When to move up?

[mustangski]

Hello,
I have been riding for under a year, and I bought a 1984 honda magna a couple of months ago. My question is how long should I wait until I move up in bike size? I have been looking at a Honda Shadow 1100, is this too much bike for me? I feel very comfortable riding my 700 and am not nervous on the road. The magna is a great bike, however it is not the bike I want. Is it too soon to jump to an 1100? I appreciate all the help.
Mustangski

[oldnslo]

You might want to do a little homework on the Shadow 1100--does the added weight bother you, or the fact your Magna probably is both quicker and faster? Miles in the saddle mean more than months of ownership, so if you've been riding consistently on weekends and/or commuting, I don't see any problem. Not all 1100's are equal, and cruisers are the easiest to move up on.

[mustangski]

I believe the sabre is around 570 pounds, that is not a large increase in weight. Plus I am not really a speed demon, so the loss in power will not matter. I thought it would be a boost in power because of the larger motor. Although I guess there is a difference in V-twin and V-four.

[poppygene]

I guess there is a difference in V-twin and V-four.

Right. Well, there are V-twin bikes that make awesome horsepower, like Ducatis, Suzuki SVs, and Honda RC51s, for example.

As a class, though, V-twin cruisers don't offer much in the way of peak horsepower, and therefore are kinda weak on acceleration. They're tuned for low-end grunt. You know... being able to let the clutch out at 33 1/3 RPM and the bike just chugs happily away. Once you shift into high gear, you can practically leave it there until you run out of gas.

You'll definitely feel the difference in weight, especially at low speeds. You'll also probably notice your Magna steers a lot quicker, too. But the Shadow is balanced well and for a big bike it's not particularly intimidating. So, if after a test ride you decide it's the bike you want I don't see why you shouldn't go for it!