Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice and opinions on buying a Road Star. My story is that I road for 15-20 years but gave it up about 9 or 10 years ago. My last bike was a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500, can't remember exactly what year. I have some special considerations for riding as I am 6'9" tall and have a LOT of back problems. The last few years riding the Vulcan used to kill my back when I went on long rides of a few hours or more and I got hip cramps a lot. I'm not exactly sure if it is even smart to try to ride again but I figure I am working out again and doing some different exercises for my back that I never did before. At 6'9" inches tall I really don't fit on any bike right. The Vulcan certainly did not fit me right. I started looking around at bikes a couple of months ago and sat on a bunch of them. I found that my legs are so long that it puts me so far forward on the floor boards of almost all the bikes I sat on that I cannot flex my ankle enough to get my foot on the rear brake pedal. Seems kind of dangerous to me trying to ride in that situation. The Vulcan had foot pegs that were mounted fairly far forward on the frame. On the Road Star however, I could just barely get my foot on the brake pedal with my heal still on the floor boards. After doing some research, I found out about the way you can move the floorboards forward 3" on a Road Star. I figure if that could be done that a Road Star might be my best bet aside from having a custom bike built which I cannot afford. Besides that, I do like the Road Star and think it is a cool bike. The big saddle seat will help my situation too I think. I live in New Hampshire so the riding season is pretty much over except for a few days here and there I suppose. The only reason I am still considering getting one now and not waiting until Spring is for the end of season deal. I am currently interested in a 2005 Road Star Midnight Star that only has 1168 miles on it. It is stock except for a BAK and Vance and Hines Longshots. It has a small scratch on the front fender and the exhaust has a small dent in it and a scuff mark. Price is down to $5995.00 which is about $1500.00 under book value.
Did I mention that I am long winded .
I like this site as it is very informative, everybody seems nice and cool, etc. But, it is also a bit scary when I read some of the stuff about all the modifications that are recommended for the Road Star like changing out the coil and ignition wires, spark plug wires, etc. The carb puking, removing the fuel pump, venting the crank case I think it was, etc.
I am not a tinker'r or a motorhead. I have little to no mechanical abilities and no desire to have any. I just want to ride it. I don't mind changing oil, battery maintenance, changing spark plugs, cleaning, etc. but don't really want to do much else except for maybe cosmetic things to customize it.
What I'm wondering is how does a stock Road Star run without all the changes you guys talk about? How would the bike I am looking at since it has the BAK and the Longshots run without any other changes? How likely is it that Carb Puking would occur? That one is scary as I just saw the post about the bike catching on fire. Ugh!!
I had the Vulcan 1500 for 8-10 years unmodified and never did much to it but the things I said I don't mind doing. I never had any problems except for one time I had to bring it in to the shop for a fairly big repair, can't remember exactly what it was. That would be what I would want out of a Road Star. Is that possible without doing all the tinkering that is discussed on this web site?

Sorry to be so long winded!

Thanks for your help and opinions!!

Dean.....

dyjaz123 I have an 05 Midnight and I love to tinker. But with that being said the bike your thinking about would do just fine without you doing anything to it if the carb has been set up right for the intake (BAK) and the pipes. If you are 6'9 the you would want to do the 3 in extensions of the floor boards and an after market seat would be in order as well as a back rest. I to have back problems and had my spine fused. With my setup I can ride all day. You won't want the setup I have or the Mustang seat as they push you forward. Your best bet would be get the stock seat reworked. You could even consider forward controls to give you more leg room but then it would be pegs instead of the floor boards. Hope this helps.

If you don't want to modify it. That's fine. All the items you stated were extra mods that the owners wanted to do. You could just ride if you wish with that bike. The only thing is that you want to make sure she's running well since the pipes and BAK were put on, that could have needed jetting. Which the previous owner may have already done. Carb puking doesn't happen to every bike. If you think the bike is a good fit, Then go for it. You really won't know until you ride it for a while though,(which kinda sucks having to purchase first ) unless you can find a dealer that allows you to rent one for a weekend. Good luck and welcome again.

You are making a very wise in coming here. These guys know more than the designers that designed and built the bikes.

I see a few good deals out there, and it is a good time of the year to be buying. If I were you, I would take my time looking around now that you have decided what kind of bike to buy. I am seeing prices fall with the fall color leaves. If you aren't financing the bike, I seen a really good deal in the classifieds here on RSC on a Roadliner out of Sedona AZ. Those dealers don't like to sit on the "floor plan" models, cause sooner or later they either have to purchase the bike, or start making the interest to the manufacturer. So they are in a position to get rid of the bikes. If you hold out, you can really make'm sing to your tune.

Now, the aftermarket items, and add on's that are available are spendy. I happened to catch my bike in the winter, and most of what you see on the bike, the previous owner went all out with. I have done very little to my Roadie except get hit by a cager. I think I have added highway pegs, and that is it.

Good Luck, and look forward to seeing some photo's.

dy,

The price seems right, and moving the floor boards forward would probably be a big help to you. The BAK and pipes are already common mods, and no doubt the carb's been rejetted. As far as carb puking goes... it's a rarity.

You'll want to do something about a backrest, and perhaps a seat change.

I have an Ultimate seat with no back rest, and I'm just fine... but I'm 6', and I have no back issues at all.

I'm in SE Massachusetts, and if you were in a real bind, I'd be willing to help you any way that I could, and I'm rather mechanical... pretty much unafraid to tackle anything.

Curt, thanks for your reply. It does help. I am assuming the carb is set up correctly for the BAK, etc. The dealer that has the bike is an interesting place. They are local to me but sell bikes over the internet and will crate them and ship them anywhere. They do a full inspection of their bikes and provide a detailed report on their website of each bike and about 15-20 pictures of the bike where they point out any damage they find. This bike was said to run great and was taken on a 7 mile test ride by them. They do not allow potential buyers to test ride unfortunately.
Since you have the same bike I am looking at, what is your experience with the carb puking? Did you do any mods to avoid it on your bike?
What do you mean by having the seat re-worked? It seems pretty comfortable from me sitting on it for 10 or so minutes while looking at the bike. If I do get a Road Star I would probably make the drivers back rest that there instructions for on this site.

Thanks again for your help!

Dean...........

Thanks to everyone else too for their opinions and offers of help. As I wrote the reply to Curt, I got like 4 more replies. Cool! The more the merrier. Keep'em coming. I am starting to lean towards buying a Road Star in general and maybe the one I mentioned this weekend due to the opinions so far. Still not sure however as one reply mentioned I wont really know until I buy one whether it will work for my height and back issues. This could be a big financial backfire for me if I buy one and have to sell it in the near future. Decisions, decisions..........

I have a 2001 with just over 15,000 on it. Only mod was Cobra pipes and re-jet. Oh, and I just added a luggage rack. No other mods. No real problems at all so far. Only normal maintenance. This is the only street bike I've ever had and I'll tell you, other than possibly a Goldwing (for long, long rides), I can't imagine a better bike for every day and couple hundred mile rides.
It sounds like your back may require some special mods, but the price sounds great and if you can get it to fit with just a little work, I'd say go for it!
Good luck whatever you do. Keep us informed even if you go with something else.
Carmen

Your welcome Dean. I have a lot of mods on mine because I love hoping my bike up. I have done nothing inside the engine yet because it has been fine. If I ever have to go inside it I am sure I will go ape when I do. As for the puking I have NEVER had a problem with that. I know only a very small number have. I have my own ideas why it happens that I won't go into here. I made myself several back rests before I boughtmy Ultimate seat set. I did a mod on my stock seat and cut out a chunk in the seat and installed memory foam which helped. I have no BUTT to speak of so I get monkey butt real quick. A lot of the guys complain about the seat after a half an hour or so in the saddle. Only way you will really know is to ride for a few hours and see. The seat is an easy fix no matter what you decide. The 10 minutes you spend sitting on it doesn't really tell you anything. To me that is the only thing skimped on.

dyjaz123! The longer you ride one of these bikes the better you'll like it. This is my second summer with mine & I wouldn't part with it for twice what I paid for it. Carb puking has never been a problem with me & the more I ride it the better it runs. I moved the floorboards forward just simply because I like a more stretched out riding position. The seat bothers some, but I'm 6' 2" & it's never really bothered me. I've done a bunch of mods, but that's mostly because I just love tinkering on the bike. There wasn't really anything I HAD to do to it. If all you want to do is ride, the Roadie is the perfect bike.