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Ok, I have read and understand all of the arguments against buying a 600+ sport bike for my first machine, However, From what I have seen buying a 600+ cruiser seems to be acceptable.

Why?

I assume cruisers, being heavier bikes, don't have the jump that a sport bike has. this along with the fact that cruisers are geared differently would make them a more forgiving bike for the beginner.

Being that I am looking at a cruiser for my first bike this spring (most likely the suzuki m50 (800cc)) I find this whole issue rather confusing.

any clarification would help

tx much
waylander

600cc sportbikes are derived from incredibly fast race machines. They put out well over 100hp. They are essentially designed for the race track.

600cc cruisers make half the power of the sportbikes. The handling is far more forgiving. They are designed for entry-level riders.

The displacement of any engine only has a very rough relationship to the amount of horsepower and torque it produces. In a very general way, big engines tend to be more powerful than small engines, but there are many other factors besides raw displacement involved.

I like and agree what mgdavis said and would like to add that even a 50cc can kill or maime if mishandled or disrespected.

waylander wrote:Ok, I have read and understand all of the arguments against buying a 600+ sport bike for my first machine, However, From what I have seen buying a 600+ cruiser seems to be acceptable.

Why?

I assume cruisers, being heavier bikes, don't have the jump that a sport bike has. this along with the fact that cruisers are geared differently would make them a more forgiving bike for the beginner.

Being that I am looking at a cruiser for my first bike this spring (most likely the suzuki m50 (800cc)) I find this whole issue rather confusing.

any clarification would help

tx much
waylander

Power to weight ratio is why.


something that generates a 100 horse that needs to carry around 600 pounds is not going to be as twitchy as a bike a 100 horse that needs to lug 200 pound around, is why.


Bigger and heavier in bike world does not equate to faster actually in most cases it = slower


600rr weighs about 150 kilo and puffs out 130+ horse thats not far from ever kilo having a Hp to match it, thus, very twitchy requireing an assumed level of skill to contain this is like haveing the average car that weighs 1350 kilos with a 1300hp engine then putting it in the hands of a learner then having them drive past your house on the weekends...ah he says

ah indeed. That's just about what I thought, it's just nice to have someone confirm it for me.

Tx all
waylander

A 600cc inline-four that puts out 110 horsepower is *very very* different from a 650cc V-twin that puts out 45 horsepower.

Also, those 600cc inline-four bikes are race machines that are built with razor-sharp handling and brakes. The 600cc V-twin cruisers are designed to be comfortable, easy to handle, and forgiving. Plus they weigh much more.

Those Inline-Four engines that put out 110 hp, you know where they put those things?

Honda Civics. Now imagine a Honda Civic with a LOT less weight and a LOT more torque. Oh, right, and only on two wheels. THAT is the difference.

A cruiser is geared more towards straight lines and gets its power in a different way than a 600cc sport bike does. A true sport bike is meant for racing (ie twisties).

Kibagari wrote:Those Inline-Four engines that put out 110 hp, you know where they put those things?

Honda Civics. Now imagine a Honda Civic with a LOT less weight and a LOT more torque. Oh, right, and only on two wheels. THAT is the difference.

A cruiser is geared more towards straight lines and gets its power in a different way than a 600cc sport bike does. A true sport bike is meant for racing (ie twisties).

A Honda Civic has has a longer stroke engine, and higher displacement. It produces a similar power figure to a 600cc sportbike, but the Civic produces more torque. But I know what you mean.

So, what else is going on?

the main difference between a sportbike and a cruiser is how the engine delivers its power.

the inline 4 that powers pretty much every 600cc sportbike delivers its power at very high rpms and can be difficult to manage for a newer rider, a small mistake in throttle or clutch control can cause bad things to happen.

the v-twin that powers most cruisers delivers is power at lower rpms and in a much smoother and more forgiving manner. This makes the cruiser much easier to manage from a power standpoint (the exception being the huge displacement cruisers at the high end of the segment that have a huge rush of torque right off idle - but these are also not recommend to new riders).

if you want a sportbike as your first bike I would recommend an entry level machine like a ninja 500 or 650 or SV650. the 650 twins that the ninja 650 and SV650 have are much more manageable and forgiving than the 600cc supersports.