I don't own one, but my son does (Bolt R-Spec). We ride often and he loves his. Now he has his bike customized to his liking. He has a mustang seat, forward controls, Vance & Hines full exhaust, air intake and fuel management system. He does have to stop every so often (mostly during fuel ups) to stretch and give his butt and break. His only real complaint is the small-ish fuel tank, about 100-120 miles before he has to fill up. He's got miles of smiles.

 

I feel like that's common with a lot of bikes, the urge to replace the stock seat, especially for extended trips. Thanks for the input, I'm definitely digging it and I've narrowed my next purchase down to two bikes. The Bolt or the Indian Scout Bobber.

 

I have only sat briefly on one and really should not comment, but I always tend to do what I should not... NOTE: Before you read on, though, let me make it clear that you should in no way form your opionions upon anyone elses but your own - what I like/dislike may not at all be what you are into!

My impressions:
Very cool looking (Yamaha anniversary/Kenny Roberts paint scheme)
Rather nasty looking in detail; naff exhaust, footpeg brackets looked like after-thoughts etc.
Rock hard and narrow seat
Weird riding position with pegs too far forward compared to the low handlebars
Very heavy to lift off the sidestand - it almost felt like the stand was bolted to the floor
Hard to read instrument

My son was dead set on buying one, but lost all interest after 10 seconds on board in the showroom. He still think it looks cool, though!

Adjusting the valves is also an adventure in itself, there are several videos on Youtube to entertain you, but that is thankfully not a daily adventure.

 

Yeah, I need to do a valve adjustment on mine next time I do some maintenance on it. Totally not looking forward to that. Regarding the hard to read instrument gauge, I feel that is a common complaint with the bike. Majority of reviews I've watched on YouTube tend to say the same thing. Hopefully they'll correct that if they launch a second generation of Bolt's. To be honest, I'm not opposed to ditching the digital and going back to analog. Back to the basics isn't ever a bad thing, especially on a bike. You, two wheels and the road is what I like best. I can do without the digital gauges, big screens and navigation.

 

I bought one in 2013 ( I know 2014 was the first year) I put 25,000 miles on it, it took me every where I wanted to go, the photo was taken when I rode it to Sturgis. I've had a lot of motorcycles and the Bolt is a very good motorcycle.

 

Love it. Do you still have the bike? I got mine a little late in the year this year, so I didn't get to do as much riding as I'd hoped for, but next season, regardless of what I'm riding, I'll be riding much, much more.

 

There is a 2015 model at a bike shop l help out that they use as a rental bike. It is completely stock with around 35k on it.
It has never needed anything other than occasional maintenance, it is very reliable
Could use a pipe and some tuning and maybe a better seat.

If the aesthetics suit you, mechanically it's a gem.

 

That's awesome. I'd love to rent one for a few days before I make my set in stone decision on it. If I do get one, I'll certainly be getting the Vance & Hines set for it. The pipes, air cleaner, and fuel pak tuning system.

 

I have a 2015 bolt r spec and want to put a mini ape hanger on it, just want to confirm that the stock bar is 1 inch and with an 11inch rise will I need to extend the cables?