$6k to buy a used mid-sized Cruiser - your choice?

This is a follow up to my V-Star / Shadow thread. Since then I have added Vulcan and Suzuki C50 to the list, thanks to some good advice.

I am now convinced that EFI is worth considering, as is Belt drive. Not interested in chain drive though. Not really sure if I should avoid spoked wheels either. Are tubes a hassle?

I am 6'3" / 210#. I am leaning toward the Vulcan 900 LT, the C50, and the V-Stars. Gotta have big windshield and big saddlebags.

So let's say you have $6000 to buy a used Cruiser, say 800cc to 1600cc. What would you buy and why?

EFI is cool if you will see major altitude changes , I like my single carb'. Less crap to go wrong such as fuel pump ... gravity always works ... especially when I'm drunk
Belt , personal choice. I went from belt to chain on my bike when the time came. Again personal choice , I ride a lot of dirt.

Spokes , pain in the ass to keep really clean if you swing that way. Tubes , how good are you at fixing flats at the roadside ? ... more to the point , do you want the hassle ?. I like the ease of tubeless ... find the hole , plug it, smoke a cigarette , inflate the tire ... all without taking the wheel off the bike.

As for the last bit , pick something with good torque numbers and that you can live with the looks of.




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The consideration of EFI was due to a conversation I had with the dealer, who said the crappy gas we get these days makes it a bit harder on a Carb setup.

I recently saw a '99 Road Star (1600) that was really nice, and under $5k, but had those damned spoke wheels. No I DO NOT want to screw with an inner tube on the side of a road...

Honda vtx 1300 or 1800

It's not so much the crappy gas... a carb can be set for the gas you use...

The problem is that gas changes from summer to winter. Once the bike is set perfectly, the season changes which means the gas changes and it's no longer set perfectly. However, if you get it close, it's good enough.

Elevation is the second biggest problem with carbs... you WILL lose power as the elevation changes.

EFI doesn't make these issues disappear... but it does drastically reduce them. However, bikes are VERY lean from the factory. So if you like to modify things an EFI tune can get expensive where carb jets are about $10 a set.

6 of one... 1/2 dozen of the other. That's the way I see it.

My $0.02

For the money you are budgeting, I suggest a lightly used California model Guzzi. I ride a 2003 Stone. It's my favorite bike out of the 45 bikes I've owned. Good luck. Check out wildguzzi.com for more info.

05-07 Vulcan Nomad 1600.

For $6k I'd buy 2 used Sportsters... (or maybe a Dyna)

I put some bags on mine, and it came with the detachable windshield.

the only other 'touring' modification I made was to put some Road King air shocks on the back.

My friend has a V-Star 1100 classic that I think would be a good option. Good power, stupidly reliable. He has hard bags, windshield, and some highway pegs on it, rides it all over the place. Probably 40,000 or 50,000 miles by now.

I think any of the metric cruisers are going to be a good choice, I haven't really heard too much bad things about any of them. I agree with your choice to avoid chain drive, belt or shaft is much easier to live with.

Tube aren't a big deal in my opinion. Changing a tube is harder than plugging a tire for sure. However, depending on where and how big the hole is plugs don't always work. I currently have about 6 or 8 plugs in the same hole on my ATV trying to keep the air in.

EFI vs. Carb is a consideration for sure. Where I live the biggest elevation change I see is from roughly 500 ft to about 2500 or 3000 ft, so I never have had to mess with jetting. Maybe guys blow this out of proportion, I don't know.

Damn, that Nomad looks SWEET.

v-star 1300. my wife 08 has 44,000 trouble free miles . efi, belt drive,one piece wheels. very good power. seriously undervalued. only downside(imo is not too prettty to look at. esp the stock exhaust.

+1

I have a Nomad 1600, and I love it!

having said that, I think the Vulcan 900 LT is drop dead gorgeous. If the Vulcan's were Kardashians, the 900 LT would be Kim, and the Nomad would be the, um, bigger one. and of course, probably a much better ride...

You might have to double or triple the width of those saddlebags if you want to compare that to KK...

I would buy this 1700cc beauty from me for $5500, leaving $500 for gas!!!

I'm really quite fond of my 05 C50.... but yes spoked wheels are a pain in the ass.

Good points about the c50.
I get about 50mpg, unless I'm on the highway.
It doesn't look horrible, even though it suffers from plastichrome itis.
It's not that loud stock.
It loves 55mph with the stock final. The 1400cc final can be made to fit though and drops the rpm some for better highway use.
Efi makes it a pleasure instead of a pain to start. Even if it's got ice hanging off it and has been sitting a week. And with EFI comes all the electronic goodies like power commanders etc.

Bad points about the c50
stock seat and forward boards lock you in position
Invest in a windscreen.
It's a big fat cruiser. You aren't going to win any races

Another thought...


If you're planning on long distance, look at a place to stick some cheap mid-pegs in addition to the boards. Especially if you have giant clown feet like I do.

It gets awfully old, awfully quick being splayed open like a chicken in 70-75mph wind and having no options on alternate places to hang the piggies from.

2003 Moto Guzzi California Titanium.

The Guzzi Californias are great mid size cruisers. 1100cc with loads of torque and they like to run in the 4-5krpm range. Fuel injected and shaft drive. Very smooth, reliable, maintenance is a snap, and they're probably the best handling cruiser ever built. They all have spoked wheels, but some versions are tubeless. They can also be bought for very reasonable dollars.

I'm currently gathering up money for a heavyweight (Road King) tourer, so this one is for sale. ~20k miles, $4750. This bike does not have tubeless rims.

The other side and naked.

So if there is almost NO chance of EVER seeing a change in elevation, or temps of sub 30f, would you not worry so much about Carb vs EFI?

I can see the value of EFI, and I can also imagine the cost of repairs.

This has been a very helpful thread - thanks.

EFI vs carbs, to me, is a wash. EFI works a little better. Carbs are simpler and easier to repair, which is a good thing because, in the long run, you will usually have to do more fiddling with the carb than EFI. When is the last time you actually had a failure of an EFI system other than maybe a fuel pump? I have and still do own both. It has never been a determining factor in whether or not I will buy a bike if everything else about the bike appeals to me. But, if I had the choice of either system on a bike I wanted to buy, I would take EFI every time.