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I recently posted a topic about possibly getting a ninja EX500 as a first bike. I'm not new to riding, with a season of riding a ninja 250 under my belt, but I would be new to a cruiser. I think this is the route I want to take. They just speak to me and move me more than a sport bike does.

Is the Honda Shadow vlx 600 good for a first cruiser or should I try to find one that is a bit smaller/lighter like the rebel or virago or gz250? I'm not a small guy at 5'10'' and a muscular 200 lbs and I think I might feel a bit cramped on the smaller cruisers. I've sat on the rebel and it seemed a bit small, but I haven't had a chance to sit on a shadow yet.

I am looking at one from a classified ad tomorrow, in fact. The guy has had it in storage for the winters, it is a 2000 and has 8200 miles and new tires. He's selling it for $3000. He says it has a few scratches, but nothing major, which I would expect from a bike that is a few years old. Is this a good deal for this bike.

welcome!

I'm a new rider. and also was drawn more to the cruiser style. at 6'2 190lbs. the rebels and smaller nighthawks that we used in the MSF were just too small for me. cramped. I've not ridden the VLX600, but they are suposed ot be decent bikes and plenty good for a beginner. I've read that they aren;t the peppiest of bikes and you may get bored on one quickly. sure its a V-twin, but I hear the Vulcan 500 with its parallel twin smokes the VLX. but you may like it.

$3K seems a bit steep for that bike with those miles and a few scratches and whatnot. I'll compare that to my '02 Shadow Spirit 750 which had 1600 miles and basically brand new condition which i got for $3500. Seems like either you could talk him down another 500 or find a better deal.

then again. i'm a noob and there's much better folks around here to give advice. they've sure helped me a TON.

Its the frame size not the engine size and how they design the seat and foot pegs locations etc that make the difference.

I have a Vulcan 500 LTD or EN500C, I'm also just over 5'10'' and over 200 lbs. My Vulcan is fine for just in town but too small for long rides.

Now there is a Yamaha S40 (I believe around 600+ cc's) that I went to see and it was smaller just to sit on than my 500. I also went to a Honda place and sat on their VLX which was similar to my 500. It only had 4 gears compared to 6 on mine. Yet it was a bit nicer to look at with seemingly better seat (need to confirm that from a VLX owner).

My seat is OK for a hour then goes down hill. The bike (mine) will easily keep up with most 750's 0-60 mph and run 80 on the expressway fine. I would not push it harder for a sustained period though.

Summary

The Yamaha S40 was also a single cylinder, so you get a lot of pounding on highway speeds on up. Was small for rider and not the cheapest.

The Vulcan was faster (nicer gearing and power), cheapest, I-2 motor, smooth running engine, but has a uncomfortable seat for rides over a hour. Mustang and Corbine do not offer different seats for this bike.

VLX is the most expensive, has only 4 gears, V twin engine, somewhat better seat but that would need to be confirmed by a VLX owner. I just took it for a quick spin.

If you plan on keeping the bike and not trading up in a year or so, you may want to look at the next size up.

well the Shadow Spirit 750 Seat is the first thing i plan to swap for a nice Mustang when i get the $$. the stocker isn't the worst thing and I've gotten used to it. good posture sure helps. but more than an hour at a time and it starts to give the good old Numb-butt. I'd bet the VLX aint much better.

andrwhock wrote:I recently posted a topic about possibly getting a ninja EX500 as a first bike. I'm not new to riding, with a season of riding a ninja 250 under my belt, but I would be new to a cruiser. I think this is the route I want to take. They just speak to me and move me more than a sport bike does.

Is the Honda Shadow vlx 600 good for a first cruiser or should I try to find one that is a bit smaller/lighter like the rebel or virago or gz250? I'm not a small guy at 5'10'' and a muscular 200 lbs and I think I might feel a bit cramped on the smaller cruisers. I've sat on the rebel and it seemed a bit small, but I haven't had a chance to sit on a shadow yet.

I am looking at one from a classified ad tomorrow, in fact. The guy has had it in storage for the winters, it is a 2000 and has 8200 miles and new tires. He's selling it for $3000. He says it has a few scratches, but nothing major, which I would expect from a bike that is a few years old. Is this a good deal for this bike.

If you have a season on a ninja 250, I'd say get whatever cruiser is comfortable for you. It is going to be a weight issue, not an engine issue. Just stay away from a Warrior, M109R, V-Max, or other "muscle bike" and you should be fine.

As a general rule with cruisers, as long as you can easily handle the weight, you should be pretty much fine if it is your second bike. After being on a GV250 cruiser for a year, I rode a friends Vulcan 1500 without any problems. But I'm a big guy, and could handle the weight easily.

If you plan on doing a lot of highway running, I personally wouldn't get anything less than a 750 cruiser.....

I'm posting the review of my 2007 shadow in the review section shortly....

A guy at our apartment complex just go a Shadow. I walked outside to do a little cleaning on the SV, and stopped in my tracks when I saw it - it looked NICE.

halouis wrote:well the Shadow Spirit 750 Seat is the first thing i plan to swap for a nice Mustang when i get the $$. the stocker isn't the worst thing and I've gotten used to it. good posture sure helps. but more than an hour at a time and it starts to give the good old Numb-butt. I'd bet the VLX aint much better.

That would confirm that both the Vulcan 500 and VLX both have poor seats but the VLX is (new) just over 1,200 USD more than the Vulcan 500. If you stick to the 650 and under class I'd really suggest the the Vulcan then but only if you plan on trading it in after a few years or less.

The Honda will hold its value better on the used market compared to any other similar style bike.

Otherwise like another said a 750 or larger for regular Interstate or long trips. Preferably one that is very common for ease of aftermarket parts/upgrades.

Thanks for the input guys. I went to see the guy's bike just yesterday, he offered that I sit on it and that I take it for a quick ride down the cul de sac and back just to see that its running smooth and to do a quick feel of the riding position. The bike fit me. It felt right and I love the way that it looks. I'm not planning on doing any interstate riding on it, because I work close to my house and I have a trailer that I can fit it on if I need to bring it a long way... I can still ride it on the interstate though if I feel the itch for it.

The bike was in awesome shape, too. It turns out that the scratches the guy told me about were on one of the foot pegs, which made me weary of it being dropped, but there was no other evidence of this, no touch ups, everything seemed right. The bike also had some nice leather bags on it, a sissy bar and some after market mirrors that looked pretty sweet.

Long story short, I talked him down to 2800 and am going back to pick it up next week. The only thing that I might want to put on the bike is a loud horn... can't be too safe... and possibly a bit louder exhaust. Thanks again for your input guys.

Be sure to keep your stock exhaust, if you were to sell down the road, some people hate loud bikes. Then future buyers can use either as a "why buy your bike" point.

Just Keep the small parts in a plastic bag that is taped closed and attach to the cool pipes for long term storage.