Oh its difficult at timesSome people can ride a hyper bike like a ZX14 or a Hayabusa and be reasonable, I'm just not one of them.
Stupid slow traffic :toetap:
What is the sweet spot in terms of cc's
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Stupid slow traffic :toetap:
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Good info Vulcan dude. I was thinking that the 1300 range seems like a good mix of power and weight. Having rode the VTX 1300 it did feel less nimble on mountains compared to the shadow spirit, but I was assuming that was due partly to the fatter front tire.
Lattimer, I totally agree with all you said.... The fact that she 'fit' me was one of the main reasons she is in my stable.
Got to thinking on her size... Yeah she's big but when you go back to 'one up' after riding with my better half and a weeks worth of gear, she feels about as light and nimble as the 900 was :biggrin:
All this talkin got me wantin her all over again. We gonna go ride...
do you have any idea of how jealous I am that some people have warm enough weather to ride all year????????Lattimer, I totally agree with all you said.... The fact that she 'fit' me was one of the main reasons she is in my stable.
Got to thinking on her size... Yeah she's big but when you go back to 'one up' after riding with my better half and a weeks worth of gear, she feels about as light and nimble as the 900 was :biggrin:
All this talkin got me wantin her all over again. We gonna go ride...
I am 5'8" and 225 - so a bike like the 1600 should be too big and long a reach and all those things a lot of people didn't like about it.
Having it for last summer with 5K on the clock, I love the feel and long reaches and lengths of it. On paper, it should be too big for someone my height.
Just another example of get your butt on them all til you find the right one for you.
Having it for last summer with 5K on the clock, I love the feel and long reaches and lengths of it. On paper, it should be too big for someone my height.
Just another example of get your butt on them all til you find the right one for you.
72*.... not a cloud in the sky... More of the same tomorrow... Sure beats the teens we had 2 weeks ago...
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oldd... Both of our bikes get 42-45 on daily riding and 45-50 on the highway at near triple-digits. Range on my ST is generally in excess of 300 miles (376 best) before refueling and my wife has seen 300+ on her RT. This is far beyond what we could reasonably expect on our cruisers. As many have mentioned, the smooth power delivery and comfort of the sport touring bikes is a great experience. More cc's in the cruiser world does not translate to significantly more useable speed or comfort. Every bike has it's place, but since you were asking for a "sweet spot" you may want to try something else. No matter what type bike you eventually choose, all will serve you well.
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820 Posts
ughh... I'm waiting for the stupid rain to finish pouring here in So Cal... just picked up my bike this week, and have only put about 70 miles, half of that in the rain, at night :-( ... it comes down in sheets at times. It's supposed to be clearing up by tomorrow morning.
Dude, just wait a little - I'm sure you'll have plenty of rain free days in So Cal ... geesh, we're still knee deep in snow ......
Guess I'll throw my two cents in.
As others have stated, there just is no right answer. We all think that a good cruiser needs to be a minimum of 900 - and that's considered small these days. And for sportbikes, 600's are considered small and for relatively new riders.
But there was once a time.... oh so long ago:
A 750 was a good size for a cruiser, and considered optimal for doing it all. And the biggest cruiser you could get (other than an HD) would have been about 1100cc, and considered a powerhouse motor. 1000cc sportbikes were considered insane! And they were big heavy sleds, more appropriate for blasting across long stretches of highway than turning laps at the racetrack.
At one point, a CB-550 was a true middleweight, and considered more than enough for trekking cross-country, blasting the twisties, or just pulling daily commuting duty. But not anymore. Now, we all think we need motors that would have powered a compact car 20 years ago, or the bike just won't cut it. (and I'm just as guilty as the rest)
OK, got that off my chest.... :lol:
For todays bikes:
As V-twin cruisers go, I firmly believe that between 1200-1500 is optimal for a do-it-all bike. On the highway, you can pass traffic by just rolling on the throttle, even two-up with luggage. No downshifting and ultra-high RPMs like a smaller bike. And around town, they are still relatively light and maneuverable, to squeeze through traffic without wobbling around in stop and go traffic, like you get with the really big cruisers.
They won't be as lithe as the 900 around town. And out on the highway, they may not lumber down the road as easily as a V2k. But they are a pretty good compromise between the two.
But it really all depends on what suits you the best. At one point, that 900 would have been considered a nice big bike. We've just been riding that upward sliding scale for years, where what is considered a 'good' size gets bigger and bigger with every model-year.
As others have stated, there just is no right answer. We all think that a good cruiser needs to be a minimum of 900 - and that's considered small these days. And for sportbikes, 600's are considered small and for relatively new riders.
But there was once a time.... oh so long ago:
A 750 was a good size for a cruiser, and considered optimal for doing it all. And the biggest cruiser you could get (other than an HD) would have been about 1100cc, and considered a powerhouse motor. 1000cc sportbikes were considered insane! And they were big heavy sleds, more appropriate for blasting across long stretches of highway than turning laps at the racetrack.
At one point, a CB-550 was a true middleweight, and considered more than enough for trekking cross-country, blasting the twisties, or just pulling daily commuting duty. But not anymore. Now, we all think we need motors that would have powered a compact car 20 years ago, or the bike just won't cut it. (and I'm just as guilty as the rest)
OK, got that off my chest.... :lol:
For todays bikes:
As V-twin cruisers go, I firmly believe that between 1200-1500 is optimal for a do-it-all bike. On the highway, you can pass traffic by just rolling on the throttle, even two-up with luggage. No downshifting and ultra-high RPMs like a smaller bike. And around town, they are still relatively light and maneuverable, to squeeze through traffic without wobbling around in stop and go traffic, like you get with the really big cruisers.
They won't be as lithe as the 900 around town. And out on the highway, they may not lumber down the road as easily as a V2k. But they are a pretty good compromise between the two.
But it really all depends on what suits you the best. At one point, that 900 would have been considered a nice big bike. We've just been riding that upward sliding scale for years, where what is considered a 'good' size gets bigger and bigger with every model-year.
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lol, right you are... but it's still painful... knowing she's there in the garage... alone and unsure... like a little puppy... waiting and itching to be let outside to play! ;-)
Dude, just wait a little - I'm sure you'll have plenty of rain free days in So Cal ... geesh, we're still knee deep in snow ......
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