Before I Buy A MeanStreak... Does Size Matter?

[AdamBomb]

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!

[Sledder]

Great bike and you should be fine on it. It does handle real well. It would still be wise to practice those downhill decreasing radius sweepers you describe in some kind of off hwy enviroment to get completely familiar with the bike...no matter what you ride.

[grandpawmoses]

When you said you owned an ST1300, that answered it. You'll love the Meanie. The Meanstreak actually feels lighter and less intimidating than the ST1300 to me. Watch out though, like a "trophy wife", she has quite an eye for accessories.

[OldStreak]

Your probably a perfect fit for a stock meanie.
You may want to look at risers.

It handles so well you'll think you've got experience beyond your years!
This comes from a guy that not ridden in 20 yrs. I got 5000 kms this year on my Marauder/meanie!

[MeanieRider]

AdamBomb - I'm 5' 8" and about 155 pounds and thoroughly enjoy my Mean Streak. A bit o' history - I rode for a couple years in my early twenties, didn't ride for about 20 years, then took the MSF course about 4 years ago. My first bike after the MSF course was a Kawasaki Vulcan 800. I had the 800 for about a year. It was a great bike, but I was really drawn to the Mean Streak. It got great reviews and looked beautiful.

It is a rather big bike, but it really doesn't feel that way once you're riding. The seat height is relatively low, the center of gravity is low, the brakes are incredible, and it handles beautifully. One of the first things I noticed was how it corners so easily. You will hear some people complain that it doesn't have as much power as some of the other "power cruisers" such as the Honda VTX, Yamaha Warrior, etc. Personally, I think the bike is powerful and fast, and I'm completely satisfied with it. These days people really seem into obtaining more and more power. There are modifications you can do to increase the horsepower if you really want to.

In summary, I'm a bit shorter and lighter than you and have no problem handling the bike. Of course, if you do get the bike, you should take it easy at first until you feel more comfortable with it. I think the Mean Streak is an incredible bike.

[Builderrdu]

Originally Posted by MeanieRider

AdamBomb - I'm 5' 8" and about 155 pounds and thoroughly enjoy my Mean Streak. A bit o' history - I rode for a couple years in my early twenties, didn't ride for about 20 years, then took the MSF course about 4 years ago. My first bike after the MSF course was a Kawasaki Vulcan 800. I had the 800 for about a year. It was a great bike, but I was really drawn to the Mean Streak. It got great reviews and looked beautiful.

It is a rather big bike, but it really doesn't feel that way once you're riding. The seat height is relatively low, the center of gravity is low, the brakes are incredible, and it handles beautifully. One of the first things I noticed was how it corners so easily. You will hear some people complain that it doesn't have as much power as some of the other "power cruisers" such as the Honda VTX, Yamaha Warrior, etc. Personally, I think the bike is powerful and fast, and I'm completely satisfied with it. These days people really seem into obtaining more and more power. There are modifications you can do to increase the horsepower if you really want to.

In summary, I'm a bit shorter and lighter than you and have no problem handling the bike. Of course, if you do get the bike, you should take it easy at first until you feel more comfortable with it. I think the Mean Streak is an incredible bike.

Enough said... Buy it!

[bigjohnyeti]

Adam-I agree with all the others that it`s an incredible bike.Also that once you get it you`ll want to make it "your own" and start "blinging it" until it is more your own personality.I hadn`t ridden for 22 years and I bought my meanie in February,rode it home 30 miles in 25 degree weather.It took 2 hours for the smile on my face to normalize(is that a word?).I got used to it very quickly.
It has plenty of horsespower right out of the box,but you probably can`t resist doing a few mods(to the intake especially,then the exhaust).Read Gadget`s site for lotsa inexpensive,useful and imaginative upgrades almost anyone can do.
As far as your image concerns go,how you present yourself to others is up to you.If you want to do the stormtrooper image,you can deck the bike out to be that way,or you can style more conservatively.The bike is a very well styled canvas.
I say"BUY IT" if you go there and it`s all the buyer claims it to be.And then go easy with it until you get the feel for it.
Ride safe
And welcome to the forum
John
One more thing---post pics when you bring it home so we can all share..

[breath-easy]

I went from a Virago 750 to my 2002 1500 Mean Streak and I am very happy with it. As for your problems with the decreasing radius, downhill curve, this usually is the result of applying the brakes instead of leaning harder when you realize how sharp the curve is. I recommend you practice a great deal in the beginning until you are sure how the bike handles. A large parking lot will help you get a feel for sharp turns and braking. As larger cruisers go, the reviews give the best marks for handling to the Meanie.

[Constrictor]

I am about 5'10" and wear Xelement riding boots which have about a 1.5" heel. When I come to a complete stop, I can put both my feet totally down, heels and toes, and actually lift my butt off the seat an inch or two. There is plenty of room for me to wiggle the bike between my thighs. If you find that you want a lower seat height, go for an aftermarket seat like a Mustang, as it sits you lower in the bike and will give you at least another half inch or so.

As for the weight of the bike and center of gravity, I can tell you that my learner bike is a 1980 Honda CB650 and while it was a great learning bike, it had a much higher center of gravity than the Meanie does. I looked it up once and the CB was about 520 lbs dry, which is about 100 less than the Mean Streak, but because of its shorter wheelbase and higher center of gravity, that bike felt heavier. The Mean Streak has a very low seat height, and a long wheelbase which stretches out the weight over the whole distance of the bike.

I am sure you've read reviews of people saying how well the Mean Streak handles, and this is largely in part to the setup of the bike. While it is a 620+ lb bike and definitely not a lightweight, it does not show it when riding. At 5'9" if you do like I do and get a set of good riding boots, you should have absolutely no problem handling it.

As with any bike, just take your time, get used to it, and do some practice figure 8s and panic stops in an empty parking lot til you get completely used to the bike and you'll have a long enjoying summer ahead of you!

[JatZilla]

I don't think 5.9" 160 lbs is a problem. A bigger concern is experience. Spills and fallen bikes usually happen due to lack of experience. I test rode the meanie a few weeks ago and had no problems handling it. I'm 5.9" 157 lbs.

Heck, I'm toying with the idea of getting a V2k right now. Or a Suzuki M109R. Or a meanie. Taking my time......no rush.

[Mean Dream]

Just to echo what the others have said, it's an awesome bike! I'm 5'7 155lbs and have no problems handling the bike even when stationary, once your moving it gets even better, handles like a dream. It has all the power I need and I think it is a very quick bike, I'm not sure what others what or expect, I guess if it isn't rated the fastest bike they aren't happy. I prefer to think of the Streak as a Sport cruiser more than a Power cruiser, it does everything well. It has awesome styling, awesome handling, incredible brakes,and if it's not quick enough for you a few mods will take care of that. The Mean streak is a Fuel injected, Liquid cooled cruiser with Inverted forks and Radial mounted brakes, that doesn't say watch me drive in a straight line down main street.

[Crue]

It's a fantastic machine, my only concern is that the guy selling it won't let you test it. I mean if you have insurance of your own it will cover you on anothers bike, so it shouldn't be an issue. Maybe he will let you drive it around a parking lot or something. Oh and btw the engines are a lot noisier then on a 750/800 cc machine.

[bigjohnyeti]

Oh and btw the engines are a lot noisier then on a 750/800 cc machine.[/quote]


read the thread at the top of the forum about Vulcan noises so you won`t get scared
John

[Spazz]

Does Size Matter? (Qoute)

What does the little woman say.

Sorry Tod, I had to catch atleast one before you and Norm.

[Tod]

Good one Spazz.

[AdamBomb]

I want to thank everybody for answering my post. You all confirmed what I needed to hear. Size does not matter on this machine. Over the last couple of days, I've been pretty schizophrenic about buying vs. not buying. I still have TWO motorcycles to sell! Do I really want a third on my hands now? That's worth a whole other thread, but I'll spare everybody my inner angst on that one.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

[anamosity]

I went from a 600cc sport touring to the mean streak. The size and weight had no issues to me. I have been riding off and on for several years however! S O I already had a foot in the door so to speak.