Can you comment on these negatives from CYCLE Mag, 1988

[bobingeorgia]

The article was largely complimentary for the Voyager XII , but I copy and pasted these ( what they call ) shortcomings. Are these just one person's opinion? Those seats look so comfy on the 2002. Im 5'9".
Also, the article states that the seats are adjustable?
Will I have the same protection from this windshield as I do with my Honda PC with a tall Rifle Windshield? Is the windshield adjustable?
Are the saddle bags useful as they are?

Source Cycle Magazine of 1986
Still, there are shortcomings, and first among them is the saddle. The soft, thin padding practically guarantees you'll be ready to take a break well before the bike runs through its 6.1-gallon fuel supply
And a passenger will complain about both a shortage of weather protection and a surfeit of wind noise.
rather limited cornering clearance; the footpegs touch down first and at a lesser lean angle than almost any other modern motorcycle.
Of all the available adjustments to the handlebars, trunk, passenger saddle and windscreen height, only the bars offer any useful range.
Anything but the farthest rearward position for the trunk and saddle cramps riders and passengers of average size, and the same riders end up looking through the top edge of the screen at its lowest position. Moreover, the narrow saddlebag openings force you to jam the bag liners in as if you were stuffing a turkey

[Ditto]

The passenger seat is adjustable - forward and rear - mainly to give the rider more room to stretch the arms and legs. The trunk is adjustable to give the passenger more room. Both of these adjustments do help, if you only need a little extra space. Some people love the Voyager XII seat, and some people hate it. You would really have to try it to see what you thought about it. My wife did not like the stock windshield (more from wind buffeting than wind noise), so we have a taller and wider one on our VXII now. She said it was definitely an improvement. I haven't had any problem with my footpegs dragging under normal riding conditions. We have ridden the Dragon's Tail with other bikes and could hear them dragging but ours didn't. Maybe the person who wrote that magazine article didn't have any air in the shocks (or maybe he thought he was riding a crotch rocket). It is true, the handlebars do have more adjustment ability than the trunk, passenger seat, and windshield. But I wouldn't say that the latter three are not useful at all. The handlebars have more adjustment ability than any other bike I've ever seen. If you were to stuff the saddlebag liners as full as we do when going on a trip, it might take some effort to get them into the saddlebags. But we don't worry about that anyway. We pull a trailer and have for years. We don't put any of the soft luggage on the bike. We put it into the trailer and use the saddlebags and trunk to carry other things, like our rain suits, rain boots, jackets and leather pants (if it's cold), laptop, first aid kit, tire repair kit, tools, etc. It is amazing how much stuff you can get into the saddlebags and trunk. Sorry, I don't know anything about the Honda PC, so I can't compare it to the VXII.

[chicagorandy]

That looks like one sweet ride on Craigslist - take it for a test ride and bring cash to buy it.

You can always buy a taller windscreen and short of some MIGHTY dynamic tight turning you will be hard pressed to get a foot peg to scrape. I've taken mine thru some pretty good leans and never come close.

Once you own it there are any number of subtle changes you can do to 'make it your own'. The saddle bags and trunk hold an impressive amount of 'stuff'. You would need some sort of soft liners to carry clothes for an extended trip, mine did not come with any.

It will not likely be as glass smooth as your Honda but it WILL be pretty close and offer considerably more power.

I am a newcomer to this bike, but already have over a thousand miles on my '86 with NO regrets of any kind. I have posted most all of my mods in the two XII forums.

[bobingeorgia]

Thanks, very helpful. Do you know good sources for taller windshield.

[Lucasind]

Cee bailey co. .......or......clearview. are used by most guys here.

[debron]

The referenced review covers the '86 model, the first year the XII was made. Many changes were added in '87. In '87 wind deflectors were added to the front fairing to reduce wind on the rider and passenger. The seat was changed in '94, though that's no guaranty it's better for you. There are many options to alternative seats. I've never heard of anyone loving the stock seat of ANY motorcycle.

The windshield is adjustable to the extent of about 1". Shorter, taller, and wider windshields are available from Cee Baileys and Clearview, up to 5" taller and 6" wider! Slipstreamer has one or two sizes available also. Cee Baileys wider windshields are the same width at the base, I believe, but wider at the top. Clearview's wider windshields are wider at the base as well as the top, or near the base, curving around the mirrors. These are also better quality than the stock windshield and have the same up-down adjustment.

Many who ride with a passenger installed trunk extenders that allow the trunk to be moved back even farther to give more room for the passenger and these seem to work well.

I bought a couple of generic soft-sided saddle bag liners from JC Whitney a few years ago and like any soft-sided luggage, the stuff inside pushes the sides outward. I do have to squeeze the bags to get them in the saddlebags, but it's easy enough, not an issue. Those saddlebags and the trunk hold a lot of stuff! I find the saddlebags very useful and easy to use. Plus I prefer a top-loading bag.

The XII is not a sport bike and you won't be scraping your knees on the pavement in turns but it is very agile and nimble through the twisties. Maybe it's the geometry of the bike but I've never had any problems going through turns at any speed I wanted to go through them. Maybe if I were 20 I would want to go faster......But then I've never scraped the pegs, though I've come close, so the bike still has more in it.

Before I bought my Honda 1100 Shadow (before I bought my first XII) there was a Honda Pacific Coast 800 for sale nearby. I didn't ride it but as I recall those were V-twin 800's. I can't help but think the Voyager XII is a smoother riding, more comfortable bike than any 800cc V-twin.

[gearheadfla]

I for one had no problems with the stock seat on my 88, it was the 1st design button tuck style and I could easily ride a non-stop tank full, I did change out the windshield for a Clearveiw taller and wider, if you go to their site and look at the XII pics my 88 is on there, also did the trunk extenders, they give you 3 more inches. Now I have drug the pegs BUT, I was ON IT on the on ramps, it takes some effort to do it. When asked to these bike will flat GO but cruise at highway speeds with no effort, the inline 4 is as smooth as a gravy sammich, and has great fuel mileage, mine got 50 mpg down here in Florida, much unlike my currant ride at 33. , and my 88 1200 would toast my 07 1600 V-Twin.

[Mr Jensee]

I have to agree with everything Ditto replied to. The problem with the seat I believe is related to the weight of the person on it. When I bought the Voyager years ago I weighed 220 lbs. today due to illness I have gained a lot more weight and the seat compresses more and my butt has very little padding going for it. Hence it is pretty uncomfortable for me for riding extended periods. It is my fault and not the fault of the Voyager. Light people will probably find the seat quite comfortable. I have yet to scrape the pegs on the bike in turns but if I was still young it is possible I would. The Honda PC is designed more like a scooter storage wise so it is not a comparable issue. The trunk on the Voyager is huge and will carry a lot of stuff in it by contrast.

[kjsett]

I have to agree with everything Ditto replied to. The problem with the seat I believe is related to the weight of the person on it. When I bought the Voyager years ago I weighed 220 lbs. today due to illness I have gained a lot more weight and the seat compresses more and my butt has very little padding going for it. Hence it is pretty uncomfortable for me for riding extended periods. It is my fault and not the fault of the Voyager. Light people will probably find the seat quite comfortable. I have yet to scrape the pegs on the bike in turns but if I was still young it is possible I would. The Honda PC is designed more like a scooter storage wise so it is not a comparable issue. The trunk on the Voyager is huge and will carry a lot of stuff in it by contrast.

I was up to 303 this summer (too much sitting with long hours at work) till my wife put me on one of those "Juice" diets. Due to a trip I stopped at 42 days (she went the full 60) and lost 36 pounds. Now that I am eating again i have stabilized at 270, but we are dealing with what caused it in the first place and plan on doing some short term ones to reduce more. Nuff said, any seat will feel better with less weight pushing on it (I use a Corbin now).
I considered the the stock seat when i bought this bike as a 2 to 4 hour seat, without help. I started riding long trips (10 to 12 hours/day) with up to 2 cushions, and still was hurting. At the time i was slightly less weight then now. I got a great deal on the Corbin, but wish I could have afforded a Russell Day long or such (it "is" hard). But for half that price, I will enjoy (Corbin is good till about 8 hours a day) what I have till it wears out.
Personally, if you can afford it, and ride long trips, get the best you can. You will appreciate the experience more.

As to the peg, only drug it once. Not enough pressure (air shocks then) on a reverse banked on- ramp that I gunned it during. Surprised me that I did lightly drag it. Then last year I again didn't have enough pressure for the load and was too fast into a country 90d turn (no bank) and hit peg (surprised me) and as that bounced me upright i was still moving when my front braking tire hit talcum powder fine dirt and like I was on ice, I went over on the opposite side. Only bent my engine guard and of course the embarrassment.
At 58, the desire to rocket thru turns is no longer an allure to me, and with Progressive Heavy duty shocks on the back, less likely to happen.
Just thinkin -

[gearheadfla]

Progressive front and rears is the best thing I did to the 88, it was a whole new critter then. I'm 280 and really didn't mind the stock seat, I did have high way pegs, I also would hang my heals on the rear passenger boards at times, this made 3 different foot positions to use as I rode, I found that would keep the cramps away, a Little stretch break at fill up and I was good to go another tank, Drink lots of water as you ride, dehydration is a cramps best friend. OH and a backrest is the cat's meow. Plus my wife made a comfy backrest also lol