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Although i never thought i would do it, i'm looking for a cruiser of some sort! As much as i want a Streetglide, that will just have to wait a few years! I'm looking to spend 2-3k. Whats good in that price range? what size should i be looking for? is an 800 enough or am i going to be wishing i went with something in the 12-1600 range? I know sportbikes well, i know next to nothing about cruisers!
Corey
For that, you might be able to get an older Honda Magna 750. Good Honda quality, good strong V-4 engine (related to the VFR750 engine).
PhilB
"A free man must be able to endure it when his fellow men act and live otherwise than he considers proper." -- Ludwig von Mises
1993 Ducati Monster M900; 265,000 miles -- killed by minivan 30Oct17
Older MeanStreak ??
For that kind of cash you would be right in the area of early 00's Honda Shadows (750 or 1100cc), Yamaha Vstars (650 or 1100cc), or Kawasaki Vulcan (800-1000cc). All of the Jap cruisers are pretty similar to me, and can be pretty decent for what I know of cruisers. Sure, they're no Harley, but they're still pretty decent for what they are. Much more reliable usually too.
My girlfriends brother has had a couple different Shadows and a VStar now, just because he buys and sells, then buys again a year or two later, but they've been pretty decent bikes. Not for me, but still nice.
Vmax.
2021 KTM Duke 890 R
2020 BMW R1250GS Adventure Exclusive
1982 Honda CB750F Super Sport
Does anyone know what years these cruisers started using FI? i would really like to stick to FI but will go carbed if need be, thanks guys!
Corey
If I bought a cruiser it would be a Honda VTX1100 or 1800. V-Max would be a close second.
Jake
2006 ZX-10R
1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100
Early model Honda VTX 1300 can be found in the $3k+ ish price range.
I rode one for ~5 years, and it was absolutely bullet proof.
Change tires.
Change oil.
Add fuel.
Not in that order, but you get it.
I had a Shadow 750 when I started riding. Having ridden a multitude of different style bikes I would say that even though the 750 does fine with one person, I wouldn't get anything smaller than 1,000cc cruiser for two up comfort plus some weight in hard bags or accessories.
Meh. I have a buddy that bought a Shadow 750 Phantom a couple years ago. IIRC this was the first Shadow 750 with EFI. It looked great from a distance. But up close it was chinsy and had meh build quality. Lots of plastic. Around town it was fun. But it weeeeeeeezed on the highway. My DL650 would smoke that thing to 100. They only have ONE throttle body. IIRC the carb versions only had one carb.
I'd pass on the Shadow 750.
I test rode a new Bolt recently. It sucked worse than the Shadow.
I rode a friends Kawasaki Vulcan 800 a few years ago. It looked like a Harley (kind of). It sounded a lot like a Harley. And it went reasonably good. Although I only rode it around town. It could have been as anemic on the highway too.
VTX 1100 or 1300 would be higher on my list.
I happen to know someone selling a Valkyrie.
I had an 05 Boulevard M50. Fun for about 30 miles at a time. Even at that my ass would be begging for mercy. For short rips it was a fun. Handled well and had pretty good brakes. Also was FI. A friend had a VTX. Way more comfortable.
LRRS/CCS Expert #820 / RSP Racing / Woodcraft / MTAG Pirelli / Dyno Solutions / Tony's Track Days / Sport Bike Track Gear / GMD Computrack /
My dad had an 80's honda magna 750 which is probably his favorite bike he's owned. He also had amid 2000's shadow 1100 and a 2011 vulcan 1700, both of which he was ultimately unsatisfied with. FWIW he's currently riding a Concours 14, so that's the completely different direction he went after the vulcan.
2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE
2022 Husqvarna fe501s
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Any idea why he disliked the Vulcan so much?Originally Posted by Spooler955
Corey
He definitely didn't hate it, but he thought it was overly vibey (not sure what he was expecting from a v-twin cruiser), it consumed quite a bit of oil (according to Kawasaki it was within spec, I don't remember exactly how much it was), and he said the fit and finish weren't great. Having said all that, my dad kind of sucks at bikes and tends to be disappointed with most bikes and cars he owns. I don't think he ever had a serious mechanical problem with any of those bikes, except the magna needed a new fuel pump. It was like 25 years old. I probably should have just kept my mouth shut having only very limited seat time on any of them. Good luck with your search!
2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE
2022 Husqvarna fe501s
If you can spend a bit more ( 4000-4500) you cant go wrong with a roadstar warrior. Aluminum frame,1700cc. I loved mine! It was a cruiser with a sport bikes soul. Handled great in the twisty's and all day comfort.
You aren't going to find any bikes in your price range with FI worth owning.
Still don't understand the aversion to carbs. I've never had to get into mine on the Vmax or ZRX.
2021 KTM Duke 890 R
2020 BMW R1250GS Adventure Exclusive
1982 Honda CB750F Super Sport
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A lot of times I like to start up and go, with carbs you have to warm up etc... I don't exactly hate carbs and realize that as long as the bike is ridden carbs don't need to be cleaned as often but would always rather fi over carbs if possible, still not 100% set on a cruiser, just looking into options seeing what's good vs bad and why.Originally Posted by TheIglu
Corey
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A lot of times I like to start up and go, with carbs you have to warm up etc... I don't exactly hate carbs and realize that as long as the bike is ridden carbs don't need to be cleaned as often but would always rather fi over carbs if possible, still not 100% set on a cruiser, just looking into options seeing what's good vs bad and why.Originally Posted by TheIglu
Corey
I don't like carbs when compared to good EFI. But older tech, poorly engineered EFI is no fun either. You don't have to warm up a carbed bike to drive it, you just have to keep the choke on until you get moving. This past week I've been riding my old, carbed, GPz and I hop on, fire it up and go every morning. Doesn't run the best for the first mile, but it'll get the job done.
nedirtriders.com
It's not the carb you are waiting for, it's the engine to come up to proper operating temp. Both my carb'd bikes are ready by the time I get my earplugs/helmet/gloves on. Same with my EFI bikes. WOT right away? No, but that's more to let the oil and engine come up to temp and not to any damage, not that it couldn't do it if I asked it to.
2021 KTM Duke 890 R
2020 BMW R1250GS Adventure Exclusive
1982 Honda CB750F Super Sport
I wouldn't recommend a Vulcan or most of the low dollar cruisers (shadows, intruders, etc). You'll be bored to tears in 20 minutes. Comfort is in appearance only, sitting with your feet up and out sucks.
We should really start by identifying your goals of what you are looking to do/gain in getting a different bike.
2021 KTM Duke 890 R
2020 BMW R1250GS Adventure Exclusive
1982 Honda CB750F Super Sport
Valid point! Ok long story short, My little brother is moving in with me, finally getting himself out of a bad living situation (long story, our mom was a fuck up we were adopted by different families etc...) so he was going to be buying my brothers 636 which then got stolen and now that we have recovered it my older brother has decided that if insurance doesn't total it (which i don't see happening, barely has any damage) then he wants to keep it because its "sentimental now that it got stolen and he got it back" even though i know he will never actually ride it, hasn't ridden since last September!
So my little brother wants more of a sportier bike, been looking around and there's a few good deals out there but most above his price point of 2-2500 so i was thinking of doing a deal with him where we split a cruiser style bike and i ride that and he uses my CBR.
Now my main objective here is comfort, i go to work and school, about 35 miles a day when i just have work and about 50 miles total when i have school, so not a ton of driving but it would be nice not having to wear a backpack and to be a little more comfortable, granted my cbr has dirt bars and such so its really not that uncomfortable but its not nearly as comfy as a streetglide, unfortunately they are way out of budget! I would also like to be less apt to going fast and speeding everywhere.
Corey