all in all I'd have to say I think there are more terribly incompetent cruiser owners around
If you'd seen what I've seen in the last 2 weeks at work (honestly, I've been shaking my head) you'd excuse me saying the same about sport bike guys. Just this week I've witnessed a crotch rocket pilots blast down the left side of a row of stopped traffic and cut across everyone stopped at the red red to make a right turn, several idiots blasting down the side of the 401 on the shoulder in the Ajax/Pickering area doing 50+kph while everyone else was stopped, one crotchrocket jockey weaving furiously through 60kph traffic at well north of 120, and several other asshattery moments.
The rides are certainly devoid of spirit and not always my first choice for a day long run, but I take it for what it’s worth and spend time looking at all the things I usually miss
I do a lot of group rides with cruiser guys. When we're in a larger group it's not about the "spirit" anymore, it's about the relaxation and seeing the scenery. We ride 10-15 over and enjoy ourselves.
I also do some much smaller rider with a few other friends, some on cruisers and some on sport touring where we ride a whole different ride and I thrash the bejesus out of my bike.
To be honest, it doesn't take any real skill to take a cruiser (HD) to the limits of lean.https://www.hdforums.com.au/Thread/504994/1
24.4 to 35.5 degrees of lean before you call it quits.
My stats from the Yamaha My Ride app.
I don't run it all the time (hence the low 830km longest ride stat when I've done several 1000+ days this year) but I do run it on spirited rides with friends where the stats are fun to compare against your buddies after the fact.
Anyhow, would you look at that, 47 degrees on my Vulcan 1700. Got the scrape marks on the frame to prove it, too.
As for that speed, well, closed course.
Regarding lean angle, Last time I tried an HD, footpeg dragged when I exited from a gas station.
Crappy suspension setup. I could drag at probably less than 30 degrees (vs the 47 I hit) if I dumped all the air out of my suspension and lowered all my preloads to their lowest settings. This is what some people do in order to achieve that low rider look, or to make a bike that's actually way too big for them actually rideable.