What can I say, I'm a big guy... but I want to ride! I have signed up for an MSF course, but as a stand by person since all the seats were already filled for the season . Anyhow, I was originally looking at getting an early/mid 90's Kawasaki Vulcan 750... but I kept reading about their charging issues, which kind scared me away. I then read another review online where the rider was saying that the 750 was barely enough to move his 260lbs. So now I'm thinking of maybe just getting a 1500 Vulcan. My original spending limit was about $1000, but i want to get a bike that I can be happy with for at least a couple of years... so I'm upping my limit to $3500, but don't plan to buy a bike until this riding season is over (or until the near beginning of next). What do you guys think, will it be too much bike for me (never ridden before)? Maybe you guys can recommend a better 1000cc+ cruiser that is preferably water cooled and shaft drive.
I'd look at the m50/c50 bikes since you're looking for a used bike. 800cc with water cooling and shaft drive. It will have no issues moving you and a passenger. However, given your weight the suspension might not handle a passenger so a suspension upgrade might be in the cards before taking others for a ride.
The 1500 is well over 600 pounds. Thats heavy for a first bike, regardless of how big you are. It will likely be a challange to manuver that kind of bike at low speeds unless you are an experianced rider.
I agree you should start on something a little easier to handle, like in the 800cc range. $3500 should get you a nice used suzuki 800 or kawasaki vulcan 800.
gsus wrote: I then read another review online where the rider was saying that the 750 was barely enough to move his 260lbs.
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. In real life, that bike is not going to notice whether the rider weighs 200 lbs. or 300 lbs. Saying that it will barely move his 260 lbs. is quite an exaggeration.
Any of the 750 or 800 cc cruisers will have plenty of power to pull you around and their weights will be much easier to handle as a newb.
As others have said a 750 class bike will move 300lbs fine.
The reason everyone suggests on a lighter less powerful bike is because it's so easy to injure or kill yourself until you get some serious miles, a few thousand anyway, under your belt. There are so many ways to end up in an accident if you don't know what you're doing.
The 1500 has alot of power and will climb to 100+ relatively easily. I know this because I had one. I would say less power and less weight is a much better idea until you get some finesse with handling a motorcycle.
Btw nobody is being macho or criticizing at all. It's because it's VERY easy to get hurt or killed especially if you don't know how to ride. Which reminds me, plan on spending several hundred minimum for jacket, gloves etc. Also a new quality helmet is important to those of us who like to keep our heads from being road goo.
I am around the 300 mark and ride a 750 shaft drive Honda Sabre....it has plenty enough umph to haul me around over hill and dale and zoom past cages on the Freeways.....
If its your first bike, why not look at some of the older used bikes out there, you will get a good deal price wise, and have a bike to learn on without worrying too much about damaging it if you happen to make a mistake and drop it.
gsus wrote: I then read another review online where the rider was saying that the 750 was barely enough to move his 260lbs.
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. In real life, that bike is not going to notice whether the rider weighs 200 lbs. or 300 lbs. Saying that it will barely move his 260 lbs. is quite an exaggeration.
Any of the 750 or 800 cc cruisers will have plenty of power to pull you around and their weights will be much easier to handle as a newb.
Yep. I wonder what he was comparing it to? If he was expecting it to pull like a 1300cc sports cruiser, then of course it would have felt sluggish to say the least!
The vulcan 1500 has an excessively long wheel base and a very odd steeringhead angle that make it piggish to move around at slow speeds, and very tippy during parking lot manevours. Not to mention they're freakishly heavy. I hate them to be perfectly honest.
Of course I'm generalizing from a single example here, but everyone does that. At least I do.
. Anyhow, I was originally looking at getting an early/mid 90's Kawasaki Vulcan 750... but I kept reading about their charging issues, which kind scared me away. I then read another review online where the rider was saying that the 750 was barely enough to move his 260lbs. So now I'm thinking of maybe just getting a 1500 Vulcan. My original spending limit was about $1000, but i want to get a bike that I can be happy with for at least a couple of years... so I'm upping my limit to $3500, but don't plan to buy a bike until this riding season is over (or until the near beginning of next). What do you guys think, will it be too much bike for me (never ridden before)? Maybe you guys can recommend a better 1000cc+ cruiser that is preferably water cooled and shaft drive. 
