Kawasaki Motorcycle Forums - View Single Post - Before I Buy A MeanStreak... Does Size Matter?

AdamBomb · 05-29-2006

Hey, All. I'm new to your forums--been lurking a while reading up on the Mean Streak. This is a nice community of people, I've found. Good posts, good replies, no flaming. Nice.

Here's my story, in a large nutshell:

I may be buying a slightly used '05 Meanstreak on Wednesday. It's got 2100 miles, all stock, claimed to be 100% mint condition. Black. Beautiful. Seller says he won't let me test ride the bike, for reasons that I do understand. Dealers around here are the same way--no test rides. I think I've worked out a win-win plan for me to test the bike, but haven't pitched it to the seller yet. I'm prepared (I think), to accept the bike without a test ride, given the following:

Good reviews in the magazines.
Good reviews on the forums.
Compelling descriptions of the bike's strengths (and weaknesses that I can accept).
Being able to sit on a showroom bike for a while (at least I got to do that).
It's b*tchen.

I've owned 3 bikes in my 2+ years of riding. A Honda VFR800. A Honda ST1300. A Honda Shadow Spirit 750. I have the VFR still--awesome machine, but I'm going to sell it. I sold the ST1300--too much bike for my experience level. Too heavy and intimidating to me (which finally resulted in me taking a spill on it during a decreasing radius, downhill curve). I sold that one. The Shadow is a great bike for around the town, but it doesn't have the "ooomph" for highway riding. I'm selling it, too.

I want a cruiser with "ooomph," and whatever other niceties I can get on it. I think the Mean Streak fits the bill, for all the reasons you Mean Streak owners are aware of. Back to my dilemma...

At 5'9", 160 pounds, my concern is that the Mean Streak may be too much bike. Granted, my skills will improve over the years, I will adjust to the bike's mass, and my confidence in this machine will rise, but I don't want to end up with another too-big bike that intimidates more than it satisfies. I see bigger, stockier dudes riding around my city on big, loud V-twin bikes with Stormtrooper helmets and tattoos. That's not me.

Is that what kind of machine the Mean Streak is? A Big-Dog bike?

More to the matter, just how much does the size of the rider matter on the low-center-of-gravity-yet-still-670-pound Mean Streak?

I know this isn't an easy question to answer, but at the very least it's a provocative question to ask. This will be the last bit of informed opinion I can get before I take a plane ride to look at the bike.

Thanks for reading/responding!

05-29-2006	#1 (permalink)
AdamBomb Finally Got Into First Gear BTK Beginner Join Date: May 2006 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 64	Before I Buy A MeanStreak... Does Size Matter? Hey, All. I'm new to your forums--been lurking a while reading up on the Mean Streak. This is a nice community of people, I've found. Good posts, good replies, no flaming. Nice. Here's my story, in a large nutshell: I may be buying a slightly used '05 Meanstreak on Wednesday. It's got 2100 miles, all stock, claimed to be 100% mint condition. Black. Beautiful. Seller says he won't let me test ride the bike, for reasons that I do understand. Dealers around here are the same way--no test rides. I think I've worked out a win-win plan for me to test the bike, but haven't pitched it to the seller yet. I'm prepared (I think), to accept the bike without a test ride, given the following: Good reviews in the magazines. Good reviews on the forums. Compelling descriptions of the bike's strengths (and weaknesses that I can accept). Being able to sit on a showroom bike for a while (at least I got to do that). It's b*tchen. I've owned 3 bikes in my 2+ years of riding. A Honda VFR800. A Honda ST1300. A Honda Shadow Spirit 750. I have the VFR still--awesome machine, but I'm going to sell it. I sold the ST1300--too much bike for my experience level. Too heavy and intimidating to me (which finally resulted in me taking a spill on it during a decreasing radius, downhill curve). I sold that one. The Shadow is a great bike for around the town, but it doesn't have the "ooomph" for highway riding. I'm selling it, too. I want a cruiser with "ooomph," and whatever other niceties I can get on it. I think the Mean Streak fits the bill, for all the reasons you Mean Streak owners are aware of. Back to my dilemma... At 5'9", 160 pounds, my concern is that the Mean Streak may be too much bike. Granted, my skills will improve over the years, I will adjust to the bike's mass, and my confidence in this machine will rise, but I don't want to end up with another too-big bike that intimidates more than it satisfies. I see bigger, stockier dudes riding around my city on big, loud V-twin bikes with Stormtrooper helmets and tattoos. That's not me. Is that what kind of machine the Mean Streak is? A Big-Dog bike? More to the matter, just how much does the size of the rider matter on the low-center-of-gravity-yet-still-670-pound Mean Streak? I know this isn't an easy question to answer, but at the very least it's a provocative question to ask. This will be the last bit of informed opinion I can get before I take a plane ride to look at the bike. Thanks for reading/responding!