I have had my 2013 Cross Roads Classic for a couple of weeks picked it up yesterday from it's first service at which time the dealer installed my D&D pipes, performance air filter, stage one flash, tach etc. I did a 200 mile ride today in the mountains and am starting to get used to the XR.
I am a retired Canadian living in Vancouver but I spend the winters in Palm Desert CA. I did not ride for many years but after I retired and moved to the desert for the winters I re discovered my passion for motorcycling on the great roads in the area.
I have owned several bikes in my life but 4 of them were Triumphs, 2 Bonnies years ago and recently an America and a Thunderbird 1700. I absolutely loved the Thunderbird but unfortunately I got one that had reliability problems and last winter (my main riding season) the bike spent 3 months in the shop waiting for parts from the UK. I decided that I was going to change bikes to avoid any more frustration. I am also doing more 2 and 3 night trips and the Thunderbird is really more of a muscle cruiser than a touring bike. I have an older Honda VTX 1300 in Vancouver for summer trips.
I am an analytical type of guy so I did a spreadsheet comparing soft baggers with all the things that were important to me in a new bike. The list included power, touring range. luggage capacity. ABS, value for $ etc and the XR won easily.
I have to admit I struggled a bit with the XR style and looks as I am a bit of a traditionalist and prefer old style bikes. The LE or Classic are more to my taste although I haven't learned to love the back end yet Most people seem to think it's a drop dead gorgeous bike so it must be my weird taste.......
I am enjoying riding the XR a lot. It is way more comfortable than the Thunderbird and once I get an aftermarket seat I think I will be good for long days in the saddle. The fit and finish on the bike is excellent and shows real quality. I am really enjoying things I have not had before like cruise control, heated grips, multi display computer etc.
I was hoping that I would be satisfied with the power and torque produced by the 106 with the D&D's air filter and stage 1 flash. It's certainly not bad but I miss the raw torque of the TBird with the big bore kit. The standard Thunderbird 1700 joke is that the don't include a gear indicator as they don't need to .....it rolls on pretty well in any gear and virtually at any revs. I will definitely go the Lloyds Cam route but I believe I have just missed out on Kevin X's latest cam party in California so it may be a while before I can get it done.
Anyway I have already learned a lot from reading this board. I must have read hundreds of posts before I made up my mind to buy a Vic and it was great to have all that knowledge and experience available to me.
Please be patient with my rookie questions as there are sure to be many of them.
Peter Kelly
I am a retired Canadian living in Vancouver but I spend the winters in Palm Desert CA. I did not ride for many years but after I retired and moved to the desert for the winters I re discovered my passion for motorcycling on the great roads in the area.
I have owned several bikes in my life but 4 of them were Triumphs, 2 Bonnies years ago and recently an America and a Thunderbird 1700. I absolutely loved the Thunderbird but unfortunately I got one that had reliability problems and last winter (my main riding season) the bike spent 3 months in the shop waiting for parts from the UK. I decided that I was going to change bikes to avoid any more frustration. I am also doing more 2 and 3 night trips and the Thunderbird is really more of a muscle cruiser than a touring bike. I have an older Honda VTX 1300 in Vancouver for summer trips.
I am an analytical type of guy so I did a spreadsheet comparing soft baggers with all the things that were important to me in a new bike. The list included power, touring range. luggage capacity. ABS, value for $ etc and the XR won easily.
I have to admit I struggled a bit with the XR style and looks as I am a bit of a traditionalist and prefer old style bikes. The LE or Classic are more to my taste although I haven't learned to love the back end yet Most people seem to think it's a drop dead gorgeous bike so it must be my weird taste.......
I am enjoying riding the XR a lot. It is way more comfortable than the Thunderbird and once I get an aftermarket seat I think I will be good for long days in the saddle. The fit and finish on the bike is excellent and shows real quality. I am really enjoying things I have not had before like cruise control, heated grips, multi display computer etc.
I was hoping that I would be satisfied with the power and torque produced by the 106 with the D&D's air filter and stage 1 flash. It's certainly not bad but I miss the raw torque of the TBird with the big bore kit. The standard Thunderbird 1700 joke is that the don't include a gear indicator as they don't need to .....it rolls on pretty well in any gear and virtually at any revs. I will definitely go the Lloyds Cam route but I believe I have just missed out on Kevin X's latest cam party in California so it may be a while before I can get it done.
Anyway I have already learned a lot from reading this board. I must have read hundreds of posts before I made up my mind to buy a Vic and it was great to have all that knowledge and experience available to me.
Please be patient with my rookie questions as there are sure to be many of them.
Peter Kelly