Seeking Used Cruiser Recommendation - Touring-capable power and comfort w/mellow ride

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ELB
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Seeking Used Cruiser Recommendation - Touring-capable power and comfort w/mellow ride

#1 Unread post by ELB »

Hello and thanks for reading.

I’m an aggressive rider by nature. While I’m not an adrenaline junkie with a total disregard for the law and a death wish, I tend to accelerate hard and love nothing more than leaning bikes over in the turns (always within the limits of my abilities and margin for error).

For this, I have a 2011 Kawasaki Versys 650. It’s no track weapon, but if you’re not familiar, its eager engine and confident handling would surprise you.

My fiancé often rides with me as well, for which I’m very grateful. It’s great that we can share motorcycling together — we have headsets and chat through our rides, etc. Problem is, while she’s a capable rider, she prefers to take it easy. We also live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is crammed full of scenic farmland crisscrossed by 95% straight roads in less-than-smooth condition.

So, for my fiancé and this geography, I think I need a second bike, a cruiser. The goal is a bike that would adjust my attitude from Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll, urging me to sit back and just enjoy the ride. So, here’s my wish list:

  • Comfortable on rotten roads and highway cruising. Our weekend rides are often 3-4 hours round trip.
  • Upright or relaxed riding position for 6’, 190 lbs. guy.
  • Big enough fuel tank so I’m not filling up every 100 miles.
  • Powerful, torquey yet mellow engine. I’d like something that can glide effortlessly at 80 mph (highways speed limits here are 70-75 mph) and pass trucks while at the same time loping along leisurely with none of that sport bike urgency.
  • Not too heavy. Big cruisers weigh more, I get it. But I’m hoping for more like 600 lbs. than 800 lbs.
  • No full front fairing. I'd rather have a windshield (ideally, easily removable).
  • Some amount of “character” would be wonderful, but not essential.
  • Good looks are also not essential, though I prefer blacked-out cruisers to the “acres of chrome” Heritage Softail Classic look everyone seems to copy from H-D.
  • Used $5,000 or less. Don’t mind something from 10-15 years ago, provided it’s in sound shape.
Since I live in Milwaukee, it’s hard not to want a Harley, if only because cruisers from other brands might be viewed as “traitors.” At the very least it’d be nice to have American (Victory, Indian) or even British (Triumph) or Italian (Moto Guzzi) vs. Japanese. But I don’t think that’s likely on my budget, and that’s okay.

If you’ve ridden a bunch of cruisers or feel particularly strongly about yours, I’d love some guidance. There’s a ton of used cruisers at the local shops, and many can be had for a song. Even the big baggers, if you’re not talking about Harleys. I believe there’s got to be an option that fits my needs.

Thanks,

ELB

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JackoftheGreen
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Re: Seeking Used Cruiser Recommendation - Touring-capable power and comfort w/mellow ride

#2 Unread post by JackoftheGreen »

Hello, and welcome to TMW! You've come to the right place and you're sure to get plenty of recommendations from our enthusiast community.
For my part, I'll say that nearly any mid-sized liter+ cruiser from any of the major manufacturers can tick most of your boxes. The toughie is tank size -- it can be pretty difficult to find any cruiser from any manufacturer with anything larger than 3.8 or 4 gallons under the cap. One of the few I've found that satisfies that particular requirement is the Kawasaki Vulcan MeanStreak, specifically the 2003 and 2004 models before they jumped to 1500cc from the previous 1400cc.
You might also look at a Moto Guzzi California, which also tend to have larger tanks than the norm. The 2005 in particular is striking. I can't speak to the availability of them though, they can be tough to find. Late 2000's Triumph Speedmasters may also fit the bill, though they're also hard to come across.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!

ELB
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Re: Seeking Used Cruiser Recommendation - Touring-capable power and comfort w/mellow ride

#3 Unread post by ELB »

Many thanks for the recommendations, Jack. You're right that I've found it's tough to match my desired power, weight and range. You can get high power with range, but the weight is often off-the-charts high. Or you get a more modest weight, but the engine and tank is a good deal smaller because the bikes are designed for the boulevard more than the highway.

May have to get used to the idea of a bigger bike because I don't want to be confined to short rides, and you often need to hit the highway to get to the nicer riding areas around here (and for a bit of geographic diversity).

Love the idea of a Guzzi, but good luck my finding one here in Milwaukee. Maybe if I were in California. Great-looking bikes, though, and all the journalists seem to love them even if no one buys them (at least not in the U.S.). Mean Streak is a nice-looking bike. May be a bit harder to find as well.

Someone raised the Yamaha Stryker as an option. Not a look that I love, but just 635 lbs. and a strong 1300 cc engine, solid handling and, I hope, reasonable seating position. Could be a contender.

Anyway, really appreciate your input. And if anyone else has any thoughts, I'm eager to hear real-world experience.

Thanks,

ELB

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JackoftheGreen
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Re: Seeking Used Cruiser Recommendation - Touring-capable power and comfort w/mellow ride

#4 Unread post by JackoftheGreen »

The Stryker is a very nice machine, I especially like that Yamaha migrated from their usual cruiser ethos and offered something water cooled and sleek instead of bloated police bikes. That said, the Stryker suffers the same flaw as the rest of the cruiser segment, sporting a 4 gallon tank. Truth told, outside of a few very specific bikes I think you're likely to end up shopping the standard/adventure segment. Kawasaki Versys, Suzuki SV, like that. Or sport touring like the Honda ST or NV. There are attractive options in those arenas, although you wont find a lick of chrome and they're not going to have any street-cred in Milwaukee. :)

SamEdward
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Re: Seeking Used Cruiser Recommendation - Touring-capable power and comfort w/mellow ride

#5 Unread post by SamEdward »

Has anyone used the Viking Bags baggers https://www.vikingbags.com/motorcycle-baggers-bags? user reviews are needed.

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