Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey guys. Lots of input needed here for a first time buyer, but not a first time rider.

First off, I was reading the 'beginners' thread there about the cruisers. I honestly believe that you guys are dead on. But what if someone like me happens to have a little background?

Growing up, I road honda 125's, mopeds, etc. So if I got on a 250 - 400, I honestly think I'd fall asleep driving to work. hahahah

But here's the thing..... Last year a buddy of mine bought a used Harley. Nice bike, has an 88 cu. inch engine. So he brings it over to my house (I made him promise me he'd let me ride ), and when I got on, I could tell that my previous experience wasn't going to mean a whole lot. It was definitely a whole other animal than what I was used to. Lets be honest, you can surely get hurt on a dirt bike, but sitting on that thing made me imagine pains that I never had dumping a small Honda before. hahahahah

So I took it out for a spin. Wow... shakey doesn't begin to cover it. I slowly putted around town, got a little use to making turns again. Was feeling good. Then got on the highway and opened that throttle wide! WHOOOO HOOOO!!!

I handled it 'ok', considering the big bend I was going around. Maybe not the best... but I'd say I did pretty darn good considering the last time I rode was on a dirt bike..... 15+ years ago, and I was doing over 90 in no time. Yeah.... never knew those beasts had that kind of acceleration. hahah. Consider this lesson LEARNED!

So now I'm itching to get a bike, and we happen to have a used bike place near where I live. Unfortunately, the credit aint none too good, but I was approved for a very small amount.

They happen to have a 1995 Suzuki Marauder 1400, with 13000 miles. Looks ok, and comes with windshield (very important since I commute to work), saddle bags, and has the back seat rest. They want $3300.

So, questions are (since I don't know anything at all about THAT bike)

Would that particular bike be worth the money?

Am I getting in over my head here since I haven't ridden in a while?

Your guys' input is greatly appreciated!

Honestly, if you're just using it to commute to work, then you don't need the 1400... I rode the Volusia, which is the 01-04 version of the M-50, 805 ccs and it was plenty powerful. It had a windshield, and even with my 300 lb. self fully geared up and with saddlebags it went 100 MPH. Also, if you get a 1400 cc v-twin, then the gas savings over a small car will be nil. One other thing, I have a friend who rides a Dyna Wide Glide, with the 88 ci Harley motor, aftermarket Cobra pipes, better air filter, so on and so forth. My Volusia would out-accelerate him, and the difference in our weights made up for the difference in the bikes' weight...
Wrider

Actually, my first choice was to get something around that 750cc range, however the only ones that are currently available in the area go for around $5k+.... ALL the time.

Gas savings? Right now I'm driving the highway to work, in a 95 jeep grand charokee, full time all wheel drive, 8 cylinder engine. So my gas expense every week is killing me.

Knowing that, ANY bike would help me at this point. hahahah

Another thing that makes me consider the higher cc's is the fact that I had been reading that some of the 650cc owners (Yamaha) would like to have another gear, as the machine tends to rev real high and rattle at those 70mph+ speeds. On the other hand, those bikes already have 5 speed transmissions, while this Suzuki for some reason only has 4 (according to some other people on-line) Verify that transmission?

I can only assume that with the extra horse power on this bike, that the gear ratios are well balanced for the speed it can produce.... again, it would be nice if someone here knew whether or not this is true.

Thoughts??

Craigslist.

Find something in the 500-900cc range. You should be able to find a nice used cruiser for $2000 or less.

Where do you live?

South Dakota.

Haven't been on craigs list, but I'm guessing there isn't a lot of people from South Dakota on there. hahahahah

MrStitch wrote: Another thing that makes me consider the higher cc's is the fact that I had been reading that some of the 650cc owners (Yamaha) would like to have another gear, as the machine tends to rev real high and rattle at those 70mph+ speeds. On the other hand, those bikes already have 5 speed transmissions, while this Suzuki for some reason only has 4 (according to some other people on-line) Verify that transmission?

I can only assume that with the extra horse power on this bike, that the gear ratios are well balanced for the speed it can produce.... again, it would be nice if someone here knew whether or not this is true.

Thoughts??

The 1995 Suzuki 1400 has a 4 spd transmission. They changed to a 5-spd in 1997. However, the 4-spd was actually a little faster! It just got about 5mpg less on the highway. It went from 42mpg average with the 4-spd up to 47mpg average with the 5-spd.

The reason the V-star 650 ppl want another gear is because the V-star 650 is pretty much the slowest cruiser you can buy.

I dont remember a Marauder 1400, it was a 1500 or 1600... I believe the Intruder was the only 1400. I could be wrong though. However, the Intruder 1400 got around 42 mpg, which wasn't bad. Had a 3.2 gal tank, and a range of around 140 miles between fillups.

It is pretty powerful for a first bike, but if you felt comfortable on your friend's harley, it would probably be easier due to the lighter weight.

Oh, and: http://sd.craigslist.org/mcy/

DivideOverflow wrote:Oh, and: http://sd.craigslist.org/mcy/

Hmmm..... not much there on that South Dakota craigslist. There's a '86 Radian and a '85 Nighthawk, I'd check them out, particularly the Honda.

Sorry about that, you are correct... it is a 1995 INTRUDER.

Now I gotta look all over the net again for more information. hahahha

Looking at some other photo's (without the intel at this point), the bike does look a bit lighter... possibly thinner. I'm sure a thinner profile would allow me to control it a lot easier.

Yes, I handled the Harley ok. I wouldn't ever say 'good'... but considering the past, I did allright. If I can score me a bike, I'll just need some time to practice to get my skills back up there again.

Most of the the scariness that people don't understand when riding these animals, is the whole 'turning' thing. Ya gotta lean into it, let the bike do the work for ya. At first, you think "Gee, this thing is heavy! I better not tilt this thing at all or I won't get it back up!"

They then take that into field when driving, which then causes slow turns, shakiness, etc.

I can get her!