Hello from Canada's western rain forest!

Hello from the "Wet" Coast!

I’m a grouchy, old, skinny, small framed Canadian. I’ve been riding since I was 16; which was back in the late 60’s, and have owned about 16 bikes to date. Sold my last one a few years ago but have been poking around again lately looking for one more machine, no doubt my last one. I had never heard of the B-King ‘til last week.

I threw my leg over a used one at the local dealer and was immediately impressed with how it seemed to fit me like a glove. I'm not a fan of the repli-racer crouch position that's only comfortable at illegal speeds. But I really liked the more upright, neutral fit of the B-King a lot - although that particular bike was in pretty rough shape.

It wasn’t ‘til later when I did some web surfing that I also found out what a beast these things are... beasts in a good way!

If it weren’t for the small fuel tank it’d be a no-brainer cuz I want a general purpose bike which will also cover occasional sport touring runs.

Haven’t made a purchase yet as there’s several other models I’m interested in too - so I’m here to ask questions and hopefully learn from you B-King veterans and see if maybe it’s the right bike for this old geezer!


Cheers!

to the forum

Welcome, and I think it's a fantastic bike for a speedy all-rounder. What other bikes do you like? I had an FZ1 before my king, and I can say that the king is an all-round better bike, and you won't find much else out there with this kind of bang for the buck!

Ride on!

Tempus, I have had my King for two years now, yes the tanks on the small side, but at our age the pit stops come a little more often now ( I'll be 65 soon). But I just love this bike, my widow will have to sell it, or give to our son when I'm gone. The only down side I can find is for some reason the back tires just don't last. All I can get is about 3,500 miles. The guys I ride with tell me to quit riding it like I stoled it, but it's just too much fun. Will put a smile on your face every time you ride it. Great on a trip, very good in the twisties, fast as hell in a straight line, and people just ogle the hell out of it every time you stop. Buy one you won't be sorry.

Dave

Welcome M8

welcome , yes great bike , if i had the money again i would buy the same bike

Hi and Welcome.
The King is a LOT of fun, glad I own one,
It has its downsides as you've spotted and
I couldn't live with one as an only bike.
Pillion use and tank size are not good if
Your serious about distance or taking the
Mrs with you. Seat isn't as good as my
Busa or 1400 but that's fixable.

I'd say excellent toy, but there are
More useable bikes out there.

DrDanimalSize wrote:

Welcome, and I think it's a fantastic bike for a speedy all-rounder. What other bikes do you like? I had an FZ1 before my king, and I can say that the king is an all-round better bike, and you won't find much else out there with this kind of bang for the buck!

Ride on!

Thanks! I've been pretty keen on both the Triumph Tiger 800 and the new, (as in unavailable in US/Canada) Husqvarna Nuda 900 S. There's actually no word on whether the Husky will even be sold in Canada just yet. and no word on price - but I'm sure they won't be cheap. Still, based on my reading, and as impractical as it may seem, the Husky is the one I'm most drawn to. I had initially decided to stay away from any more I-4 engines with all the usual "buzz" issues etc. But now we have Vibranators, Rox Risers and various "Bar Snakes" etc, so - who knows.

Obviously, the B-King is nothing like these other two rides but the King caught me off guard. It fits surprisingly well, has loads of after-market goodies available, looks weird enough to appeal to me and from what I've read - and I've read a lot - is a well designed and hugely fun machine at a decent price. And, it just seems to ooze personality.

I've ridden thousands of Interstate highway miles on a thumper, explored unmaintained desert trails on an old standard 650 and one time took a fully faired and loaded touring bike through the back fire roads of the Grand Canyon; so the "style" or market niche of a bike isn't terribly important to me. I just have to really like it!

Although they can be lowered, both the other bikes mentioned are rather tall (Husky's about 34") and considerably more expensive than a decent used King - price definitely matters.

So here I am!

Tony Nitrous wrote:

Hi and Welcome.
The King is a LOT of fun, glad I own one,
It has its downsides as you've spotted and
I couldn't live with one as an only bike.
Pillion use and tank size are not good if
Your serious about distance or taking the
Mrs with you. Seat isn't as good as my
Busa or 1400 but that's fixable.

I'd say excellent toy, but there are
More useable bikes out there.

Hi Tony!
Yes, pillion could be an issue although the lady is tiny (4' 10" and 110 lb.) I took her out to see the used King and had her sit on the little pillion pad for a few minutes while I sat up front. What she found to be more of an issue than the seat comfort was he fact that the sides of her calves were pressed up against the ridge of plastic body work below the seat. So although she wouldn't be a frequent flier, I would likely have the pad re-upholstered and the pegs replaced with something longer and preferably lower that would allow her legs to be a bit further from the plastic piece.
Whatever bike I get will be my only one and as mentioned, my last one. And I expect to keep it a long time.

Wow, that is an interesting choice of bikes! I think the king will be more fun (at least on-road) than the other 2, and I always thought the tiger was a little on the ugly side. If I went Triumph, I'd go Scrambler! B)

DrDanimalSize wrote:

Wow, that is an interesting choice of bikes! I think the king will be more fun (at least on-road) than the other 2, and I always thought the tiger was a little on the ugly side. If I went Triumph, I'd go Scrambler! B)

Yeah, they're all quite different aren't they. Now that I know the Nuda's out for 2013 or longer it cuts down the field and I wouldn't be happy with he Scrambler's high pipes.

For some reason I'm obsessed with the B-King - and I've never even ridden one. There's no good ones around here and the way things are going it looks like I may have to buy one advertized on the net without actually seeing in the flesh first.

Then there's the matter of insurance - which is notoriously expensive in my area... they base it on displacement and location of residence; nothing else. Government monopoly called ICBC. But that's another story.

There are a bunch of King's in Surrey for sale. You should be able to go touch and feel before purchase.

I love my King and can't wait till spring! Snow is just about to fly where I live and won't be gone till april.

olmanator wrote:

There are a bunch of King's in Surrey for sale. You should be able to go touch and feel before purchase.

I love my King and can't wait till spring! Snow is just about to fly where I live and won't be gone till april.

Really? B-Kings for sale in Surrey? I'm all ears. Where exactly are they?
Thanks!

Tempus!

Saw them in Kijiji about a week ago.

olmanator wrote:

Saw them in Kijiji about a week ago.

I guess they've sold; nothing there now. I did see a Craig's list ad for one a fairly decent one a couple of weeks ago which I saved. But the ad had become inactive by the time I actually replied. That one was in Port Moody.

The only one around here that I'm aware of is a beat up, high mileage POS at the Victory/Polaris dealer in Langley.
No hurry, I've got time; all winter if necessary.