General Information about Boss Hoss bikes

4377 Views 12 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Patrick from Oregon, Apr 16, 2005

diver

Discussion Starter · Mar 10, 2005

Hi There,
I do NOT own a Boss Hoss (not yet) but I sold my bikes (Valkyrie and VTX) and I'm looking for something bigger and at least as realiable as those bikes I had. Now, I know that as Boss Hoss owners, probably you will say that it's the best bike, and probably it is, but I'll higly appreciate if you guys can give me some imput about what to expect from the Boss Hoss, are them easy to maintain? do they need much care? what is the max speed on a stock bike? The Valk and VTX are very easy to take care off and never ever I had any problem with them, can I expect the same with the B.H? of corse I understand that no problems is relatively according as how much you take care of your bike, but with regular oil change and maintenance is the B.H as realiable as the Honda?
I wont have the money to buy a new one, but for sure soon enough I'll be on the road with a B.H so as much information as you can give me before I buy one the better chance I have to make a smart deal
Thanks in advance and excuse my poor English

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1 - 13 of 13 Posts

buyarbi

· #2 · Mar 12, 2005

Diver

I just got into a boss hoss a year ago. I dont think they are as reliable as a honda. I found the best way to get information was to go over all the old posts here. I have no regrets whatsoever for buying mine. If you want a big cruiser that is just about as much fun to polish as it is to ride, than this is your type of bike ,from my viewpoint. Keep track of the sale prices on ebay and cycle world.

Happy riding
Bill

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Zenbiker

· #3 · Mar 12, 2005

Diver,
The simple answer to your question is NO! They are not as reliable as Hondas. There is one thing you have to consider, however, is that almost everyone here has modified their bikes in some way. I'd bet the engine is just as reliable as a Honda if left stock but you must understand that these bikes are not mass produced by robots and have unit to unit variations. I've done a lot of very long trips with the bike and have yet to have a significant problem. I will also tell you that once you ride one of these and crack the throttle open, you'll never go back.
The other thing about reliability is that these bikes are generally ridden very hard because that's why we bought em'. How many full throttle burnouts have you done with the Valkyrie or VTX? The answer is NONE! These bikes will feel like toys to you once you adapt to the Boss.
I wouldn't concern myself too much about the top speed because you'll probably never get close unless you are Tom Breedlove, Busa Dave or Adrian West.
If you can't afford a new one consider a low mileage used one. You won't regret it...Joe

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HAWK88

· #4 · Mar 12, 2005

Boss

Diver;

I completely agree with these guys. I bought a used 97 clutch bike just short of a year ago.

I have 2 very comfortable, very fast Jap scoots in the garage as well. I put 47,8K miles on a Blackbird, and 30K miles on a ZZR1200RR with virtually no maintenance issues.

Now that I have the Boss neither of the other scoots has been cranked, my cuticals are torn, I know where all my tools are because I enjoy using them tinkering with the Boss, most of my t-shirts have grease or polish stains on them (per the Distaff side) and I havn't been more pleased with a motorcycle since a 47 FLH in 1964 and 5.

As previously stated, ther are faster machines that require less maintenance, but DON'T ride a Boss unless you plan room in your garage for one! They are habit forming!

Ride Safe!

HAWK88
Jack Phillips

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502WingMan

· #5 · Mar 13, 2005

Boss Hoss builds these bikes only for a bit more than 11 years (before that its been "kit bikes"). Since this was a completly new field, there was some sort of try and error, but they improved and changed a bit almost every year. The last few years they upgraded the brakes, fuel pump, water pump, starter etc. But for 2005 they only changed the handle bars and the dash board and some electrical stuff.
So I would think that you can say: the later the model, the more reliable they are. Just an opinion.......
Peter

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diver

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 13, 2005

thanks guys

Thanks for the honest and accurate inputs, as I though, the BH has his own kind of spirit and is equal to no other bike, as it should be.
No doubt that soon enough there will be a BH in my garage and as far as polishing it, it's a great feeling when you spend the day taking care of the bike and then go for a ride in the afternoon with such a clean and shining machine and your chest full of pride becuase it is yours, it is a GREAT feeling !!!
Once more, thanks a lot and ride safe
Diver

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Bryan Ward

· #7 · Apr 14, 2005

Diver,

The way I understand it, the top speed of even a stock Boss Hoss is unknown. I don't believe that any Boss Hoss has ever been ridden to the limits of the horsepower.

I probably should not tell the following story, but what the hell.

We have plenty of long, straight, smooth and lightly travelled highways up here in Canada. One day last summer I had the "need for speed" and decided to find out what this thing would do. My speedo reads in KM and stops at 260. I knew for a fact that it was reading about 20K slow as per Joe's GPS.

I got on the gas and had the needle wrapped around and bouncing off the trip reset button. At that point I backed off slowly as I could feel her getting light, having a little trouble staying in my lane.

In my estimation, I was real close to either side of 300KPH which is around 200MPH. I didn't have the nads to push any harder but I assure you that little 385 was just starting to wake up. There was a whole lot more to go.

I only ever did it once. The tires are only rated at 130MPH and I don't have anything to prove to myself or anybody else about what the Boss Hoss is capable of.

Kids, please don't try this at home :!: :!: :!:

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HAWK88

· #8 · Apr 14, 2005

Bryan;

Bryan;

Especially if your sneaking up on your half asleep BUDDY at night, and THEN KAMAKAZI!!!!

I'll not soon forget that one. Enjoyed!

Ride Safe!

HAWK88
Jack Phillips

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RayO

· #9 · Apr 14, 2005

Bryan Ward said:
The way I understand it, the top speed of even a stock Boss Hoss is unknown. I don't believe that any Boss Hoss has ever been ridden to the limits of the horsepower....
In my estimation, I was real close to either side of 300KPH which is around 200MPH. I didn't have the nads to push any harder but I assure you that little 385 was just starting to wake up. There was a whole lot more to go.:

I have only one question for ya Bryan!!
How many rpm were you turning at that speed???

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HogV8

· #10 · Apr 15, 2005

Bryan ,

I'm telling your girl friend and she'll never ride with you again . Seriously , I have a 220 MPH speedo and I've had mine to 150 + once for a short burst but got worried about the tires also and let off . Believe me it was still pulling hard and a few more seconds and I think it would have seen 200 . Scary !!! Adrian has had his to 187 and clocked it with his GPS . I think I remember him saying his front tire grew so much it rubbed the inside of his front fender and burned the paint on the outside .

Jack

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MBFsupport

· #11 · Apr 15, 2005

Having a blown Valkyrie and a VTX I can tell you the Boss ain't no Honda as far as reliability goes but the thing's that a re a problem are no big deal to fix and you can pull into a Chevy dealer or a Napa and get just about everything you need. Honda could learn a thing or too when it comes to customer support. Most Boss Hoss dealers treat you like gold and go out of their way to make you happy. If you don't ever want to work on your bike then find a good local dealer. If you don't mind doing your work from time to time then I think you will fall in love with the Boss.

As far as top speed, you can say it's whatever you want. who's going to challenge you? It will go fast enough to scare you and that's coming from a guy who rode a supercharged nitrous Valkyrie.

By the way GPS can lie.

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Bryan Ward

· #12 · Apr 15, 2005

Ray O, I don't have a tach on my bike (yet). But it was just starting to sound real nice.

I also melted my fender a bit from the speed. I had adjusted my fender beforehand when the bike was new by taping a 9/16 nut to the top of the tire and made sure it ran clean around without hitting the fender. It still melted the plastic a bit.

GPS. I guess some are better than others. At least it wasn't a radar gun telling me the speed. I would likely still be in jail

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Patrick from Oregon

· #13 · Apr 16, 2005

I've got a Kannon

I held off buying a Boss Hoss because of the looks, and finally found a west coast Kannon to purchase.
Some people may have a V8 as their only bike, but I don't recommend it if you really ride. Yes you can go touring on a V8 bike, I even did Canada to Mexico on a Kawasaki 750 2 stroke triple when I was young, but I love my Valk. That's a real bike you can go somewhere on.
Reliability, well I've already had a tranny seal go bad and had to pull the tranny out of the bike, but if it's a limited mile bike, you might escape extra service calls.
V8 are great fun, I highly recommend them, but not as your only bike, in my opinion.
Patrick

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