Riding with cruisers.. I want one!!

[damasovi]

Riding with cruisers.. I want one!!


HI, well it has been 2 weekends straight, and 3 in this year that I have been riding with fellow cruiser guys, I ride a KLR 650 and love it, as always I am looking and comparing their bikes and mine.


At the beginning (2002) I wanted a cruiser but at the end of the cost-benefit analysis I did for my bigger bike (I started on a 125 cc ) so my criteria was simple (or so I tough) 60-70 mph all day capable, big tank (dreaming of +200 miles per tank) some dirt capable and 2 up friendly, and yes not over $6,000, and new. So all cruisers were gone from the analysis except the vstar 650 that seen to fit me very well then I was told this cruiser was not for 2 up nor dirt.


Now that I have been next to some cruisers I saw 2 v-star 650’s 2 up and they were not slow, nor did they had panic braking, and most important is I no longer need the cruiser to do 200+ miles on a tank. So that got me thinking… I am looking to add bike #3 (KLR + scooter at the moment) so I am missing a better 2 up bike and I do like all the chrome that comes with a cruiser. At first my ideal bike would be a DL650, this bike is what I call the offspring of a klr+cruiser.



All that to ask you your input first on the small vstar, the 650, I saw my friends do very well on them but overall impressions that you may have, how is maintenance? Brakes? on so on.



How about other options? V-star 950? The 750 hondas? suzuki’s c50 and yamahas Vulcan 900. As you can see they are all “middle weight” for cruisers since I do not think I need more and the price range is about the same.



I want new because I will drive it to the ground and I don’t buy bikes for 1-2 seasons, more for until my economics set us apart.



The only down side that I see on cruisers is their low clearance and here it’s tope land (speed bumps). Here is where I do notice the lack of clearance and it worries me, but I have only driven once a cruiser and except for the loud pipes it was nice. Also the other bad part of cruisers that I no longer care (as much) are the small range (still needs to be over 140 miles), so any info that you may have is welcome.


Thanks
Damasovi

[Maggot12]

Vstrom........., you'll regret the cruiser.

[satz]

The ONLY cruiser i had extensive time was my wife`s virago 535cc. it was small and in 5th will getup to 55 on a good day. We sold it when she got pregnant 5 yrs ago.

so my other bikes included a vstrom[10k] , bandit 1200 [36k] and now a fz1 [33k]. I am considering a cruiser . I do not live near alot of dual sport ride. So a cruiser will be intresting addition to my fz1.

it will be my commuter- 22 mile each way on a highway or 25 miles on dual lane. On the fz1 i am always doing a tonne or doing something to get to work . A cruiser will be perfect and some days i just ride around slow along the beech and cape code. the fz1 is such a bad bike in going slow.

I have had slower bike which made 20hp and did not handle worth 2 cents and i suprising enough always seem to have an adventure and fun with them. More than my car anyday.

i am 6 3 /250 and vstar 950 is a little tight , i rode the vulcan 900 Lt in the kawasaki demo truck for 20 miles. they getup to 90 easy enough and where a little scary around cornors for about 10 miles. I think it will fun.
plus i rather find out that the cruiser does not work for me myself then some forum.

[damasovi]

Originally Posted by Maggot12

Vstrom........., you'll regret the cruiser.

I have driving the dl and it is as cool as the KLR but better for on road, I just have the curiosity of the chrome side!!

Please comment more

Damasovi

[mrbreeze]

I like the Vstar 950 tourer and the Vulcan 900 Tourer. They are both excellent choices.

[MariusD]

Originally Posted by Maggot12

Vstrom........., you'll regret the cruiser.

That statement makes no sense. You will regret not buing the bike you actually want. If it's a cruiser you're after, you'll regret buying anything else.

[theloop]

Sitting on a cruiser does feel comfy, until after you been on them for hours, with your feet on the foward controls, and your lower back taking all the bumps in the road. Thats why I'm putting my 750 shadow up for sale and buying something more of a standard, feet under me, and in more control.

[frog13]

Originally Posted by theloop

Sitting on a cruiser does feel comfy, until after you been on them for hours, with your feet on the foward controls, and your lower back taking all the bumps in the road. Thats why I'm putting my 750 shadow up for sale and buying something more of a standard, feet under me, and in more control.

I have the Shadow RS750.....more of a standard position.

[crazyman]

Originally Posted by theloop

Sitting on a cruiser does feel comfy, until after you been on them for hours, with your feet on the foward controls, and your lower back taking all the bumps in the road. Thats why I'm putting my 750 shadow up for sale and buying something more of a standard, feet under me, and in more control.

I've had three cruisers and put over 75k over the years I had them. I rode a lot.
My biggest issue was with having all the weight on my lower back. They are comfortable for a while, but you might take into consideration the riding position and how it might affect you.

[Gillus]

Originally Posted by Maggot12

Vstrom........., you'll regret the cruiser.

+1, friends don't let friends ride cruisers

[damasovi]

Originally Posted by Gillus

+1, friends don't let friends ride cruisers

lol!!!

Damasovi

[JerryH]

I don't think you will regret the cruiser. I've owned more than 20 of them, and never did regret a single one. Bikes I did regret were a '93 ZX11, a '94 YZF1000, an '86 Ninja 600, an '01 and '05 KLR650s, an '07 Ninja 250, and an '09 Ninja 500. The KLRs were not that bad comfortwise, but pretty bad compared to a cruiser. The others were great fun, but for only a few miles at the time. Definitely not something to cover miles on. If you want long distance comfort, and don't want a full touring bike, like a Goldwing, a cruiser is the ONLY way to go. Again, if you don't like the cruiser look, I would look long and hard at the new Honda CTX700, a cruiser in disguise.

Displacement never meant much to me either. I've had cruisers from 125cc (Kawasaki Eliminator 125) to 1500cc (Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic) and had a blast on all of them. Even the little 125 was comfortable for someone my size, a lot moreso than a Rebel 250. It's only issue, and my reason for selling it, was it was not freeway legal. If it had been, I could have crossed the country on it.


The Magna is another nice cruiser, with power. Nothing wrong with it, other than all those valves and carbs to deal with.

The R1200C is the ONLY cruiser BMW ever built, the Moto Guzzi and CB100, as nice are they are, are far from being cruisers. I consider them on the sporty side of standard. And bikes like the V-Strom, while they have their place, are definitely not cruisers. Your KLR will do what those types of bikes will do.


http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=861320

[kokeneen]

Originally Posted by damasovi

Riding with cruisers.. I want one!!


HI, well it has been 2 weekends straight, and 3 in this year that I have been riding with fellow cruiser guys, I ride a KLR 650 and love it, as always I am looking and comparing their bikes and mine.


At the beginning (2002) I wanted a cruiser but at the end of the cost-benefit analysis I did for my bigger bike (I started on a 125 cc ) so my criteria was simple (or so I tough) 60-70 mph all day capable, big tank (dreaming of +200 miles per tank) some dirt capable and 2 up friendly, and yes not over $6,000, and new. So all cruisers were gone from the analysis except the vstar 650 that seen to fit me very well then I was told this cruiser was not for 2 up nor dirt.


Now that I have been next to some cruisers I saw 2 v-star 650’s 2 up and they were not slow, nor did they had panic braking, and most important is I no longer need the cruiser to do 200+ miles on a tank. So that got me thinking… I am looking to add bike #3 (KLR + scooter at the moment) so I am missing a better 2 up bike and I do like all the chrome that comes with a cruiser. At first my ideal bike would be a DL650, this bike is what I call the offspring of a klr+cruiser.



All that to ask you your input first on the small vstar, the 650, I saw my friends do very well on them but overall impressions that you may have, how is maintenance? Brakes? on so on.



How about other options? V-star 950? The 750 hondas? suzuki’s c50 and yamahas Vulcan 900. As you can see they are all “middle weight” for cruisers since I do not think I need more and the price range is about the same.



I want new because I will drive it to the ground and I don’t buy bikes for 1-2 seasons, more for until my economics set us apart.



The only down side that I see on cruisers is their low clearance and here it’s tope land (speed bumps). Here is where I do notice the lack of clearance and it worries me, but I have only driven once a cruiser and except for the loud pipes it was nice. Also the other bad part of cruisers that I no longer care (as much) are the small range (still needs to be over 140 miles), so any info that you may have is welcome.


Thanks
Damasovi

Its all in what your comfortable with right. Personally i like the ability to haved an upright riding position availiable when i need it. I just purchased a new honda NC 700 X and couldn"t be happier with it.

[MariusD]

Originally Posted by damasovi

How about other options? V-star 950? The 750 hondas? suzuki’s c50 and yamahas Vulcan 900. As you can see they are all “middle weight” for cruisers since I do not think I need more and the price range is about the same.

That right there IMO is the funnest class of cruisers. They are small and agile enought to toss around for a fun spirited ride and are powerful and comfy enough for highway and for keeping up with bigger cruiser bikes.

My vote would go for any of the ones you mention. They are all great bikes. You just need to get your butt on all of them and see which one feels right.

The one that probably stands out in that group is the vulcan 900. Good luck

[ParrotheadJeff]

I love the way my V-Star 650 rides! Yes, it can struggle at times on long uphill grades, but other than that it's great
Now, the maintenance sounds daunting when it comes to valve checks. The manual recommends valve check/adjust every 4,000 miles. Valve checks mean yanking the seat, tank, and carburetors. I let mine go 15,000 miles as I didn't hear any difference and it was actually still on the loose side when they checked. I wouldn't worry too much unless you're bouncing the rpms off the rev limiter.
I got a super steal of a deal on this bike for a few reasons. If I were buying new, I think I'd go with something like a V-Star 950 or an affordable Victory. Both are fuel injected which would be nice and the Victory has hydraulic lifters so there's no need to screw with carbs or valve adjustments