New Bike Advice

[RampageRider]

Hello all, I’m in the market for a new bike in the 600-800cc cruiser class. I’m 40 yrs old @ 5'11 and 215lbs, I ‘m currently riding a 05 Rebel that I will give to the wife when I get a new ride. She just got her licence this weekend. I was using the Rebel for commuting to work as she will when I buy a new ride. Now with a larger bike I would like to make some trips across the state etc in addition to commuting to work.
Now I have looked at the following 05 bikes Shadow Spirt 750, Vulcan 750, S50, V Star Custom. I’m just having a hard time deciding on a specific bike to ride. I have no problem with all them planting my feet on the ground, the Vulcan was slightly high with that plush seat but was still comfortable.
I liked the narrowness of the S50 and the light feel and foot peg position, but not sure of the handle bars feel. .
I like the Vulcan gages and handle position, dual disks, but felt a little top heavy
The Shadow 750 seat was low slung, but not sure I want a chain drive and don’t like the looks of the Aero 750 that does come with shaft drive.
The V Star felt similar to the Shadow but has shaft drive.
So any thoughts or wisdom on the best choice to pick, I’m leaning towards the S50 and Vulcan 750 right now, but nothing is set in stone right now. They are all priced similar to each other except for the V Star, which what I can afford right now.

[Pinhy]

first off: Welcome!

second: i can relate to your situation in some part in that i was looking at the same size and $$ range of bikes in december and january. i knew i wanted Shaft Drive and Fuel Injection. getting a new bike in 2005, no sense getting old technology, right?

I looked at a bunch of bikes from the Spirit 750 and Vulcan class to the Warrior and VTX 1300 (out of my price range). I saw the M50 and knew i had found the bike i wanted. the ONLY negative is the rear drum brake, but i can live with that as long as it stops!

I think if you are down to the S50 and the Vulcan 750, get all other bikes out of your mind and go compare just those 2. Maybe even get a test ride if you can find a place willing to let you. I can tell you my riding buddy had an old Kaw 650 to learn on, then upgraded to a Vulcan 750 and had it about a month before he got rid of it and got a harley dyna wide glide. had some problems with the 750 and just wasnt happy. of course he got a HD so he cant be all that bright haha.

Obviously you are going to get lots of "S50" replies here, and the people here who do have them, and the S40's, love them. Havent heard any complaints i can remember.

good luck and i am sure others wil be along with other input.

.

[Bryana_fl]

RRider,

I have had my S50 for 2.5 months and I love it. This is my first street bike. I wanted a bike that was compact and easy to handle. The weight of this bike is perfect for me.

I also looked at all of the bikes you are looking at. At one point I was pretty sure I wanted the V-STAR but once I sat on the S50 I decided it was the bike for me.

I have 1200 miles on my bike and not one complaint.

By the way, this is one quick bike and it handles great. There are times I forget I am riding a cruiser and feel like I am riding a sport bike.

Good luck in your decision process.

[tlwisner]

You may also want to consider the new Kawasaki Vulcan 900 that is about to roll out to dealers.

The Suzuki C50 and M50 are also 2 great bikes, my C50 simply kicks azz.

The VStar 650 and the Aero 750 are both a bit on the anemic side compared to other cruisers in their class.

The Vulcan 750 has hydraulic valve lifters that do not need to be adjusted. That is a huge maintenance benefit. It's an old design, but it has many features that are left off newer bikes to save cost. It's also seriously quick.

[Jerryzuki]

Well I can't comment on the S50, but I am two weeks into owning my C50T and I love it. I've just now got past the 500 mile mark so I can't comment on the true power, since I have been babying it around. But even though I have been trying to keep it under half throttle, it seems like a powerful enough bike, even dressed like a cruiser.

I was looking at the C50t and the new Kawasaki 900. It was going to be about $500.00 more and would have been belt drive instead of shaft.

[Danr]

Every day commuter C50 for comfort with rock solid road manners

It's a blast !

FI , Shaft drive and floor boards.

[suzuki joe]

I second the vote on the C50.

This bike just fit like a glove the moment I sat on it. Low maintenance, good power, awsome looks.

What more could you ask for?

joe

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by suzuki joe

I second the vote on the C50.

What more could you ask for?

Cast wheels with tubeless tires. Hydraulic valve lifters. Rear disc brake. That would be my idea of C50 perfection.

[chadrob30]

I've got the M50 and absolutely love it. If you don't want alot, and I mean alot of comments and people staring, the M50 is not for you, lol. Great bike for under $7,000. You can probably get an '05 model for around $5,000-$5,500 these days since the new models are in.

[Danr]

Originally Posted by tlwisner

Cast wheels with tubeless tires. Hydraulic valve lifters. Rear disc brake. That would be my idea of C50 perfection.

Agree with that, but for the price I paid I am satified, and nothing, I repeat nothing is perfect. I still cant believe the looks of disbelief I get when I tell someone what I paid. One guy on a new HD Sportster said B*ll S**t buddy and walked away shaking his head. Gee I wonder if he believed me. ?

[chadrob30]

One guy on a new HD Sportster said B*ll S**t buddy and walked away shaking his head.

LOL! Talk about deja vu....I had the same thing happen to me about a month ago...he didn't say BS but he could'nt and wouldn't believe what I paid for the M50....I even had a buddy ask if I gave around $15K for it...lol. I could have gotten the wife one too and still had enough left over for a gremlin bell or two....lol.

[RampageRider]

Bryana how do you like the handle bar feel on the S50, and the low speed maneuver characteristics of the S50.

[RampageRider]

Your right about just leaving it to the S50 and Vulcan 750, now I would be passing the bike off to the wife when I move up again to a larger bike later. As I stated earlier she just got her licenses this weekend and will be needing some riding time on the smaller bike (Rebel).

[Bryana_fl]

Originally Posted by RampageRider

Bryana how do you like the handle bar feel on the S50, and the low speed maneuver characteristics of the S50.

I have not had any problem with the drag bars. The riding position feels comfortable to me. I have not ridden more than 80 miles at a time so I don't know if it would be uncomfortable on a long ride. I will let you know after Biketoberfest in a couple of weeks. That will be a longer ride.

I figure that if at some point I don’t like the bars I will just get different ones.

The low speed maneuvering is great.

[tntkceb]

I just purchased a Suzuki C50 Blvd two weeks ago. I'm 50 and rode years ago and just got the bug again. Got 400 miles on it. I love the bike and can't wait until the next safety class in my area.

[Jerryzuki]

Originally Posted by tntkceb

I just purchased a Suzuki C50 Blvd two weeks ago. I'm 50 and rode years ago and just got the bug again. Got 400 miles on it. I love the bike and can't wait until the next safety class in my area.

Ha ha, I'm 50 and just bought my C50T two weeks ago. I have owned bikes off and on all my adult life but haven’t had one in 5 years or so. I am re-loving now. By the way I have a little over 500 miles on mine, so hurry and catch up. Oh, I see you are "northern-ly challenged" so I'll give you a hundred miles. I think we are considered middle aged crazy by some folks.

[Danr]

Originally Posted by Jerrysuki

Ha ha, I'm 50 and just bought my C50T two weeks ago. I have owned bikes off and on all my adult life but haven’t had one in 5 years or so. I am re-loving now. By the way I have a little over 500 miles on mine, so hurry and catch up. Oh, I see you are "northern-ly challenged" so I'll give you a hundred miles. I think we are considered middle aged crazy by some folks.

Got you both beat,bought my C50 in June, next month I will be 61, Got the bug after 10 years away. When asked by people why ? I usually just smile and say because I still can and if you have to ask chances are you wont understand anyway. I took the experianced rider course again as a refresher.

[RampageRider]

Were's a good source of bars if I decide to change them, I'd most likely have a more swept back set. I guess I'm swinging more towards the S50 or maybe the C50 cruiser than the Vulcan 750

[stp1971]

You know Rampage the more I think about it after reading your original post I seriously think you ought to look into the C50 or the C50T. The reason being if you are intending on doing any sort of road traveling it will give you alot more comfort and more than enough ample power to haul your loads. If you are going to ever do any 2up riding then you will be glad you have that bike. It's lower center of gravity is helpful in the handling department as well. I am 5'11" and weigh in at about 215 pounds myself and I was going to buy the C50T but ended up with the '04 Intruder 1500LC (same thing as the C90 basically) but I couldn't see myself getting anything smaller than the C50 for the type of riding I like to do.

[Pinhy]

Originally Posted by Bryana_fl

I will let you know after Biketoberfest in a couple of weeks. That will be a longer ride.

hey, we have a few of us meeting up at Biketoberfest (me, stp1971, roadmomma, more_carl, couple others probably). you should get in touch with me or stp and trade phone numbers...maybe we could all get together for a while.

.