For the soft-core and hard-core cruiser motorcycle enthusiast, and those of you on the sidelines either waiting to get one, or waiting for your mid-life crisis that gives you the excuse to get one.
You may have figured out by now that I'm partial to Japanese cycles - but again, I'm new to this whole thing, but learning fast. But I have to pay homage to a special high-end, sport-bike, the HD V-Rod. The V-Rod signaled a new wave Harley with a sculpted, polished and anodized aluminum bodywork set developed in collaboration with Porsche. The injection system hails from France, the ignition from Italy, but a lot of the internal hard parts are German, such as the Mahle pistons.
The "Revolution" motor claims 115hp, and most cycle magazines have dyno-tested the V-Rod at 109 at the rear wheel, with 74 ft. lbs. torque at 7,000rpm. Check out the Harley Davidson VSRCA V-Rod Specifications:
When I first began riding, and by God that was only 8 months ago, I was scared to death of not only the road and the bike - but having the giant iron thing fall on me! Well, I had the bike fall twice so far - once in front of my apartment and once while taking a slow turn in Bedminster, New Jersey (and I thank God it was a slow turn). Anyway, in Jersey I hit a small patch of gravel and it was if the bike just slid out from underneath me and I just sort of hopped out of the way, and it came to rest on the pavement ;-) None the less, I sort of knew before hitting the gravel it just might be bad. But aside from hitting gravel, remember I was talking about being on the Interstate and getting pushed around like a bitch by the wind - well, with bigger bikes, not as much of an issue. So my latest research on movin' on up in the cruiser world is revolving around the Yamaha Roadliner and Stratoliner bikes. http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/482/0/home.aspx Now with something like this (whoa momma) in comparison to my Boulevard, it's the next step up. From what I understand - what you get with a larger cruiser is more stability; whereas because you're riding a bike weighing 700 pounds versus 525 pounds, it sits on the ride a lot tighter, firmer. Also, with something a like Stratoliner - which has a wider wheel base, you're not feeling every bumb in the road. I believe the suspension might be a bit superior to a smaller, starter cruiser like the Boulevard. And with 1872cc's versus 805cc's, there's more power with less effort. I'm no speed freak, but you do need that power when your on the highway to move out of someone's blindspot, change the lane or whatever - and that power comes in handy, especially since here in the Northeast, so many people behind the wheels of cars have absolutely no respect for people on bikes. Here's a bit of video to give you the idea:
Makes me wanna leave my desk and get out on the road ;-)
It's really a shame - since if more folks rode bikes, we'd lower our dependence on foreign oil - so think of cruisers as beautiful green machines.
I don't know about you, but two of the best things that God ever invented have to be motorcycles and mallomars. So I'd urge you to hang out with me if you're into soft-core and hard core cruisers, as well as the fluffy, sweet, chocolately things that go with them - and that can be anything from big fat foot pedals to the great technology (even the dangerous technology that bikers should stay clear of - like cel phones in your helmet). But what about windshields and sissy bars for those of you who who love the lean back experience? I'm sure there's tons of you baby boomers out there who grew up watching truckloads of television; and I know the lean back experience is part of your DNA.
Anyway, I want to know what those of you who are new to bikes think of "getting started" cruisers? And what do you consider to be getting started cruisers - whether it be HD, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Triumph, BMW and the rest? My first bike (purchased last August - 2007) is a Suzuki Boulevard c50.
For those of you who are not familiar with the bike, you can get some background in this discussion group: http://www.bikez.com/msgboard/msg.php?id=21391&type=bike or you can visit the Suzuki site for more about the c50 http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/C50K8 (and bear in mind this is one of the best selling Japanese bikes ever, so they've extended this brand into the Long Tail with all kinds of choices, engine sizes, etc. with more than 10 different models.)
Now so far I've had a grand time on the bike - and for less than $7000, I'd considerate to be a good investment for my introduction to cycling. However, I'm bugged by a couple of things that many of you are probably grappling with yourselves, including:
Getting knocked around by heavy winds on interstate 78 in the great smelly state of New Jersey
Feeling every small and large bump in the road, and as a result slamming hard on my seat when I come back down to earth. And boy, that smartz.
Feeling like the bike is sometimes not locked to the road, especially if it starts to rain. Not fun.
And what about the shaft drive? I've heard that shaft drives, or maybe just the one of this bike, is only about 25% efficient in terms of transferring the power from the drive train to the rear wheel? If anyone knows more about this - please, by all means ;-||
Now I'm sure I'm only scratching the surface - and I'd love to hear more about the upsides and downsides of other like bikes - whether it be a Honda Shadow http://powersports.honda.com/current_offers/current_offers_category.asp?Category=Motorcycles&SubCategory=Cruiser+Standard (which I didn't buy because the Suzuki Boulevard gives you a bit more creature comfort for the $). Or perhaps what you can get from Yamaha or Kawasaki? Speaking of Yamaha - their Stratoliner and Roadliner product looks and feels incredible - however I haven't taken either out for a spin yet? I'd love to hear from someone who has? And specifically - since these are heavy cruisers (close or over 700 pounds with a longer wheel base), I'd love to know if they provide a better riding experience in terms of smoothness, less wind knock around, better feeling of being locked to the road - you know where I'm going.
In my next post, I'll delve into more of the mallomar aspects of cruisers - without consuming too many calories. Check out this guy's black c50 with some rear leather saddlebags (I wanted one in black as well - but saved $1000 by getting a grey pinstriped model).
