streetmaster wrote:I kind'a like all of them, mostly Harleys, but they are above my budget. So i need some input on what a guy looks for in when he a Honda, Yamaha, or what ever. Im not into crotch rockets, mopeds, or the big fully dressed bikes. Just a nice street bike around 650+.
Well there are plenty of bikes that look similar to Harleys, but have smaller engines and are less expensive, both in initial cost and insurance costs. Generally those bikes are classified as "cruisers."
The Suzuki S40 (aka Savage 650), V-star 650 (Classic or Custom), the Kawasaki Vulcan 500LTD, and the Honda Shadow VLX, are all between 500cc to 650cc, and are cruisers with a look similar to the Harleys. In fact the V-star is an air cooled V-twin bike, just like the H-D bikes. The S40 and Vulcan 500 are not V-twins, and the S40 is only a single cylinder motor, and the others are liquid cooled.
Some things to keep in mind with those bikes:
S40 gets 60+ mpg, but some complain that the single cylinder engine causes excessive vibration. You will get a little less power out of a single cylinder engine, than it's 650cc V-twin competitors, but that is made up for with it's light weight, it's only 350 pounds compared to it's competitors that weight around 500 pounds.
Vulcan 500 puts out a lot power for a 500cc bike (it's the same engine as a the Ninja 500), and offers a 6 speed transmission, but it's a small bike and some larger folks won't feel comfortable on it.
Shadow VLX is know for being reliable, but many complain about the 4 speed transmission, especially if you plan to take the bike out on the highway.
V-star 650, air cooled V-twin. Some prefer the simplicity of air cooling, but there are advantages to a liquid cooled engine. It's definitely made to mimic the Harley book, and look like a bigger bike, but that look comes with a price, the bike is over 500 pounds.
If you are willing to get a slightly larger bike, say as big as 1000cc or so, you expand your options even further. Yamaha makes an 1100cc version of the V-star, Kawasaki has a 900cc version of the Vulcan (with used ones in 750cc and 800cc also available), Honda has 750cc and 1100cc versions of the Shadows, Suzuki has 800cc cruisers currently under the Boulevard badging, but some used ones used the names Volusia, Intruder, and Marauder, and Harley has a few models of the 883cc Sportster, whose price is actually in line with similiarly sized bikes.
If you are willing to get away from the classic "cruiser" look, you will can your options to the "standards" which look more modern, but have a more upright riding position than the sport bikes do.
A resource I found valuable when looking for bikes was "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles" which gives a synopsis of several models of bikes from various manufacturers, and even designates several models as "Best First Bikes."
Good luck.
but so far the shadow really got my attention. I like the price of the 600 aswell.