Honda 919

I have a 599, and the 919 is just a bit bigger and with more torque. What do you want to know about it?

sachiwilson said:

I have a 599, and the 919 is just a bit bigger and with more torque. What do you want to know about it?

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How does riding it compare with other nakeds or standards you've ridden, and perhaps sportbikes you've ridden?

I want something thats fun for cruising but sporty, etc, and I am looking at the 919 because they are going for cheap these days, but I've read the suspension is so so, mainly from sportbike enthusiasts, so its hard to get good read on the bike.

The suspension is fine. It's not as adjustable as a bespoke sportbike, but it will keep you on the road at a good clip, especially with sticky tires like Michelin Pilot Powers.

The 599 is a more rev-happy bike, with almost as much overall power as the 919. The 919 is turned, as I mentioned, for more torque. Whether you prefer the 19 or the 99 depends on what you like in a bike.

I can't really compare the 919 to any other naked bikes, but if you're looking for a relatively lightweight standard it will be a good choice.

Saki said:

How does riding it compare with other nakeds or standards you've ridden, and perhaps sportbikes you've ridden?

I want something thats fun for cruising but sporty, etc, and I am looking at the 919 because they are going for cheap these days, but I've read the suspension is so so, mainly from sportbike enthusiasts, so its hard to get good read on the bike.

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Sportbike enthusiasts would complain if they were hung with new ropes.

I understand that suspension upgrades are reasonably priced for that bike. Often only putting in new springs ($100) and heavier oil in the forks will improve things more than enough. So if you got a good price then go for it. Understand that even though sportbikes have top notch components a lot of sportbike owners replace them with even better ones anyhow.

I'm a huge fan of naked standards. The vast majority of bikes I've owned over my 40 years of riding are standards. They'll do just about anything very well.

Thanks. I'm looking at an 04 with almost 15k miles on it for $4,000. Is there anything I should look out for besides the general inspections?

Saki said:

Thanks. I'm looking at an 04 with almost 15k miles on it for $4,000. Is there anything I should look out for besides the general inspections?

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Burnt rubber stuck to the underside of the rear fender?

Saki said:

Thanks. I'm looking at an 04 with almost 15k miles on it for $4,000. Is there anything I should look out for besides the general inspections?

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I don't know where you are but that's on the high end of the scale. I think they're excellent bikes but they were not as big a seller as the 599 and don't appear to have the cult following of the FZ1-Bandit-ZRX-Monster-S3 crowd.
It's a bike that does everything well but with a smaller engine and the above mentioned non-adjustable suspension and flat black paint it just doesn't sell that well. I wouldn't go higher than $3500 for it and try for around $3300.

The 599 is the one with the flat black. I don't think the 919 ever had it (could be wrong here though.) I've only seen 19s with glass black (plus some other colors.)

sarnali2 said:

I don't know where you are but that's on the high end of the scale. I think they're excellent bikes but they were not as big a seller as the 599 and don't appear to have the cult following of the FZ1-Bandit-ZRX-Monster-S3 crowd.
It's a bike that does everything well but with a smaller engine and the above mentioned non-adjustable suspension and flat black paint it just doesn't sell that well. I wouldn't go higher than $3500 for it and try for around $3300.

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Thanks. As far as the 04 goes, I'd have a hard time going over $3,500 anyway as the owner states the bike fell over and there's some scratches on the frame and muffler, with the engine cover and gas tank being repainted already.

Compared to buying new for around $6k, already discounted from $8,500 new, I'm trying to decide if buying used is even worth it when I could get a new bike discounted so heavily already. The only down side is the new 06s and 07s in dealer shops are all red - not my favorite color.

You're always better off going new, specialy with the discounts. Sounds like the P.O. was a clumsy f**k, I'd be pretty leery of a bike like that. If colors an issue it's not too expensive to paint a tank and fenders....

sachiwilson said:

The 599 is the one with the flat black. I don't think the 919 ever had it (could be wrong here though.) I've only seen 19s with glass black (plus some other colors.)

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Early 919's had a "flat silver" colour and a "flat charcoal" that was nearly black. Wasn't 'til the 2nd-year of 599 production that the 919 got gloss paint, IIRC. Very bland-looking bike, almost-certainly the reason it didn't sell well. That, and the fact that the motor was the poster-child of the "tuned-for-torque" derision by most of the magazines - even though most-every owner I've talked-to about it sez it's not really all that bad.

Cool. I've seen very few 19s and most have been gloss black or deep red.

sachiwilson said:

Cool. I've seen very few 19s and most have been gloss black or deep red.

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They're certainly not very popular, I looked at a spanking-new 06 today, and the dealer wa still trying to sell it for invoice ($7,200). Still, I think its the bike I want, I just need to find a good one. The don't seem to sell well new, but they're not easy to find used either. I guess thats just the thing about naked - there's not many of them in general.

Yeah. I love naked bikes, and (for me) my 599 is absolutely the best bike I've ever owned (including that wonderful 1969 Norton Mercury . . . ).

You could check out the Honda 599 forum on line -- they also talk about the 19s so you might be able to ask about getting one there.

Kind of OT, but is there anything I need to wary of with a "new" bike that has been sitting for 2 years? I'd imagine if it ever had gas in it that could be bad, tires could start dry rotting, oil probably has become acidic, etc - aything else?

Saki said:

Kind of OT, but is there anything I need to wary of with a "new" bike that has been sitting for 2 years? I'd imagine if it ever had gas in it that could be bad, tires could start dry rotting, oil probably has become acidic, etc - aything else?

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Mouse nests in the airbox (or even crankcase - saw pics of that once!), mouse-chewed wiring, corrosion in wire-harness connectors (depends on condition of bike before storing, and how it's stored), modifications half-completed (or half-assed completed) and then forgotten before storage, drying hoses, drying seals, antifreeze turning acidic and then to goop as the engine disintegrates from the inside-out, water in the cylinders (from weather), rust on the cylinder-walls from condensation and then the engine "suddenly" needs rings (usually only with iron liners, Nikasil-coated aluminium or iron cylinders probably won't be as susceptible to this), clogged carb passages (especially on the idle-circuit).

But wait! - there's more................

For a showroom (or in the back storeroom) "new" bike, you need to look at tire and battery shelf life (I'd insist on new ones on a bike two years old or older).

The crankcase oil, assuming it was ever installed, probably hasn't seen any runtime, so has little in the way of combustion by-product contamination. Also, some bikes (such as Triumphs) have "break-in" oil, which is to be replaced at approximately 500 miles.

All the critter issues Airhawk mentioned apply.

I haven't waved the flag yet, so I will now. Get a Speed Triple! You can get a 955i for the same or less money than you're looking at now, and no one disputes the grin factor of that bike. Indeed, Motorcyclist voted it "The best bike to lose your license with".