ronboskz650sr wrote:A Vulcan 500 will cruise easily at 80 mph all day, unless you are over 350 pounds and riding uphill.
iwannadie wrote:the people that usually say a 600 isnt good for freeway riding are also the ones that are saying you need a 2000cc bike to just 'have fun' on. so take it for what its worth. i dont see any problem with a 600 on the freeway, if it were the case you wouldnt see alot of them being sold or on the roads. youd only see goldwings out there.
einjun wrote:Thanks a bunch for the awesome reply. That's exactly what I'm planning to do. Mainly city commuting and an occasional long ride. I really don't want to go through the pain of handling a huge bike in city traffic.
They're not all a pain...my bike, for instance, is a real sweetheart. I have no more trouble navigating city streets on my Meanie than I did on my standard NightHawk. The Meanie is hella long, and fairly heavy, but it's one of the best balanced motorcycles I have sat on...and the dual disc brakes with 6-piston calipers up front haul her down quick. That, coupled with perfect ergos (for me) and a super low seat height (thanks to Mustang), allowed me to ride for thirteen hours straight a few weeks back (minus gas and food breaks, of course) with no saddle soreness or fatigue. I have the looks of a chromed-out cruiser, the handling of a sport bike (not entirely, but for a bike in this class darn close), and all day comfort. And considering I use it to commute to work AND for long pleasure trips, those attributes are a real blessing.
i did well over a 1000 miles in just a few days on my 250cc (17hp) Rebel with no problems. A 650 (usually around 50hp?) is more then enough. The only thing you need to consider is load weight. I would not do long distances touring on a Rebel 2-up. The right tool for the right job basically.
Scott58 wrote:i did well over a 1000 miles in just a few days on my 250cc (17hp) Rebel with no problems. A 650 (usually around 50hp?) is more then enough. The only thing you need to consider is load weight. I would not do long distances touring on a Rebel 2-up. The right tool for the right job basically.
that's cool man. the Rebel seems to be a sweet bike. I have half a mind to buy it.
I started on a savage, called a c40 now. It's essentially a rebel frame witha 650cc 1 thumper engine crammed into it. 33hp, tops out about 120km/h (freeway speed) and I'll bet money it'll outhandle most any other cruiser out there as a result of it's small size, light weight and good balance.
A perfect starter (if you're a smaller guy).
Of course I'm generalizing from a single example here, but everyone does that. At least I do.
The pro's of the Rebel is certainly economy and reliability. $3000 brand new is really nice. if your ok with the power the only other thing you need to concern yourself with is your inseam (mine is 32") i would not recommend the rebel if your taller unless you want to consider forward controls or something like that. I'm getting an S50 ($6500) in the spring and am also considering the Vstar 650 silverado ($6700) for 2up touring, But neither bike will replace my rebel which will be my work bike and grocery getter (I can't give up the 73mpg city/85mpg highway I get on it). The S50 will be for weekends only and local cruising. i haven't checked the insurance costs yet, but I doubt i'll do better then the $185 i spend a year on full coverage for the rebel.
Scott58 wrote:The pro's of the Rebel is certainly economy and reliability. $3000 brand new is really nice. if your ok with the power the only other thing you need to concern yourself with is your inseam (mine is 32") i would not recommend the rebel if your taller unless you want to consider forward controls or something like that. I'm getting an S50 ($6500) in the spring and am also considering the Vstar 650 silverado ($6700) for 2up touring, But neither bike will replace my rebel which will be my work bike and grocery getter (I can't give up the 73mpg city/85mpg highway I get on it). The S50 will be for weekends only and local cruising. i haven't checked the insurance costs yet, but I doubt i'll do better then the $185 i spend a year on full coverage for the rebel.
my inseam is 32'' too. I would like some power in my cycle for I really want to do some long distance. Just a little bit. once in a while. And I want to keep it for 2 or 3 years.atleast. Tat's why I'm hesitating to purchase a rebel.
But I may not have a choice. I just am not able to find a used 500-650cc motorcycle at a good price. All the listed prices are so high.
Sevulturus wrote:I started on a savage, called a c40 now. It's essentially a rebel frame witha 650cc 1 thumper engine crammed into it. 33hp, tops out about 120km/h (freeway speed) and I'll bet money it'll outhandle most any other cruiser out there as a result of it's small size, light weight and good balance.
A perfect starter (if you're a smaller guy).
I'm between 5'11'' and 6' with an inseam of 32, SO a Savage should be ok (if only I can find one at a decent price)
