Shopping for a new bike...

[CYLax]

Can't say I'm going to be a whole lot of help since I've only had my bike for 5 days now...

My bike come with a record for every time a tool even got near the bike for all 13,000 miles of it's life thus far. From what I've seen in the records, it's been a maintenance dream...but the previous owner was a very good rider and kept the bike dealer maintained.

I had a Suzuki before this one and I was in that thing with a wrench almost every day...and EVERY time before a decent ride, without question.

What kind of ride are you looking for? Both the Daytona and Sprint are great bikes, but very different. The Daytona has an aggressive ride position which is a blast in the twisty's and a rocket ship on the straights, but tough on the wrists and the back if you want to ride it any sort of distance. I only briefly rode the Sprint, but from what I could tell, it handles very well in the twistys and would be a great bike (stylish too) for longer rides.

Anyways...there's my dos centavos

[ZooTech]

Big bike for big guys. Sit on one and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Not to take anything away from the M109R, but I did sit on one and found that it felt nearly identical to my Streak. Check the specs for both bikes and you'll see the M109R's wheelbase is only 0.2" longer, confirming my belief. The only cruisers that "feel" physically large to me are the VTX1800 and the Valkyrie. Largeness is not something you want to percieve when you're about to tackle a curvy road, and I think Suzuki did a commendable job cramming a lot of power into a relatively nimble cruiser chassis.

[M109R]

My brother's friend owns a VTX1800 and says that the bike is very heavy in the turns. Others that I spoke with also said that the VTX1800 was hard to handle in curves. More that the bike decided how it was going to handle the curve rather than the rider.

So far the M109R has been awesome in the curves. As long as you are looking into the curve, the bike follows along smoothly.

[tex1230]

What kind of ride are you looking for? Both the Daytona and Sprint are great bikes, but very different. The Daytona has an aggressive ride position which is a blast in the twisty's and a rocket ship on the straights, but tough on the wrists and the back if you want to ride it any sort of distance. I only briefly rode the Sprint, but from what I could tell, it handles very well in the twistys and would be a great bike (stylish too) for longer rides.

I like the sprint, as it is closer to the bikes I've had in the past. But 95% of the use of my next bike will be commuting (less than 10 miles)...mostly on local streets... So I am thinking of getting a smaller lighter bike (and about $3k less expensive)

Sorry - should have listed bikes I've had in the past:
1980 Harley Sportster - too much work for me, but I got it cheap!
1982 Suzuki GS750 - rode it till it fell apart
(most recent) Kawasaki Concours - Loaner from my brother - but he wanted it back

I've had a few others, but those were the ones I put the most miles on.

[drevil]

I think the warrior is also faster, but harder to turn.

I do believe that is the first time I've ever heard that. Trust me, the Warrior turns really well and is revered by most who own one, myself included, to be the best handling cruiser on the market, especially in the twisties.

[CYLax]

So I am thinking of getting a smaller lighter bike

Of the two, I would lean towards the Sprint. The Daytona is a pretty aggressive bike. Unless you're planning to hit the twisty's on the weekend or the occasional track day...

The best way to really know is go sit on both and get a good feel for them. If the dealer will let you, test ride.