The Cruiser Thread

[ohgood]

Originally Posted by Rollin'

Victory Vision - Dalton Highway -

Yaaaaaa, this is the stuff !

[ohgood]

Originally Posted by Bloodweiser

My brother in law on his vstar.




Other bikes that tackled this same road at the same time:
71 guzzi ambassador
81 kz1000sp
02 vulcan900

Wooooooooo hoooooooo !! Y'all are doing something now !

A few more of these and you'll have the starbucks posers cryin !

[jmlmjmjm]

Loved my old SC a lot. Love the newer Victory's even more......a far more sophisticated ride & experience.

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by hexnut

You posted on the Honda Rebel forum on Sept 9 2012 that you sold your Honda Goldwing and bought a Yamaha Zuma. Now which is it......

I did sell one Goldwing, a 1985 1200LTD, and bought a Zuma 125, and a 1995 Goldwing 1500SE. The 1200 was falling apart.

[MariusD]

Nice to see so many Vics

I think the only type of cruiser that isn't suited for touring without significant mods is a muscle cruiser. But even those can be outfited with gear t make them tour just fine.

Outside of that, it's just a fitment issue. Some can ONLY ride in a cruiser like position, some can't stand it. It just depends on the person.

[vicmitch]

Originally Posted by jmlmjmjm

Loved my old SC a lot. Love the newer Victory's even more......a far more sophisticated ride & experience.

I test rode a Cross something, looked like the bike above but with a faring. After my SC with the D&D pipe (now replaced with Vic Carbon fibre) , it seemed way too civilised. Victory could make the SC 2.0 based on the Judge or a short wheelbase Core bike, but they won't

Mitch

2001 Victory SC
2012 Suzuki DL650

[jmlmjmjm]

Originally Posted by MariusD

Nice to see so many Vics

I think the only type of cruiser that isn't suited for touring without significant mods is a muscle cruiser. But even those can be outfited with gear t make them tour just fine.

Outside of that, it's just a fitment issue. Some can ONLY ride in a cruiser like position, some can't stand it. It just depends on the person.

I rode this Hammer with it's 250mm rear tire all over the SW and to Glacier National in Montana twice. Surely there are better bikes for the duty but it can be done.

Originally Posted by vicmitch

I test rode a Cross something, looked like the bike above but with a faring. After my SC with the D&D pipe (now replaced with Vic Carbon fibre) , it seemed way too civilised. Victory could make the SC 2.0 based on the Judge or a short wheelbase Core bike, but they won't

Mitch

2001 Victory SC
2012 Suzuki DL650

You rode a Cross Country. Mine pictured is a Crossroads. I've ridden a Judge multiple times and it does a good impression of the old SC. More civilized, certainly, but still rather raw. Needs more clearance just like the SC.

[EvilGenius]

Originally Posted by MaddBrit

Awesome!!!







For the haters...







In over 35 years and well over half a million miles of riding, I can honestly say that my VV is the most comfortable and practical long distance bike I have ever ridden. And before the VVV, I rode a BMW1200GSA, and before that a BMW1150GSA, and did over 50K on both of them.

Cruisers with bags are very good bikes.

[EvilGenius]

Originally Posted by DireWolf

That's outside your damn flat.

Not. Epic. Enuf.

That's where he lives?

They need to clean the rust off that upper section. Looks terrible when I drive by.

[2000RSV]

Top of Mt. Washington (ScarySharkFace's KLR - not riding together, just happen to meet there).
[IMG][/IMG]

Top of Cadillac Mountain, Arcadia National Park, Maine
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Smoke Chasing 2011, The Hitching Post, Casmilia, CA
[IMG][/IMG]

Middle of Nowhere, ND. OK, the cruiser isn't so good on really wet gravel.
[IMG][/IMG]



[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Carhenge - Alliance, NE
[IMG][/IMG]

For a non-adventure bike, we have had some pretty good times and seen some pretty cool places.

[JerryH]

That Royal Star sure looks a lot more comfortable than the KLR. Several years ago, a crew from Motorcycle Cruiser magazine rode to Alaska on 3 cruisers, a Honda Valkyrie Interstate, a Yamaha Royal Star Venture, and a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic. They had very few problems, I'm pretty sure all the bikes got dropped at least once. But I have seen plenty of KLRs on their sides. I also remember something about their having to cut the windshields down.

While the quality of the newer Victorys has definitely improved over the originals, and they are more refined, I do prefer the styling of the originals more. They were very simple, basic looking bikes. The new Victorys are a bit overstyled for me, but that pretty much applies to all other cruisers as well. You can't even buy a regular Sportster any more, they are all lowered, for the sake of styling. But, no matter what they look like, my opinion is that cruisers are still the best choice for long distance riding.

[MariusD]

Originally Posted by jmlmjmjm

I rode this Hammer with it's 250mm rear tire all over the SW and to Glacier National in Montana twice. Surely there are better bikes for the duty but it can be done.

Cool beans. I also have a Hammer, a 2007, I did a 400 mile trip on it bone stock, no shield, nothing modded. It did suprisingly well, I wasn't sore one bit the next day, other than my bum. Victory's are great highway bikes, I was actually thinking of outfitting my hammer with a setup like yours and using it for touring as opposed to buying an adv bike, since I'm not looking to go off road. Hammers are just such beatiful bikes... all victories are, for that matter!

[JerryH]

It's to bad Victory doesn't make a smaller bike, like the Harley Sportster. I think they are missing out on a big chunk of the market by not offering an entry level bike that first time buyers can afford. I'm sure they do market research, and maybe they came to a different conclusion.

[PhilB]

Originally Posted by JerryH

... But, no matter what they look like, my opinion is that cruisers are still the best choice for long distance riding.

They are for you and some other people. They aren't for me and some other people. It will vary from person to person. It's completely pointless to try to argue that they are the best overall, when it's only the case for some people. Whatever bike you want most to do it on is the best for you, and that's true whether it's a cruiser or a sport-tourer or a big tourer or a naked bike or an adventure bike or a scooter or whatever gets a person out on the road.

PhilB

[JerryH]

True, that's why I put "my opinion" in there. I like them because they are comfortable (for me) and can haul a lot of stuff. Many riders who gravitate toward more sport oriented bikes find them boring. I like to just kick back, relax, and watch the scenery roll by without putting to much effort into it. I often ride under the speed limit if there is very little traffic. I have done 2 SS1000s, but did not really enjoy them, other than the sense of accomplishment, just something I had to do. I like to take my time on long distance rides.