Starter Cruiser Bike?

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Went to the dealership to try some bikes out. The bolt is definitely not for me, in addition to the
Cramped ergonomics, the handlebars are nothing like a cruiser to me, they're leaned in, more
Aggressive.

The vstar 950 on the other hand feels Perfect, handlebars, seat, foot pegs, I compared the weight
To the 650 and it's not much heavier, certainly not as bad as the 1300s, felt like something I
Could handle. They were all out of the m50/c50 and they don't carry Kawasaki, so I'll be checking
The Vulcan S out tomorrow evening (hoping to get the insurance quotes this weekend as well, hopefully they are
Still working on the weekends)
 
I rode a vstar 650 once. I was very disappointed. It's just gutless. On long rides, most people slide forward on the seat (it slopes forward for some reason) and have to keep pushing back from the tank. If insurance cooperates, I would go with the 950.
 
I'm not sure what to say. Even a 650 isn't a Starter Cruiser. It will take longer to learn on. But if that is o.k then go for it. Maybe re-title the thread lifetime cruiser or something.
 
supernova12034 said:
Went to the dealership to try some bikes out. The bolt is definitely not for me, in addition to the
Cramped ergonomics, the handlebars are nothing like a cruiser to me, they're leaned in, more
Aggressive.

The vstar 950 on the other hand feels Perfect, handlebars, seat, foot pegs, I compared the weight
To the 650 and it's not much heavier, certainly not as bad as the 1300s, felt like something I
Could handle. They were all out of the m50/c50 and they don't carry Kawasaki, so I'll be checking
The Vulcan S out tomorrow evening (hoping to get the insurance quotes this weekend as well, hopefully they are
Still working on the weekends)
Click to expand...

To be fair the Bolt is more of a bobber. They also have a Bolt this year which is sort of a Cafe racer. Remember with the Vulcan S that there are three different ergo settings that can be dialed in. So, if you do not like how it feels in the showroom let them show you how it could be configured.

http://www.kawasaki.ca/product/vulcan-s-abs-special-edition

That ergo fit concept is pretty smart of Kawasaki.
 
Check out the HD Sportster 883 and the new Streets.
 
Baggsy said:
I'm not sure what to say. Even a 650 isn't a Starter Cruiser. It will take longer to learn on. But if that is o.k then go for it. Maybe re-title the thread lifetime cruiser or something.
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You ever ride a 650 cruiser? They are most certainly beginner bikes if you need to start on a cruiser. Of course a 250 is easier being lighter, but the 650 is gutless enough to keep you out of trouble. And if you need both, the 650 Savage gives you all the swagger of having a 650 with all the power of a 250.
 
RedDogDarren said:
They are most certainly beginner bikes if you need to start on a cruiser. Of course a 250 is easier being lighter
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For a lot of unsure beginners, that minor weight thing can be a big deal. Vstar 250 - 320#. Vstar 650 is 475.

That extra 150# can be the difference between getting off balance while stopped, being able to jam a leg down and saving it...or getting off balance, putting your leg down, and going over anyways because the bike is too far over the COG already and the rider doesn't have the strength or coordination to save it.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
Check out the HD Sportster 883 and the new Streets.
Click to expand...

Not after the recent trends of insurance companies jacking the prices on HD across the board

PrivatePilot said:
For a lot of unsure beginners, that minor weight thing can be a big deal. Vstar 250 - 320#. Vstar 650 is 475.

That extra 150# can be the difference between getting off balance while stopped, being able to jam a leg down and saving it...or getting off balance, putting your leg down, and going over anyways because the bike is too far over the COG already and the rider doesn't have the strength or coordination to save it.
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I hear ya, although I felt very comfortable and confident on the vstar 950, sat on it, rocked it back and forth, leaned it side to side, threw the weight around a bit, felt pretty good. (though things will be more apparent once i ride it), although it maybe explained away because of my size(6'2 250)

On a side note:
Im Planning to call to get quotes tomorrow, been fairly busy during the week so haven't had the time, are most of these insurance agents/brokers/companies away on saturdays or can i reach them for quotes?
 
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supernova12034 said:
Not after the recent trends of insurance companies jacking the prices on HD across the board



I hear ya, although I felt very comfortable and confident on the vstar 950, sat on it, rocked it back and forth, leaned it side to side, threw the weight around a bit, felt pretty good. (though things will be more apparent once i ride it), although it maybe explained away because of my size(6'2 250)

On a side note:
Im Planning to call to get quotes tomorrow, been fairly busy during the week so haven't had the time, are most of these insurance agents/brokers/companies away on saturdays or can i reach them for quotes?
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I'm sure you can reach Dejardins tomorrow, and if you want to try SF you can pm me for a number.

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RedDogDarren said:
You ever ride a 650 cruiser? They are most certainly beginner bikes if you need to start on a cruiser. Of course a 250 is easier being lighter, but the 650 is gutless enough to keep you out of trouble. And if you need both, the 650 Savage gives you all the swagger of having a 650 with all the power of a 250.
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Yes, I've ridden a 650 Savage. They don't seem to be geared for Canadian highways.
A friend owned one and took it across the Country.
She ended up trading it in for a 750 Shadow.
It's not really gutless, just harder to apply the power than a larger bike.

With a 250, you need to shift more, you need to do things more smoothly to get efficiency from the bike.
If your idea of a starter bike is to learn, then a smaller bike is better for that.
If your idea is to have a lifetime bike, then sure get a 750, as long as you know exactly what you want. Most people seem to get rid of their first bike fairly quickly, as they find out that it doesn't suit the way they want to ride.

I jumped from a 250 cruiser to an 1100 cruiser after a season. I had thought that the 250 was gutless, but a friend who had been riding for years hopped on, and showed me what it could really do. Nevertheless, I had some issues getting parts for the bike and decided to get rid of it.

It wasn't enough time to learn to ride the 250 properly, but the 1100 was a lazy man's dream.
I could just leave it in second gear, and never even need to shift at all.
I had intended on getting a used 750 Nighthawk, but it was in such bad shape compared to the Magna, that I switched.
I do have some regret, as it took me longer to learn to ride. Now I love to rip around on 250's.

It's all in what you intend to do, and as a beginner, you don't always know that. So why make a "lifetime" purchase, instead of a "starter" purchase. After all, a single cylinder, small displacement bike is also easier to maintain, cheaper on insurance, less expensive to replace parts, easier to access etc. etc. It also maintains a greater portion of it's residual value I would imagine.

But, like I've said before, each person has to make their own decision, based upon their own needs.

edit: Oh and I started out 6'2" and 235 lbs. but I seem to have shrunk over the years.
 
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RedDogDarren said:
Why? So you can pay more and get less?
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Just listing other applicable options. Just because you/we aren't fans it doesn't mean the OP will dislike it. People buy them so obviously they're the right bike for some :).
 
Another vote for Suzuki C50/M50. Being pretty much the same weight/size like you, I have zero complains about comfort/performance. You can get all the info on C50/ Volusia forum - volusia riders. PM me if you have more questions about C50. Try to locate dealer with bike in stock and go check it out.
 
I don't want to go through all the pages to see if someone's already mentioned this but check out the Honda CTX700.
 
supernova12034 said:
I hear ya, although I felt very comfortable and confident on the vstar 950, sat on it, rocked it back and forth, leaned it side to side, threw the weight around a bit, felt pretty good. (though things will be more apparent once i ride it), although it maybe explained away because of my size(6'2 250)
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound like it'll be a big issue for you, but it's worth keeping in mind - typically off balance situations aren't planned but as long as you have the physical strength when it may be needed, that's the important part.

My wife sat on my 1300 for a few photos, she could hold it up when it was balanced but it was obvious that if it got too far off center she would have problems, and once it starts to go if you don't have the raw strength to keep it up...it's flopping over. Of course the key for any rider is to never let it get that far off the CofG to begin with that it's at risk, but that's where the beginner rider issue comes into play. On her 250 learner bike she could accidentally end up leaned over to 45 degrees and probably still have the strength to save it.

Baggsy said:
I had thought that the 250 was gutless, but a friend who had been riding for years hopped on, and showed me what it could really do.

...

Now I love to rip around on 250's.
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As I mentioned a few times here, I rode my wifes 250 back across the top of Toronto the day I bought it..and yeah, it was fun..but a few here felt the need to poke fun at it. Don't get me wrong, I like my big bike, but the 250 felt like riding a toothpick in comparison and just bopping it around was effortless, hence, yeah...kinda fun. I don't doubt towards the end of the summer when my wife has the skills to ride my 1300 on occasion that I'll secretly enjoy poking along behind her on her 250. ;)

A year or so back I tried to buy my old childhood CT70 back from the guy who now owns it....even at 70cc I'd have plated it and bombed around town on it and would surely have had a ball.
 
For the record I am not a Harley Davidson fan, but did do a test ride on the 883 Low. It seemed that day no one wanted to ride it, and the guy that signed me up was very dubious and asked me twice if I really wanted to ride it. The 883 vibrates like crazy when at idle, but once going it smoothes out quite nicely. The center of gravity is pretty low. I did not like the riding position and the individual left and right turn signals. Other than that the 883 rides very smoothly. I do not consider it an ideal learner bike as it has quite a bit of low end torque that could get the new rider into trouble.

At the same test ride I was beside a 6'+ guy built like a 'fridge, trying out a Buell 1200 sporty-looking bike (I'm not into Buells), which he could flat foot. He was trying to lean it left and right, and leaned a little too much to the left. Despite his large size he could not keep the bike upright and the Buell went for a short nap, and did a small oil/liquid piddle. I got out of the way right quick. I don't think large and strong guys have much of an advantage in keeping a bike upright. Once it goes over a certain angle there's no way you'll get it back upright. When this happens with a 250 it is easier to muscle it up, but even a 400lb bike will be too heavy at a certain angle. Experience teaches you to not exceed that magical angle.
 
I wish they would categorize bikes by weight and power to weight. Kinda like the Euro licensing system.

Just don't trust the government to get it right.

Oh well, carry on.


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nakkers said:
I wish they would categorize bikes by weight and power to weight. Kinda like the Euro licensing system.

Just don't trust the government to get it right.

Oh well, carry on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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If they did that, then the insurance companies would have to pay me to insure my Shadow! Lol

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PrivatePilot said:
For a lot of unsure beginners, that minor weight thing can be a big deal. Vstar 250 - 320#. Vstar 650 is 475.

That extra 150# can be the difference between getting off balance while stopped, being able to jam a leg down and saving it...or getting off balance, putting your leg down, and going over anyways because the bike is too far over the COG already and the rider doesn't have the strength or coordination to save it.
Click to expand...

I realize that, but why stop there? A 250 is huge compared to a moped, so that should be where we all start.
I am NOT saying a 250 is a bad bike especially to start on, but the only difference I could tell from a 250Ltd and a Savage was that the Savage had a lower seat height and less acceleration. It isn't always about the displacement.
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