Should I be scared?

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gearheadfla
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Should I be scared?

Post by gearheadfla »

This ad is on Craigs list' is it worth a 2 1/2 hour drive too look at? What about the charging problem? He's asking $3995.00

they don't make them like this anymore, water cooled 140hp 5 speed super cruiser, yes it is the 6 cylinder model (not voyager VII which is 4 cylinbder), bike is heavy and fast therefore not for the lightweights, has removable hard saddle bags and trunk box, extra chrome, trailer hitch, lights, original clarion radio (not hooked up), NEW BATTERY, NEW REAR TIRE, runs excellent however stopped charging, my guess voltage regulator (waiting for the manual to show up so I can diagnose properly), these machines were built to go few hundred thousand miles easy (just like goldwing) before real problems,(this cadillac cruiser has only 76k miles), clean florida title in hand,
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Jim in Fl. 88 XII
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by bigmac7139 »

my thinking is does one need another bike? if so do you want one that you will have to start with trying to trouble shoot a electric issue on? and with a charging issue, it could be a voltage regulator, it could be faulty wiring, could be a bad alt( if this model has it i'm not sure), or a bad stater? that's a whole lot of ????? for 4 grand. is the bike worth 4 grand in the first place? how mechanical are you in trouble shooting? are you willing to do the work or possibly dump more into it, on top of the 4k? but last but not least, it never hurts to go take a look and decide if hes a decent garage mechanic or not, being he's waiting for the manual , has he done the maintenance on it with out a book? i guess in the end its a matter of when is it not a good time to go for a ride and look at motorcycles. maybe you get it, maybe its another one, shouldn't ever be scared of looking at a bike. just my 2 cents
mike in kansas city mo
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gearheadfla
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by gearheadfla »

It's the 4 grand that will keep me away, I have no problem with troubleshooting and repair. I'm looking for a project bike to play with after completing my 88 XII, ran across this looking for another one.
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by addonii »

My opinion.

Looks great in the picture but since I've bought many motorcycles including 2 ZN1300's I will tell you be wary. In fact with the 79 thousand mileage and especially the 4 grand price I would steer clear!

I bought a 85 1300 in 2009 for $2,500 with 20K on the bike and another 85 in 2011 with 76K on the bike for $700.00.

My personal opinion is if you ride one of these bike having a 2nd donor bike around makes life a lot easier. In my case I have one rider, one possible donor/project bike and enough in extra parts sourced from various place to build another 1/2 bike.

I put quite a number of hours getting the first one straightened out (a lot of maintenance and many many minor problems) – pictures of the bike looked good when the guy sent them to me but the bike was the exceptional in person. This is unusual as it is normal for the bike to look worse in person than in pictures.

My second 1300 with 79k on it is ratty but functional and could be cleaned up. With 79K on my second bike the cam chain tensioner geared roller definitely needs to be replaced and that entails is a top end tear down with the cylinder being removed to get at the roller to replaced it. Also I have a slight shifting problem 1st to 2nd gear on that bike that could be just a shifter cam worn spring or worse. This all translates out to time and money. Another consideration is that OEM parts from Kawasaki are drying up on this model.

If it was my choice I would steer clear unless the price dropped to or below $1,500.00 and then I wouldn’t be too keen on buying it except as a parts donor bike or as a project bike “read here spend lots of money and time and not getting to ride it a lot till its sorted out”. Sort of like buying a boat which for many is a black hole in the water.

If your still interested after all my comments start checking out the following sites:

http://www.kz1300.com/tech.html

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/1300Voyager/

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/KawaSixes/
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by gearheadfla »

Thanks for the tips guy's. I think I'll keep looking for another XII. I love the one I have now and know my way around it. wouldn't mind a basket case if price is right, want a long time project to keep me busy in garage, lol.
Jim in Fl. 88 XII
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by Old Nyk »

gearheadfla wrote:This ad is on Craigs list' is it worth a 2 1/2 hour drive too look at? What about the charging problem? He's asking $3995.00

they don't make them like this anymore, water cooled 140hp 5 speed super cruiser, yes it is the 6 cylinder model (not voyager VII which is 4 cylinbder), bike is heavy and fast therefore not for the lightweights, has removable hard saddle bags and trunk box, extra chrome, trailer hitch, lights, original clarion radio (not hooked up), NEW BATTERY, NEW REAR TIRE, runs excellent however stopped charging, my guess voltage regulator (waiting for the manual to show up so I can diagnose properly), these machines were built to go few hundred thousand miles easy (just like goldwing) before real problems,(this cadillac cruiser has only 76k miles), clean florida title in hand,
Image
For that money it needs to be Perfect in every way,and the mileage is quite high,looks beautiful which they are but can be expensive,i have a 1984 Zn 1300,just cost me £500 to sort a problem out,been re-commissioning the Bike over Winter,some pratt let it go to POT :tho: .sorted now and "Oh Boy" looking forward to Summer, mind you i love the Beast and got it for a good price.Best wishes. :thmup:
Jolly Good Show.All the best from Old Nyk in the U.K.
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by Mr Jensee »

Not to mention that parts have got to be drying up by now. It's a pain always scouring ebay for some hard to find piece just to keep it running. Been there, got the T shirt. Never again.
For Voyager XII Manuals click the link below.
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by FBT »

I needed to post in this thread because I'm extremely familiar with this bike. I owned it previously. It has changed hands 3 times in the past 18 months. I see it pop up on CL periodically, and the price has come down from the original $3,995 price he was asking. In his original ad, the bike wasn't even running because of an "electrical problem."

When I bought this bike from a guy down in Orlando, it looked much better in the pictures than it did in person.

It has a lot of chrome that's been poorly maintained. While I owned it, I put a lot of effort into cleaning up what I could. I immediately had to have the seat re-done because the previous owner had used white duct tape to patch up several rips. Sargent is a great motorcycle seat company, and they're located about 10 minutes from my house, so I dropped the pan there and had them completely re-do it. I also replaced the windshield, batter, and rear tire.

The factory stereo was in a box, and an aftermarket unit was installed in the dash. When I pulled that out to put the stock radio back, I discovered that the metal framework in the dash had been cut out to install the new stereo. This created a real mess because when I'd ride the bike, the fairing would rattle like crazy when I hit any minor bumps. The stereo itself actually looked like it was floating because it wasn't attached to anything structural.

The gas gauge was entertaining. It would display up to a point, then go blank, and reappear when the fuel level got down to near empty. I never got around to dealing with that because I was planning to replace the entire gas tank. The reason being, it had that typical Kawasaki rust along the bead on the right side that was just starting to become visible, and I was contemplating either fixing it or replacing the entire tank.

The one thing about the bike that I absolutely loved was riding it on the highway. Holy cow, that bike was built for highway rides. Not so much for around town, which is where I do probably 90-95% of my riding. It's a heavy bike that isn't exactly maneuverable in traffic, but boy, it did have enough throttle to get away from any situation quickly. It was like riding a freight train down the interstate. The engine ran really well, and it sounded good at speed.

Cosmetically, aside from the rust on the chrome, there were a few issues involving the plastic on the fairing. Particularly around the air gauge, it was busted up there and a lousy patch job had been done to glue the pieces back together. You an see in the pics he posted on CL that below the gauge it's cracked, but still functional.

On the case guards, there were pegs installed, but whoever did it must have decided they'd never change them because they were actually welded on, and the left peg was snapped off at some point, leaving a hole that was covered up by a clip on.

It had electrical issues as well. Mostly because someone had poorly wired up all the extra lighting on the bike for the case guards and on the front fender. I had wires in there that went to nothing. They were just dangling there, so I had started to clean that mess up when I found my current bike.

I sold the bike when I came across my current XII (which was the exact bike down to the color option I had wanted to begin with) to a guy down in Sunrise, FL. He had owned several of these previously, and was looking to get back on bikes. I sold it to him for $2,300. He took it home, parked it, hurt his back seriously enough to where he couldn't ride it, and put it up for sale. He did nothing with it. He advertised the bike for the same price I did, so I'm assuming he got around the same for it from the current owner, who tried to sell it for almost double the money when he put it up for sale.

What's funny about this story is that when the current owner put it up for sale the first time, he didn't mention anything about the updated seat. So, I sent him an email and said it looked like the seat had been replaced. lol The ad changed the next time he posted it to include the seat update.

From 20 feet away, the bike looks pretty good. And sitting on it riding down the road is a blast. But, it is a bike that does need a good bit of work for someone who wants a really nice ride, and the parts are getting harder to find, especially the cosmetic ones.

If you can pick the bike up cheap, it's got issues, but mechanically it's rock solid (at least it was when I owned it). It's once again advertised on CL (http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/mcy/3335757437.html) and the price has fallen by $1,000, so it's getting closer to reasonable.

There used to be a 1300 that popped up regularly on eBay and CL. The guy wanted $1500 for it. The picture he would post screamed $750 because the bike had clearly been buried in his garage and forgotten. He didn't bother cleaning it or anything. Didn't even move the stuff out of the way before snapping a picture!
Tim in Jacksonville, FL

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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by gearheadfla »

Wow, Small world huh? yeah I pasted on it, IF I get another fixer upper in will be another XII, but my buddy owns the local Victory Dealership and I eyeball a sweet new 2013 Victory while I was there last week, he said he would make me a deal to where I thought he paid me to take it. :hmm: Maybe next spring a 2nd bike may be in the stable. Can't say how much he said but it was cheaper than a 2012 1700 Voyager I've been slobbering all over at the Kaw store.
Jim in Fl. 88 XII
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by FBT »

Tim in Jacksonville, FL

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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by biggersm »

That 1300 in Holly Hill looks interesting. I would enquire about the antenna. I have never ridden a 1300 but I'm told they are smooth and fast but top heavy. I have heard of overheating problems around town but the best freeway bike of it's day.

We could take a look on Saturday since it is near Carl's house.

I think it is interesting what was said about the original Voyager about 30 years ago in the magazines (same year I joined the USAF). Honda and Yamaha had the bike magazines eating out of the palms of their hands but knew that the Voyager was better than the Goldwing and Venture of the early 80s. Somehow someone convinced Kawasaki to downsize the Voyager then Honda threw two more sucker punches in the 80s with the Voyager vs Goldwing trademark look court battle and then the release of the GL 1500.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... 0%2084.htm

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... r%2085.htm

I wonder if the 1300 owners have the same experience?
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by EVAHank »

I just had to post. I am an old 1300 owner (Maybe you remember it, Mike?), used to have an '88 that was left in my driveway by my brother from California. This was back in '04. Parts for them were getting scarce then. I loved it because of the smooth ride, and the engine sound. Unfortunately, it took a LOT of work to get it rideable. After it was running, though, it was wonderful. I have my eye on an '84 back east that is running, and the owner wants 2,000 for, and it has no issues, other than needing the CCT change and other minor things that you would expect a 29 year old motorcycle to need. I guess the Beast is in my blood.
My advice-If you prefer riding to wrenching, stay away from it, because the 1300 can be maintenance intensive, and if you break down on a Trip, parts are nearly impossible to find. In order to maintain a beast, it's a good itea to have a lot of patience, and your own machine shop...or at least, have a buddy that owns a machine shop. Manuals are MANDATORY. The Beast is not really a 'daily driver', it's more a labor of love.

Ride Safe & Sane;
EVA Hank
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by biggersm »

Hi Hank

We hope all is well with you. I think I noticed in a different string that you were looking toward getting another 1300. I remember when you were fabricating a higher capacity radiator for your 1300 when we lived in Albuquerque. I hope your XII is also doing well. I don't know if we will ever get a chance to ride the Voyager that started it all.

Ride safe and we hope to see you again down the road, your friends Mike and Marcia.
Mike and Marcia Biggerstaff

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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by Bill O »

EVAHank wrote:I just had to post. I am an old 1300 owner (Maybe you remember it, Mike?), used to have an '88 that was left in my driveway by my brother from California. This was back in '04. Parts for them were getting scarce then. I loved it because of the smooth ride, and the engine sound. Unfortunately, it took a LOT of work to get it rideable. After it was running, though, it was wonderful. I have my eye on an '84 back east that is running, and the owner wants 2,000 for, and it has no issues, other than needing the CCT change and other minor things that you would expect a 29 year old motorcycle to need. I guess the Beast is in my blood.
My advice-If you prefer riding to wrenching, stay away from it, because the 1300 can be maintenance intensive, and if you break down on a Trip, parts are nearly impossible to find. In order to maintain a beast, it's a good itea to have a lot of patience, and your own machine shop...or at least, have a buddy that owns a machine shop. Manuals are MANDATORY. The Beast is not really a 'daily driver', it's more a labor of love.

Ride Safe & Sane;
EVA Hank


Hank,
If you are looking for 1300's, I'm sure you remember Don "Brew" Brubaker.... He has two complete 1300 and two parts bikes he want to let loose of. They are just north of Sacremento, but since you were planning on getting one shipped, might be worth a look see.

Bill O
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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by davidl »

James Curren had a 1300 trike at one time. He lives in Oklahoma & is a member of the Lone Star Voyagers. Don't know what he has now but worth a try to find out. Probably contact the Prez of the LSV for his phone# & address. His email is jcjustme@yahoo.com

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Re: Should I be scared?

Post by lockwoodjohn »

Hi everyone,
I saw a few more Voyager 1200 on Craigs List added to the ones already listed. Binghamton, NY. Also on Elmira,NY. I think there might also be one listed on the Rochester , NY list also. I think I saw a 1300
On one of those sights too.
Just letting people know,
Lockwoodjohn
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