First look, Rider floorboards and a heel-toe shifter?

[Thud300]

Well, I got my first real look at a Voyager XII this past weekend, an 88 with about 86k on the clock. The ask was $1550. It started cold instantly and idled smoothly, was missing a few minor bits, looked a bit weathered and some minor damage to some of the plastics, needed tires and a real good cleaning. Radio worked, mute button on the left handlebar is stuck, has intercom cable but no helmet harnesses.

All of that was not unexpected, but what really threw me off was the presence of floorboards instead of pegs for the rider, and a somewhat matching but unusual looking heel-toe shifter. Being unable to ride it (no plates), I felt like it would be very awkward to operate the shifter and rear brake with no pegs.

After a 190 mile trip to examine the bike, I ended up walking away. This would have been my third Craigslist bike buy in 16 months, but this one didn't 'talk to me' like the other bikes did, as much as I have been jonesing for a V-XII.

Any thoughts on this? Did I screw up?

[SgtSlag]

If you did not feel good about it, then you did what you needed to do: you walked away from it.

As far as the bike goes, I would say it likely was a very good deal. The engines, if well maintained, are bulletproof. They will go 200,000-300,000 miles with routine maintenance, if taken care of properly. The heel-toe shifter is still available off of e-Bay: drill two holes into the OEM shift lever, screw the new lever to the old, and done. The driver's floorboards could always be replaced with OEM pegs -- Carl Leo can help out with needed parts, his contact information is on this site, usually near the top of every forum listing.

With regards to the intercom, I would suggest using a modern, wireless set-up, using Bluetooth, instead: no tether to the bike; has additional features, such as the ability to use your cell phone (not of interest to me, but...), ability to communicate with other riders, on other bikes, in addition to your passenger, etc. It can be quite fun to talk to your riding partner while they, or you, are in the C-store, and the other is at the bike...


The tupperware, on a bike from 1988, I would expect to be somewhat hashed, at least it should be if the bike was ridden regularly, over its lifetime. They can be repaired with ABS Glue, from the hardware store, but if they are scratched, it may need professional help, or replacement.

All of this is for future reference. You felt you needed to walk away, and you did. That is quite alright, you should not feel bad at all. Voyager XII's seem to pop up somewhat regularly on my local Craigslist, so there will be others. You need to feel good about it, or it will really haunt you. Cheers!

[KISSfanJoe]

I will say this, my father bought a pristine Voyager about 2 years ago and it had a heel toe shifter with floor boards. We switched it all out for pegs because we hated riding like that. However, the bike developed transmission issues shortly after we got it... The shift forks were bent, and 2 gears needed replacing. We spoke with Carl Leo and he asked if the bike had heel/toe shifter and floor boards. We told him it did and he said he has only seen one other bike with those problems and it had a heel toe shifter as well. We suspected that the heel/toe shifter caused people to rest their foot on the shifter rather than the floor boards, also in using your heel, it's harder to shift the bike right and this caused the problem of the bent shift forks etc. We sent the bike to a mechanic and it came back to us in pieces. That is now another project on the back burner. However, all of the Voyagers we have looked at the past couple of years, including the one I recently bought, we made sure it did not have the heel/toe shifter and floor boards.

That being said, I have a Victory V92, and a Kawasaki Nomad bagger, and they both have a heel toe shifter with floor boards, It just takes getting used to. I am not opposed to the setup, and it can be comfortable on long rides, but it does make using the rear brake a challenge for me... I have to pretty much lift my leg to brake and it also takes me longer to put my feet down at a stop sign because they are bulky. A peg, I can just slide my feet off quick. It is really a personal preference! I don't like them very much, especially on a Voyager, but others might and that is not a bad thing!

As far as the Voyager you were looking at, if you did not feel good about it, walking away was the right thing to do. I was ready to walk away from mine if he would not take $1500. He was asking $2000, but said he would take $1800 before I went, it just wasn't worth that to me. I personally would not buy a bike that I could not ride around the neighborhood at the very least, unless it doesn't run and is a project of course. You need to be happy with whatever you buy, and being patient is definitely key when it comes to finding the right Voyager. The motors are bullet proof if taken care of, and it is worth even paying a little more for one that you know has been cared for, rather than one that has gone through many owners or has been neglected. I was in your same shoes when it came to getting a Voyager! I have wanted one since my father brought his first 1995 V-XII home in 2007. They are great bikes, and very fun to ride. When I started looking for a Voyager, I passed on a few. The one I bought wasn't what I was expecting but it did talk to me, and it ran great. Just be patient, I have found that nice ones pop up when you least expect it.

[Thud300]

Thanks for the great feedback.

Yeah, the bike was in need of a new home, and the condition was close to what my Concours was, but this shifter looked like something you could stomp on when shifting up or down and really mess things up. The thing was huge. And the floorboards looked like they would be scrape city. I'm more of an OEM type of guy, unless there is no question that the aftermarket mod is more functional and practical.

And so, the quest continues. Somewhere out there is a Voyager that needs me.

[broksonic]

Thanks for the great feedback.

Yeah, the bike was in need of a new home, and the condition was close to what my Concours was, but this shifter looked like something you could stomp on when shifting up or down and really mess things up. The thing was huge. And the floorboards looked like they would be scrape city. I'm more of an OEM type of guy, unless there is no question that the aftermarket mod is more functional and practical.

And so, the quest continues. Somewhere out there is a Voyager that needs me.

Where are you located?

There was a 1300 listed on Peoria, IL craigslist or do you prefer the 1200?

[KISSfanJoe]

Thanks for the great feedback.

Yeah, the bike was in need of a new home, and the condition was close to what my Concours was, but this shifter looked like something you could stomp on when shifting up or down and really mess things up. The thing was huge. And the floorboards looked like they would be scrape city. I'm more of an OEM type of guy, unless there is no question that the aftermarket mod is more functional and practical.

And so, the quest continues. Somewhere out there is a Voyager that needs me.

I am an OEM guy too, especially with the Voyager! The pegs are perfect, I usually add highway pegs on the engine guards for longer rides and it works great for me! There is definitely a Voyager that needs you! I think my next purchase will be a Concours! I love those bikes!

[Thud300]

I've seen that ad, it's a 1300 six cylinder. Those were very limited in production and probably getting harder to find parts for.

One of the guys where I work make a joke that I should get a Ninja to go with my other bikes, and when I said I was shopping Voyagers, he got this real serious look on his face and proceeded to tell me about the 87 he once had that snapped its starter chain.

So I explained to him about how the 88-up bikes solve that issue. Then I told him about the one I saw with the floorboards and shifter, and got a story about how riding like that is sort of like Russian dancing.

[Me Again]

I've seen that ad, it's a 1300 six cylinder. Those were very limited in production and probably getting harder to find parts for.

Actually, finding 1300 parts is easy . Getting them away from the owner, not so much.