Hey you guys with bikes!

[MrUPS]

Hey my dad is on this motorcycle kick and is looking at getting a cruiser of some type. He was looking a 1000 cc+ bikes but now hes wondering if a 750ish would work just a well. His main concern is whether or not it will have enough power with mom on with him. I told him i though it would be fine but hey what do i know. Hes just gonna be a fair weather rider, no long trips. The two of them together might weigh 375. So what do you guys think? Give me some idea of what you have so i can compare. Thanks for the help!

 

[wikdlmm]

Ironhorse chopper! Enough said!

 

[MrUPS]

this dudes not gonna ride a chopper....sorry. sweet ride none the less.

 

[Fat_Robi]

How comfortable is he on a bike? I have ridden cruisers ranging from 440cc to 1500cc and I like the feel of the bigger bikes. Much more stable when riding. The 800's don't feel too bad but I prefer larger. It is always good to have the extra power just in case...

 

[BlkMax]

Depends......

I started again (after a 20 year hiatus) with a 750 Honda Nighthawk (I know, not a cruiser, but hear me out). It was a great bike to relearn riding; it did NOT get sassy with my 250# frame, and could be coaxed to about 95MPH.

The Nighthawk was a reworked newer CB750 in-line 4. It probably made in the 60-70 HP range. The bigger Japanese cruisers make about 100 HP max American Iron makes a little better than half of that unless you spend BIG BUCKS on the engine, and then they will still have a hard time over about 85 or 90 mph.

If all he is going to do is toodle around town, not get on the freeways, and is not "big boned":rofl: a smaller twin would do ok. If he wants more, he needs more engine, but the price with the cruisers is MORE weight, which can make the bike harder to handle at slow speeds and in parking lots, or pickup if it falls. It depends on what type of riding he wants to do, and his riding skills.

I have since moved on from the Nighthawk, and now have 2, a Honda ST1300, V4,sporttourer (making 115 RWHP) and a Kawasaki ZX-14 Ninja in-line 4, (making 170 RWHP) which I call an "old Man's" crotch rocket. Different kinds of bikes for different types of riding.

Hope this helps, Ride Safe...

 

[JOHNBOY]

My dad rides a Goldwing now. But the bike he had before that was 1300VTX. Very nice bike. Easy to ride, comfortable, reilable, and best of all not a Harley-Davidson.

 

[Jasondt2001]

My first bike which I am still riding is a kawasaki Z750s.
It's basically a Ninja w/ out the side plastics, they call it a naked.
It also has a more upright seat/handle bar setup...the supersport bikes are just to damn 'leaned' for me being 6'4 and 320 lbs.
I am to big for this bike in the leg areas, if I'm 'carving corners' I'm not on the fuel tank like I should be as I just don't fit.

The bike is my very first and it is a fuel injected 750CC.
I'm a big guy, 320 lbs, and I've ridden two up on it with my wife. It was very comfortable suspension wise. Brakes were just ok, and had ALOT Of power.

When I'm on this thing myself and I ask it to, it'll scare the crap out of me...but, only if I ask it! It's a very well mannered bike, very smooth and not 'zippy'.

If he's thinking of having a passenger, the added power usually means added brakes and having the power to get out of someones way by accelerating or out braking them really does make or break the deal for me.

Tell him to get on some bikes, and REALLY concentrate on riding position, because 15 minutes cramped on a bike is really hell when you can't just shift your legs around... lol

 

[NitroDmax]

damn im a sport bike guy.. but from what i have driven is that the power is always there dont really matter too much on 750-1100 just new to the bike thing i would always recomend smaller bike to start and work his way up

always remember to get some good gear along with it.. laying it down would suck even more so with the misses on the back

 

[MrUPS]

Hey thanks for the help guys. As for "seat time" he hasn't be on a bike in over 30 years. Guess i should have mentioned that before.

 

[Pondsy]

Everyone's different, but I'd suggest to start small and trade up! 3 times now I've seen a "new guy" (everyone's definition is different) to pick up his cruiser and dump it on the way out of the lot. One guy was my size (5-9 and 160 to 170) with his GF who was minimum 250lbs if not more - didn't go well on his brand new HD full dress.:rofl: Another kid bought a 1000 rocket (never been on a bike) and popped the clutch leaving the lot and drove it straight through the fence across the street. Not what you dad is likely to do - it was just a funny story.

I went from 85 Vulcan 700 to 97 Superglide 1340 to an 03 electric glide full dress. Each bike was completely different and took a few miles to adjust to.

Anyway - 800 to 750 on back roads and highways for shorter distances will be fine. Individually, I took my 700 Kawasaki Vulcan for a 5 day trip no problem and bikes are much faster today.

If he starts touring though - nothing like a touring bike for long trips. I put about 5-10K miles on my cruiser every year. Bitch to pick up when she goes down, but nothing like that kind of comfort for the long haul.

Glad to hear another person picking up the hobby!!

I REALLY miss my ride - 1st year since I was old enough to drive that I haven't had one! Not doing well - wife wishes my buddy would lend me his more often for an attitude adjustment!!:spit: Suppose that's enough Off Topic - lol.

 

[SIKDMAX]

What kinda bike? Sport? Touring? Cruising? Etc.

Ive got a 910 Sportbike and itll power up in 3rd.... jumped on ALL kinds of bikes form 600-1800cc and any modern bike with an inline 4 from 600cc up is not going to have any issue riding 2 up.

 

[03maxpower]

1500 vulcan classic kawasaki me and me wife go about the same weight and im glad i didnt go with anything smaller with that being said im not disappointed with the power of it either i think it is about right and i do the same type of riding your talking about

 

[tinman22]

i'm a honda guy myself so I would definately reccomend a 1300 VTX or something similar its a nice looking cruiser, you can get lots of accessories for it. and it will run forever with proper maintenance. a 750 shadow might be an option if he doesnt do much if any highway riding. perhaps he should check out bike shops that are having open houses or demo days and take a few for a ride. then he can find out for sure whats comfortable for him.

 

[LT1BRD]

i've always wanted a special edition Mean Streak. :drool:

 

[MrUPS]

Hey thanks for the good info guys. Just an update he went out looking today and sat on a few. I think he has it narrowed it down to a shadow or a vulcan. He has short stumpy legs so he needs something low to the ground. Keep the info coming. Ill keep you posted.

 

[partsguy662]

My dad rides a Goldwing now. But the bike he had before that was 1300VTX. Very nice bike. Easy to ride, comfortable, reilable, and best of all not a Harley-Davidson.

:hehe: :hehe: :hehe: :hehe:

 

[Vrabel]

I'd sooner push one of my Harleys before I'd be seen on a jap bike. Just Like I drive Chevys instead of Toyotas.

 

[Fat_Robi]

I'd sooner push one of my Harleys before I'd be seen on a jap bike. Just Like I drive Chevys instead of Toyotas.

I love my truck and it being american made, but topping out around 95 or 100 on a harley is nothing compared to 160 on the Honda VFR I usually ride.:angel: I know Buell is american made and there might be other american options that are fast as well but not for the price of the Japanese bikes.

 

[tylerrustLB7]

i've always wanted a special edition Mean Streak. :drool:

What my uncle has black and red.Very nice bike.
As for a Harley(my opinion) if he get's one it will be in the shop more then riding it.

 

[JOHNBOY]

I love my truck and it being american made, but topping out around 95 or 100 on a harley is nothing compared to 160 on the Honda VFR I usually ride.:angel: I know Buell is american made and there might be other american options that are fast as well but not for the price of the Japanese bikes.

Good Americans Ride Jap bikes!:happy2:

VFR800I is my favorite bike by the way.