where can I find advice on metric cruisers?

Question

I need advice on buying a metric motorcycle cruiser.What's best Vulcan or a vstar or roadstar?

Answer 1

Finding a good quality magazine is a good start, try finding Motorcycle Consumer News. You won't find them over the counter so here is there web site, www.mcnews.com They have the best tests and no adds, just honest evaluations and even a "ReCall" notice bulletins.

I owned a 1500 Vulcan and now ride a 2000 Vulcan Classic, my wife ride a 800 Classic Vulcan. The Kawasaki Vulcan line has been rated at the top by most magazines over the years.

A few of my friends I ride with own those 1100 V-Stars and 1600 & 1700 RoadStars and a few times we have swapped bikes and they really enjoyed riding mine. Sorry I can't say the same about there ride.

Answer 2

I really like the Roadstar for the tourqe. 99 ft lbs, that's strong! The rev limiter comes in a little early for my liking. I like the belt drive, very little maintenance. If you want a belt drive vulcan, its 900cc or 2000cc. You know the 2000 has to pull like a mule but its a little pricey and some folks say its kind of heavy. They all weigh the same when you're rolling, that's my motto. 900 is said to be pretty fast but I prefer more power, that means fewer downshifts in heavy taffic. With all this being said, Vulcan 1500 and 1600 are very nice and the motors will turn up more than the external pushrod motors,these two have exposed rear shocks while everything else I've mentioned has the soft-tail design. That is to say concealed rear shocks.
With all this being said, I currently own a 2005 C90 Boulevard, thats 1500cc, shaft drive, soft-tail design with a motor that will turn up pretty good. 13000 miles and no trouble yet, you might want to look at what Suzuki has to offer.
I personally like the larger bikes but the Yamaha VStar 1100 is decent and the only thing I know about the 1300 is it looks OK.

Answer 3

I am personally a Yamaha fan (don't know why, but I am). The Star bikes are nice, with a pretty wide range of offerings, from pure cruisers (V-star custom), to power cruisers (V-max and Warrior) to long-distance bikes (Venture). I would suggest doing some research on the on-line magazines.
Additionally - 'throw your leg' over some at a dealership - see what fits.
BTW - if you like the look/feel, the warranty on the Royal Star (Venture and Tour Deluxe) is flippin' amazing - 5 year/unlimited mileage! Not even Honda does that for the Goldwing!

Answer 4

i imagine you're on direction searching for a Kawasaki Vulcan. In my adventure as a Kawasaki broking service provider manager, Vulcans are as solid as a hammer, relaxing to holiday, various skill, even the 750s, and they sound tremendous and they are conserving their resale value fairly nicely. I understand the visceral appeal of a Harley. I basically have a complicated time recommending a bike with technologies the eastern left in the back of 50 years in the past. Harleys have pushrod engines with 2 valves in preserving with cylinder, and the Vulcan has overhead cams and four valves in preserving with cylinder. Harleys have a separate engine and transmission, including weight and complexity. it truly is not any longer to assert that I gained't purchase a large Harley contained in the destiny. this is basically that i don't sense a Harley is a strong idea for a clean rider. And, to be straightforward, an 883 is to date outclassed by utilising an 800 Vulcan, this is rather a lot a comic book tale. Even Harley adult men wince once you inquire about an 883.

Answer 5

I own a Roadstar, so I'm a little partial to it, my son owns a V-star 1100 and loves it. The Roadie is a little better geared for longer trips and the power is better for passenger travel. Can't tell you much on the vulcan.
Talk to some locals who own the same bikes, pick their brains, do some research, sit on them at a dealer. Enjoy

Answer 6

Both Roadstar and V-Star have good reputations but low resale. Consider going to a Triumph which is metric, has better power to weight ratio and much better resale value

Answer 7

The Yamaha's (or Star Motorcycles, as they like to call themselves) are less expensive then their Kawasaki counterparts but they usually take more cash to accessorize them to the way you want.

Take my V-Star 1100 classic. I like it now but I had add Custom seats, air intake, dyna 3000, pipes, tach, jets, tons of lights and chrome, windshield, saddle bags, highway pegs, sissy bar, and a comm system to get it the way I want it. And it still lacks a fuel gauge!
I spent half as much in accessories as the bike cost!

The Roadstar 1700 Silverado looks nicely equipped for the price but I'd want to test ride the Nomad and compare apples-to-apples before making a final decision.

Answer 8

It is all about opinions on which motorcycle is the best, however I listed a few sites and magazines that may interest you.

Answer 9

It depends on the model and year.
Every bike has it's good points and flaws.