The Cruiser Thread

[RaY YreKa]

Originally Posted by Rollin'

I admit it.

Bravo

[JerryH]

I have nothing against Sportsters, I have put some miles on a couple of them, and love them. I am hoping to be able to own one soon. I am a bit on the large side for a Sportster, but forward pegs fixes most of that. If you have a full seat and sissy bar, you can carry an amazing amount of stuff on them. I put over 20,000 highway miles on this Honda Rebel 250, and had plenty of room to carry stuff. It was to small and cramped, but still more comfortable than even a full sized sportbike. You definitely don't need a huge bike to go somewhere.




I have already done a 700 mile trip on this. and only 125cc.





This is my current cruiser, with 77,000 miles on it. Except for a Goldwing, it is the most comfortable bike I have ever owned. This is an '02 model. I also had a '93 model, also bought new, and sold with 80,000 miles on it. This bike was made for 23 straight years completely unchanged except for paint, which must mean something. Manufacturers do not continue to make bikes that don't sell.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I can't imagine putting that many highway miles on a Rebel 250! I guess it's been a while since I sat on one. I think the Nighthawk 250 is a bit more roomy, but they are harder to find and stuck with a front drum brake. I used to have a Honda CM400, kind of a cruiser/standard model, and that was actually pretty comfy on the highway. The //twin was also much smoother than my Harley's.

After having an Kawasaki EX500, I could see myself on the EN500 Vulcan LTD/whatever cruiser. That's a sporty little motor for a little cruiser. I also like the Vulcan 750, but have never ridden one.

Here is my CM400 the day I brought it home.

[The PacRat]

Originally Posted by mrbreeze

I'm loving mine. It just makes me feel good to ride it. I commute on it. I just got it in Sept, but I am looking forward to taking a road trip on it (9 days) this coming summer. It's a 2008 Kawasaki Nomad 1600.

After shunning Cruisers for most of my life, and on some suggestions from this board, I ended up with an '07 Nomad, and I gotta say I am LOVING IT. More comfortable than I ever thought a Cruiser could be, reliable, practical, and a real looker...

[mrbreeze]

Originally Posted by The PacRat

After shunning Cruisers for most of my life, and on some suggestions from this board, I ended up with an '07 Nomad, and I gotta say I am LOVING IT. More comfortable than I ever thought a Cruiser could be, reliable, practical, and a real looker...

Sweet!

[Eye of the Tiger]

I rode a friend's Vulcan Nomad one time, and I thought it was the most comfy bike I ever rode. Like riding a La-Z-Boy down the road. Still, I prefer a smaller, more nimble ride.

[hexnut]

My little cruiser. Just right for an old geezer.

[chiefrider]

Originally Posted by JerryH

...I do not consider Choppers or Bobbers to be cruisers. They are basically non functional...

I have to disagree.

Choppers

It may be semantics, but true choppers these days are quite rare. A chopper is an owner-customized motorcycle with steering-head modifications to include more rake and that long front end. Lots of shops CLAIM they make choppers, but they are really CUSTOMS.

I am not a big fan because this affects handling, but to some degree many cruisers try to create the chopper look.



The positive thing about these factory cruisers is that they do usually handle better than the old-school choppers. That said, if the handling spectrum's ends are a true shed-modified Panhead chopper and a standard motorcycle, most modern cruisers lie closer to the Panhead chopper in handling characteristics, particularly in lean angle.

Bobbers





Now, let's talk about Bob Jobs!

Another owner customized motorcycle. Bob Jobs use stock frame geometery and have modifications to reduce weight and enhance performance.






(don't be telling Sonny Barger that his Knucklehead Bob Job isn't functional)

Like "choppers", there are a lot of customized motorcycles out there erroneously called "bobbers" or "bob-jobs."

A well-set up and well ridden old bob job just might put a hell of a functional surprise on some of the overweight, sluggish and lean angle challenged modern cruisers.

Function? HA!

My $0.02. Carry on, now.

Tom in Salem

[hexnut]

Yeah, my old Pan Head cruiser I rode for several years.




My old Pan Head chopper.

[Bloodweiser]

Originally Posted by JerryH

I admit a Sportster is not the best cruiser for long trips, or to carry things on.

At the moment, Honda doesn't make anything In would really call a cruiser. They have transformed their 750 Shadow into a Sportster clone.

where is this logic supposed to take me?
the sportster is a cruiser, but a sportster clone is not?

[JerryH]

The problem with choppers and bobbers is a lack of comfort, and no place to carry anything. My definition of a chopper is what Peter Fonda rode in Easy Rider. Notice it does NOT have a 300 rear tire. But those super high ape hangers would probably be about as painful as the low bars on a sport bike. Bobbers have those little tiny seats, and many choppers and bobbers are hardtails. I almost converted that Rebel into a bobber, after seeing a few on the Rebel forum, but didn't know what I'd do with it. I wound up selling it and buying a scooter.

BTW, Sonny Barger, who lives about 20 miles from me in New River, AZ, is now 74 years old, and rides a Victory Vision. I notice there is no baggage on his bike in that old picture. No front brake either.

The Vulcan 500 would make an excellent adventure bike, with a sissy bar/luggage rack, saddlebags, a tankbag, and a windshield. So would the S40/LS650, and the late Honda VLX600. You can even get a Motech centerstand for the VLX. For smaller people, the 250 class cruisers also make good long distance bikes. I had over 300 pounds on that Rebel, and it did just fine on the freeway.

[chiefrider]

You've never sat on an old, stock "tractor seat" like you'd find on a true bob-job, have you.





Tom in Salem

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by Bloodweiser

where is this logic supposed to take me?
the sportster is a cruiser, but a sportster clone is not?

Bad choice of words on my part. Obviously the Sportster and Shadow are both cruisers. What I meant when I wrote that was they would not be my ideal choice for a long distance ride, loaded down with stuff. I also mentioned the Suzuki "M" series, to me they are more like muscle bikes than cruisers, and don't seem to be as comfortable or have as much room to carry stuff as most cruisers. That does not mean they are incapable of long distance travel. I've never ridden the Shadow or any of the Suzuki "M" bikes, but the Sportster is definitely way more comfortable to me than any kind of sporting oriented bike with low bars, which seem to dominate the Road Warriors section. People have crossed the country on hardcore supersport bikes, but I'm not one of them. For a long ride, I want comfort and carrying capacity, both of which most cruisers have in abundance. So while the Sportster and Shadow would not be my choice for a long trip, they might very well be perfect for someone else. I found the Rebel to be really cramped, but I'm 6' 220+, with a 34" inseam. A smaller person could comfortably ride a Rebel around the world.

My main reason for preferring cruisers over any other kind of bike for long distance travel is comfort. For me, the trip would not be any fun if I hurt all over the whole way. Add their pack mule capability, and they are very hard to beat. I am definitely not putting down any stock cruiser. I've owned a lot of them, some better than others, but all good.

As for choppers and bobbers, I have owned one chopper, an early '70s Honda 750 in an Amen frame with plunger rear suspension and a girder front end. The front end had so much rake it was almost impossible to turn corners, and the high ape hangers didn't help either. I bought it strictly for looks, and didn't keep it very long. That was over 25 years ago. No way could I ride that now. And no I have never sat on a bobber seat, so I can't say for sure what they feel like. I recently saw a guy at one of the local biker hangouts with a Harley bobber, with a small seat made out of diamond plate aluminum. I thought he was trying to show off how tough he was, and was probably in a great deal of pain. Or he rode it in from a block away. But since I have no experience with that type of seat, I can only imagine how they feel. The stock seat on my Vulcan 750 is the best stock motorcycle seat I have ever sat on, and the ergos are absolutely perfectly for me.

[sloryder]

@ Hexnut. Which did you prefer, the springer or the glide front end?

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by sloryder

@ Hexnut. Which did you prefer, the springer or the glide front end?

The glide front end. That 1964 Pan head was one of my all time favorite motorcycles. It ran great and never let me down. Of course it was kick start only. I probably couldn't start it today.

My Suzuki Blvd S40 650 thumper is about all I want to manage today. Yeah it vibrates kinda like my Harleys did. I love it.