Which bike??? Please help!

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Lee · #1 Unread post by **Lee** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:00 am

New touring/cruiser here, looking at buying either the Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 classic or the Suzuki C90. Both about the same OTD price here in S.E.mich for around 9300 to 9600. Going to use it mostly for cruising local and short trips but will definitely be doing some longer rides 2 up with the wife. Love the cruiser look of both bikes and the option to full dress them in bags and windshield ect. What Im curious about mostly is the liquid cooled of the Kawasaki VS the oil/air cooling of the suzuki, and the small difference in the cc/ci 1600 vs 1500. Any advice pro's and con's suggestions?? I'm all ears.

#2 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:15 am

I feel qualified to respond since I, too, researched both of those bikes extensively before buying my Mean Streak.

At the time I was looking, the C90 was new to the market. In fact, the bike on the showroom floor had just arrived a few days before I showed up. I came hoping to see the Kawasaki 1600, since that was the bike I was leaning towards, and I had them bring one from a distant store just so I could sit on it. I immediately liked the bike, save for the color (all white). But the Suzuki was intriguing...

The C90 I sat on was two-tone silver and black. I liked the way it looked and felt about as much as I did the Kawasaki. The only thing that worried me was being a guinea pig for the 'new' fuel injection setup.

In the end, I bought a Mean Streak which has a hopped-up version of the 1600 Classic's engine. And I can only offer my observations of the two bikes as well as first hand experience with this engine and Kawasaki in general:

First off, the C90 is very classy. I think Suzuki did a great job with the bike. It has a low center of gravity and it felt very comfortable. My dad has since purchased a C50 and has had no problems with the fuel injection...the bike just purrs. However, check out any Suzuki forum and you will see owners constantly ranting about the rediculously small fuel tank (3.7 gallons) in the C90. It's located under the seat (the airbox is in the faux "tank") and contributes to the low center of gravity, but because of its cramped quarters it ended up too small to be practical. I also didn't care for the look of the oil cooler or the narrow angle of the V-twin engine.

The 1600 Classic, on the other hand, utilizes a 5.3 gallon tank which, by the way, has been praised for its seamless design and custom look. The engine is water-cooled and uses 4-valves per cylinder versus the C90's three. The engine has been around longer (the C90's has been around in carbureted form for quite a while, too) and it just pulls like a tractor (I haven't ridden the C90 and cannot comment on the power, but the reviews I read weren't especially flattering).

In any case, I still think the C90 is a great choice...I just personally happen to favor the 1600 Classic for now, at least until Suzuki hides the oil-cooler better and figures out how to stuff another gallon or two of gas under the seat. In the end it's obviously your choice. I don't think either bike would be "wrong".

Lee · #3 Unread post by **Lee** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:02 pm

ZooTech,
Thanks for the insight! I too have been debating which bike for most of the summer. I really liked the Kawasaki classic but the shocks outside the frame detract from an otherwise beautiful bike. The fuel amount is an issue but probobly wont come into effect till I take a long trip. I love the clean look of the Suzuki its got that (soft tail) look and I can get it for a great price right now 9300$ OTD. I'm going one more time to sit on and oogle them both tomorrow, I might even take the wife to stir my thought some. I'm hoping someone will reply with an answer that will set me free so to speak one way or the other. Thanks again Lee

#4 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:43 pm

I, too, prefer the soft-tail look...but one advantage to having the shocks on the outside is the ability to adjust them easily for the addition of a passenger. I have ridden two-up on my bike only twice but being able to add air or change the rebound damping easily was nice. My brother-in-law's Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic is a soft-tail and his shock is a nightmare to adjust.

Another thing to consider regarding either bike is the cost of accessories and support from the aftermarket. A quick check into both might reveal an advantage to one bike or the other.

Sorry I can't offer a "tie-breaker" for ya...in the end I obviously chose neither. But I'm glad I went with the Mean Streak anyway...I feel like it fits in with the cruisers as well as the few sportbikes I encounter. It has the looks I wanted without having to sacrifice performance in the twisties.

Good luck with your decision, and don't lose sleep once you have one or the other in your garage. You'll probably never know how the other bike would have turned out so don't let it trouble you. They are both fine choices and you can be proud to own either one.

slamMojo · #5 Unread post by **slamMojo** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:03 am

I agree with ZooTech. The small fuel tank hurts the Suzuki with me, but I can agree with you that the 'softtail" look of the Zook is much cleaner. The Kaw will have more performance potential because of its heads/valves and larger displacemet, but the difference stock should be minimal. As Zoo said, make your choice and then just enjoy it. Both bikes are excellent values, and only you can make that final choice.

#6 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:39 pm

Man, it must be Halloween or something cuz there have been a lot of threads brought back from the dead lately!

Please check the date of the last post before making a reply.

#7 Unread post by **Sev** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:16 pm

J.Michael Dlugos wrote: Bigger is better. I got to put that maxim to the test in a virtually back to back long rides on Suzuki "baggers" the C50T and the its larger subling the C90T. I was very excited about this, as I found my time with the C50T so enoyable (see "Fifty-50" sept/oct)--and on the surface the two bikes appear very similar. Same basic lines, same basic layout and amenities, with a few more bells and whistles included on the big C90T.

My first impression of the C90T was very positive. Everyone had commented on the sheer size of the beast, but i found it to be quite malleable in some slow speed manevours-- I didn't think the bike felt all "that" big.

Then came the long ride, once more with my wife riding pillion. We took a 200km trip up Vancouver Island to the wonderful Macmillan Provincial Park (home of the really BIG trees in Cathedral Grove) in one long blast. And during that run I was able to assess the positive and negative aspects of the C90T in relation to the C50T. Unfortunately the C90T did not come out looking so good.

The C90T has gobs of power, with a good yank on the throttle rolling you very quickly up to highway speeds. This power, however, was deliviered with a distinct buzz and vibration that ran up the floorboards directly into the driver. Once more my wife detected no vibrations from the pillion position. This vibration is particularly bad at very high speeds, settling best around 110-120kmh. However it is noticiable at all speeds in fifth gear.

The gearing is very tall, with at least one very unfortunate shift-point between fourth and fifth. The bike wants to shift right around 100kmh, which means during "normal" highway runs the driver is constantly shifting to keep the bike at decent rpms.

The engine is rather unforgiving at low rpms in higher gears-- the bike really wants you to downshift before applying power (for example to pass), and if you don't, it seems quite recalcitrant on deilivering smooth power.

I also experienced some difficult engaging first gear at stops and even had a little trouble finding fifth from time to time.

Ergonomically, the bigger bike seems a little less comfortable then its smaller brother, but my wife complained about the pillions width and stiffness. She is quite petite and found the "splayed" position she was forced into quite uncomfortable after only a short time.

All in all, in my mind, the C90T is no match for its smaller, more nimble brother.

I'm not saying get the C50, but the C90 doesn't sound like THAT great of a deal...

sapaul · #8 Unread post by **sapaul** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:31 am

ZooTech wrote:Man, it must be Halloween or something cuz there have been a lot of threads brought back from the dead lately!

Please check the date of the last post before making a reply.

BOO

DrDecay · #9 Unread post by **DrDecay** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:01 pm

Check out the Victory dealer for a used Vic! You can get a good $ on a used one. Depends on what type of riding you are looking for, but the Kingpin is a classy ride! Or a used '02 & up Touring Classic Deluxe (TCD) And not everybody has one like the Metrics. These are ROCK SOLID DEPENDABLE and you would still be buying American! Overhead cams & Fuel Injected, belt drive & 100 cubic inches/6 speed! Oh man, what a woody!