Concerns...

[wwlaughlin]

How do the drum brakes handle (versus disc brakes) on the Suzuki? I have my choices narrowed down to three: Honda 1300, Suzuki M50/C50 or Kawasaki Vulcan 900. I'm concerned about the drum brakes on the Suzuki and the Swingarm rear suspension on the Kawasaki. Should these things actually be a concern?

[keylo4life]

You'll never know until you test ride each of them. I suggest either the C50 or M50.

[wwlaughlin]

Would rather the M50, strictly on looks. They all seemed to ride nice and handle very well for what a quick spin around the parking lots were worth.

[GeorgiaRoller]

Originally Posted by wwlaughlin

How do the drum brakes handle (versus disc brakes) on the Suzuki? I have my choices narrowed down to three: Honda 1300, Suzuki M50/C50 or Kawasaki Vulcan 900. I'm concerned about the drum brakes on the Suzuki and the Swingarm rear suspension on the Kawasaki. Should these things actually be a concern?

70% of all your stopping power comes from the front brakes which are always disc. So I wouldn't worry about it. Your not going to buy a bike because of rear drum brakes if you like the looks and how it handles. All three of those bikes are nice, go with which one you like best, the one that feels the best to you and don't worry about the rear braking system. All of those bikes stop just fine.

[wwlaughlin]

Thanks for the info.

[Oaksong]

the drum will provide as much braking power as the rear can handle. If your brake can lock the wheel, then it provides enough braking power.

People tend to overbrake the rear, so a drum in the rear makes that harder. Also, not being hydraulic means that if you somehow get air into the front brake system, your rear still works. Granted, that should never ever happen (hopefully) but drum brakes are used as emergency brakes in cars for this reason. Drums are mechanical instead of hydraulic.

[omegajim]

rear brakes are drum on cars because
1) it's cheaper to make a drum than a disc
2) the parking brake is easier to make for a drum vs disc.

but as others have already mentioned, I wouldn't let the rear drum / disc be a deciding factor.

Comfort would be a deciding factor, not brakes.

[wwlaughlin]

Great information, thanks. Is there a difference between a "regular" rear suspension and a 'swing-arm' rear suspension?

[DrBob]

You are somewhat confused with your terminology. Any bike that does not have a rigid frame (like a bicycle) has a swing arm. Rigid frames on regular production bikes went away about 40 years ago, but they can still be found on customs and low production chopper and retro models. But swingarms come in different forms. A traditional swingarm has a pivot point at the bottom, where it attaches to the main frame of the bike, and two exposed shocks. The Harley Sportster is a great example of this type of swingarm.

Other bikes, like the S50 and Honda VTX1300, are basically the same but the shaft drive tunnel makes up one side of the swingarm.

Another basic type of swingarm is the softail-style frame, named after the Harley model that introduced it. Harley has a trademark on the “softail” name, so other companies call it various things, like ‘hidden swingarm’, ‘rear sub-frame’, and ‘hidden suspension’. This type of swingarm has a pivot point at the top where it attached to the frame, with one or more shocks hidden underneath. This gives the bike a smooth, clean appearance, and a classic look: the bike looks like an old rigid-tail, but rides smooth because of the ‘hidden’ swingarm. A variation of this softail-style swingarm can be found on the C50/ M50 and Vulcan 900: it uses the shaft drive tunnel as a structural member, with plastic cosmetic parts to make it match the other side.
Both types have their advantages. Both types have their drawbacks. The softail style is easier to mount saddlebags on, as there are no shocks in the way, and it is easier to lower the bike with inexpensive braces called ‘dog bones.’ But because the pivot point is at the top, the feel of the suspension bending is something a lot of riders do not like. But with the traditional swingarm you have the exposed shocks in the way, so model-specific saddlebags are called for. You also have to buy shorter shocks to lower the bike. But many people, including myself, prefer the way the traditional swingarm handles and ‘feels’ when we ride. Until you ride both types, there is no way to know which you prefer.

[DaveAlvarado]

Originally Posted by Oaksong

the drum will provide as much braking power as the rear can handle. If your brake can lock the wheel, then it provides enough braking power.

People tend to overbrake the rear, so a drum in the rear makes that harder. Also, not being hydraulic means that if you somehow get air into the front brake system, your rear still works. Granted, that should never ever happen (hopefully) but drum brakes are used as emergency brakes in cars for this reason. Drums are mechanical instead of hydraulic.

Also worth mentioning, the drum rear brake on an M50 can lock up the rear tire. I have verified this fact by accident.

[hammersfan]

If money is not an object I would rather have the 1300. They are all good bikes but there is no replacing displacement. I loved my M50 but I must admit the Honda VTX was a sweet ride.Also there is a ton of bling available for them.

[wwlaughlin]

Thanks for all the input, especially the explanation from DrBob. I got the chance to sit on the Honda 1300 and it felt comfortable. I'm hoping to make a trip to the Kawasaki/Suzuki dealer tomorrow. Figures the dealers are a good many miles apart but I want to take my time, look them over really well, take some notes for my decision.
In talking to the Honda salesman I was told that if I were to purchase their "service" plan for around $1,095 that it would cover a 3 yr Honda warranty, scheduled full service check-ups, oil changes and parts, state inspections and valve adjustments for 3 years.
I also was looking at the Honda 1100 and he said that they (Honda) is discontinuing the 1100 model. They may make it again some year in the future, but they received word from Honda that its not being produced anymore.

[omegajim]

I met a guy who had a 1300, and the only thing he didn't like about it was the rpm limiter seemed to cut in awful early, although I'm not sure what road speeds "awfully early" was right now.

[texrider]

I highly recommend the M50 and Vulcan900, having owned both recently. Both have good power and adequate brakes. Both ride and handle very well, and are capable of two up travel, anywhere. Both are fuel injected, while the 1300VTX is single carb.

Certainly, the 1300 class of machines offer a much bigger riding experience, in size and power. The trade off is, you give up the lighter quicker handling of the 800/900's.

Good luck with the pick, as it would come down to getting the best deal for me.

[wwlaughlin]

I've heard from a Honda dealer about the 1300. He said the bike would be $9,997.72 OTD, including all taxes, tags, registration and a 5 year warranty. I asked him to e-mail me those figures (so I have it in 'black and white'). I don't know if that's a good deal or not - I'm going to ask (post) in the Honda Forum to see what input people have, if anyone reading this has any input.........chat away!

I am going to look at a C50 (the Suzuki dealer doesn't have a M50) and Vulcan900 tomorrow to get prices on those bikes.

Thanks to everyone for all their advice and guidance.

[rathr-b-cruisin]

I'll tell you what sold me on my c50. fuel injected, liquid cooled, shaft drive, style, comfort when i sat on it, price. I didnt even care about the brakes, and i know that she'll lock up the rear if you want it so i wouldnt let the drums vs disc be a major deciding factor. But i see you are looking at a 1300 and the suzuki is an 805 so you might want to decide if you want the bigger bike or not. I have never been disappointed in my c50 as far as needing more power. I've never ridden anything bigger so i cant tell if there would be a big difference or a huge difference. I can say that with me and my wife going 2-up it gives me all i want.

[Oaksong]

Originally Posted by rathr-b-cruisin

I'll tell you what sold me on my c50. fuel injected, liquid cooled, shaft drive, style, comfort when i sat on it, price. I didnt even care about the brakes, and i know that she'll lock up the rear if you want it so i wouldnt let the drums vs disc be a major deciding factor. But i see you are looking at a 1300 and the suzuki is an 805 so you might want to decide if you want the bigger bike or not. I have never been disappointed in my c50 as far as needing more power. I've never ridden anything bigger so i cant tell if there would be a big difference or a huge difference. I can say that with me and my wife going 2-up it gives me all i want.

I was told by a dealer that the main difference between smaller and larger bikes is top speed. You get more torque but they are also heavier, so depending on the bike you may not get much more acceleration.

800cc is enough to do anything legal and a little bit more. The only issue might be roll on performance. I know that, except on totally level terrain, the roll on performance of my 800 isn't particularly amazing. It is at least as good as my car though.