Anyone Ride A Cruiser?

[Dantay]

Hey people

When i was living in Cairns last couple of months my attention was captured by a 2.5L Triumph Rocket. I have been looking at crusier bikes ever since with nothing more then athestic interest. however, about a year from now I will be coming into a decent amount of cash and I have decided i want to spend a part of that sum on myself. Originaly i thought fark yeah GTR/Surpa here i come but now these bikes have my eye.

but to be honest i have not riden much else beside trail bikes (180 & 450) and never on the road. I know sports bikes are very unforgiving of mistakes beit yours or someone elses. Can anyone tell me what these bikes are really like? have i just fantasied this really cool slick ride in my head? how bad is the upkeep say relative to a GTR? are they safer then sports backs?

the plan would be to keep my 32, so have a car and a bike at the same time.

thanks for any input

[Dantay]

Col if this is in a bad spot feel free to move it

[dano4127]

Col has a Suzuki Boulevard M50 as does my dad, they are a nice choice

When my dad was looking for a cruiser it was the nicest ride - but you really need to ride them yourself to see what feels good for yourself

You will find once you have one there is not much of a reason to be putting your hand in you pocket as there is not the aftermarket support like with a GTR

you will probably be find with the bike you will be happy with it as it comes from the factory with the addition of an exhaust

My2c

good luck with it mate

[Col-GTSX]

I never eneded up getting the M50 Dan...

Yeah, cruisers are heaps of fun...

I had the idea of having one for weekend use just lay back and enjoy but when i went to pay for mine i got cold feet and ended up buying another sports bike...

I went for a quick test ride and felt really unstable and thought I was going to drop it, as you really have to lean on the bars to get them to turn as they twice the weight of a sports bike... Not to mention they are hella slow infact a basic model AU falcon over took me on my test ride while i had the throttle wide open...

Having your feet so far forward and leaning into turns didnt not feel great. Thought I was going to hit my feet on the ground and tear one off...

I thought it would be a nice slow relaxing ride, but it was nothing like I had expected at all...

So i went to the bike shop with a bank cheque to buy the M50 cruiser (60hp, top speed 150/160) and came home with a ninja (140hp, top speed over 300)

Two very different bikes, I thought i had my mind set on what i wanted until I test rode them, then I realised sports bike all the way for me as I like it to be light and nimble, with enough power to get you ou of anyones way if you need to, and very efficient and realiable...

[dano4127]

i was surprised when you said you were going from a gixer to the m50 it like the difference between a 68' Mustang and 32 GTR haha

you really need to adjust your style going from sports to cruiser

[Col-GTSX]

adjust is an understatement...

I didnt like the new GSXR so i went to the dark side, NINJA FTW!!!

Most powerful 600 on the market, just they have a reputation of being less than forgiving when compaired to honda, yamaha and suzuki versions...

Dantay I suggest going down to your local bike shop and saying I got this much to spend, I dont knwo what i want, lets go on a few test rides shall we...

I can give you some advice on sports bikes and sports touring but can offer little on cruisers...

In saying that tho depending on your height and weights different bikes will feel different to you personally...

I find sports bikes and sports touring the most confortable riding position, giving the best control and all round feeling...

Down side is that you cant go 400km in this position without putting your back out...

Terry has a Yamaha V-star which is close to the same specs as an M50, its Yamaha's version of a cruiser...

[Revhead]

Personally I like sports bikes. Currently I have a CBR929RR 'Blade but am hoping to upgrade later in the year, just to get back on something newer I've ridden a few cruisers and they were comfy and had torque off idle, but I was bored silly on them. Then again, the guys who owned the cruisers thought my bike was cramped, peaky and "ridiculously wheelie-prone" (mwuahaha) so it really comes down to what you like.

Bikes are really as dangerous as you make them. They can be lethal if you're a dickhead, but if you treat them with respect (and other road users like they're trying to kill you... you'll see what I mean when you start riding ) they really are quite safe. The best bit about biking though is that, to work out what you like, you have to test ride everything Get out and try things, you might find that something out of left field really gets you going. Remember that most big-bore bikes will scare the shit out of you if you're used to 450cc dirt bikes. Pretend you're on a WR or something, then triple your speed. A GSXR-1000 for example will do over 160km/h in first gear, so if you are ham fisted with the throttle there's plenty of potential to get yourself tied in knots.

Upkeep is fine, if you get a sports bike you'll need to budget for tyres every 5-10k (sticky tyres wear fast, riding in traffic will square them off in no time) and a chain every 35k or so if you oil it nice and often. Major services are around every 25k (which involves a shim adjustment on most bikes) and don't forget that changing spark plugs quite often means at the very least pulling the tank off, often you'll need to drop the engine out of the frame a little (not as bad as it sounds) so you can get to the top of the head. Beyond that it's just oil changes every 5-7.5k (not car oil, wet clutches die with friction modifiers) and air cleaners whenever it needs it. They're really quite trouble free most of the time.

And yes as far as mods go you can go as silly as you want, but most people stop at exhaust (usually just a slip-on end can), air cleaner and maybe an ECU (like a Power Commander). You can tweak the suspension settings (most sports bikes have adjustable everything), swap out pads if yours don't cut it, put better tyres on if the stockers are crap, drop the gearing a tooth or two, double bubble screen and crash bungs are all fairly simple things to do too, and make an enormous difference. Beyond that, things like engine mods will get you a fair bit of power, or if that still isn't enough, there's always the turbo and/or nitrous route

[R33S2]

Basically a cruiser is for cruising, they are not all that good as a riding machine, cornering is crap and anything over 160k's tries to rip your head off, but I like the relaxed riding postion and if I want speed I have my car.

As mentioned take a bike shop for a ride, there are so many makes and models it took me weeks just to find one I liked and then one in my price range.

[Keeper]

I think the rocket is a 2.3L mate. Anyway its great engine and a great bike, it corners very well for a bike its size but it is probably worth testing one with the pegs not the footboards as it makes a huge difference to the ride.

Anyway the amount of raw power if you get the traction control removed, open up the exhausts and drop the cat converter is amazing.

In terms of maintenance there is next to none, just do the usual servicing and keep it under warranty, a rear tire will be your biggest expense as you will chew them something stupid.

As for aftermarket bits, tons of chrome goodies to bolt on and make it look pretty, your local dealership will have a range you can look through.

You have a secondhand market for these too, so dont jump into a new one right away if you don't need to.

Good luck!

[Dantay]

thanks guys this has been really helpful!

[RaZ_TuRbO]

get a motard

[Dantay]

My Brother has a WR 450 up in Cairns, every time i went riding with them all i could think of was how cool this track would be in a go-kart/buggy.