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OK, in doing a lot of reading I've learned the following:

1. A 250cc sport bike is the equivelant of a 600-800 cruiser.
2. New riders should start smaller; although I've read many threads that approve of bikes like the V-Star 1100 Custom as a good starter bike.

I was reading some threads on the M50 and C50 today. I went to the Suzuki site but I'm a little lost on the engine sizes of the Suzuki bikes. The Yamahas are pretty open, 1100, 650, etc.

On the V-Star site, the engine is described as: 40 cubic inch (649cc).
On the Yamaha site, it's just: 50 cubic inch.

I'm guessing that 50 is larger than 40, but no clue how that corresponds to cc's.

Also, speaking of the Yamaha, I really do like the C50T and C90T. Two questions:
1. Which of the two would be "best" for a new rider and
2. If looking at a used bike (99-02 probably) what model would correspond to the 50 and 90 T's?

Thanks for any help in narrowing down my choices.

I have little knowledge of cruisers. I did see a new Boulevard M50 the other day in red, and it's a really cool bike.

Here's a cubic inch to cubic centimeter calculator.

http://www.4lo.com/calc/literstocid.htm

1 cubic inch is approximately 20 cc.

Please read this page:
www.CaliforniaBikeNights.com/learn

Engine size does not matter. That is a myth for lazy people to follow.

Horsepower tells you how powerful the bike is. But, horsepower ratings are difficult to research. Manufacturers don't often post them. Therefore, people get lazy and just tell newbies to look at the cc of the engine size. And experienced riders never bother to educate themselves on anything beyond the cc of the engine. Hence, the myth gets perpetuated.

Research the horsepower of motorcycle you are considering.

I always advise new riders to keep it under 60HP. That is just my own guideline and opinion. Do what you think is prudent for yourself.

Forget engine size. That is irrelevant. Horsepower is what matters.

However...

Another factor is weight on those big cruisers. Cruisers have wimpy engines. For example, a Yamaha VStar 1100 (1099cc engine) is only 62HP. My SV650 (649cc engine) is 69HP; half the size and slightly more horsepower. But a VStar 1100 weighs 600lbs and an SV650 is about 350lbs. As a new rider, you do NOT want to be attempting to control a 600lb. motorcycle.

gin cajun
PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2006 10:12 pm Post subject: Question on engine size
OK, in doing a lot of reading I've learned the following:

1. A 250cc sport bike is the equivelant of a 600-800 cruiser.
2. New riders should start smaller; although I've read many threads that approve of bikes like the V-Star 1100 Custom as a good starter bike.

Well, a 250cc sport bike (ninja 250) is not equivelant to a 600-800cc cruiser. The cruiser is definitely more powerful. Second, in my opinion, an 1100 is way too big. If you want a cruiser, go with a Vulcan 500, or at the very most the Shadow 750, although i think that's pushing it.

50 cubic inches = ~800cc

90 cubic inches = ~1500cc

the 50 cubic inch boulevard models run about 50hp and would be a great starting point for a cruiser.

if you are looking at used suzuki cruisers

M50 = Marauder 800

S50 = Intruder 800

C50 = Volusia 800

S83 = Intruder 1400

C90 = Marauder 1500

C90T = Volusia 1500

M109R = brand new for 2006 *NOT beginner friendly, more powerful than many sportbikes*

What jmillheiser said.

The Volusia/c50 is on my short list for first bikes but they're a bit more expensive than some others.

None of the 1400s are good starter bikes. Beyond that I've heard poor things about the Intruder 1400s' handling.

Marauders- have chain drive and manual valves

Intruders- have shaft drives and manual valves, older Intruders have a 21" front wheel that makes steering more difficult, they switched to a 19" at some point around the turn of the century

Volusias- have shaft drives. I don't know but I think they have hydraulic valves.

I've sat on an Intruder and it felt very light to me, though I'm a strong guy. The Marauder weighs less, the Volusia is heavier.

Motorcycle Cruiser magazine has done road tests on all three. Must read reviews if you're interested in getting any one of them:

http://motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/ ... st_finder/

the marauader is actually heavier than the intruder but carries its weight lower so it feels lighter.

in the transformation from marauder to M50 it did pick up shaft drive and fuel injection

jmillheiser wrote:the marauader is actually heavier than the intruder but carries its weight lower so it feels lighter.

in the transformation from marauder to M50 it did pick up shaft drive and fuel injection

You're right, I'm wrong.

The specs guide has the Intruder at 443#, the Marauder at #456, and the Volusia at 531#. All dry weights.

The Marauder and Volusia became fuel injected when they became the M and C but the Intruder/S is still carbureted.

camthepyro wrote: Well, a 250cc sport bike (ninja 250) is not equivelant to a 600-800cc cruiser. The cruiser is definitely more powerful.

Not by much. Something like a V-Star 650 is within a few hp of the EX250, although the 650 will have a lot more torque.

camthepyro wrote:

gin cajun
PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2006 10:12 pm Post subject: Question on engine size
OK, in doing a lot of reading I've learned the following:

1. A 250cc sport bike is the equivelant of a 600-800 cruiser.
2. New riders should start smaller; although I've read many threads that approve of bikes like the V-Star 1100 Custom as a good starter bike.

Well, a 250cc sport bike (ninja 250) is not equivelant to a 600-800cc cruiser. The cruiser is definitely more powerful.

Just did a little quick research for these numbers...

for some 2003 model, middleweight cruisers, dyno runs for a magazine shootout that year:

Harley Sportster 883 = 43 hp
Kawasaki Vulcan 800 = 47.8 hp
Honda Shadow 750 = 36.4 hp
Suzuki Marauder 800 = 41 hp

from a few other sources (more than one for verification)
The little Ninja 250 = 28 hp

Now factor in the weights. The lightest of these is the Marauder, 456 pounds dry. The Kaw and Honda are both about 518, the Harley is 555. The Ninja is 304.

Looking at how much weight each single hp pushes on each bike, the resulting ratios are:

Harley = 12.9
Kawasaki = 10.8
Honda = 14.2
Suzuki = 11.1

Ninja = 10.9

When you look at the numbers this way, the Ninja is the equal of the majority of 600-800 cc cruisers, probably better than most. Plenty of other factors to consider, but in a simple form the statement that a Ninja 250 is about the same as 600-800 cc cruisers is true in real world application.