 rides like a cadillac compared to my m50. Both of us are 6 foot 4 inches tall and over 300 lbs. I don't know if it is the traditional twin shock setup on the vtx that makes for such a cush ride or the heft of the bike. Mine rides like a rigid in comparison. We spent a day in the hills of east Tn swapping bikes back and forth to see the differences. My m50 will stay with and actually pull ahead of both bikes up to around 90 mph when the other two will walk away. The 1100 is the least exciting of the three. Pretty bland in my opinion. It seems to be geared way too tall for my riding style.Both of my co-workers like the way the m50 revs. They compare it to a high revving small block chevy compared to their bikes. The vtx feels long and heavy compared to the m50 but handles surprisingly well.

[C50dreamin]

Brother has one and it is definately a nice bike. His he got it used and fully dressed out. Stock I could take him till second gear and then he starts to pull away pretty hard and will bury the needle (130) and still pull untill he lets out ( has pipes K&N and is jetted). Now that I have added pipes and Air filter w/ a FI...I don't know yet but he will still probably pull away, I'm just hoping not as hard...but all in all a very nice bike indeed...JMHO...Zed

[jkulysses]

Thank you everybody for your opinions. He was starting to lean towards the vtx1300c for price reasons anyway, and now all your positive feedback on this bike is helping him make his decision I think. He still wants to see the M109r before he makes a decision, but I doubt he will be able to test ride the 109r which kind of scares him. He can test ride the 1300c and most of the other bikes I mentioned that he was looking at cause they have used ones they will let you ride. We found a brand new 05' vtx1300c for $7,999 dollars in Portland and there is no sales tax here so that seems like a pretty good deal. He is still thinking about getting a black M50 too though so I'll let you guys know what he does. I'm trying to talk him into the M50 so then he will still have over a grand left to get nice ridning gear and a new helmet and my eleven year old brother is really wanting a dirt bike. He could get the M50, gear and a little dirt bike for my brother for the cost of the bigger bikes. The 1300c is a pretty good deal too though so I think he has it narrowed down to those two bikes.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

If the VTX 1300 is his first bike tell him to buy the M50 instead and learn to ride first before getting such a massive bike

My father-in-law is looking too. He rode many, many, many years ago. Small bikes mainly. He wants to jump in with both feet. He's a pretty massive guy, and does nothing small. So naturally, he wants a large bike. My brother-in-law and I are trying to convince him he may need to start out on a C50. However, he gets a brochure from any one manufacturer, and just looks for the largest bike in the catalog. He doesn't want to hear it that his mindset could be a recipe for disaster, cause he's looking at all the 700 + pound high displacement megacruisers. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I'd be almost thankful if he decided to go with the 1300 VTX.

jkulysses...at least your Dad is riding. He has an Enduro right? I hope he finds something he likes, and suits him.

[jkulysses]

My dad has been riding since he was A kid and he is 49 now, but he has rode enduro's for all those years. I think he is looking at the M50 again for price reasons. Every time he takes mine out he starts looking at the M again. It's just that he likes the blue color the best, but doesn't want to get one exactly like mine. I think he might be looking at the black one now. They have a red 05' over here, but they want $7,150 for it. The suzuki stealer over here is a jerk and overpriced. Not sure how he stays in business.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

Your father-in-law sounds like the one old boy on another forum who once mentioned that you NEVER use the front brake. I knew he had never taken an MSF course from that info and told him the facts. Have your father-in-law contact me if you want and I'll try my best to help him choose a reasonable machine. You are correct in your thinking and I applaud you and your bro-in-law for trying to help the old boy . There is a world of difference between the bikes yout f-i-l remember and what is available today. I hope his ego calms down and he listens to you

Wolf....at least we talked him down from a Boss Hoss! No lie!

And you are right....he is a good ole boy. A mountain of a man raised in Southern Georgia. Like I said, he does nothing small. However, I get the sense, that in two years or so there'll be a Trader ad out there that reads:

Two year old mega displacement cruiser. 200 miles on the odometer. Jet kit/Power Commander. Vance-a-Cobra-dine pipes. Tons of bling. Slight dent on tank where I dropped it in a low speed manuever.

Or god forbid something worse, and my mother-in-law is placing the ad.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but countersteering wasn't a recognized technique until the mid-eighties right? Recognized meaning the MSF started teaching it. It was more or less something we did without thinking, however when told about it, it was counter-intuitive to what we thought. My brother-in-law and I are having a hard time convincing him about counter-steering. Push right to go right.

I'm embarassed to say, the first time I got on a heavy street bike. It was like a Honda CB 450 or 350. My friend's bike. Up to that point, I had ridden my dirtbike extensively on the street, and I had a '51 Harley 125 I rode on the street and trails also. After riding the CB, I don't know how I survived on pavement with the other bikes. After going in a straight line, and doing some low speed turns, I felt good enough to negotiate a turn. I've never forgotten the sheer terror I felt, when I braked, and went to lean in and PULLED on the right hand grip. Of course, the bike went left, and I went off the road. Luckily, I got slowed down quickly, but did go off the road, and narrowly missed two rather large Maple trees. I remember all I could say was the bike wouldn't turn, and my friend was really pissed at me. I've tried to relate that to my father-in-law, but it's like talking to a wall.

[cjjtulsa]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

We don't teach Countersteering in Canada; We Teach PUSH STEERING which is an easier concept to grasp.

That is a cool way to put it, and makes more sense.

[BillyBumbler]

Oddly enough, until I was taught the technique (counter steering or push steering, whatever you want to call it) I realized that I had been pull steering. That is, instead of pushing on the right grip to lean right, I was PULLING on the left grip to lean right. I've since trained that out of myself, but it doesn't seem to make much difference.

[BigD]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

We don't teach Countersteering in Canada; We Teach PUSH STEERING which is an easier concept to grasp.

That is splitting hairs because "countersteering" is "PUSH STEERING"... but whatever. As long as people are learning properly, that is the main thing. If you have tall ape hangers then Pull steering is a good method.
I agree for someone just getting started or returning to the saddle after an extended absence the VTX 1300 is not the wisest choice by far but I know of a couple people that have successfully done it even though it is not recommended.
I fully disagree with the statement that a 1100cc Shadow, A.K.A. Sabre & Spirit, are boring. The Sabre will equal or better what the VTX 1300 can do off the line and on the top end. The advantage of 200cc more displacement is lost with the added weight. And when it comes to performance in the twisties... forget it... Sabre hands down. It is very nimble for it's size.
I think the M50 is the best bet for someone returning but a Sabre or Spirit is something to consider also.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

I'll agree with you that it's splitting hairs, but the fact remains it's easier to teach and understand Push Steering.

I forgot to mention, my incident happened back in '87/'88 somewhere around there. There wasn't much sharing of useful motorcycle info or knowledge passed around then, other than the old timers telling you never use the front brake, and junk like that. My favorite, when you get in too deep in a turn, just lean harder. See the above post to find out where that got me! The most useful info I ever got back then was the warnings about stepping up to too powerful of a bike too soon.

I had a girlfriend whose father had a KZ1000 collecting dust in the garage. He tried to give it to me in '86. Title in hand, and zero Rubles would be exchanged. Free. I refused. I knew I couldn't handle that bike, and there was no sense taking it just to take it. 'Cause eventually, my stupid @ss would be piloting that thing around, and as I pointed out. I found the next year that everything I learned on a dirtbike had zero translation on the street.