Your first cruiser experience

[Sid_The_Sloth]

I'm starting to look into what bike to get after eventually passing my test and am really struggling to find something. Of course I will need to try getting a test ride on a few before deciding. But my mind is drawn to the likes of the Honda Shadow.
Although I have sat on them before and without a doubt cruisers are the most comfortable, I'm not sure whether I'd like riding them or not.

What was your first ride on a Cruiser like and what bike was it?

[metalangel]

Rented a 250cc Yamaha Dragstar in Mallorca. It was odd having such high bars, sitting so low and sticking my feet out in front (especially having to swing them back when I stopped). More or less ceased to be an issue after about 15 minutes riding it around. Even with the missus on the back it still remained light and surprisingly maneuverable, a little too much as I scrapped the pegs on almost every roundabout (used to my SV)

It was fun, though I think I'd have been happier on something a bit larger just so it would have felt more stable. They're also called that for a reason IMHO: Nicer going on a long trip than going around town (but then that's most bikes as well)
____________________
Previous: 2002 Honda CB500 (sold), 2007 Suzuki SV650SK6 (crashed), 2005 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (sold). Currently bikeless
"A faired bike will get you 10x more clunge than a unfaired one." -Marlboro Matt

[pinkyfloyd]

I found my one and only cruiser a pain in the arse. To be fair it wasnt while I owned it (apart from the fact it was lifan and fell to bits lots) but what went from comfort soon went to back ache with the riding position.

It was when I got my first "big" bike on loan from a friend and the wife asked why I was looking at sports styled bikes to replace the friends one. My answer was simple, I realized I could go round corners easier and it was more comfortable to ride.

Best advice is get on as many bikes as you can and try them out. All different styles. You might be surprised.
____________________
illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[dungbug]

[P.addy]

[stinkwheel]

My Dads 650 dragstar because he couldn't manage to get it down the gravel drive without dropping it.

In fairness, I struggled too on account of the forward controls so keeping one foot up to work the back brake was a bit of a nightmare.

Comfy enough to ride although pretty gutless for a 650 V-twin and grounded out far too quickly.

I also rode a Harley heritage softail classic in Florida. It was heavy AND slow but still quite comfy. Not sure on ground clearance and handling because there aren't really any corners to speak of in the Florida keys.

Conclusion. Generally fairly comfy but often lacking in power and ground clearance. Can be a nightmare to control at low speeds on a loose surface if they have forward controls.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Rogerborg]

Yes, yes, cruisers are homofag, you'll get the Bad Aids from the seat, and so on and so forth.

I have a nut-and-bolt copy of the Virago/Dragstar 250 and it grounds out if you try and carry any speed through roundabouts or tight bends. I nearly ran into a hedge on the first roundabout. It's also laughably underpowered, and you won't be hurrying anywhere on most cruisers, that's for sure. I wouldn't want one as a sole bike.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[_matt]

My jinlun is a nut for nut copy of a Honda shadow.

Gotta admit, great little bike (or so i thought)... until i bought the 535, don't get me wrong, i hate the 535, it's too small, too high and handles like a scooter, but the power makes all the difference!

If you're looking at shadows, well, my Jinlun clone is a good little bike if you can ignore the build quality. It handles like a canal barge and tops out at 60mph, but hell, it's enjoy able to ride which is what matters!

So yeh, Honda Shadows are nice bikes, decent first cruisers! But if you cant afford the £1200 or so to buy one, Jinlun Texans (JL 125-11) are a straight clone of them, and go for around £400 (but as i said, build quality is utter shite on them, being chinese).

Be aware tho, the smaller cruisers (125, 250 rebel, 535 virago) are totally gutless, you'll have a hard time cracking 65mph on anything under a 650 and they do weigh a tonne!
Which is fine if you're 6ft 4" and pretty well built, but if you're built like a 14 year old girl, go for a Sukuki intruder/maruder, cos they're small and don't weigh much.

*additional
I've used cruisers every day for 4 years now for commuting to work/uni/round town etc. If you like the style and are prepared to do the maintenence to stop them falling apart then there's no reason you cant use a cruiser all year round for everything. Also my mrs tells me it's pretty comfy on the back with a sissy bar since i take her almost everywhere now.
____________________
1990 Yamaha XV 535 (Alive Again!) / 2007 Jinlun Texan 125-11 (formerly 2k3, wrong details, now going rusty in the back garden )

[The Shaggy D.A.]

My first "cruiser" ride was a GN250 - not strictly a cruiser as the foot controls are in a sensible place. Slow, grounded out on normal roundabouts. I liked it.

Next came a test ride on an XV535. Foot position caused some problems, strangely just as quick as the GN, then found it was 33bhp restricted and topped out at 65mph. Did not like (as much as I really wanted to like it) and bought the CB500 instead.

Test rode another XV535 recently, this time with straight through pipes. Foot controls still weird, this model had an on/off all-or-nothing throttle. Abandoned test ride after 10 minutes before it killed me, did not like.

Test rode an LS650P Savage, performance reminiscent of my Enfield 500 (but better) without the "need to tighten everything after 20 miles" feature, strange foot position, lovely sound, comfortable. Bought it, loving it, not grounded it out, foot position now natural. Although it would be nice if it was not so far forward.
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[recman]

[Ichy]

My knees are knackered from a mix of martial arts and biking so I find the forward control position very comfortable. The very nature of them means that they will generally be slower than sports bikes but they will still beat most cars on the road and that is all that matters. Grinding pegs isn't a bad thing and you can still throw them around if you have confidence.

It is a pity that you can't get something similar to a ZL1000.
____________________
https://www.metacafe.com/watch/1972097/how_to_behave_on_a_forum/

[fatjames]

My Virago 535 will easily do 100mph. Well, it'll easily do 90 and creep up to 100. Great fun little bikes, easish to work on, and loads of spares. There was a model change that affected the fuel tank, maybe in 88 or 89, so you'll want one newer than that.
I think they sound nice too, and my missus/sister/nan etc all think it looks "safe" although they're comparing it my zzr600 which they really didn't like!

HTH

[_matt]

[aargh]

My first cruiser experience was Mondial MCT 250.
It was a chinese bike.
https://www.google.com.tr/search?q=mct+250&hl=tr&prmd=imvnsfd&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=88gjUMKULYanhAfxkID4Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=683

The vibration was terrible. Positions of the pegs and handle bar were very strange for me. Actually I would rather ride commuter/sportbike.

Cruiser/chopper category is very different comparing to the others for me. I never feel confort. I do not mean to be offensive to cruiser fans. Just I tried to tell what I experienced. Actually I enjoy to view while somebody cruises on the street by a polish cruier/chopper bile.
____________________
A rider from Istanbul, TR.
'06 Yamaha YBR 125 black | '04 Suzuki GS 500 blue | '04 Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom black | '17 Honda NC 750X red | '17 Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin Tricolor | '22 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory Dark

[EazyDuz]

First cruiser was a GZ125. Very underpowered, i think mine had some problems even though i couldnt figure out what they were, maybe it just lost compression? On my test we went on a dual carriageway and it topped out at 45mph on a slight hill...
Handled ok, engine same as in the GN125 so its pretty bullet proof.

Now i have a Virago 535, a tiny bit cramped for me at 5ft 11, but not bad.
Wind fucks you up big time over 65mph so a screen is needed really, i think thats the case with most cruisers to be honest.
If you want to go anywhere in a hurry, avoid cruisers.
____________________
To shreds you say? Tss tss tss

[yambabe]

First one I owned was a Kawasaki EL250. I wanted something low to the ground (short legs), easy to ride and below 33bhp for my restricted licence. I loved that little bike to bits, it wasn't particularly quick but it would just keep going and going. Topped out at about 90 but would cruise at 70-7 on the motorway quite happily.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/Jun06014.jpg

Shortly after passing my test we were on holiday in Corfu and hired a 650 Dragstar. Awful awful thing for me, mostly cos the forwards were just too far forward for my short legs and the bars too wide for my short arms. Didn't fall off it but once in motion I couldn't change gear and couldn't turn left!

We also owned a 750 Honda Magna at the time, only rode it a couple of times as it was a little tall for me but liked it very much. Very smooth power delivery, just kept getting faster and faster, but bear in mind at the time I hadn't ridden anything bigger than the 250 so didn't have much to compare it to.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/magna.jpg

We initially bought a Honda VT550 Shadow for me to ride after my restriction, it was a US import that we bought unregistered and then did all the paperwork ourselves, which was a pain. I didn't get on with it, found the seat uncomfortable, the bars too high and wide and the power delivery was somewhat bizarre! It had an "overdrive" gear as well which was fine on the motorway but a bit of a pain if you accidentally clicked up to it while riding around town. It looked OK, but overall was disappointing.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/25062007118.jpg

So my main 1st post-restriction bike was a Kawasaki ZL400, the bigger brother of my 250. This was a cracking looking bike, and when it was working it was very comfortable to ride and plenty fast enough for me at the time. Unfortunately the one I had was the most unreliable bike in the world, in the end I lost confidence n it cos it seemed that every time I went out on it something else broke! It eventually got written off cos the bevel box cover came off (I mean come on, how often does that happen?!) and spewed all the oil out, then someone in a car ran into it whilst parked at the side of the road waiting for the AA. True story!

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/Jul06075.jpg

So, time to find something else. I went to test-ride the Hyosung 650 Aquila but again it wasn't suitable for a shortarse and I couldn't ride it.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/may06003.jpg

My husband's boss had a 600 Honda Shadow, so I borrowed it for a week to see how that went on. It was way better than our old 550 but still seemed gutless and felt a bit light and cheap if that makes sense. Again a nice-looking thing but it just felt kind of fragile when riding.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/13062008162.jpg

I then went to collect a Kawasaki ZL600 that a friend had bought off ebay from someone local to me. Now this bike I liked very much, again it was a progression from the 250 and 400 that I had already had. Comfortable riding position and fantastic acceleration for this type of bike, the kind of bike where you are (you think) just poodling along making progress at around the speed limit but when you look down realise you are doing 90 without even noticing. It went straight to the top of my wish-list but unfortunately cos they are quite old now I never came across one at the right price and in the right condition whilst I was looking.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/13062008159.jpg

So eventually I ended up with my current bike, which is a Suzuki S50 Boulevard (the new re-badged 800 Intruder). Love this bike. It's comfortable for 100 miles at a time, does 65 to the gallon if you're not being silly, top speed of about 115, corners quite well for the style once you get used to it and I'm very happy with it.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/01092008197.jpg

Liked it so much in fact that a couple of years after buying it I went and got its big brother, the S80 Boulevard (1400 Intruder). To be honest this was a bit of a mistake because I find the extra weight difficult to manage. It's a pig to corner on and I really struggle with hillstarts! The OH likes it though so we've kept it and now sometimes do the very sad his n hers matching rideout thing.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/Yambabe/Aug09004.jpg

So that's pretty much my experience, if you want any more in-depth info about any of the bikes I've owned or ridden please ask!
____________________
Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[titan666]

Hi

I like my marauder and its very comfy being only im 5.6 and i find the weight ok being im not a weedy bloke for the height:)

But the only issue is the top speed!
Its fast enough pulling away,and it will cruise well in normal traffic etc

But when your flat out and topping off at 55mph it makes you realise that motorways will be a total bastard!,that is when i get it back into areas where there are motorways!,like visiting the family down south when i can be arsed!

But i do love this bike and its style,but i'l look out for a 250-800 version and have the 125 as a backup bike!

The only reason i got a 125 was for the economy as its 44miles to my nearest major town and petrol isnt cheap round here!.

[img]https://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu57/billy50000/bike/Picture259.jpg[/img]
____________________
love my susuki gz 125 maraurder 1998

[Teflon-Mike]

I think Bendy's Yamababe's Cruiser CV is a good indication, of just what a hard question to answer this is. She's listed a whole bunch of bikes, all cruisers, and her riding experiences of them range from 'horrible' to 'wonderful', and are at odds with expectation and other peoples experience.

My cruiser experiences have tended to be pretty negative, but never really 'lived' with one. Only one I have lived with was Snowies AJS 125... which was err.... peculiarly 'fun'! Definitely not fast, definitely not a nimble handling machine, but 'capable', I never ran out of ground clerance on it, but BOY for a lightweight it was a BARGE to get round corners!

Ridden a couple of full on hard-tail chops, and quite a few cruisers and 'factory-customs', or US 'standard' style bikes.

I don't Actually find the laid back 'lancer' riding position comfy, its like sitting in an armchair with no back, while holding you're arms at shoulder level...

Its 'OK' for shorter journeys, but the 'slouch' has given me back-ache and numb fingers on anything longer.

I suppose If I owned one of these things, given I have long arms, I probably would fit lower flatter and probably less pulled back bars, which may make a difference, but I have, generally been put off by them from the outset.

Hard-Tail chops! Err... err... yeah! They look good if you like that kind of thing, but I CANNOT consider any reason why any-one would actually want to ride one for 'pleasure'! Especially without a sprung saddle!

Very peculiar form of masocism, BUT, surprisingly 'nice' handling! You do get a very 'direct' feel from them, and they do have a measure of 'response' you don't seem to get from a rather more 'spongy' sprung cruiser, and I can see why some life-stylers like them over sprung machines.

The full-sprung, full dress 'cruisers'; are rather soggy, and as said, I don't like that reclined lancer riding position, that I don't find comfortable, does deny control, and to get that look, USUALLY means a long wheel base with long rake and high trail front end, and little ground clearance, meaning lots of stability, but very ponderouse steering, demanding a lot of steering effort and cornering commitment.

Less 'commited' cruisers like the Magna or Shaddow, that are both four cylinder machines, and more 'street' or 'muscle' bike, what used to be described as 'Factory Custom' or what sold in the US as 'Standard' motorcycles, I have got on better with, though V-Max probably one notch 'too far' for me, though I have flirted with one a few times.

Ultimately, I have always come back to the regulation, standard 'street-bike' as 'My-Kind' of machine. Neutral erganomics, give a straight back, and no back ache, and centralised weight, and 'natural' hand and leg position, that I have found 'comfy' mile in mile out, with scope to 'wiggle' and adjust position, something I have found both sports bikes and cruisers tend to hinder, suggesting a much more 'fixed' posture.

If you like the style of cruisers though, its back to Bendy's Yamababe's , and suck it and see.... they are ALL different in their own way, and different for different people.

But if you are unsure about the genre, then widen your sample to street bikes, muscle bikes and tourers..... particularly tourers.... think on this; they are designed for long hour saddle time, if they were 'uncomfortable' they wouldn't make good long-distance mile eating machines would they?
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[P.addy]

[EazyDuz]

Tef if you dont like the seating position you will probably find a virago to be a lot better,especially the straight bar model. I dont lean back much at all on mine, its quite a neutral position.
Also i know with the Dragstar series you can buy an aftermarket backrest for the rider, does look a bit odd but i bet its really comfy.

I plan to get a 650 Dragstar maybe in a year or 2. I know it wont be any faster than my 535 but even doing 85-90 on the 535 is scary enough.
I hit 95 yesterday when i was testing out a screen i bought off ebay and the handlebars started shaking lol.
Either a Dragstar or possibly a Shadow.

Tef another 3 months and i will be 1 year into my restriction, time just flies by. This time last year i was messaging you and showing you ebay adverts for secondhand bikes for your opinion
____________________
To shreds you say? Tss tss tss

[_matt]

Eazy, im so glad it's not just me that finds this with the 535 (think you and me have the same low/straight bar models)!
You look at one, you think it's gonna be nice and tame and safe/boring.
Ride one and push it a bit? Well, brown underwear time lol!

I got to sit on a 650 Dragstar last week, one of the high/curved bar ones and er.... well, it felt uncomfortable as hell after the straight bars however it does feel a lot "sturdier". Seems to be wider/lower too so i dont know how much worse it'll handle than the 535, but it definitely felt like a different bike rather than just a step-up. Gonna need to actually ride one i think before being decided on those
____________________
1990 Yamaha XV 535 (Alive Again!) / 2007 Jinlun Texan 125-11 (formerly 2k3, wrong details, now going rusty in the back garden )

[EazyDuz]

[Teflon-Mike]

[The Shaggy D.A.]