Total Motorcycle Community Forums

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.

Thanks for putting me in ease

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.

zootech wrote:They're not all a pain...my bike, for instance, is a real sweetheart.

i'm just a newbie. I'm pretty sure a bike like yours will do me in, let alone be a pain handling.
someday i shall own one like yours

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).

Sevulturus wrote:I started on a savage, called a c40 now.

You mean S40.

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)