Hitchcocks Forum

By way of a background, I have been riding bikes for awhile and thinking of getting a RE.

The key use will be for my commute which is basically 20 miles of filtering into London. Its also got lots average speed cameras.

So other than commuting the bike will be used for the odd gander into London and very short trips.

However as an all year commuter it needs to be reliable. I can do basic maintenance but electrical stuff is probably a longer learning curve for me.

I have around £1700 to spend but looking at prices and searching the web, I should be aiming for the post 2008 models.

Any advice, suggestions etc appreciated.

Sounds like a good plan to me. I bought an 2009 Electra EFI last year with 5,000 miles for £1900 so not too far off your budget. They are out there, happy shopping.

I dunno why "electrical stuff" is so frightening. It may look like a plumber's nightmare but it's really quite simple. These indian bikes can have thin connectors with poor plating but all you really have to do is pull them apart and put them back together to clean the oxide off. The switch gear looks like it was nicked off a Suzuki, so that's ok. Very few REs die at the side of the road.

What you get with the RE is stable and predicable handling, comfortable upright riding position easy to weave through traffic and non too shabby acceleration to 60mph. Suspension it too soft for a sports bike so it soaks up potholes.