[Ratbone]

Hello there, my name is Jason, I am a new member of the community here. I have ridden before but always out of need rather than desire. My first bike I don't even remember what kind it was! My second bike was a Nighthawk 450, and though I loved it I could not afford to maintain it and had to get rid of it before it got dangerous.

Now I can afford to ride for fun and commuting, and I can afford to keep it up safely. I want to get a middle or lightweight cruiser that is just enough for riding my wife on the back, but not so big that it would be more than I'm used to. I'm thinking 500-750 range would be perfect to have the right look and be able to handle us both without being very expensive for cost and maintenance, not to mention jumping too far beyond my experience in terms of size.

One problem I have is that I am 6-6 tall and so normal or smaller bikes are tough for me to handle. It is very uncomfortable to have your knees bump the handlebars from poor fit, and unsafe to boot. So far I have been favoring the Shadow VLX and Aero from Honda primarily. While they have the looks I want, I'm worried that all the cruiser styles I desire will be tough to ride because of them being so low (seat height).

My secondary concern is making sure the size I'm looking at will be comfortable for my wife and I as well as not straining the bike. As I mentioned I'm a big guy and my wife is 5-10. So I have to straddle the line between small enough for safety and cost but large enough to not kill the bike with two big people on it. The longest ride I'd consider making would be maybe 1.5 to 2 hours tops, and that would be rare. Mostly just shorter rides closer to town and stuff for fun, and the main job of the bike will be light commuting (not five days a week and not much miles).

Do most bikes have seats available that are adjustable or bigger/taller for folks like me? How many bikes have handlebars that would leave room for my long legs so my knees don't hit them on turns? How small is just plain too small for two large people so that I don't get a bike that would be straining to carry us and give crappy fuel on such rides? For someone who has only ridden a 450, how big would be too much of a jump in size?

Even if cost were not a factor I would probably max out around 900, *maybe*, but more likely 750. Most important features are cool styling and good engine. I'm not very savvy with repairs so I need a very strong reliable engine with a reputation for low maintenance too.