Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Should I Do It?

Sell my 04 America?

I bought it for my wife a couple of years ago. My wife has been riding as long as I have, 40 years, but gave up riding her Electraglide for about a year because of back trouble. I sold the HD, her back starting getting better and we got the America. Before she had a chance to put any serious miles on it, the bad back came back and she's not riding again for the last year. I have to split my riding time between her America and my Speedmaster. I know, I know, it's tough duty but somebody has to do it! Since they are basically the same bike, I've been thinking it's time to sell the America.

I like the idea of a Street Fighter. Thinking of either a Speed Triple or the Buell Lightning Long or Ulysses. I could have fun on a hooligan bike. I also think the Uly would be cool on the unpaved mountain roads here in Colorado.

Decisions, decisions. What to do?

Bob

If it was me, and I had a choice to have a second bike, it wouldn't be one that is almost the same!!

I'd get rid of the BA and get something a little more different...no use having 2 of essentially same bike

Call me an old fart, but I'm of the mind a big engine bike off road is a might top heavy. I know there are a few hundred thousand riders who would tell me different... but anyway.

I propose you give me the America, so I can have a spoke-ed ride, (love me them chrome spokes!) and I'll keep it all nice & shiny for you, and the cob webs off it, and go get a black 07 triple. Might better start parting your hair down the middle if you get the triple.

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no use having 2 of essentially same bike

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is that kinda like having two Dreads?

(blatant hijack... )

Might be time to get her a Gold Wing

I would want two like bikes. I would have all the tools the knowledge and spare parts if one had to be ridden. They would not look the same as both would be configured differently. Like bikes could be speedy/bonnevilles/americas/scrambler . I had to keep two bonneville americas and one piglet running for several months before. Talk about walking bowlegged! When I say running I mean I had to ride each one in a rotation. Each would get pissed at me for riding the other one and when I rode the pissed ones they would complain that I didn't spend enough time with them. Man life is tough. Motorsickles, ya can't live with them and ya can't live without them!

The best thing to do is WAIT! Don't sell it yet. I know the money would be nice but when triumph releases the new big twin your going to regret not having it to barter with. You can sell it and get a bigger twin when the time comes. If the new triumph doesn't catch your eye then sell and buy something else.

OR.....Chop it! If I had an extra bike I'd be workin' on one while I ride the other. That thing would be on blocks right now.

Having two of the same is kind of fun. Swapping different color tanks, (I have 3 tanks) moving parts from one to the other. I have them set up completely different. The America is more of a touring style and elegant with a lot of add-ons, where the Speedmaster is more stripped down, one seater, mean and nasty.



I enjoy riding them both, they both have very different attributes, but I think I have any opportunity to get something different.




Bob

Variety is the spice of life.

Go for it. Get the Speed Triple. It sounds as if that is what you would really like to do anyway. Nothing wrong at all with swapping styles of riding once in a while.

Soren

Bob, I'm thinking that her reoccurrence of back pain could have been caused by riding the BA.(okay...settle down people and I'll explain)

Having to place one's feet forward on these bikes puts too much weight on one's tailbone, thus causing a compression of the vertebrae. Due to the restriction from using one's legs as support of their body's weight to act as somewhat of a shock absorber to the spine, back pain, especially if one already has a history of this pain, is almost assured.

My suggestion: Do what Phil recently did and buy a standard Bonnie(with the standard riding position, of course) for your wife. They're just enough different from our BAs and Speedies that you shouldn't feel that they are too similar.

And, as an added bonus, it's a....TRIUMPH!!!

Cheers,
Dwight
(no...I'm not a doctor...I just play one on the Internet)

My opinion is to keep it for awhile and see how it goes with your wifes back. Wendy also has serious back problems and what we are going to do is I am going to make a back rest and do a gel insert for her seat. You remove the seat ... then mark the cover placement....remove the cover , carefully......measure and cut the gel to the area you want....cut the foam about .5" deeper than the gel using electric bread knife and cutting just small pieces at a time to make it easier to control depth.......sand the area smooth with something like a die grinder and small surface prep pad.....glue gel in......fill remaining hole with some memory foam (optional but worth it).....again sand smooth...replace cover.

Oh Wendy would never stop all together if she gets so bad she can't do the America anymore I'm gonna build it into a trike for her.She has severe lower back arthritis and disc problems and some sort of tumor on the same area as well as cronic kidney stones among other problems but she loves her bike and loves to ride.

I know my wife’s back problems are not only due to riding. Her Electraglide did not have forward controls which she rode for 10 years. Se would ride my WideGlide as well as my Speedmaster before we got the America.

She has had 2 back surgeries in the past 20 years. Over simplified, it is her disks putting pressure on her sciatic nerve. She is currently doing physical therapy as well as steroid injections in her back every 120 days or so. She has felt really good now for the last 10 months, and does not want to take any chances. No bike riding, no snow skiing, bummer, two of my favorite things. She is very nervous about just riding on the back of the America. After seeing the pain she has been through over years, I don't blame her for being tentative about certain physical activities. Her bike riding days just might be over.

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Bob

I understand completely , Wendys back is doing the same thing. I was just saying not to jump the gun.A wait and make sure kinda thing. Wendy has not yet done surgery but they are talking about it. At the moment it's pain management but she wants surgery to try and do something about it not just manage the pain. I know what your wife is going through Wendy is in severe pain all the time but won't medicate it unless she simply can't stand it anymore. I hope she continues to improve. Most people can't imagine how much pain is involved!

I'm sorry to hear this Bob.

Tell her for me that I hope this pain of her's can very soon be managed so that she can once again enjoy doing the things she likes to do.

I mean both Wendy and your wife continue to improve. I reread what I wrote and it didn't come out the way I wanted.

Damn - now after riding the America this weekend, I'm thinking maybe I should keep it. Sweet bike. I knew I should have taken my Speedmaster!

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Bob

I think the Ulysses is a cool bike. The one at my local dealer has been there a long time. I think the regular HD customers think it's from outer space. Bet you can get a deal on one.

Hey Ian & Bob, I too have a bad back. Pinched nerve on the lower right side. Found a guy on ebay that makes back rests for all makes and models. Cost around 145.00 for the whole unit. It attaches to the shock bolts and the rest slides right in. I don't have nearly as much discomfort after I bought this. Just put in the search "motorcycle driver backrest", the seller is a Joseph Randal from Franklin, LA. It's worth the cost. Very well made.

AmyLee

here is the address directly to the page: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Motorcycl...sspagenameZWDVW

Yeah get a different bike.I think the Speedtriple is more of the hooligan bike than the Buell and Harleys are everywhere.Go for something different.Why not the new Tiger or is it tooo tall? The old Tiger was a little to tall for me. I've been told the old Tiger rode really nice.Just a thought before you put out a lot of green.

Amylee , I have seen those. We don't like it. I am going to fabricate one for the stock America seat. Thank you though. I am also going to do a gel/memory foam job on her stock seat. We do quite a bit of business on Ebay. Our acct is at about 900 now with 95% pos. My personal is at a miserable 11 with 100% LOL

Thats cool, My backrest doesn't look anything like the pic on ebay. Doesn't have the studs and is wider.

AmyLee