OPINIONS ON CRUSIERS

[spc]

X

[makenzie71]

X as well.  Excuse us.

[mytwin]

I had a Honda Shadow Spirit 750, bike was awesome, ran great, super reliable, had more than enough power for around town and could pull 80 on the interstate with stock gearing. From the factory it was geared more for acceleration, I did alot of reading and owners were regearing and they turned into nice hwy cruisers. This bike was very comfortable, people really liked the looks and with my cobra drag pipes it sounded very, very much like a HD.
Now not to add fuel to the fire I want to add that my neighbor had a 883 sporty and while it looked nice, it was waayyyyy slower than the Honda and shook like hell. I am a fan of Harleys just not the sportster series.
My opinion of the difference between cruisers and sport bikes is this, cruisers are very mellow, super stable at speed, dont get blown around much by large trucks, made for taking in the scenery. Sportbikes, hypertensive, fast, razor sharp handling, and in the case of the GS in my experiences on I-95 in So. Florida gets blown around alot. But I still enjoy riding to and from work.
Pick the one you like and just ride.

[Jace009gs]

anyone have conclustion on the S83 boulevard from Suzuki (intruder 1400)?

[DrtRydr23]

Personally, I like Harleys.  I like the way most of them look, and I like the tradition and loyalty that they inspire.  I also like the fact that, for the most part, they are keeping to a traditional look for their bikes.  If you're looking for something more progressive, look at the VRSC (V-Rod) line, or some of the new Softails (Rocker's).  The big bikes are generally more expensive than some of the Japanese bikes with comparable engine sizes, but everyone knows that.  They are definitely better now then they were.  However, if you don't want to spend a lot on a cruiser, I'd say pick one the same way you would pick any other type of bike.  Look at all the manufacturer's models and find the one's that you like in your price range.  Then go sit on them, or demo them if possible, to see which one you find most comfortable.  Whoever said don't buy a bike for the way it looks is way off base as far as I'm concerned.  You should definitely buy something that you think looks good, but if you give yourself enough options you should be able to find one that looks good to you and is still comfortable.  If you can't, then you're going to have to reasses what you want to spend, or what features you want in a cruiser.

My personal opinion is that most Japanese companies are trying too hard to make their cruisers look contemporary.  I don't particularly like the Suzukis, however some of the Yamaha motorcycles are pretty nice.  Whatever you decide to go with, I'd agree that you should keep the GS if you like to lean more in your riding.  You won't have the ability to put a lot of lean into turns on a big cruiser.  If that's not a concern of yours, then sell it.  I'm going to keep the GS, but I do plan to own a HD one day as well.

John