Buying my first cruiser.

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BusaEater · #1 Unread post by **BusaEater** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:51 pm

The RC51 is starting to take a toll on my back commuting to work everyday. I'm on the look for a nice comfortable cruiser. I've sat on a few I liked. The '07 Honda Shadow Sabre was nice..real low seat height. Does anyone have experience with this bike?

Any suggestions on nice cruisers would be nice...preferably Honda but I'm willing to try others. Nothing under 1000cc.

#2 Unread post by **Wrider** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:19 pm

If you're looking for a cruiser that will keep up with your RC51 you can look at the M109R, V-Rods, and Triumph Rocket III. Otherwise I'd suggest you look at the VTX 1300 and 1800, possibly a Boulevard C or M90...
Wrider

BusaEater · #3 Unread post by **BusaEater** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:41 am

After all the money and wrench time I've put into my 51, I hope there's not a cruiser on earth that can keep up with it. Haha. I'm not interested in speed in a cruiser though. I'll take a look at the ones you suggested though.

Flesher · #4 Unread post by **Flesher** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:23 am

I have a sabre and it's a great bike, it's fairly quick off the line (gearing) and can get to well over 100mph. Maintenance is a breeze, change the oil and go. It doesn't handle like a typical cruiser, it can be leaned over fairly aggressively and is a solid ride.

It's one drawback is that it can feel like you are revving fairly high at highway speeds. This bike hangs with bikes much larger than it if need be. I regularly ride with a VTX1800, VTX1300, and it's not a problem keeping up. I have ridden these other bikes as well as the sabre, and I'm always happy to get back on the sabre. The one thing you will notice going from a sport bike to a cruiser is the wind, you may have to consider a shield if your intention is comfort.

IMO the sabre would be a good choice if you decide on it. Here's a pic of mine for reference. Good luck in your search.

BusaEater · #5 Unread post by **BusaEater** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:29 am

Thanks. I've been riding/racing sport bikes since I was 16 but have never rode on a cruiser. I'm not nervous, just "curious". I can honestly see myself leaning too far into a turn thinking that I'm still on my other bike.

#6 Unread post by **Wrider** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:26 am

Yeah there's definitely a difference in leaning capabilities...
If you put forward controls on it will help a bit in cornering capability. Also, do you want speed or laid back, acceleration, what exactly are you looking for other than comfort...
If you're a bit afraid of cornering too hard on a cruiser, you may want to look at something more standard, like the Yamaha FZ6 or 1, the Honda 599 or 919, there's always the Suzuki SV1000N, or the new B-King, and the Kawasaki Z1000 and Z750...
Sportbikes with more standard seating positions (like what I've been looking at.)
Wrider

OutToLunch · Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:34 am

Are you looking for new or used? you can get a used victory for a good price. vegas, kingpin or hammer. the 92"/5 speed and 100"/6 speed motors are bulletproof and they ride nice.

LodgeDJ · #8 Unread post by **LodgeDJ** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:57 pm

I'd recommend checking out the V-Star 1300 by Yamaha. Liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, potent and good looking. Comfortable too, after 15,000 trouble-free miles in 8 months, my only complaint was the missing engine guards with foot pegs that I haven't bought yet. Gas mileage for me averages around 42mpg (I weigh around 295lbs).

There aren't any bad choices listed above but I feel the Star 1300 is worth a look...or any of the bigger Stars.

safe2ride · #9 Unread post by **safe2ride** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:38 am

Coming off of sportbikes, you will need to find comfort and security in the loss of performance. If you have come to grips with that, then you have a candy store. I struggled with this transformation myself. I've only found a happy place on a V-Max. For an experienced rider, good throttle control, it is the best of both worlds. Good luck.

atom · #10 Unread post by **atom** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:37 pm

Tricked out sport bikes may have ruined you for most of the cruisers on the market. If comfort is your priority, check out standards that are both comfy and capable, there are a lot of them. I'll leave out whats been mentioned above and conventional cruisers, and put a (C) next to ones that I consider to be better commuters (wind pretection + comfy ergos + enjoyable below 100). keep in mind what they say about opinions.

American:

Sportster (seriously, give it a chance)
Buell Lightning
Buell Ulysses (C)

Japanese:

Kawi Z1000
Kawi Ninja 650
Kawi Versys (C)
Yami FZ6 (C)
Yami FZ1 (look closely at this one)
Suzuki 650's
Suzuki Bandit 1250 (C) + (most bike/$ anywhere)
Honda 599 (google the new Hornet, it'll be in the US before long)

English:

Street Triple
Speed Triple
Bonneville and variants
Tiger 1050 (C)
Sprint ST (C)

German:

Every BMW, but the F800s should be great, sporty commuters

Austrian:

Duke 690
Super Duke

Italian:

Every Moto Guzzi (look at the Griso and drool)
Ducati Monsters
Ducati Multistrada (C)
Aprilia Shiver
Aprilia Tuono

I may have left out 1 or 2. Pick a flavor and have fun shopping!

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Buying my first cruiser.

Buying my first cruiser.

Yamaha V-Star 1300