| Author | Message | ||
     Mapes |
 Thanks! I'm glad to be aboard! | ||
| Blake |
Congratulations Mapes!!! | ||
| Ezblast |
Wife is now taking the course in motorcycle safety - fun in the sun soon to come! Welcome Mapes - you could'nt have picked a better time to be Blasting! | ||
| Prudemonkey |
I think i will get my next 600cc Blast off of ebay, I will just "buy it now" for $8000 and save myself the trouble of bidding against all of you people! Congratulations Mapes  Chris | ||
| Dust_Storm |
You got yours for 3800$ Darn, I should have bought mine in FL.. Oh well, regardless, congratulations on your new purchase! (Soon, ever so soon - there shall be an army of 500cc thumpers of varying degrees of hooliganism prowling the streets of your quiet neighborhood! Quick as you can, pick one up yourself, lest YOU be the one hiding in relative safty of your home....) [Ds] | ||
| Mavinwy |
Welcome Mapes, glad you decided to go Blast. Excellent price. Up here they just seem to mark them at the MSRP...oh well. Wouldn't trade mine in anyway. Jim | ||
| Mapes |
Thanks everyone. I lurked for a long time here before ever posting. I have learned a lot about the Blast from you guys and am sure I will learn a lot more. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. As a beginning rider, I am soaking up all of the information that I can. I am very happy with my purchase so far. I am taking baby steps, but the Blast is so easy to ride that it is helping me build some confidence. It is no ways near as frightening as some of the other bikes I have been on. I am riding mostly on neighborhood streets and practicing quick stops and turning in the parking lot. I plan to be there until I can always remember to cancel my turnsignals and am comfortable that I can stop or swerve at speed if I need to. I would like to set up some exercises in the parking lot to practice. Anyone know where I can get dimensions for the MSF course exercises? | ||
| Dansherman |
Well, I picked up my 2001 Black Blast last thursday (3/29), rode it hard for two days and loved it. Woke up this morning and there were two inches of snow on the ground. Gotta love Minnesota spring. Anyway, I've spent most of my day poking around online to find what I could for aftermarket parts for my bike. I've got the Vance and Hines pipe on order (hould get it in a couple days) but I'm curious what other people have done to theirs (performance wise). Anything you know of would be appreciated. I want to see if I can get it to keep up with my buddys GS500E. Dusting him in the twisties is easy, but it seems like I'm straining to keep up on the freeway. Any thoughts? | ||
| Fssnoc2501 |
YEA!!!  !!! I got the rocker box gaskets installed and NO more leaks. What a relief. It took about 2 hours and less work than changing the trans oil. I got to find an easier way to get around the peg mounts without spending $500 for the crossroads. Mapes & Dansherman Congrates on being proud owners of the BLAST. It will give you many hours of pure pleasure. As for mods Dan look in the archives there are many posts from myself and others about mods that we have made. Although Xgecko may not think much of my aircleaner mod since I didn't extend how long it took me to polish my elbow. This bike begs to be modified and my dreaming has not stopped since purchase. If you have questions feel very free to ask. We seem to be full of opinions. Remember they are only our opinions and may not work for everyone. Mapes, Forgetting to cancel the turnsignals is not a sin but is annoying to others. I've been riding for 35+ years and still forget on occasion. The secret to a happy riding experience is practice, Practice, and more PRACTICE. Happy Riding; Ray | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Dansherman, What part of Mpls ya from? Which dealer did you purchase your new Blast? BTW, what ya doing this Thursday night? There's a BRAG meeting at St.Paul Buell/HD. Kind of a relaunch of the chapter. It would be nice to have some Blast representation. It's from 7:00 to 8:00PM. Show up if you can. Also there is a big open house at the same location this Saturday. Suppose to have good news for us Buellers. Congrats on the new purchase! Brad (up in Maple Grove) | ||
| Dansherman |
Bluzm2 - My parent's live in Orono, I go to school at the U of M. Got the bike from Donahue Harley in Delano, Tim cut me a pretty sweet deal. Unfortunately, I have class on thursday night, otherwise I'd have to head out to St. Paul. Anyway, I'm off to peruse the archives for cool mods. Wish me luck! -- Dan Sherman | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Dan, What kind of deal did you get? I may be looking for one for my daughter. Brad | ||
| Mavinwy |
I just got the V&H exhaust (not kerker as I thought earlier...oh well) from the blast my father purchased. He did not like the sound...my gain I guess I re-jetted it and went riding. All I have to say is WOW. The difference is like night and day. Dansherman - my wife has a GS500e. Keeping up now does not really seem to be a problem until over 75. And there I think it has more to do with the gearing and the fact that she is 100lbs soaking wet (no wind resistance). | ||
| Dansherman |
Bluzm2 - I paid $3,299 for the bike (a 2001 w/ 300 miles on it) add a pipe/high seat/jacket/gloves/tax... brought the total up to $4100. Tim (salesguy) said that he would have cut me more off of the price, but "he wasn't making any money on the bike"... Gotta love salesmen. =) Mavinwy - Exactly, I can run with him just fine as long as we're not on the freeway. That's where I'm looking for the boost. | ||
| Blake |
Nallinize it!  | ||
| Dansherman |
OK, I was thinking a little lower cost... How hard is it to rejet? I've read all the previous posts and from the Dec 2001 section I gather that it wouldn't be too difficult. I just need to know which jet size? Is that right? Also, it looks like I need the K&N filter. Yes? No? Like I said yesterday, I'm looking to be able to keep up on the freeway (65+). Thanks in advance -- Dan | ||
| Akgirl |
Wow! All these Blast owners and you're already riding! I just pulled mine out of storage but it is still only in the 20's so I'll have to wait a few more weeks. I must admit, I came VERY close to taking advantage of the trade-in program and buying a Sportster 883R. But when I came home and sat on my Blast I couldn't do it. I think I'll have to pay more attention to the mods you guys write about and go that route. Anyway, just waiting for warmer weather...IMPATIENTLY! | ||
| Joey |
All this talk of warmer weather! I think I took a couple days off when it snowed this winter. You could see me in DE, with my Zorro mask under my helmet, thinking, "Life's a Blast!" I guess I'm hooked!  | ||
| Mavinwy |
Dansherman - when my wife and I ride together, pretty much we can parallel up to 75 or so, she can out accel me above that. Course, she does not top out at 100mph either (I need to get rid of the rev limiter and get a tach) The power after just the jet/exhaust is an amazing change. I also ordered a K&N filter that should be here tomorrow. (snowing right now anyway  ) The re-jet is easy if you have some basic mechanical knowledge and a manual. I borrowed a buddys to do mine, then got one myself on e-bay. By the way, there is another one on e-bay now if anyone is looking. Akgirl - The weather here in Wyoming is one of the big reasons I am keeping the blast. It is a whole lot easier to justify a $4500 bike that you can only ride 7-9 mos a year than a $9000+ one. That and I still like the handling better. Rambled enough Jim | ||
| Dansherman |
Mavinwy - Thanks for the tip on the manual, I jsut placed a bid on it. As for the re-jet and K&N filter: I plan on doing those as soon as I get my V&H pipe. I guess I'll wait until then to see if I still want more.  Another question. I've seen the Crossroads Rearset Controls online for $500, but that's more than I'd like to spend, does anyone know of another kit that's cheaper? I've seen the Bankes mentioned, but can't seem to find a price on it. Are those the only two options, or is there more? PS I'm glad I found this board, everybody is really helpfull! | ||
| Prof_Stack |
Akgirl - as a Blast owner and a former 883 Sportster owner I can assure you that you will be happier keeping your Blast. The 883 vibrates more and is not pleasant to ride above 70 mph. The Blast is much more fun. Hope it warms up soon for you! | ||
| Dust_Storm |
Wow! All this talk of cold weather and here we topped out at 82F today on the freeway.. Tonight was a brisk 52 though, the desert is strange like that though.. Scorchingly hot in the summer, but no rain though, that's always a nice thing [Ds] | ||
| Sweetdaddyd |
I did the trade in program and traded for an M2. It's a great bike but the Blast definately has it's own merits. Especially the comfort of the low seat and the ease of flat footing at stops. Really helps the confidence. These are the only 2 bikes I have ever riden but many of my friends who have rode others were impressed with the Blast, especially the cost, and how easy it is to ride. No one was even disappointed with the power and I should point out that neither was I. Especially after putting on the V&H and jetting it. If you look over on the classified board I have my old V&H for sale as well as the jet kit and H4 headlight conversion. I can also provide stripes like the 2000 race stripe buell, or any variattions thereof at a very economical price. You can use these as they are or as a stencil for paint. I hope to have pics up of my M2 soon with the graphics on. Sweetdaddydelicious@hotmail.com | ||
| Dansherman |
It's official. 28 degrees farenheit is too cold to ride my blast. I just went on a twenty mile jaunt. it was a lot of fun, but my fingers might disown me if I'm not a little more careful. This bike is so much fun! Can't wait for my new pipe though! (Tomorrow!) I was glad to see this morning on the weather channel, that the rest of the country is also experiencing this cold snap. Not that I wish any harm on you southeners... | ||
| Buelliedan |
There's a set of Crossroads blast clipon bars for sale on e-bay. opening bid is only $49!! | ||
| Akgirl |
Thanks Prof_Stack! I had an ABATE meeting last night and the topic of discussion was the "yellow football" I call a motorcycle. Mind you, most of these comments come from folks who have never bothered to try out my bike. But they still start to grate on my nerves. I think the only reason I was considering the 883 was because of the constant teasing. I love my Blast! I've never had any trouble with it, and she cruise along at 65-70 mph just fine.  I might ad that I'm only 5'2, so a lot of bikes out there are just too tall. I actually prefer the taller seat on my Blast, but the 883 still had me on my tippy-toes. Anyway, thanks for making me feel better about my decision. | ||
| Buelliedan |
AKGirl, ABATE? So I guess you don't like your pretty face the way it is??  | ||
| Akgirl |
A.B.A.T.E-Alaska Bikers Advocating Training and Education  There are chapters throughout Alaska but our site is www.geocities.com/motorcity/track/5373 | ||
| Buelliedan |
AKGirl, Every ABATE tries to hide behind the Training and Education but don't fool yourself, their main mission is to overturn helmet laws which is something I cannot support |
