Looking at buying an 01 Voyager

[keithert]

Yesterday I looked at an rode a 2001 Voyager. Everything on it seemed to work but it had 2 issues. The more serious is a wobble if I loosen my hands on the bars at 40-60 mph. It doesn't' start immediately, but if I hit a bump it will start oscillating. The front tire pressure is good, the seller said the stem bolt was tight. The front shock pressure was 15 psi which I read is a bit high. I've read that new steering head bearing my be the fix and that a fork brace may help. Can anyone point me to the fix for this?

The cruise control would only engage in 5th gear. I believe that is by design. It was also a bit finicky to engage even when in fifth.

We liked the comfort of the bike. The seats were better than I expected in the 20 minute ride I had on the bike. The selling price is very good, so I don't mind putting a bit into the bike to get it perfect. But it is an older bike than others I've been looking at. The bike is in good condition cosmetically. The engine has 42,000 miles and all but 15,000 were put on by the current owner.

[Nails]

a wobble if I loosen my hands on the bars at 40-60 mph

Dunlop 404s?

The cruise control would only engage in 5th gear. I believe that is by design. It was also a bit finicky to engage even when in fifth.

Seems like they all need to have the cable adjusted. You have to take off the right fairing, but it's easy to do. Lots of info here about that.

[Gator Mike]

Dunlop 404's were famous for wobble on this bike. Other things might be wheel bearings, steering head bearings bad or needing adjustment, tire pressure or worn tire. If it does have 404's GET RID OF THEM. They work on other type bikes but not on this one.

Cruise could be cable needing adjusting or lubing if it's slow to engage. Possible one of the brake, clutch or throttle switches sticking if its intermittent..... good luck. You've bought one of the best kept secrets on the road...........Gator Mike

[Neal]

After many times seeing this I can just about guarntee the steering stem bearing needs tightening. I don't care what he may say. That's been proven by dozens of our members here.
And yes, if it has 404's that means TROUBLE with the handling.
In other words, if the price is good for this 'low mileage ' unit ( many of us have seen 200,000 come and go) GET IT.... and enjoy it for years to come.

[cushman eagle]

My '99 had a mild steering wobble when I got it in 2009 with 22000 on it.It had both issues,a front 404 and loose steering head bearings. I got rid of the 404 and adjusted the bearings,and ,no more wobble That was 47,000 miles ago.

[keithert]

The tires are Avons that are about half worn down.

[keithert]

Other than the wobble issue the bike is in good shape. The plastics are good. The radio and controllers work. It runs good. My only beef is the steering wobble. the price is low enough that I could put $500 into it and still have a good value. I'm just not sure about this wobble issue. I talked to another Voyager owner who said his only did it up to 15 mph. This one does it at higher speeds.

[Mr Jensee]

I have to laugh because back in 2009 when I bought my 2001 Voyager I test rode it as well and it scared the bejesus out of me because it also wobbled just after I would hit 35 and disappear at 45. I felt very unsafe on the bike and nearly didn't buy it. It was however nearly picture perfect otherwise so I bought it. Later I found out the wobble was mostly because of the Dunlop 404 tires on it. People on here recommended I change over to Dunlop E3s. For the most part it fixed the problem. Maintaining the proper air pressure, 36 front and 40 rear also helped. If you have a wobble after that then tighten the steering stem.

And NorCal Voyagers have a video on You Tube on how to adjust that cruise control cable.

[keithert]

What convinced you to go ahead and buy it?

[Mr Jensee]

She was immaculate. whoever owned it before took excellent care of it. It had low mileage, only 19,800 miles on it and paperwork to show when it had oil changes at the dealership. The bike had everything but the tool kit.

[cushman eagle]

kiethert,that is one great looking bike It almost looks like new

[keithert]

i did end up buying the bike this weekend. It runs great. The steering wandering is most noticeable between 20 and 60 mph. Seems to go away at higher speeds. It is only noticeable if I let off the bars.

The radio and headsets work great. The front tire does have some cracking that runs parallel to the rim. I will get it replaced soon. What is a good tire to complement the Avon Venom that is on the rear?

Here is a vlog of my commute this morning.
https://youtu.be/PTkdZyOC-D8

[keithert]

kiethert,that is one great looking bike It almost looks like new

I wondered what picture you were looking at. I just updated my profile. This bike does look nearly new for being 16 years old.

[ghostler]

Congrats on your buy, keithert. I've got the 2001 too, a great bike. Regarding wobble, poor tracking, when I replaced the worn Bridgestone on mine fixed that. As others stated, if tires don't fix, look at steering bearing adjustment. Regarding replacement front tire, general consensus is stay away from the Dunlop D404, not a good handling tire because of the XII's geometry, and there is a strong preference for the Dunlop Elite 3 for its long wear and handling. If your back tire has some uneven wear, could affect handling, too.

According to tire sites, the MT90-16 tire size is equivalent to the XII's 130/90-16. Others can advise, I haven't personally mounted such size and as such for me is academic. I don't like to advise on stuff I haven't done yet. The Elite 3 and Avon Venom come in MT90-16. I've had good luck with the Pirelli MT66 Route tire, it doesn't track in grooves, is a good rain tire and has reasonable life. Next front tire will be the Continental Milestone, got it, just haven't mounted it.

One tire I wouldn't get unless you were a college student living hand to mouth is Kenda K657 Sport Challenger. I had those on my previous bike, great long wearing tire but spooky when wet, hard rubber didn't have much traction. The Pirelli MT66 Route's restored my confidence.

On my XII, two years ago, rode several hours in solid rain storms a couple times on the way from Clovis NM to Ruidoso NM and back. (We had an odd wet year. (Normally, 5 rains in July is considered monsoon season. We get 2 inch rains, 2 inches between drops. ) Plus rode nearly a half hour in a hail storm from Portales NM to Clovis 3 years ago. The Pirelli MT66 handled really well.

Again, congrats and good luck with your new ride. There's a lot of experience and good hands in this forum, looking forward to hearing your experiences with your new ride.

[keithert]

I'm having some comfort issues on the bike. I normally ride a cruiser (07 Yamaha Royal Star) with a backrest. On the Voyager I'm finding I'm getting a back ache and that my feet are cramped in comparison to a cruiser with floorboards out in front of me. I have a Utopia backrest from another bike and I ordered their bracket for the Voyager. Hopefully that takes care of the back issue. Not sure it will because on the Voyager you don't sit back into a backrest like on a cruiser so I'm not sure how much contact the backrest will make. The bike has highway pegs on the crash bars but the wind deflector on the lower fairing gets in the way of using them. I think that deflector was added in later model years of the bike. Can it be easily removed?

[ghostler]

I'm having some comfort issues on the bike. I normally ride a cruiser (07 Yamaha Royal Star) with a backrest. On the Voyager I'm finding I'm getting a back ache and that my feet are cramped in comparison to a cruiser with floorboards out in front of me. I have a Utopia backrest from another bike and I ordered their bracket for the Voyager. Hopefully that takes care of the back issue. Not sure it will because on the Voyager you don't sit back into a backrest like on a cruiser so I'm not sure how much contact the backrest will make.

Keith, do you have the stock seat or an aftermarket one? Some have had issues with aftermarket such as Corbin. The handle bars are fully adjustable, both fore and aft and up and down. One doesn't have to sit on the Voyager like they are on a sport bike. Have you adjusted these to your liking?

The bike has highway pegs on the crash bars but the wind deflector on the lower fairing gets in the way of using them. I think that deflector was added in later model years of the bike. Can it be easily removed?

The trim flares on both sides of the fairing are held on by steel spring clips. I take a small flat blade screwdriver and gentle pry them out. There's 6 holding each upper, 3 holding each lower. The 1986 doesn't have these. They are a hard to find item. If you find you don't need these, you can probably get some money back by selling them. In your case, you might be able to remove just the lower ones to provide clearance for the foot pegs on the forward crash bar.

[dsmmrm]

I'll chime in on the 2001 club. I've only had mine for a couple weeks now but I can say that I've been over it pretty thoroughly, changed the oil, got the CC working, etc. It has Pirelli MT66 tires and does not not wander or track poorly at all. If fact, I'm pretty amazed that the bike rides and feels as good as it does give it's age.

With regard to the wind deflectors, they should just pull off. A lot of bikes are missing the lower ones due to the access to highway pegs being compromised. Mine is missing them and I would really like to have them so if any of you guys with a 2001 have removed them and have some laying around I will buy them from you.

[keithert]

I have the stock seat. The handlebars seem okay but I can adjust them if needed.

[keithert]

I removed the lower wind deflectors last night. The reach to the highway pegs is much improved but man those fairing vents put out a lot of heat. Not sure I'd be able to use the pegs in warmer weather.

The bike does pogo-stick a bit over bumps. the shocks are set at 7 psi front and 25 rear. Should either be higher?

[ghostler]

I removed the lower wind deflectors last night. The reach to the highway pegs is much improved but man those fairing vents put out a lot of heat. Not sure I'd be able to use the pegs in warmer weather.

Any heat should not be from the vent as it is ducted from the fairing front. There is some heat that comes through the side of the engine that is from the radiator, but I've never noticed or paid much attention to it. Of course I've got boots on and sometimes motorcycle overpants, which might make a difference.

The bike does pogo-stick a bit over bumps. the shocks are set at 7 psi front and 25 rear. Should either be higher?

I suspect your shock oil level is low.

When I changed my front fork oil, old must have been the original, it was a nasty gray color. New made a huge difference in shock action. Note, when I changed the front fork springs to Progressive, made a huge difference in ride. Old action was soft and mushy. The Progressives restored front bike height and have firmer but more positive action, ride is a lot smoother. Plus, the Progressive don't require air pressure. Over time, similar to our old 1964 Ford Falcon, seems front springs sagged. Previous owner compensated by doubling air pressure, but that is a good way to blow out the fork seals.

On the front, manual states normal 7.1 psi with range of 5.7 to 8.5 psi. Rear is 21 to 36 psi.