Waiting in excitement (stanleychung)

[stanleychung]

For those that are keeping tabs on progress on my ownership on my VL, I've just passed the 1000kms point and done my first 1000kms service at the dealership. I haven't ridden many other bikes but in general this VL has been an absolute joy to own so far.

Over the last 1000kms I couldnt fault it in anyway. The fit and finish of the bike itself is excellent. Its very easy to clean, I use Meguires Waterless system. All the "plastic chrome" didnt chip off during my various rides (I must have looped Christchurch and all its surrounding areas several times by now). I really like the huge under seat storage which will swallow up most things.

The only thing that I didnt particularly like was when I looked at the factory spark plugs the VL came with. The "Denso" brand seemed really "cheap and nasty" if you know what i mean. Easily fixed by just getting the equivalent NGK plugs to replace them with. I just kept the "Denso" plugs as spare if need be next time. I did notice that normal auto places didnt keep a ready stock of the model of plug that the VL needs and it did cost more than the equivalent auto plug ($15 per plug as opposed to $5)

One thing to note for other people considering the VL as an option is dealer servicing cost. My first 1000km service came to a grand total of $260 of which $187 was labour. Although I was assured that the first service involved a very "time consuming" valve clearance check, its still pretty steep for an unsuspecting owner, so budget this into your purchase price. I dont think that even included clean/lubricate the chain for me. I will have to get my hands dirty to do basic servicing but major stuff will still need a specialist i think. Trying to save a bit of cash.

For a little 250 V twin it has all the get up and go a learner or intermediate rider will ever need. It does do 100km/h (havent gone faster) but it seems much less mechanically stressed at 80km/h - 90km/h not to mention the wind resistance is hard to bear without a windscreen at 100km/h. I love the exhaust note it makes (I always wished it was a little bit louder). I also use this VL every day to commute to work as well. At 145kg the VL is lightweight enough to be very chuckable in the twisties and its not too low to scrape stuff when the going gets a little bit tough. I did note the Yamaha XVS250 are very low. Fuel economy is as expected very good the last memorable fill i had was 9.3 litres and the trip meter said 230kms.

I hope the past experiences are a good indicator of what the VL would be like to own in the future. Which will mean it will be reliable and a joy to ride every day its in my ownership. Love the VL

[vifferman]

My first 1000km service came to a grand total of $260 of which $187 was labour. Although I was assured that the first service involved a very "time consuming" valve clearance check, its still pretty steep for an unsuspecting owner, so budget this into your purchase price.

That sounds very reasonable to me. A multicylinder, fuel-injected bike could easily cost three or four times that much.