Smallest cruiser to safely do two up with...

[Takumaku]

I'm trying to find the smallest cruiser (engine wise) that can safely carry 450 lb with. For insurance reasons, I'm trying to find the smallest engine possible.

Would any of the suzuki 50's or kawasaki 900's fit this bill or do I need to look at a larger displacement?

Thanks,
T.

[DrBob]

I know plenty of people who 2-up on a 250 Rebel (though not real comfortably), so you will have no problems with a Suzuki S50, C50, M50, or any of the Kawa 900s. I've done tens of thousands of miles two up on an Intruder 800/S50, the most powerful, but most cramped, of the Suzuki 50s.

[peter-reebok]

Most bikes of 800cc or more will do this easily.

The Yamaha Vstar 650 should also do this, but will lack some power if you are not built like supermodels.

[cfift]

I have a 06 Suzuki C50 and it does great 2 up. I have progressive for my insurance and it is only $32 a month.

[DaveAlvarado]

Originally Posted by cfift

I have a 06 Suzuki C50 and it does great 2 up. I have progressive for my insurance and it is only $32 a month.

'07 M50 here that does 2-up just fine also.

[painterbabe1]

my 250 rebel has had me (driving of course) and my husband on the back ( don't ask) and it carried both of us real nice.

[Funkmon]

The Rebel's asking a bit much, but it's capable. I'd say the smallest you want to do this with is the Vulcan 500.

[Chriszuki]

Sigh....got a C50T here my wife's pregnant not able to ride w/me. But happy I'm gonna be a dad!!! My dad (Jerryzuki) had no problems riding momma around for a year on the back though.

[Takumaku]

Thanks for the response.

While my gz250 was capable of doing 2-up in the city. It wasn't able to maintain the speed requirements for highway driving.

[Funkmon]

Yeah. Try a Shadow VLX 650, a Vulcan 500 (6 speeds! That'll help on the highway), a V-Star 650, the Suzuki S40, or, if you're feeling dangerous, the Hyosung GV650.

[ORBrit]

My wife has a Vulcan 500 and a Rebel 250. I think the Vulcan would be the lowest cc and yet will outperform the VStar 650 and VLX 600.

Comprehensive insurance is only $20 a month.

[TTungett]

For 450 lbs...I wouldn't go any smaller than something with a displacement of 800...Out of curiosity I looked it up in my C50's manual while checking out some service information...The C50's max combined weight was 454 lbs...And that I believe included luggage, additional accessories/add-ons, etc...

[Funkmon]

Most motorcycles have a max weight of 454 pounds. Luggage racks have a max weight of 6 pounds. That's just to save their asses, and it doesn't mean much.

[hammersfan]

I would go with the C50 as opposed to the M50 for two up riding. My wife is really uncomfortable on the back of my M, at least with the C you could get a Mustang seat and you already have the passenger floorboards ( I think ) Truly if you are going to do a lot of two up riding I would go for something bigger though. one of my club mates traded up from a C50 to a Yamaha Venture because of his wife and another from a V-Star 1100 to a Venture, both only used their bikes for one season before trading up. personally I really like the M50 for solo riding, I don't have any trouble keeping up with the big boys and she out handles them all, but two up is not too comfy.

[TFee3]

The dealer that sold me my C90T told me that if I were riding two up, the 50 might be a little small, and I would get tired of fighting it over steep hills. From what I read here, however, it seems those of you with C50T's have no problem at all. I had a bit of a problem getting used to that big thing - dumped it twice before I got the hang of it. I probably would have been happy with the C50T now that I've read these postings.

[Funkmon]

Probably, but not as happy as you are now, I bet. The 800 is small for two up. If it was up to me, I wouldn't buy a cruiser at less than 1100ccs if I was riding with someone on the back.

[TFee3]

Funkmon, you might have a point, since I didn't buy the C50T. I can load mine up and go anywhere on it. I went for a 130 mile ride today with two friends. One of them has a Harley Fat Boy. After that long, his rear was so sore he couldn't sit in the tavern and have a beer with us. He had to stand rather than sit on the stool. I had that problem with my C90T at first, but bought a different seat for it. Now, I can ride for hours (if only it had a greater fuel capacity).

[Tucuma]

In Brazil, Honda makes about a thousand variations of a 150cc bike. In rural areas, it's common to see Dad, Mom, Junior, Little Sister, the baby and a crate of chickens tooling down the road at respectable speeds. I suppose if Brazilians had a bunch of money, they'd trade up to bigger bikes. But they don't, so they get along with what they've got.

[Born to be mild]

I have a Honda PC800 that my wife and I do day trips with; for example, 3 - 5 hours total for the day. 800 cc is just a little bit too small. Comfort is a function of (a) the seat, and especially the seat-back for the passenger... (b) the rpms at 65 (I'm at 4200 rpm, and the sound just borders on too buzzy) ... and (c) the bike's manners on the road. When you're on your own, light and nimble is fun. When you're two-up, you want a solid feeling of confidence. I've ridden 900 cc, 1100 cc, and an Electraglide. At 805 pounds, the Electraglide was solidly planted - just like a tree at slow speed. Out on the highway it was great. So if you're thinking about your wife feeling comfortable that all is right with the world, I'd say 900 cc is the minimum. 1100 would be better.

[PNW rider]

I am completely happy with my 07 C90 black with driver and passenger backrests and Suzuki windshield with lowers and leather wrapped hard bags...
I had the 06 C50 and liked it but I love the 90 !!! 1500 cc works much better for me. I just put on a 2 into 1 , power commander and K&N filter and if 2 up ever becomes a problem I really need to hit the tredmill!!!

Insurance is slightly more than I was paying for my 50....