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Message started by Surviving Philly on 08/17/26 at 13:37:42

Title: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors help!
Post by Surviving Philly on 08/17/26 at 13:37:42

So,

My ls650 is my first bike, I used it as a daily driver for the last 6 years, I have no idea how many miles as I removed the odometer in 2022. I threw a sportster tank on it, rewired it, mikuni carb, converted it from a belt to a chain for shorter gearing and more down low torque, run no fenders, of course the tensioner mod, etc etc. I've made the bike truly my own, even ran my wiring through my handlebars. No turn signals, no horn, no decompression. Just a headlight, a Killswitch, an ignition, and brake lights.

I rode this bike till the doors fell off and I mean it-- extremely aggressive urban riding All season so long as there is no frozen percipient on the ground. Weaving in traffic, every stop is a drag race, I've burned through multiple clutches and have replaced the clutch at least 4 times. I'm telling you this bike is panting when I hang up the saddle every day.

So anyway, my compression started to go, and I'm losing oil, and a lot of it. also there's a ton of small problems and I just don't know how much longer I can keep this bike alive -- also she struggles in the cold from start, takes forever to warm up these days when the temps drop. I think it might be time to say goodbye, as heartbreaking as it is to say. I need reliability, I report to an office three days a week now at 7 am and need to be able to get up and go, I also have a lot less time for wrenching. I want reliability but I'm scared about sacrificing my soul -- a bike I can't customize makes me think, what was the point of everything I learned and did?? What was it all for? I kade my dreams a reality with my savage.... New bikes looks sterile, they look like they have no heart...

So, long story short, I need a new bike. I've been doing a ton of research, and I narrowed it down to two very different options: triumph scrambler 400x, or a 2003 sportster 883 hugger.

So why these two? Well, the sporty is all the customization I could ever want, it's a blank canvas, the 2003 was before the rubber mounts and is still carbureted, which interests me. I've actually never ridden an 883, and my hesitation with that bike is how heavy it is int he city, I feel like it won't be as nimble... Is this true? Is the 883 as flickable as the savage? Can I dodge and weave on it?

The alternative is the scrambler, the specs on it, despite being a 400, are claimed to be superior to the savage in terms of performance. It's pretty. It's relatively cheap. But ride by wire?? Efi??? Ride modes??? Abs??? I feel like it might be night to have a dialy I don't need to really worry about..... But again I don't want to sell my soul for comfort.

What to do? Any other suggestions?

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by LANCER on 08/17/26 at 16:58:47

A Sporty, either the 883 or 1200, weigh in at 550-600 lbs. They are heavy to move around the garage/shop, and are NOT flickable on the road like an LS650.
I loved the Sporty’s on the highways, plenty of power for highway cruising.
But for the country roads, curvy mountain roads, and such (like the DRAGON in NC/TN), the LS650 is a very capable mountain roads carver.
It’s fun, and is quite capable.

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by MMRanch on 08/25/26 at 10:41:21

Surviving Philly

:)

I've had a 2004 1200 Sportster (first year rubber mounted engine) , and a 2007 883 Sportster ( first year injected).

Like Lancer said ... "They are Heavy" . I know the pre-2004's were a little lighter ... but ... those 2003 and earlier Sportster cruised at under 65mph for a very good reason ! Salvation came in 2004 with the rubber mounted engine !

Those Triumph 400 bikes come with "new-bike" reliable + performance (if liquid cooled don't bother you) ! Forty HP and four hundred pounds is going to be a fun combination ! ;)

I'm waiting on the GB500 Honda or the RE 440 Scram "Singles" to reach our shores . Which one will get here first ? :-? Used RE-INT 650's twins(430 pounds) are cheep and reliable (I got a new one and like it ... 2023 model)

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by Surviving Philly on 08/25/26 at 19:35:51

Thanks for the responses guys,

The REs look good, have been seeing more and more of them on the road in the city of brotherly love, I'm definitely not opposed to getting on one.

this Saturday I'm going to test ride the triumph 400 and the triumph 900 scrambler, will report back. The scram 900 is about 495 lbs wet, comparable to a 2003 hugger 883, but has some really impressive specs. One thing I'm concerned about is part cost -- triumph parts for the newer models do not at all seem cheap (gas tanks for the scram 900 are like 2.5 k OEM....) I'm curious what part costs are for the REs.

The Honda gb 500 looks interesting, apparently triumph has another new model soon, and I've still been waiting on any news about the Harley sprint, what ever happened with that thing?

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by zipidachimp on 09/02/26 at 20:44:45

Dude: you've answered your own question! based on what you've done to your own S40, buy another one: transfer the hotrod parts to the new one.
It's September, they will be a dime-a-dozen in a few weeks, most with low miles.
Save some money, it don't grow on trees !
Cheers! 8-)
ps: OR: https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/york-1987-suzuki-savage/a38CfsGjCWVNetP27A7X1A
pps: haha ;D

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by MMRanch on 09/03/26 at 09:15:11

Surviving Philly

Royal Enfield parts are low priced in comparison to anything else , and their factories are newer than most other company are. My 2022 RE-Meteor 350 single cylinder has just under 30,000 miles on it today , runs like it's barely broke-in , and get 80 to 85 mpg all the time. My RE-INT 650 is still a baby with 4,000 miles on it and 2 years of warrantee and road-side-assistance left on it. The INT-650 gets 65-70 mpg regularly. :) There just isn't anything not nice to say about either of them !

I loved my two LS650's and the RE-350 under bored - long stroke family of bikes are little more than a S-40 with less power so it's easy to love it also ... sits (Meteor) and even geared the same as the LS 650 Suzuki ! A 72mm to 78mm big bore kit and also a 20% power Cam is available if someone needed more get-up and go. I've done the DNA air intake system , the Performance Cam and the free flowing exaust already and I'm good with the +- 25/26 HP, 400 pound bike because the Torque feels like the LS650 does (BS-72x86mm) but fuel injected with fantastic fuel millage . :)

There are so many bikes to choose from ... I like the Air Cooled bikes but there isn't many of them left to pick from ?
I've got a 50ish hp and 400 pounds air/oil cooled (INT-650) to choose from for daily ridding but most of the time I take the 25ish hp 400 pound long stroke bike ... it's just more additive to me ;)

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by ThumperPaul on 09/08/26 at 06:07:00

Hey Philly,

Where’s the update!? You sure “narrowed it down” to opposite ends of the spectrum! Between the two and knowing how you buzz around Philly daily, the old Harley doesn’t seem right for you. If it was a weekend cruiser and you wanted to do some wrenching, maybe.

At the opposite end, I think you might get bored with the Triumph 400. While it might be a neutral performance step compared to the Savage, I’m guessing you might enjoy something with a little better highway capability.

The Royal Enfield INT-650 that MM mentioned is interesting if that’s your style. It has the 270° crank that tries to imitate a v-twin sound and it’s built for smooth torque.

I’m pretty happy with my Kawasaki Vulcan S 650. It’s a bit more rev-happy with its Ninja derived parallel twin. When initially released for 2015, they touted a “detuned” Ninja 650 that used a milder mid range “torque cam”. Kawasaki liked their engineering work so much that they changed the cam profile for the Ninja 650 to be more like the Vulcan S for the 2017 Ninja model year. The Vulcan S is right at 500lbs +\-ABS. It doesn’t feel 500lbs and very flickable and city friendly. You can find good used 2015-2018 models in the $3-4k range.

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by Surviving Philly on 09/14/26 at 21:21:34

Yoooo savages,

Appreciate all the suggestions and stories, so, we have a dealer in town, Quaker City, that has triumphs and enfields -- went and rode a few of both.

I have to say, the scrambler 400x is the worst experience I've ever had on two wheels. First off the thing sits really high -- for those of us at the most efficient, optimal height of 5 foot 9 it's miserable. Also, it's a high revving short stroke single?? Who wants that? The thing barely pulls off a line. The street 400 wasn't much better.

The enfields were really nice, I know guys rave about them, they are bikes.

Last bike I got on was a 2016 street twin 900, and man, did I love that motor -- almost didn't return to the dealer once I got it going. Just great torque on that thing, really enjoyed it.

So, I'm partial to the 900 triumph platform -- I'm hesitant about the lack of true customization outside of like buying lights or whatever but I guess that's the give and take isn't it?

Also, my savage isn't going anywhere. Ever. I'll drag the crappity smacker into my rowhome and bring it back to life in the living room over a winter probably, or just sit on it with the ps5 booted up. Either way it will never leave.

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by MMRanch on 09/16/26 at 22:29:31

Hay
Surviving Philly

Wait till late January - February when folks are getting the "Christmas" Credit Card Bills and everybody else is broke ... Then go make a "low dollar" offer on that Triumph 900 from 2016 . The dealer has a Christmas Credit Card Bill TOO ! And so do the employees at the bike shop !! Timing "is" everything , sometimes . ;) But , be NICE - You'll be helping in two ways ... old stock leaving the store and a pay-day for the folks at the bike shop at a time when they can't sell enough . :)

If it ain't still there ... then there might be another one on facebook market place that needs a new home so someone else can pay that Credit Card bill from December ?

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by ThumperPaul on 09/17/26 at 17:16:34

Hey Philly!

That Triumph Street Twin 900 is nice. You might want to consider a later model year once they got the 1st year kinks worked out. The 2016 had a couple of recalls you might want to ask about if you decide on the 2016.

Just for grins or gags, the Benda Rock 707 is interesting. A 692cc water cooled V-twin. It’s a short stroking high revving engine. I just think the concept is an interesting mishmash.

https://bendamoto.com/product/rock-707/

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by Dave on 09/19/26 at 09:28:34

The prices for used bikes keeps going down - the amount of buyers is far less than the number of motorcycles for sale.

In my area the supply of used bikes on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist is huge! There are lots of bikes to choose from and they are not selling quickly for most of them - there is likely a very good chance of some room for negotiations on price.

I am at a point where I don't have time or room for another bike - but in the past I always enjoyed buying a used bike at a good price and only keeping it for a year or two before I sold it and got something else. It gave me an opportunity to see what fit me best and I got to ride some very nice bikes. Honda ST1100, Honda NT700, Kawasaki Ninja 250, Honda CB125S, Honda CT90 and CT110, Suzuki 80cc Hillbilly.

I bought these bike reasonably and after a few years was able to sell them very close to the same price I paid for them.....although there was always an investment in new tires, oil and filters, insurance, taxes, etc. while I owned them. I did not suffer any "new bike" depreciation that occurs when you buy a new bike from a dealer and only keep it a few years.

Keep looking for used bikes that are great deals - and don't be afraid to buy a bike and ride it for a while and then sell it. If you really like it you can keep it - if you are not in love with it you can sell it and move on to something else. If you don't pay a lot you don't have to ask a lot when you go to sell it.......if you buy cheaply enough you could give it away and still lose less than you would if you bought a new bike and suffered the loss that comes when you buy new.

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by Serowbot on 09/24/26 at 11:35:36

I don't really know new bikes, but I had a Suzuki Intruder 750 for while..
A bit choppy on the throttle, but sport bike power in a cruiser
If you can tolerate the 70's cruiser look

Title: Re: Really struggling with a next bike ancestors h
Post by Ruttly on 09/24/26 at 19:35:41

Dynobot