10-31-2018, 09:16 PM
W650! One great little bike. I bought mine in Aug of 2000. This dealership decided the three they had on the floor were going to gather dust at approximately $6400.00, so dropped the price to $4995. Not out the door, probably ended up being $5300.00 plus sales tax.
Fit and finish was nice, and the bike made for a capable weekender once equipped with E21 Givi bags, Corbin Gunfighter saddle, a small tankbag, and Kaw's lower Euro handlebars. I later added a small flyscreen, and was good to go for the next 7 years and 50,000 miles.
I admit to occasionally using the kicker. Typically when wanting to show the 'big twin' riders what it was like to start a bike without the 'electric leg.' On occasion, I'd even cut the ignition via the kill switch and give her a couple of good kicks before flipping the ignition back on, just to make it look difficult. Just playing with the new breed of riders, of course.
I owned this bike alongside a 2003 Bonneville Centennial Edition, and found the bikes to both be pleasurable rides, and different enough so that it was fun to alternate. Unlike the Bonnie with stock pipes, the W actually had a pleasant exhaust note thru the double-wall stock exhaust. The Bonnie required TORs.
The Bonnie was sold in 2012.
Bob
Fit and finish was nice, and the bike made for a capable weekender once equipped with E21 Givi bags, Corbin Gunfighter saddle, a small tankbag, and Kaw's lower Euro handlebars. I later added a small flyscreen, and was good to go for the next 7 years and 50,000 miles.
I admit to occasionally using the kicker. Typically when wanting to show the 'big twin' riders what it was like to start a bike without the 'electric leg.' On occasion, I'd even cut the ignition via the kill switch and give her a couple of good kicks before flipping the ignition back on, just to make it look difficult. Just playing with the new breed of riders, of course.
I owned this bike alongside a 2003 Bonneville Centennial Edition, and found the bikes to both be pleasurable rides, and different enough so that it was fun to alternate. Unlike the Bonnie with stock pipes, the W actually had a pleasant exhaust note thru the double-wall stock exhaust. The Bonnie required TORs.
The Bonnie was sold in 2012.
Bob