Cruiser style Bikes, whats good??

[katana0215]

I second the Vmax suggestion. Those bikes just have soul. Mean as hell and fun to ride. It doesnt corner great, no compared to a sportbike, but I never had any problem riding it, including with sportbikes. The first gen was basically the same from 1985 until recently so you can find tons of them for 3K. I had a 95, miss it a lot.

[PhilB]

If your main goal is something comfortable and practical to commute on, I'd say skip the whole cruiser idea entirely. Cruisers are functionally inferior to everything else. They aren't comfortable, practical, nimble, or much of anything else you want on either the highway or in traffic. Get a sporty standard or small adventure; something like an SV650, Bandit, FZ6, Monster, Versys, V-Strom, KZ-something, CB-something, and so on.

PhilB

[TheIglu]

I have to agree with Phil.

My Vmax makes me break laws. A lot of them. And fast. It just begs to turn everything into a drag race.

You would be well served with a naked like an SV or a middleweight adventure bike, both of which can be had in your price range. Might even be able to get FI if you wait for the right deal.

[hondarider102]

my bike now is pretty close to a naked SV with a bigger motor, i have dirtbars and stuff on it, its pretty comfy, a bandit may do the trick, going to go sit on alot of bikes this weekend!

I have to agree with Phil.

My Vmax makes me break laws. A lot of them. And fast. It just begs to turn everything into a drag race.

You would be well served with a naked like an SV or a middleweight adventure bike, both of which can be had in your price range. Might even be able to get FI if you wait for the right deal.

[TheIglu]

If you are going to try a Bandit out, you would be doing yourself a disservice not trying out a ZRX.

[Spooler]

I've been trying not to disparage cruisers, but since others brought it up I'll add my agreement. I bet you could find a decent first gen FZ-1 in your price range. I don't know that it would hold you back speed-wise, though. My Tiger 1050 is the most comfortable bike I've spent any kind of time on. It has tons of legroom and a very neutral riding position. With an airhawk seat pad I can do 6+ hours only stopping for gas. They can be found for relatively cheap if you look long enough in a wide enough area. Good luck with whatever direction you choose.

[aldend123]

What is OP looking for? I think we're all assuming something more comfortable but I don't think his priorities have been outlined. There's some well reviewed Sport Touring bikes in the 3k range. Triumph Sprint ST, first gen VFR800, and I can comment first hand that the Aprilia Futura has treated me well as a commuter so far. Maybe Honda ST1100? 3-4k range can get some mid-90's to early 2000's BMW models. K1200RS sticks out. There's been a few Ducati ST4's show up in NESR FS section earlier this year.

Nimble city-cruiser?
Grocery getter?
Long haul touring or two-up?

[duganc1717]

Older MeanStreak ??

+1,
FI, sportbike size tires, ZX12R brakes, decent ground clearance and they are pretty quick for what they are. Also get the 1500cc, better torque and just as quick as the 1600cc.

[nhbubba]

Can you get a Bandit 1250 these days for your price range?
The 1200 was carb'ed. And a bit of a nightmare to get tuned right. I had one for 10 years. Knowing what I know now, I would pass.

[breakdirt916]

test ride @ the harley dealership!!!

[SVRACER01]

Wirelessly posted (GS3)

With your need for speed id say an old vmax or v65 magna.
Or spend the coin and get a HD police bike. They can be found a few years old with pretty low miles. Its not a street glide but its also not $20k

[Ribs@work]

If I bought a cruiser it would be a Honda VTX1100 or 1800. V-Max would be a close second.

My main ride is a VTX1300S and if you like beefy looking cruisers that are comfy and can haul plenty of gear and two riders all day, then it's a great bike. I am deliberately trying to kill mine and it just. won't. die.

You'll get sick of all the people saying "That's a real cool Harley" though.

[nhbubba]

Or spend the coin and get a HD police bike. They can be found a few years old with pretty low miles. Its not a street glide but its also not $20k

Yeah, only $15k after being beat on for 4k miles by a guy who wasn't paying the lease.

Seriously though. Did I see in the police bike specs that they are a double row chain final drive instead of the HD kevlar belt? What's up with that?

[dontpanic]

I'm surprised that nobody's linked to this yet:

http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...ad.php?t=81949

¤☆》
^ Just found out that my tablet has a second set of symbols. Fun!

[Chippertheripper]

Yeah, only $15k after being beat on for 4k miles by a guy who wasn't paying the lease.

Seriously though. Did I see in the police bike specs that they are a double row chain final drive instead of the HD kevlar belt? What's up with that?

None of the pd bikes I've seen have had chains, fwiw.

[nhbubba]

http://www.harley-davidson.com/conte...de.html#!specs
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...ng.html#!specs

I think I may have confused "primary" drive for "final" drive. Reagular RK has the same spec. My bad.

I'm guessing the primary drive is virtually maintenance free.

[Sheppo]

Cruisers are functionally inferior to everything else. They aren't comfortable, practical, nimble, or much of anything else you want on either the highway or in traffic.

One mans opinion. Talk to Jason about how nimble his Goldwing is. comfortable? Bet your ass they can be, Not all have forward controls. Practical? Add some form of saddle bag, etc how is that not practical. Now I know cruisers aren't everyone's cup of tea, and might not be really what Corey is looking for BUT I don't understand the above statement.
In my 30 years riding and 6 years selling Motorcycles I think I have ridden almost every brand out there, and definitely every style. While they were not all my thing and certain brands will never be, I can understand the needs and desires for each.

[Sheppo]

http://www.harley-davidson.com/conte...de.html#!specs
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...ng.html#!specs

I think I may have confused "primary" drive for "final" drive. Reagular RK has the same spec. My bad.

I'm guessing the primary drive is virtually maintenance free.

Primary needs to be check and adjusted as needed after all it is a chain and stretches.
Final drive is a belt. I find once they initially stretch they are set and pretty much bullet proof.

[SVRACER01]

Yeah, only $15k after being beat on for 4k miles by a guy who wasn't paying the lease.

Seriously though. Did I see in the police bike specs that they are a double row chain final drive instead of the HD kevlar belt? What's up with that?

negative ghost rider. PD bikes dont get as much use as one may think. as part of the lease agreement they have to be serviced regularly and since they only keep them a couple of years they are always under warranty so anything that goes wrong gets fixed. some police bikes only see parade duty. some go to the chief and only get a few thousand miles in 2 years. ive seen police RK and EG on our floor that are 2010s with under 10k on them for $12k. thas a pretty good deal to me. only thing youre giving up is a radio (which you can easily install) and cruise control.

[PhilB]

Cruisers are functionally inferior to everything else. They aren't comfortable, practical, nimble, or much of anything else you want on either the highway or in traffic.

One mans opinion. Talk to Jason about how nimble his Goldwing is. comfortable? Bet your ass they can be, Not all have forward controls. Practical? Add some form of saddle bag, etc how is that not practical. Now I know cruisers aren't everyone's cup of tea, and might not be really what Corey is looking for BUT I don't understand the above statement.
In my 30 years riding and 6 years selling Motorcycles I think I have ridden almost every brand out there, and definitely every style. While they were not all my thing and certain brands will never be, I can understand the needs and desires for each.

Goldwings aren't cruisers; they are touring bikes. That's different. Those are built primarily for comfort and practical storage (but not nimbleness). He was asking specifically about cruisers, which are designed primarily for style at the expense of everything else. Some cruisers manage to preserve decent functionality better than others, but none put that first.

I didn't say that no one should ever get a cruiser; there's a place for them. If you are really attracted to the style of cruisers, then get one, but that's the driving factor. If a person doesn't already have his heart set on a cruiser, and is actually mainly looking for a bike that functions well, then he should almost always get something else.

PhilB

[Stromper]

I pick D.... None of the above