Raider Discontinued!!! Say it ain't so

[Zxdave]

I don't think v-twins are a dying breed, but I do think air cooled v-twins are. And that takes me to my question/ thoughts  I'm thinking should I really buy a "raider" is it right for me? To me motorcycles are like knives there is " no perfect blade" I'm looking to buy a new bike,  but not sure which one I want to go with? The list is.
1. Raider
2. Stryker
3. Victory gunner
4. Kawasaki Vulcan 900 custom

my riding is mostly "backroad" if I hit the highway it is for 30min -1hr at most.

 On top of my list is the "Vulcan" for a 900cc it has good torque and a highway cruising speed of 80mph and  is liquid cooled which is a plus for me. And I can pick one up used for around 4500$ now the for the "Gunner" has  design I like good power with the 106 motor rides great but some  drawbacks are.
Price 13k new used not much better used, and not a ton of dealers out there if I need parts, and "air cooled" not a big factor but a drawback to me.
 BTW gunner 3rd on my list 2nd is "Raider" let's get to that, now this just  came into play because the local dealer has a used 2013 SCL4 8500 and it only has 98 miles on it. But it has me thinking do I need this much bike for my riding style? Is air cooled even right for my riding style? And who really needs that much power?  But look how much bike I can get for my money just not sure if I need it all.

PS. Sorry for the rant guys just thought this may be a good place to unleash my thoughts I'd like to hear your feedback on them.

The Vulcan is a good bike , but pound for pound , dollar for dollar you would be much better getting a raider over it .
The 900 is decent for solo riding , but if you do two up it will lack power , raider will not

[RoadStarRaider]

[Dark Matter]

I don't think v-twins are a dying breed, but I do think air cooled v-twins are. And that takes me to my question/ thoughts  I'm thinking should I really buy a "raider" is it right for me? To me motorcycles are like knives there is " no perfect blade" I'm looking to buy a new bike,  but not sure which one I want to go with? The list is.
1. Raider
2. Stryker
3. Victory gunner
4. Kawasaki Vulcan 900 custom

my riding is mostly "backroad" if I hit the highway it is for 30min -1hr at most.

 On top of my list is the "Vulcan" for a 900cc it has good torque and a highway cruising speed of 80mph and  is liquid cooled which is a plus for me. And I can pick one up used for around 4500$ now the for the "Gunner" has  design I like good power with the 106 motor rides great but some  drawbacks are.
Price 13k new used not much better used, and not a ton of dealers out there if I need parts, and "air cooled" not a big factor but a drawback to me.
 BTW gunner 3rd on my list 2nd is "Raider" let's get to that, now this just  came into play because the local dealer has a used 2013 SCL4 8500 and it only has 98 miles on it. But it has me thinking do I need this much bike for my riding style? Is air cooled even right for my riding style? And who really needs that much power?  But look how much bike I can get for my money just not sure if I need it all.

PS. Sorry for the rant guys just thought this may be a good place to unleash my thoughts I'd like to hear your feedback on them.

I would grap that '13 SCL in a heartbeat.  If you buy a very powerful stereo, it can play loud, but really all that power makes low volume listening crisp and clear.  The more power you have, the less strain you place on the work horse.  If you buy an SCL, you can go slow with great authority.  I wouldn't put myself in a position where I'm wondering if I missed an opportunity...well, because we own Raiders, we know you'll be missing an opportunity if you pass on that SCL. 

Good luck with your decision.

[Strix]

Thanks guy! But do you think I would have any heat problems with my style of riding ? Back roads sitting at stop lights?

[ROADKILL]

Thanks guy! But do you think I would have any heat problems with my style of riding ? Back roads sitting at stop lights?

Non what so ever

[KewlRaider]

Thanks guy! But do you think I would have any heat problems with my style of riding ? Back roads sitting at stop lights?

I've done parades....an hour of stop and go...stop and go.....and when it was go it was at a crawl.  Did it get hot....oh hell yeah....but it never shut down....or had any other detrimental effects as far as I know...and with 86,000 miles, she still rides like a champ.

[Zxdave]

Thanks guy! But do you think I would have any heat problems with my style of riding ? Back roads sitting at stop lights?

NO issues what so ever, my bike lives on backroads ! 

[Strix]

That's good to know👍 Just what I was looking for. So the whole  liquid cooled air cooled thing is not that big of a deal? It seems as long as I'm moving some what I should not have a  issue.

[toy]

Thanks guy! But do you think I would have any heat problems with my style of riding ? Back roads sitting at stop lights?

how long have you been riding? or how many miles on bikes?
what other motorcycles have you ridden?
do you commute? if so what city?
is your riding primarily weekend pleasure trips through backroads?

[Strix]

On and off for 10yrs I  ridden sportsters,  A few custom choppers, victory gunner. I won't be  commuting with it,  weekends and pleasure rides in between.

[dukedomain]

Thanks guy! But do you think I would have any heat problems with my style of riding ? Back roads sitting at stop lights?

NO issues what so ever, my bike lives on backroads !

Same here.  These bikes amaze me.  We pound these things through the curves at the top end of low gears, up shift, pound the throttle, downshift for engine braking, pound the throttle again, over and over for hours. These bikes take a beating and it doesn't matter if it's 35 degrees outside or 105.  A water cooled raider would do nothing but add weight. 

[Clayton]

Live in south Texas and have never had any overheating problems. Gets 105 here

[Strix]

🤒 now that's hot

[High Pockets]

Ive noticed that when I walk away and look back at my bike it LOOKs hot........

[Strix]

👍👍

[dreadly]

Ive noticed that when I walk away and look back at my bike it LOOKs hot........

I thought as I scrolled up on your pics that the last one was of the Ghost Rider cartoon ... it has that look ... nice!