Too Few Bikes, Too Little Time

As I posted last weekend, my Black V30 "Raven" developed engine troubles en route to Burr Oak and I ended up trailering it home.

My life is too busy. I need a bike to ride, not to wrench.

My wife graciously loaned me use of her Red V30 in the mean time, for my daily commute, while I tried to decide what to do.

This is a cause for soul searching on my part.

Part of me thinks I should try and fix the head on the V30. I know I gotta at least get in there and diagnose the problem before I know what I'm gonna do; and by that I mean, do I fix it or buy another one. If it were bigger, say a V65, I think it'd be worth fixing. But how many of you would sink a lotta hours into fixing up a V30, I mean really?

The reality is, I didn't have time to do simple projects on the bikes over the last winter. I was gonna de-rust her tank, replace her choke cable. As it was all I managed to do was change the oil and bleed the brakes.

If I couldn't do a simple choke cable over the winter, how the hell am I gonna fit in an engine overhaul in the summertime? If I had more bikes, I could afford the time to work on one while riding another. But I gotta ride, so I gotta have a bike that runs.

Meanwhile I sat on a new Suzuki Boulevard S50 and liked it. The seating position was just like the magna, hands were in the right spot. Not that I'd ever get spousal approval for that kind of expenditure. A used Intruder maybe.

At the risk of being ridiculed, my list of wants for the next bike:

Shaft drive.
No valve adjustments would be nice
750cc or greater. I'd love 1100cc but am also price conscious.

This puts me into Honda Shadow or Suzuki Intruder territory. I don't know if that alienates me from Maggot community or not. I suppose I could look at a 90's era Magna VF750C but I'm leaning away from it.

The emphasis is on low maintenance. My riding style is commuting; that's the reality of it right now. Inexpensive and reliable is what fits my lifestyle right now.

All of that said, when I get a spare minute (maybe next weekend?) I'm gonna tear into my V30 and see what I see. If what I'm taking for major problems turn out to be minor, this may all be moot.