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wow awesome thanks all for the replies, it's really helping to get some experienced answers. I must admit i'm having a hard time getting away from that 650 custom. I've already gone to the dealership and sat on it and played with it and looked it over and it fits me well. I plan on at least sitting on the other 2 bikes before making my final decision. I was really dissapointed when I found out the Honda was chain drive, because of the smooth ride and low maintenance that shaft drives apparently gives you.

@boomer
thanks for the side by side comparison! that is what i'm trying so hard to do here, but it's hard since I can't actually take em out on the road myself and just see. The jump in displacement from the 650 to the 750 was the most obvious thing I was considering. It helps to know the difference isn't that big. Another bonus is the V-Star is actually the least expensive of the 3 bikes. In addition, Yamaha seems to be doing an excellent job in the accessories department, as they not only have more accessories for thier bikes, but they are cheaper as well. Honda wants twice what Yamaha does for the windshield alone.

@gsJack:
you said a few things i'm curious about. 2 of the options you mentioned that were desireable, I was under the impression weren't as good as the alternative. Water cooled engine and dual disc brakes. What is the big difference between the water, and air cooled systems? Is one a better cooling system? Is it a weight issue? Why do you prefer the water over air? Also I always thought of drum being a better brake. Why is this not the case, because of it's complexity?

Thanks everyone for your responses, it's really helpful.

TKW wrote:@gsJack:
you said a few things i'm curious about. 2 of the options you mentioned that were desireable, I was under the impression weren't as good as the alternative. Water cooled engine and dual disc brakes. What is the big difference between the water, and air cooled systems? Is one a better cooling system? Is it a weight issue? Why do you prefer the water over air? Also I always thought of drum being a better brake. Why is this not the case, because of it's complexity?

First of all, here is a link to the Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine 04 comparo test of the 800cc cruisers. Linked at the bottom are the 01 and 97 comparo tests of mid size cruisers as well as links to their individual tests on these bikes made in recent years. Lotta good info here for someone considering the bikes you are comparing:

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/800s04/

Watercooled engines have much better heat control than air cooled ones. Air cooled engines can get way too hot if left idling in hot weather and when stuck in slow traffic in hot weather. They need air flowing over them to cool them. Water cooled bikes have cooling fans that blow thru the radiator to cool the engine when bike is moving too slow. Air cooled engines must be built to looser tolerance than water cooled to allow for the much greater heat range they operate over and provide less performance due to this.

Evertightening EPA regulations will probably require all engines to be water cooled in the not to distant future. The air cooled engines still on the market are carry over designs based on 70's and 80's design engines. The 750 Spirit engine is based on one that started in a early 80's VT500. The 650 Star engine is bases on the mid 80's Virago 535 engine. My GS500 engines started life in a late 70's GS400. All of my 6 motorcyles have been air cooled and many still prefer the simplicity of air cooled but one must make allowances for it's shortcomings in slow traffic, etc in very warm weather.

Disc brakes are far superior to drum brakes. I can remember when drum car brakes faded out completely when I went thru a big puddle and got them wet, also they fade badly due to heat contained in the drums. Disc brakes provide greater stopping power than drums and are much less fade prone all around. There are only a very few motorcycles that don't have at least a front disc brake and most drums still in use are on the rear of the lower performance machines. Two front discs provide considerable more stopping power than one.

Lets be totally honest here, unless you live in the middle of the desert and spend all of your time idling in stop and go traffic air cooled vs water cooled is not really an issue. They both do the job and do it well. If you live in a cooler climate then so much the better it makes even less of a difference. Of course the air cooled one will run a little hotter, because they cannot self-regulate. But it isn't something that should be a make it or break it purchasing decision. Get the one you like.

Displacement in this class is not a huge issue, simply because of the nature of the engines, and how they are built. My friends have a Marauder 800, Shadow 750, and I had LS650, we all accelerated about the same to 70, at which point that little difference in the cc's meant the bigger bikes could pull slightly ahead. You don't buy a cruiser to race though, so who cares

Final drive... if you're willing to put up with a couple of minutes of greasing every 500-800 km and washing some grease off the wheel and swingarm chain will transfer power the most efficiently, but it also has the most feedback. Realistically chain, shaft, belt all do the same thing, all do it well and if you like the bike and are comfortable riding it you won't mind any extra maintenance that comes up as a result of one (though a shaft drive can be really expensive to fix if/when it breaks).

So, like was said before, some of the bikes have other things that are handy: tach, fuel gauge, gear indicators, dual disc breaks, trip meters little things that are really nice to have. And can make the riding a lot more enjoyable.

The thing that you have to do now that you've seen them all on paper is set aside a whole day to visit local bike shops. Sit on them, touch everything check and double check that you like how the seat feels, where your feet and hands have to be. That you can comfortably use all the controls.

When choosing from three similiar bikes like this it all comes down to personal feelings and comfort. If you pick the bike that we tell you is "best" and you aren't comfortable then it isn't the best bike for you, and you won't like riding it as much.

I'd also advise not limiting yourself to cruisers, as other bikes can be much more comfortable for people of certain stature.

There is also the Marauder 800 as well. What is now called the Suzuki Boulevard M50. It has the same engine as the S50 but with looks closer to the V-Star Custom. Ive seen one in person it is one of the better looking cruisers ive seen recently

the m50 was one of the first bikes I saw. they had one right next to the Custom 650 on the floor, so I got to jump back and forth betwene the two for a good hour. I like the feel personally of the v-star better, the m50 didn't feel as balanced or as comfortable. Solid bike tho, just didn't feel as good to me as the V-Star did.

Then I would say go for the v-star if that is the bike that you like the best.

jmillheiser wrote:Then I would say go for the v-star if that is the bike that you like the best.

I agree. You sure you want a cruiser?

heh yeah pretty sure. Like i said in my intro post in the forum, i'm joining the navy. I sold my current vehicle and right now have no means of transportation, so I need to get something. I have always wanted a motorcycle, and so this is my best chance to get one. The military will pay for it's transport if and when I move to another base somewhere, and so I think a bike is my most viable means of transport. I decided on the cruiser cause the gas mileage is better, and i'm less likely to get throttle happy and kill myself before I get used to riding, cause as I mentioned, this is my first bike. Plus I think they look good. A sports bike in my mind is more for leisure and enjoyment, not as the only source of transportation.

Don't be fooled like was, they may not run like a four, but there a is a lot more there than you may think. My 750 vulcan gets 70+ in 2nd up to close to 100 in 3rd that is all I have tried I get sceered.

Sportbikes are perfectly usable for daily transport. Also cruisers and Sportbikes tend to get similar MPG.

Though it seems like you really like the look and feel of a cruiser.

A standard like what Sev has is usually the most versitle. Comfortable enough to tour on, resonable MPG, responsive enough to go canyon carving on but not as hard edged as a sportbike.