John from NWO

I don't have the original passenger grab handle. I'd assume you could get one on E-Bay but I've never wanted it because I mostly used the bike for trips and Givi bags were mounted.

Thanks, ironmike. I'm asking $6,000k but would take OBO from site members. I've done a pretty miserable job of selling the bike locally. Every time I get ready to list the bike on CycleTrader, I start having second thoughts about selling and put it off. It's WAY more fun to buy cool bikes than it is to sell them.

Thanks! I really appreciate the real world info. It definitely helps.

I'll admit it's been a while since I paid attention to market prices. Also, I'm not sure what is considered a good secondary market. CycleTrader? E-Bay? Facebook Marketplace? I had originally planned on asking $6,600 but wasn't sure if that was too high. I think the Givi set-up alone was expensive but that was purchased by original owner. I'd like to see the bike for a fair price. Do you think $6,600 is fair? (Nothing like asking the people you're trying to sell to what's a good asking price. 🙄)

Hi All: I've owned this bird for five years or so and have found it to be the best road trip bike I've ever owned. However, I'm just not using it these days and am wondering what would be a fair market value. It has 18,000 miles -give or take- as well as full Givi bags (side and top cases). Tank cover plus Bagster tank bag. Always covered in heated shop with trickle charger. Oil is changed more frequently than factory maintenance chart. Runs perfect. No issues. No leaks. Really nice aftermarket seat -I've ridden 8 hour days with this seat. Tires are above average but not new. It's a stock bike mechanically with frequent oil changes and has never been down. Adult owned by a 50+ year old dude who has zero interest in stunts, wheelies, burnouts, donuts, jumps, high speed chases, or race days. UPDATE: There is also a 3rd Givi case included that is not shown (you can see mounting for it on rear), also a tank cover with matching Bagster tank bag that is really nice. Let me know if you have questions or require further pics. As of now I'm only listing it here.

I shelved the bike for the winter, so never responded with the results. Last week I got the bike out, bought a new AGM battery, and the bike fired up immediately which no weird lights, sounds, smells or actions. Went for a 30 minute ride: No issues whatsoever. Conclusion: Battery was fully charged but lacking in CCA or something. New battery resolved all issues. Thanks, everyone!

I'm not sure. It says "Manufactured by Thos. A. Edison Company" in elaborate script down one side and I think it's made of wood. Seriously, I don't know. I've owned the bike two years and it came with bike. I'll try a new battery and advise. Anyone have a battery they recommend? I usually run a phone charger off battery, but nothing else. Looking for high quality + not insane price. Thanks, guys!

Hi All: 2003 Bird here with about 16k. This week I hopped on to go for a ride after bike had sat for a month and got some half-dead battery type cranking that got worse before dwindling to nothing. No start. Dead battery, I thought. Hooked up my portable lithium battery charger and the bike fired up immediately. Headed out on a 25 minute at near highway speeds, parked the bike while I watched a baseball game and when I got back on: A flaccid-type crank and some dash lights acting weird. Groan. Get a ride home, get the lithium charger, come back: bike fires up with charger and I ride home. That night I remove battery and go to charge it and the charger immediately flashes green (full charge). I re-install battery and again: some strange clicking from somewhere right behind the battery and then nothing. I check voltage on bike and it's 12.2v or something. Any ideas on where to start? I'm puzzled.

Thanks everyone -but especially rockmeup for his prompt response. That makes sense and also explains why everything returned to normal after I was able to get back on the highway and move some air and generate some higher RPMs. Rockmeup: The Total Control course was pretty good but with 10 or so riders in the class and only 2 instructors, there was a lot of time sitting on your bike waiting whole minutes for your chance to do a short course (hence, my dead battery, apparently). I really liked the instructors and learned some good stuff but too much waiting in line and not enough actual riding. Superhawk996, unfortunately I can't accept your generous offer of $50 for the bike. It's tempting but there is sentimental value to consider, as well. I know I'll be kicking myself later, but I'm going to have to pass. Aunt Zero, I'll take a look at Big Crank batteries on Amazon before next trip.

Hi All: I've owned a 2003 Blackbird with 15k miles on it for about a year now and it's in nearly pristine condition. Runs like a top and never had any issues. Last week I headed from Toledo, OH to Walton, Ky to attend the Total Control riding course. Basically, it's one long day in a baking hot parking lot learning proper throttle and cornering, and such. Each maneuver is at pretty slow speeds and there's lots of time sitting in idle with the bike running, waiting for your turn to go. Each time I sat motionless I watched the digital temp creep up, up, up. Highest temp was around 240 degrees fahrenheit. Later in the day I went to start the bike and the battery struggled mightily turn the engine over and then crapped out. I ended up having to push start the bike to finish out the afternoon and it always fired right up via manual pushing/ clutch popping. I assumed the old battery was starting to die and would need to be replaced. At the end of the day I purchased a portable jump starter and stuffed it in my backpack and headed about ten miles on the highway to my hotel for the night. As soon as I hit the highway, the bike immediately cooled down to normal operating temp (177-183 degrees). The next morning I had jump starter out, assuming the battery was dead and I'd have to jump it to get home -but the bike fired right up. I rode home (4 hours on the highway) and stopped twice for gas/break. Each time the bike fired up without issue and ran fine all the way home. Once home I took the battery out and took it to Autozone to have them check it. Status: Battery is fine and charged to 100%. A little research here and I checked the regulator/rectifier for any signs of excessive heat or burning but all wires and reg/rec look perfect. There are no smells of anything burnt. I also read on here there were some underpowered reg/rec used by Honda with first gen Birds but I have a 2003 and my reg/rec has the cooling fins all over it and I heard issues with this model year were rare. Finally to my question: I'm leaving in a few weeks for an extended trip and am now a little skittish about reliability. Everything runs fine now and there are zero issues starting bike with existing battery. Could my issue have just been the result of a hot/unhappy bike and I'm fine as long as I don't sit motionless for an extended period of time or should I be preemptively changing out the reg/reg, stator and/or battery? Any thoughts of advice would be greatly appreciated. John from NWO