If you could get a Cruiser.....which one?

I got off of this cruiser to get on my FZ1. I have to say that it was a pretty good bike and served it's purpose but if I had to have only one cruiser, it would probably be a new Road King fully dressed. I rented one in Vegas and really enjoyed the ride.

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Here's a shot of me and Richie out in Vegas a couple of years ago on Easter week.
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All 5 that I have owned. Why mess with a good thing, they have all been great bikes in their own right. Funny because the first bike that I ever rode was a Honda. The first ride when I was very young was on a Honda as well. Seems the Yamahas turned my crank more!

Yea, I too have owned nothing but Yamahas. I wouldn't want a cruiser as my only bike, but now that I have the FZ1 and the YZF1000 if I was to add a third bike it would be the Star Warrior Midnight Edition. Of course that stock pipe would be the first thing to go :D

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Yea, I too have owned nothing but Yamahas. I wouldn't want a cruiser as my only bike, but now that I have the FZ1 and the YZF1000 if I was to add a third bike it would be the Star Warrior Midnight Edition. Of course that stock pipe would be the first thing to go :D

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One of the only bikes that has a bigger stock bazooka than the FZ. The first time I saw one in a showroom I couldn't believe it. I asked the sales guy why there was a 45 gallon drum on the side of the bike. He just looked confused.:wow:
 
Stratoliner.

A few years ago I decided I wanted a cruiser, mostly so I'd fit in better with the other middle aged riders I know. So, I sold my SV1000S and bought a 2006 Roadliner S. Added bags and a windshield. No matter how hard I tried, I didn't enjoy riding it. It was a good performer for a cruiser.

Observations: It was huge. It was difficult to work on. Accessories cost too much. Tires cost a fortune. My wife said I looked like an old man on it. It was hard to hang off the tractor seat.
 
When I decided it was time for bike #22 I did a lot of looking. I almost went for the new Honda Phantom but the dealers were uncertain about delivery time, then I decided to go to a Triumph/Harley dealer. I got hooked on a Speedmaster. It's been over twenty years since I had a parallel twin but somehow the new 865 motor seemed appropriate for what I was looking for. Although it looks quite large, it only weighs a tad over 500 lbs, both feet easily make it to the ground and she'll go over the ton mark in a respectable time. It's certanly not a crotch rocket by any stretch of the imagination but it doesn't ask as much of the rider as the FZ1 did. She gets about 47 honest MPG and with a 5.1 gal. tank it'll go as far as I want on one tank of fuel. Although the motor looks a lot like the old parallel 650 twins of past, with carbs etc. it's actually a FI DOHC 4 valve engine. All the new Triumphs come with a 2 year warranty and their reliability is up on top now. Many people don't know it, but Triumph has been around since 1902 (beat H.D. by one year) and is one of the few marquis that is having a great year and is expanding rather than contracting. They are scheduled to unveil 7 new models next year. It may not be my last but I expect to have fun on it for at least a year.
 
Different strokes

I realize that Behemoth cruisers aren't for everyone, thats why we currently have our FZ1's, and I suppose there are as many of us members thinking completly the other way with something like an R1 or the other Japaneese or European offerings. For some the FZ is as close as they could afford to getting a full on sportbike, and will have to do.

Thuss I think that is reflected in some of the modifications being done such as rearsets, belly pans and lower farrings and low bars or clipons.

And then others like the FZ just the way it is ergonomically and just modify with eye candy and continue to save the current ergonomics and keep the stance.

Ultimatly there is no perfect bike, a bike that will do-all, just like people, some fit, others not.But anything that rolls down the road, gets your mind working, has two wheels is a start and good for the soul.....the rest will come in time, bigger bikes, bigger smiles and ultimatly the quest for the perfect bike..................................................which the rest of us know dosen't exist, rather a progression to something better.
 
Yep, wearing gear: Full-face HD (KBC)helmet, heavy vinyl Yamaha jacket (trashed), heavy denim blue jeans (trashed), heavy 8" high leather-combat style boots, and had full fingered, gel padded, Yamaha riding gloves on (trashed). Polished up the helmet and visor and ordered a replacment visor anyway. Knee is going to be ok. The left one is the worst, and is abit slow to heal up. It got trashed pretty good as it took the brunt of the skid down the pavement. Gotta love those powerful front brakes ! Abit sensitive for this old guy tho . . . . . heh,heh,
 
I had a warrior for a couple of years and I would recommend it to anyone, super torque and a lot of fun to own. They are very heavy though.

If I was to choose again I'd go with the new Triumph Rocket 3 or a VMAXX
 
Hyosung GV650 .... My dad rides one... and the thing is amazingly quick... handles VERY well.... it's light, comfortable.... adjustable footpegs are stock....front forks are USD forks from the GT650 sport bike... I had a blast riding one for a while...
 
..... I got hooked on a Speedmaster. It's been over twenty years since I had a parallel twin but somehow the new 865 motor seemed appropriate for what I was looking for. Although it looks quite large, it only weighs a tad over 500 lbs, both feet easily make it to the ground and she'll go over the ton mark in a respectable time. It's certanly not a crotch rocket by any stretch of the imagination but it doesn't ask as much of the rider as the FZ1 did. She gets about 47 honest MPG and with a 5.1 gal. tank it'll go as far as I want on one tank of fuel. Although the motor looks a lot like the old parallel 650 twins of past, with carbs etc. it's actually a FI DOHC 4 valve engine. All the new Triumphs come with a 2 year warranty and their reliability is up on top now....

Great looking bike. If I was going to ride a cruiser, I might ride the Speedmaster. :sport12:
 
Yep, wearing gear: Full-face HD (KBC)helmet, heavy vinyl Yamaha jacket (trashed), heavy denim blue jeans (trashed), heavy 8" high leather-combat style boots, and had full fingered, gel padded, Yamaha riding gloves on (trashed). Polished up the helmet and visor and ordered a replacment visor anyway. Knee is going to be ok. The left one is the worst, and is abit slow to heal up. It got trashed pretty good as it took the brunt of the skid down the pavement. Gotta love those powerful front brakes ! Abit sensitive for this old guy tho . . . . . heh,heh,

Well if you were looking for an excuse to replace / upgrade your gear you got it. You might want to think about some CE armour that can be worn under
jeans, Or some nice riding pants ( leather or textile that have the armour). You will not want a replay, better some cow hide than your hide.
 
Well if you were looking for an excuse to replace / upgrade your gear you got it. You might want to think about some CE armour that can be worn under
jeans, Or some nice riding pants ( leather or textile that have the armour). You will not want a replay, better some cow hide than your hide.
Yep. I'll be replacing the jeans, but not to ride in. You are right, leather is best. I have a pair of FirstGear riding pants that are padded. Just didn't have them on this time out. Also have a FirstGear textile riding jacket for summer use that is armoured, and again, didn't have it on ! (ouch) I also have riding leathers, leather pants, 2-leather jackets, and leather chaps too. Extra helmets on the shelf and all, but I'm hear to tell everyone that gearing up everytime out is the way to go, obviously. I will be wearing MORE gear when I ride for sure. . . .
 
Yep. I'll be replacing the jeans, but not to ride in. You are right, leather is best. I have a pair of FirstGear riding pants that are padded. Just didn't have them on this time out. Also have a FirstGear textile riding jacket for summer use that is armoured, and again, didn't have it on ! (ouch) I also have riding leathers, leather pants, 2-leather jackets, and leather chaps too. Extra helmets on the shelf and all, but I'm hear to tell everyone that gearing up everytime out is the way to go, obviously. I will be wearing MORE gear when I ride for sure. . . .

Gearing up all the time is the way to go for sure. As you can attest you never know when you're going to have an accident and even at relatively low speeds w/o gear the end result is not pretty.

I know a lot of times I don't want to be bothered getting all geared up for a relatively short trip so instead I end up taking the "cage".

Just recently when it started to get warm around here I saw all kinds of riders with only t-shirts and shorts on their bikes. And this wasn't just the Harley crowd, plenty of sport bike riders also (mostly young kids). Man I don't even want to think about what they would look like if they went down...
 
1. Star Warrior
2. Star Raider
3. Star Stratoliner Deluxe
4. VMax

Actually, it's a tie between the Warrior and the Raider for single rider applications. Both are superbly amazing rides however I don't feel either is a very good option for two-up riding any more than my FZ. This, to me, defeats the purpose of a cruiser which leads me to the Strat. I really love this bike. It's got the same big power of the Raider in a two-up friendly package and the new Deluxe option with the half fairing and the color match hard bags makes it top notch in my book. Finally, I just don't feel that a list of cruisers to own would be complete without the VMax.
 
As the market for everything pretty much tanked, I looked at a V-Max on the showroom floor that nobody seemed to want anymore.

Only asking MSRP. LOL

Still way more than I want to spend on a bike, even with that much power, and build quality when you compare it to the FZ1 that I bought new at a discount off MSRP in the off season at the end of 2006 when the 2007 models were hitting the showroom floor. (Best time to buy anything IMHO, as the replacement arrives, the dealer wants to clear out any inventory, so they are willing to make the best possible deal usually.)

The V-Max is a pretty sporty cruiser. Has the brakes and suspension to deal with the power it generates, and the build quality is as good as it gets. Sure you can still add things like brake lines and other "mods" to improve on the design, but it's not needed to operate the bike, just like on the FZ1. :) (It just makes the bike more fun, and personal to you.)

I work around bikes all the time, and the Yamaha/Star bikes are very well built, while the things HD puts out makes me ask "why" from time to time. (As in why would anyone allow this kind of compromise? LOL)

HD has the market on image. But that's about it from what I can see. I've walked the line in the Kansas City plant, and it was cool to see them built, but again, why don't they put the V-Rod engine into more models? Why don't they offer an aluminum frame bike?
 
HD has the market on image. But that's about it from what I can see. I've walked the line in the Kansas City plant, and it was cool to see them built, but again, why don't they put the V-Rod engine into more models? Why don't they offer an aluminum frame bike?

Ask John Daddy, He works at a HD dealer. I hear that they don't even like having V-rods in the showroom.

I think that if HD wasn't so successful marketing "tradition" (and they are) and the HD Image they would have failed long ago. They could not at this point, go head to head with the other manufacturers in the technology department. They killed Buell, that was all about inovation (at least once they got away from the HD motor). Again, I think because of fear of brand dilution. HD is stuck in a rut that they dug, they spend millions anually, marketing their image and have been so successful that other manufacturers have been imitating them for decades in order to capture some of that market. Talk to just about any HD owner and they will look down their nose at your "inferior" bike. Every brand, and model of bike can inspire passion and loyalty, but with HD it is nearly a religion.
 
Ask John Daddy, He works at a HD dealer. I hear that they don't even like having V-rods in the showroom.

I think that if HD wasn't so successful marketing "tradition" (and they are) and the HD Image they would have failed long ago. They could not at this point, go head to head with the other manufacturers in the technology department. They killed Buell, that was all about inovation (at least once they got away from the HD motor). Again, I think because of fear of brand dilution. HD is stuck in a rut that they dug, they spend millions anually, marketing their image and have been so successful that other manufacturers have been imitating them for decades in order to capture some of that market. Talk to just about any HD owner and they will look down their nose at your "inferior" bike. Every brand, and model of bike can inspire passion and loyalty, but with HD it is nearly a religion.

Well personally I think HD made a big mistake by killing Buell. There are only so many more baby boomers that are going to pluck down $20-30k for a bike. And in this economy their number has dwindled significantly. I think HD will eventually find themselves in the same spot that the American auto industry is in today...
 
If, IF! I get the cruser bug ever again there is only one thing I must do before I die. I must build a pre '78 Honda CB750-four SOHC Chop. I would be my Anti-Harley! Maybe a Gold Wing one day but that's not realy a cruser...
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