Riding with cruisers.. I want one!!

[jdgretz]

I have the Honda Shadow 750 ADV Loaner bike.


Loaded and Ready by jdgretz, on Flickr

While primarily a Sport-Touring kind of guy (the Norge is my primary and favorite by a long shot) I found the shadow to be relatively comfortable over long distances. You can see the cross country trip here if you're bored. This bike is not fully forward controls but not standard either. There is a version of the 750 that has pretty much standard controls that would be pretty nice.



I normally start looking for gas somewhere around 140/150 miles and have done as much as 169 miles on a tank of gas (huge pucker factor on that one) and put 3.9 gallons of gas in a 3.7 gallon tank.

The bike is capable of running all day at 70-80MPH but is much happier at 65-70, and is respectable 2-up. I'd be tempted to put a back rest on it if I was doing a lot of 500 mile back to back days.

Dirt?



Yep, it can do it. (BTW, that is from inmate Frederic_Shifter's romp around the Western US last summer with the lovely Laurane).

The newer Shadows have a shaft drive rather than a chain, and, at least with the older models, the bigger motors have hydraulic valves rather than the mechanical ones on the 2003.

If you get up to the LA area for a couple of days, come by and borrow the bike. Put some miles on it and see what you think.

jdg

[JerryH]

I could make the typical comment, like "where's the bike?" but that is what everybody else would do, so I won't. Yes, these bikes can go almost anywhere, and I'm glad someone else also finds them comfortable over long distances. They are the perfect long distance touring bike for solo riders who don't want, or can't afford a full dress touring bike like a Goldwing, Harley Electra Glide, or BMW. (Or does BMW even make anything but SPORT touring bikes?

[jdgretz]

Originally Posted by JerryH

I could make the typical comment, like "where's the bike?" but that is what everybody else would do, so I won't. Yes, these bikes can go almost anywhere, and I'm glad someone else also finds them comfortable over long distances. They are the perfect long distance touring bike for solo riders who don't want, or can't afford a full dress touring bike like a Goldwing, Harley Electra Glide, or BMW. (Or does BMW even make anything but SPORT touring bikes?

I will say that I completely understand highway pegs now. Definitely needed about that third 500 mile day to stretch the legs while in the saddle.

jdg

[damasovi]

bump

[JerryH]

The Honda Twister and Suzuki Inazuma both look like sport bikes to me, but with somewhat more sane ergonomics. I am still waiting for the Suzuki GW250 to show up in the U.S., the local dealer said it might be a long wait. Right now I'm just enjoying riding my Vulcan 750 and Zuma 125. Both are very capable and comfortable machines. I think I may just ride the Vulcan until it wears out or blows up before I consider a new bike. It has been my favorite bike by far, so good I bought 2 brand new ones, and would buy a third if they still made them.

[Tom-Nor]

I have owned a V-Star1100 and i loved it.
Its air-cooled wich looks nice but are not a good thing if your stuck in trafic.
Lot of the chrome is plastic
I see that you think that big cc = higher speed, wich is not the case for crusers.
If i went at 75mph it feelt like my head wher gone get ripped of, but biger cc gives you a lot more tourq that makes it funn to go from 20mph to 55mph.
Its not somthing i can put words to but the pure feeling of the tourq just puts a big fat smile on your face
I would rather buy a nice used v-star1100 or any 750+ cruser then a new 250cc.
Ofcourse thers nothing wrong with buying a 250cc :)

But i love the looks of Triumph Speedmaster wich is an Triumph American sport version.

[mogwai]

Originally Posted by damasovi

bump

I like the mid-sized metric cruisers, but would insist on an aftermarket seat and back rest.

[JerryH]

The Vulcan 750 has what is basically a sportbike engine. It makes about 68 hp, has a 9000 rpm redline, tops out at 120 mph, and does the 1/4 mile in just a hair over 12 seconds. It will cruise at a GPS 80 mph all day long only halfway to redline. It's also small, lightweight, and has very conservative steering geometry for a cruiser, so it handles very well. Both Harley and Victory have made attempts at "sport cruisers", but I think the Vulcan 750 beat them to it by about 15 years. I like the looks of the Triumph Speedmaster, it has the same engine as the regular Bonneville, which means it may be a bit down on power. But to me, acceleration and top speed are not a major issue, what is is a bikes ability to cruise on the open road comfortably at freeway speeds day after day without being overstressed.

I find the stock Vulcan 750 seat to be extremely comfortable, but a riders backrest will make a major improvement in comfort on most any cruiser.

[hexnut]

Oh I don't know. I had a 1971 Harley Superglide that was a pretty good sport tourer...

[damasovi]

cool!!! thanks for the advices!!

Damasovi

[JerryH]

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/new.../photo_02.html

Notice how short the wheelbase is on the Vulcan 750, and how little rake it has compared to a lot of cruisers. Also notice the 19" front tire and super comfortable seat. And look at the engine, an obviously liquid cooled design. It doesn't even have any fake fins to make it LOOK air cooled. This bike handles amazing well for a cruiser, and will easily outrun most v-twins twice it's size.

[ka5ysy]

Originally Posted by JerryH

Not putting out enough electrical power can be a problem. Putting out too much power can be an even bigger problem. I had an '85 Goldwing 1200LTD (the fuel injected model) and it had a 500 watt stator. The bike with no accessories probably used less than 200 watts. Heres where things get complicated. Motorcycle stators, unlike car alternators, do not vary their output based on load. They run wide open all the time. The extra power that is not used is literally SHORTED to ground by the regulator, turning it into heat. Now, this is a dumb way to do it in the first place, using engine power to generate more electrical power than is needed, but then disposing of it as heat is even dumber. Yes, brakes waste energy as heat, which makes them wear out faster. That's unfortunate, but there is not much you can do about it. But alternator output can be controlled. It's always been done that way on cars, and is on '88 and up Goldwings with real alternators. The problem I ran into with that 500 watt stator running full blast all the time was that the regulator couldn't handle the excess current, and got red hot. Hot enough to set some wires on fire at one point. A higher capacity regulator with the ability to dissipate heat better would have been a band aid solution, but IMO the whole concept is wrong. I have never had a problem with the charging system on any other bike (I did rig a headlight off switch on some of them so I could use the power for my electric gloves) but I never had a bike that made 500 watts either. This was clearly a design flaw by Honda.

Jerry, there was something else wrong with your bike. No generator or regulator setup shorts out its "excess" power to ground, and does not run at maximum load unless there is something drawing that current. Generators are rated for a maximum current load and do not deliver more current than is demanded. I have a 48KW generator for my house, and the maximum load it ever delivers with everything in the house turned on is about 33KW by design. It simply idles along most of the time when running. If I only plug in a 100 watt bulb to it, the bulb will light up and the generator is only delivering 100 watts to it, not 48KW and 200+ amps.

My BMW R1200RT has a 720W alternator, and it only runs about half that load with the accessory setup I have.

I would bet that the stator had something shorted and was frying the regulator. I had a similar problem with a Kohler lawnmower engine, and it was a bad stator. It even burned up the external wiring harness when it shorted out internally.

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by ka5ysy

Jerry, there was something else wrong with your bike. No generator or regulator setup shorts out its "excess" power to ground, and does not run at maximum load unless there is something drawing that current. Generators are rated for a maximum current load and do not deliver more current than is demanded. I have a 48KW generator for my house, and the maximum load it ever delivers with everything in the house turned on is about 33KW by design. It simply idles along most of the time when running. If I only plug in a 100 watt bulb to it, the bulb will light up and the generator is only delivering 100 watts to it, not 48KW and 200+ amps.

My BMW R1200RT has a 720W alternator, and it only runs about half that load with the accessory setup I have.

I would bet that the stator had something shorted and was frying the regulator. I had a similar problem with a Kohler lawnmower engine, and it was a bad stator. It even burned up the external wiring harness when it shorted out internally.

You are correct for alternators and generators, as used on cars, and the '88 and up Goldwing, and for portable gas powered generators, but not for motorcycle STATORS. At idle their ouput is usually low, sometimes so low that prolonged idling will drain the battery. But at higher speeds, they run wide open. There is no output control on them. Their output is not based on load like a car. Excess current is shorted (or to quote the manual, "shunted") to ground, through a resistor in the regulator/rectifier. The R/R is a heat sink, and will normally handle the heat caused by this. But on the '85 Goldwing 1200 LTD, which is fuel injected, the stator is a whopping 500 watts, and it is putting out 500 watts at all times when engine speed is high enough. A carbed Goldwing only puts out 350 watts. Now, while I consider this a stupid design, it is the way most motorcycle charging systems work. And with lower output stators, it is not usually a problem, other than generating to much current, then disposing (wasting) it as heat. But the R/R on the LTD simply did not have the capacity to handle all the current that was being dumped into it. A larger capacity R/R would have solved the issues I was having with it (R/R overheating, getting so hot it actually set the insulation on some wires that were touching it on fire) it is still a really dumb design. Most motorcycles continue ton use this design today. You will find few (I only know of one) motorcycles where the alternator field output can be controlled.

It looks like from your user name you are an amateur radio operator. So am I. Have been since 1983. I also work on auto OBDII systems for a living. I never understood how motorcycle charging systems worked either until getting that Goldwing. I had never had any problems with them.

[motorat]

here is one more wrench to throw at you:
http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/new_...V250&year=2013

motorcycledaily did an article on the sport version of his bike and said it was ok.
if i was going to get a 250 cruiser it would be the v-star-yamaha

happy shopping

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by motorat

here is one more wrench to throw at you:
http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/new_...V250&year=2013

motorcycledaily did an article on the sport version of his bike and said it was ok.
if i was going to get a 250 cruiser it would be the v-star-yamaha

happy shopping

Wow, a 250 that looks like a much larger bike. But it is Korean and cost the same as the Japanese 250s. However, it does have one major advantage, depending on it's reliability. It has tubeless tires that can actually be repaired on the side of the road. But if it is not reliable, it doesn't make much difference to me whether I am stranded by a flat tire or a blown engine.

The V-Star is a good bike, been around a long time, proven reliable. But I wouldn't go very far on it, it has tube type tires and no centerstand, so a flat is going to shut you down. I wonder if the wheels from the Hyosung would fit the V-Star? The cast wheels from the Hensim Rebel clone fit a real Rebel.