Experienced beginner looking to trade up bike

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ShawnKing · Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:49 pm

mandyedwards wrote:thanks i really do like my suzuki. the problem i am havihng is that i can't test drive any of these new bikes and i'm not experienced enough to know anything about bikes to knwo what configurations i need/want.

You don't say where you are but I always recommend to people to rent a variety of bikes so you can get an idea of the feel of different styles.

mandyedwards · Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:04 pm

i live in edmonton canada, i'm not aware of anywhere here where i can rent bikes.
i agree the magna v4 is a great engine. it was just itching to be opened up. unfortuatly my little test drive wasn't out of the city so i didn't get past 70km/h. seems like a great bike. i keep flip flopping between a naked bike and a cruiser/standard.

ShawnKing · Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:32 pm

mandyedwards wrote:i live in edmonton canada, i'm not aware of anywhere here where i can rent bikes.

Google is your friend.

http://www.discoveredmonton.com/Edmonto ... sScooters/

http://www.rental-motorcycle.com/nameri ... ental.html

http://www.gcmc.com/rentals.htm

Granted, two of the three above require you to go to Calgary for the rental but you don't mind a little road trip, do you?

jmillheiser · Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:12 pm

mandyedwards wrote:i live in edmonton canada, i'm not aware of anywhere here where i can rent bikes.
i agree the magna v4 is a great engine. it was just itching to be opened up. unfortuatly my little test drive wasn't out of the city so i didn't get past 70km/h. seems like a great bike. i keep flip flopping between a naked bike and a cruiser/standard.

Hmm, sounds like the magna might be right up your alley. Its kinda like a cross between a cruiser and a standard. If you want a standard the nighthawk 750 might be good, its seat is lower than most other bigger standards.

Im kind of in the same boat. Trying to find a bike for my wife who is only 5'3", she is taking the MSF this next weekend so we have started bike shopping for her.

So far my wifes favorite is the vulcan 500, she tried the v-star and C50 and didn't mind the seat height or weight but could barely reach the forward controls, the S50 fit her pretty well due to the mid mount controls but she was not comfortable with the weight, she had the same issue with the HD sportster 883 (the S50 and sporty are both quite top heavy).

she tried both my current bike and my previous bike, she cant get on my bandit at all (I cant even flat foot it myself), and she could barely tippy toe my old CX500.

I would definately NOT recommend the suzuki bandit to a short rider, Im 5'10" with a 32" inseam and I am up on the balls of my feet if I have both feet down (I usually only have one foot down at a stop so its not an issue)

mandyedwards · Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:51 am

thanks for all the replies. i appreciate it.

jstark47 · Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:47 am

jmillheiser wrote:Im kind of in the same boat. Trying to find a bike for my wife who is only 5'3", she is taking the MSF this next weekend so we have started bike shopping for her.

So far my wifes favorite is the vulcan 500, she tried the v-star and C50 and didn't mind the seat height or weight but could barely reach the forward controls, the S50 fit her pretty well due to the mid mount controls but she was not comfortable with the weight, she had the same issue with the HD sportster 883 (the S50 and sporty are both quite top heavy).

Boulevard S40 maybe? Definitely sized for smaller riders, only weighs 350lbs. Kind of like one of the 250cc cruisers, but with a 650cc single-cylinder engine, puts out 31hp, a bit more than the 250 cruisers. Supposed to be real simple to maintain.

sharpmagna · Wed Jun 28, 2006 12:34 pm

Be aware the single cylinder bikes are called "thumpers" for a reason. I hear they can get quite annoying on long distant highway cruises because of the way the engine is configured.

Has the wifey tried out the Vstar Custom/Classic? The seating position is a better for a shorter person compared to a Boulevard 50CI line...

If the wife likes the Vulcan 500, have her sit on the 750. To me the 750 is the better bargain in the long run. It is a classic 80s bike that still has a lot of features that current midsize bikes lack.

jstark47 · #28 Unread post by **jstark47** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:14 pm

sharpmagna wrote:Be aware the single cylinder bikes are called "thumpers" for a reason.

Thumpers are cool!

To steal a quote from Chuck Hawks' Royal Enfield review: "A big single feels as if it kicks you about ten feet down the road with each power pulse from the engine thumping beneath you. When you twist the throttle open, you don't accelerate with the turbine like thrust of a modern multi; the thumps just occur in more rapid succession and the chunks of road whiz by faster."

It's all a matter of taste, of course.