 To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
Complete Newb
|
OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15 |
That is the question. I've got a funny feeling that I'm going to get shot down in flames for even thinking about it, but at the moment this novice rider is torn between a Yamaha Dragstar 650 cc custom which is in showroom condition but 14 years old and going for 2,450 pounds (two previous owners) and a 2007 Triumph America with custom panniers, slash cut pipes and a summer shield for - if I manage to negotiate it - 3000 pounds. It's done 15,000 miles and the only thing that's not going for it is the colour, which is red, but I can live with that. So ... foregone conclusion? The TBA? 
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,403 Likes: 7
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,403 Likes: 7 |
You even need to ask? Get the R3 ... I MEAN the America 
"You can't believe everything you read on the internet" : William Shakespeare
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
|
|
"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Consider who you're asking. Do you really think anyone here is going to recommend the Yamaha?  Go ask the same question on a Yamaha forum and I guarantee their answer will be the exact opposite. I'm sure the Yamaha is a fine bike. The important thing is to do what you feel comfortable doing. Maybe this forum is the deciding factor. We have tons of info and support here. Is there a forum for that particular Yamaha? It's going to need work much sooner than the Triumph. How available are parts?
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
|
|
Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
|
|
"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,403 Likes: 7
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,403 Likes: 7 |
Quote:
Quote:
That is the question. I've got a funny feeling that I'm going to get shot down in flames for even thinking about it, but at the moment this novice rider is torn between a Yamaha Dragstar 650 cc custom which is in showroom condition but 14 years old and going for 2,450 pounds (two previous owners) and a 2007 Triumph America with custom panniers, slash cut pipes and a summer shield for - if I manage to negotiate it - 3000 pounds. It's done 15,000 miles and the only thing that's not going for it is the colour, which is red, but I can live with that. So ... foregone conclusion? The TBA?
I say go with the Yamaha, 'cause evidently you have no taste!!
I mean with you talkin' about the brilliant color(no superfluous u in that word, btw) of RED like that here!!! 
 
Hey, the colour is ok (my R3 is red).
What's more, the 'u' is classy, so 
And while we're on the 'picking at words' thing, it's aluminium!
(BTW, sorry Dwight, I didn't edit your post, I just hit the button where 'reply' used to be. On mine it says edit. Oops!)
WAIT!!!! I can edit Dwights posts!!!! 
(In the lounge anyways).
We have a special button just for editing Dwight's posts. How cool is that? 
"You can't believe everything you read on the internet" : William Shakespeare
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
|
|
"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Superfluous Us are bad enough, now you're adding superfluous Is? ::sigh::
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,403 Likes: 7
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,403 Likes: 7 |
Quote:
.. now you're adding superfluous Is?
Iii knouw
"You can't believe everything you read on the internet" : William Shakespeare
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
|
|
Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
We have a special button just for editing Dwight's posts. How cool is that?
REALLY, Ade??? There IS??? I didn't know that!!!!
I thought the only "special button" at this website that those with a modicum of taste and breeding could use to keep from displaying my way-too-often over-the-top responses on their computer was that there "Ignore This User" button!!!!
(...hey John, you HAD to know this bit of information would eventually reach me, didn't ya?!...I can't believe you've held this back from me all these many years!!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
|
|
"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
There's a whole wing at the Moderator's Retreat in Aspen dedicated to Dwight-specific information. 
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,354
Learned Hand
|
|
Learned Hand
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,354 |
I came very close to buying a Yamaha before I realized the error of my ways. After buying my first TBA and riding around a for a few months, I went back to the local Yamaha dealer. I sat on the Yamahas I was keen on and could not believe how smart a move I had made. Sitting on the Yamahas just didn't feel right.
My vote, needless to say, is to go for the 2007 TBA. You won't regret it.
Good luck!
Blue/White 2007 TBA, Thruxton needles, Unifilter, AI removed, Polaris Bellmouth, Bubs, Nology Coils/wires, Lightbar, Ricor Intiminators, Hagon Nitros, Tall Sissy Bar w/luggage rack, Dart flyscreen & Lowers. 130 Mains, TrueGel Battery MG12-BS.
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,272 Likes: 17
Saddle Sore
|
|
Saddle Sore
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,272 Likes: 17 |
Quote:
That is the question. I've got a funny feeling that I'm going to get shot down in flames for even thinking about it, but at the moment this novice rider is torn between a Yamaha Dragstar 650 cc custom which is in showroom condition but 14 years old and going for 2,450 pounds (two previous owners) and a 2007 Triumph America with custom panniers, slash cut pipes and a summer shield for - if I manage to negotiate it - 3000 pounds. It's done 15,000 miles and the only thing that's not going for it is the colour, which is red, but I can live with that. So ... foregone conclusion? The TBA?
I would go with the Yamahaha 
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
|
|
Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
There's a whole wing at the Moderator's Retreat in Aspen dedicated to Dwight-specific information.
Soooo, kinda like that Killer Rabbit Corner/Heart Lusting Section at the Carter Library in Plains Georgia that I asked moe about in that Bin Laden thread, huh?!
(...well, now that I know this, you'll be the first to know when I get off my lazy ass here, and FINALLY do something worthwhile with all this free time I have now like, say, volunteering some of it with Habitat For Humanity like that ol' peanut farmer himself does now...but don't hold your breathe in the meantime!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,590
Check Pants
|
|
Check Pants
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,590 |
Quote:
WAIT!!!! I can edit Dwights posts!!!!
(In the lounge anyways).
We have a special button just for editing Dwight's posts. How cool is that?
Remember to always use the secret edit toggle for good and not evil my friend.
Ohhh, and being the resident "voice of reason" I'd recommend the red one
jh
"It's not what I say that's important, it's what you hear" Red Auerbach
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,738
Learned Hand
|
|
Learned Hand
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,738 |
I love old bikes. Old bikes are cool. They make great second bikes. They can also give you endless problems and become money pits. They tend not to stop as well or handle as well. They do have alot of class though. The trouble with jap bikes is five minutes later you feel like another one.
If this is going to be your everyday bike then I would get the America. It has class too and is reliable. It handles well and is a reputable brand that oozes cool. It does not smell of rice. It has a soul. You may never need another bike. You have this site here where you have a wealth of technical information (if you can work out the search function) and endless comradery. You can customise, accessorize and fantasize. They sound awesome with a set of pipes. Best bike I have ever owned is my Speedmaster and I have had quite a few, just look at members ride section under stevieB 2006 speedmaster. If you can take one for a test ride to see if it fits. That should make up your mind.
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 331
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 331 |
Have had a couple of riding mates purchase the dragstar 650. Both found the bike underpowered especially if there is any pillion riding. Both traded to larger capacity machines within a short time. The America would be just as easy to ride and you have the extra grunt up your sleeve! Take the America!!!!
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3
Old Hand
|
|
Old Hand
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3 |
First off, my OL had a 650 yammy for about a year and put 35 miles on it because it was just not up to the job. It was traded in for an America in '03, and the America is a keeper.
Next, the America engine is near 50% bigger and, as Racer brown used to say, "The only substitute for cubic inches is more cubic inches".
The America handles and goes a lot better and is much more reliable.
Borrow (don't waste money buying one) a service manual for the 650 and look at how much is involved in changing the rear tire. Every 15 - 20 Kmiles, you will have to disassemble half the bike.
Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146
Oil Expert
|
|
Oil Expert
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146 |
Harley look alike. To be fair, I like it better than most Harleys.
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
Complete Newb
|
|
OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15 |
I suppose I got what I asked for there, Friar John and Co., for asking such a dumbass question in the first place ...
Anyway, thanks for your valued opinions, especially Dwight's.
Would that be red as in republican, Dwight, or as in redneck?
I'll let you know if I buy the Bonneville America. If I buy the rice rocket, I'll slink off this site quietly, I promise.
But I don't think that's going to happen somehow. I'm hooked.
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
|
|
"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Well you don't have to go if you don't want. We never kick anyone out for not owning an America or Speedmaster. 
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 639
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 639 |
FWIW I think you will find the Yamaha-mama a little under powered. When I was first looking for a bike I looked at the 650 V-Star and that was my concern. Of course that comes in an 1100 or something like that but anyway.
I have really enjoyed my TBA. I don't know how the pounds translates to dollars but I promise you won't be disappointed in the TBA.
(Can I pull a Dwight here and throw in a parenthesis comment...and correct me if I'm wrong...but it takes more like asking for money for a "burned down house" that wasn't yours for the natives to get restless around here.)
Blue/White, Battery Relocated, 155/45's, AI removed, Cocktail shakers
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,736 Likes: 7
Should be Riding
|
|
Should be Riding
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,736 Likes: 7 |
I had a Yamaha loaner bike while the 904 was getting fitted in my America. V-Star somethingorother, bigger motor than the America. Complete rattle trap at highway speeds, by the time I got home from the 30 mile ride my hands were numb from the vibration for at least a full day. It felt too low to the ground, and the power sucked. I only rode it again the 30 miles back to the shop to pick my bike up a few days later. The V-Star had maybe 2500 miles on it and was 4 years old at the time.
Always remember to be yourself. Unless you suck. Then pretend to be someone else.
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,254
Oil Expert
|
|
Oil Expert
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,254 |
ride em both, then buy the BA .  .
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,393 Likes: 1
Second Wind
|
|
Second Wind
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,393 Likes: 1 |
Quote:
Well you don't have to go if you don't want. We never kick anyone out for not owning an America or Speedmaster.
People who ride inferior bikes make easy targets for our cruel yet elementary humor.........or humoUr.
Anyway to escape the superfluous banter here, and cut to the proverbial chase as it were. TBA. Are you off your bean or what?
(Then again rice is cheaper than petrol.)
I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
Edgar Allan Poe
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,419
Oil Expert
|
|
Oil Expert
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,419 |
I've had both the xvs650 and the TBA. For a novice rider I would recommend the XVS650 Dragstar (sorry Friar). It is a very well balanced bike, very forgiving, lower centre of gravity and easier to rider in slow maneuvers like parking and u-turns than the TBA. The XVS650s are very reliable, well built (but not as well as the TBA). The engine is a legend and will keep running and running. They're easy to work on and being an older cheaper bike, you won't feel quite so bad when you drop it - which you probably will. The TBA has about 50% more power (power to weight) but the xvs650 is not slow by any means and has ample torque - even for two up riding. It loses some power because of the drive shaft but that's makes maintenance easier. The seat position is lower and the pegs are closer (a benefit if you're height challenged). If you choose the Yamaha you won't regret it. You can always trade up to the TBA later if you lust for more power.
On the other hand, that's a lot to pay for an old bike - even if the mileage is low (and accurate) it may need some perishable parts replacing sooner than later.
To sum up - for the novice rider the Yamaha Dragstar is the better choice IMO. But for the money the TBA is better value.
Cheers, Richard
~~~~~~~~~~~~
09 America, Staintune Pipes, K&N, Breathe, Hagon Nitros, AI & O2 removed, tune 20184 (modified), MTX-L a/f gauge
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
Complete Newb
|
|
OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15 |
Thanks for all the advice. You're right, Friar John, this is one friendly and helpful site. Here's a bit of back story which might help determine how much of a novice this novice actually is. As a 60th birthday present to myself I decided to learn how to ride a motorbike. I passed my test on a Kawasaki 500 cc back home in Wales last summer, as well as the compulsory 2B motorbike test out here in Singapore. For the past nine months I've ridden a Daelim Daystar 150cc minature rice rocket every day in the Singapore rush hour, and so - slowly but surely - my riding skills are improving. This is just as well, because if the local taxi drivers don't get you, then the jerks in the Mercs will.
So, here's the 64,000 dollar question: should a man of my age, who's short in the leg and not exactly Mr Universe, even look at - let alone fall in love with - a cruiser whose dry weight is a damn sight more than any 150 cc tiddler? Or is it true that it's really down to a good sense of balance, plus confidence gained through practice, and not brute strength when it comes to handling a mid-sized motorbike? I don't want to be crushed to death in the car park of my local supermarket before I actually get to ride off into the sunset of my life and north Wales.
One last question and then I'll stop. Is it true that the footstand on the Triumph America is a bit tricky for those of us who may be short of leg but big of heart. I hope not, because I've just made this guy the offer he can't refuse. And FIY in the USA 3000 pounds = 5000 bucks. Em
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,419
Oil Expert
|
|
Oil Expert
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,419 |
Hi Emlyn. With the experience you have just related I wouldn't class you as a novice and so I retract some of my advice. Your height may or may not be a factor. Sit on both and make your choice. You can get the TBA sidestand modified if necessary. Both bike weigh about the same - from memory the TBA is 15kilos heavier - so there's nothing in it. Both bikes have low centres of gravity - but the v-star is lower of the two. So I think you'll soon get used to either. Physical strength is not required unless you drop it.
You'll love either bike. I did - but I prefer the TBA. More power, more culture, less plastic, more unique, more history, more man stuff.
BTW - I'm 5' 8" and 55yo (edited: I just wrote 57yo (???) - I'm not 57 but that proves I'm getting old - can't remember my age!). Other TBA riders in this forum are shorter and older than me (without naming names) and have no issues with the TBA.
Last edited by foglefar; 05/04/2011 7:17 AM.
Cheers, Richard
~~~~~~~~~~~~
09 America, Staintune Pipes, K&N, Breathe, Hagon Nitros, AI & O2 removed, tune 20184 (modified), MTX-L a/f gauge
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
Complete Newb
|
|
OP
Complete Newb
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15 |
Thanks, Richard, for the words of advice and for the vote of confidence after reading my last post. I did drop the Kawasaki 500 a couple of times when I was learning, but the experience sharpened my concentration like nobody's business, and I'm hoping that it won't happen again! In any case, if I can get it for the right money I'm going to go for the TBA.
Cheers
Em
|
|
|
Re: To TBA or not to TBA?
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,202 Likes: 11
Learned Hand
|
|
Learned Hand
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,202 Likes: 11 |
Hi Emlyn,
First off, I'm 5'7" (170cm) and I have no problem handling the America. At stops, I am flat footed, and I don't feel like I have to reach for the foot controls when on the way.
I live in Taiwan, we also have a lot of people and crazy-blind-drunk drivers all the time.
Like it was said, just sit on the bikes. They will tell you. I sat on my America and I knew it was for me. I sat on Kawa Vulcans, Honda customs, Yammie VStars and the one that fitted me the best was the America. It felt right, for me. It would be different for anybody else. I also found that a Kawa Z1000 fits me like a glove! I enjoy the Duc Monsters but not the Streetfighter. Each bike has a fit and a feel.
Find the one that is right for you.
|
|
|
|
|
