Important features of a cruiser

Whenever I have the grand opportunity of finally buying a bike, I'm planning on purchasing a cruiser. I want it to be something I could take road trips on, but also something that's not quite as expensive and large as touring bikes, which is why I think a cruiser is my best choice. I want a bike with good handling (there are some pretty windy roads where I'm from), but it's not like I'm going to be taking them at a hundred miles an hour. Also, something that can go up and down mountains with relative ease is a must. What are the main features I should look for in a cruiser with these capabilities? In other words, what sorts of specs would tell me that the bike fits my needs?

Aqualung, since I've dived a lot, I'm curious, where are you from?

I ride a Suzuki C90T. It's a 90 cu in V-twin equipped with saddle bags, a windshield, lowers, and a passenger backrest. I bought a rack for the back, engine guards (called crash guards when I was a kid), and highway pegs. Other than that, it was fully equipped for cruising. It has plenty of torque and goes down the highway as fast as I wish to travel, sometimes 75-80 mph on the interstate. I paid $9,850 for it plus about $350 in assessories. Almost forgot to mention, it has a driveshaft and is fuel injected. The 3.7 gallon fuel tank is under the seat to keep the center of gravity down, and it handles very well. I bought it in April of this year and have almost 8,000 miles on it with no problems.

There is one thing I don't like about the C90T, and that's the 3.7 gallon tank. I like to cruise for long stretches without stopping, and that little fuel, even though I get over 50 mpg, just isn't enough for me. I rigged an aux tank on my last bike, and I'll probably do it on this one, too. Since my wife won't ride with me, I'm thinking of building a custom 5-gallon tank to replace the passenger seat, and yet give me room to tie my luggage on top. Problem solved.

Anyway, it's a great bike for about half (and people will argue with me on that) of what a Harley with less equipment will cost (specifically a Softtail Custom). Also, this is my 3rd Suzuki, and they're very rugged. It's about 1,600 miles to Key West from where I live, and I would jump on and go any time without doing anything to my bike in preparation. I trust it completely.

By the way, someone wondered if I were a Suzuki dealer - I'm not. I'm just sold on their product. Mine is metallic silver, and you can see it, I think at www.suzukicycles.com. Take a look.

Aqualung, since I've dived a lot, I'm curious, where are you from?
Oregon.

I ride a Suzuki C90T. It's a 90 cu in V-twin equipped with saddle bags, a windshield, lowers, and a passenger backrest. I bought a rack for the back, engine guards (called crash guards when I was a kid), and highway pegs. Other than that, it was fully equipped for cruising. It has plenty of torque and goes down the highway as fast as I wish to travel, sometimes 75-80 mph on the interstate. I paid $9,850 for it plus about $350 in assessories. Almost forgot to mention, it has a driveshaft and is fuel injected. The 3.7 gallon fuel tank is under the seat to keep the center of gravity down, and it handles very well. I bought it in April of this year and have almost 8,000 miles on it with no problems.

There is one thing I don't like about the C90T, and that's the 3.7 gallon tank. I like to cruise for long stretches without stopping, and that little fuel, even though I get over 50 mpg, just isn't enough for me. I rigged an aux tank on my last bike, and I'll probably do it on this one, too. Since my wife won't ride with me, I'm thinking of building a custom 5-gallon tank to replace the passenger seat, and yet give me room to tie my luggage on top. Problem solved.

Anyway, it's a great bike for about half (and people will argue with me on that) of what a Harley with less equipment will cost (specifically a Softtail Custom). Also, this is my 3rd Suzuki, and they're very rugged. It's about 1,600 miles to Key West from where I live, and I would jump on and go any time without doing anything to my bike in preparation. I trust it completely.

By the way, someone wondered if I were a Suzuki dealer - I'm not. I'm just sold on their product. Mine is metallic silver, and you can see it, I think at suzukicycles.com. Take a look.

Thanks for the info. I'll check out that bike and see what it's got.

Whenever I have the grand opportunity of finally buying a bike, I'm planning on purchasing a cruiser. I want it to be something I could take road trips on, but also something that's not quite as expensive and large as touring bikes, which is why I think a cruiser is my best choice. I want a bike with good handling (there are some pretty windy roads where I'm from), but it's not like I'm going to be taking them at a hundred miles an hour. Also, something that can go up and down mountains with relative ease is a must. What are the main features I should look for in a cruiser with these capabilities? In other words, what sorts of specs would tell me that the bike fits my needs?

First of all you mentioned mountains - where are you from?

Cruiser covers a large spread of MC from 650cc up! Here are some recommendations for features of any cruiser you might consider. After this I'll speak to Size of ride.

The seat should be comfortable and allow for some movement by the rider forward and backward.

A good cruiser should have good balance. Balance adds to the rider comfort on long road trips as well as manuvering in town. Make keeping the tires on the ground much easier over time.

Second it should have adequate weight capacity to hold the rider, and passenger or personal gear. I prefer the seat to include a 'sissy bar' and perhaps a luggage rack. The sissy bar is for both passenger comfort and safety, and for strapping a T-Bag to on longer trips.

Third, fuel capacity. Try to get at least a 3.5 or larger tank. Cruisers are meant to... well cruise. Meaning you want to be able to ride a 100-150 miles before needing to refuel. If you are just riding around town fuel capacity isn't so important. But on the road, particularly in the west, it can be a long stretch between gas stations so tank size becomes important.

There lots of other optional accessories available, but here are a few that I insist on having on all my cruisers:

Windshield - it protects the rider, reduces fatigue from head winds, keep rain, sand, bugs off your body's core. Ads a little style and class to the MC also.

Roll bars (engine gard, crash bars). In my opinion these are very important for several reason. First they do protect you! Second the protect the MC from costly and mc disabling damage in many instances.

When ( not IF) you go down the roll bars will keep your MC up off the ground to some degree. They will prevent damage to the expensive and critical elements of the MC. My wife dropped her MC a few times at very low speed. In each instance there was no damage to her MC, only to the roll bars, and that was only minor scratches. In one instance, we were taking (literally) a cow path up ( and boy do I mean UP) a mountain to a friends new house.
She hit loose rock and dumped the bike, bent the roll bar, but sustained no other damage! It cost me $168.00 for new rollbars, but I shudder to think of the expense I could have been facing in repairs had she not had the roll bars.

Roll bars also provide ssome limited protection for the rider when you go down. The bars will hold the MC off your leg and foot when you go down. It can keep you from more serious road rash on the down side. That alone is worth the price of it.

Bags. I personally prefer hard bags, I use the Leatherlike brand. Other less expensive bags are available. Bags add additional storage for road trips (clothes, Toiletries, maps, telephone, jackets, kick stand pads, rain gear, gloves etc)

T-bag. A good T-bag provides removable storage that you can take inside if you are on an overnight (or longer) trip.

Now to the actual hardware.

One of the most important factors to safe, enjoyable, and successful motorcycling is the ergonomics of the rider on a MC.

You need to be able to SIT on the MC and have BOTH feet flat footed on the ground. NOt in the showroom or driveway, but on pavement that is not level.

Next you need to be able to comfortably reach and operate all foot and hand controls. Foot controls on late model cruisers tend to be foot forward type controls. Can you reach the foot/rear break pedal? Can you depress it easily and comfortably? Can you reach the Shifter lever with boots and use it? If the MC does not have forward pegs, are your legs comfortable on them? Not for a few minutes, but long term (remember you are intending to ride for many hours)?

Lets talk hand controls.

My wife had problems with handlebars on her firat two MC. She had two MC with narrow handle bars. She kept droping her MCs when she came to a stop or made very low speed turns. The reason we discovered was the narrow handle bars plus the weight of the MC jus made balancing and holding the MC to hard for her. We got her a new MC with wider handle bars and that solved the problem. She was able to more easily and effectively manage the weight and balance. Could be an issue for you?

I also replaced her clutch and brake levers from the stock to flatter styles. This reduced her reach/pull by maybe a quarter inch, but made a huge difference in ease and comfort operating these controls.

The point is that comfortable controls allow better operator/rider control of the MC. This improves safety, confidence, control, and enjoyment of the MC.

CCs are not a major factor in my mind unless you are going to be a road warrior or serious canyon carver. Probably going to be a while before you are a REAL serious rider!

As far as specific MC recommendations I'd have to know what your budget for purchase is. But there are a few MC I would mention so that you can begin shopping and sitting on these MC. These are personal favorites. I suggest you buy used to start with.

I like the Yahama 650 V-Stars Relatively inexpensive, good looking in a Harley kinda way, good power, and light weight with low center of gravity. Dependable

Older Yahama Virago 750s or 1100s are good if you can find a good clean used one. They only make a 250s for the past few years.

The Honda Shadow series, 750 or 1100cc. A little more expensive, Great styling, dependable, plenty of power. A little higher center of gravity so requires a little more rider strenght. Honda reliablity.

I really can't speak to other brands as I have no real experience or knowledge of them. There may be good Suzuki or Kawasaki out there. I am sure others will provide feedback on their experiences and preferences.

But again, it is ergonomics that is the #2 most imporatnt factor in choosing and MC for yourself. The #1 most important factor is the rider! Use your head, control your urges to do to much to soon and you will have a long and enjoyable MC experience. CCs are way down on the list of considerations.

Start browsing the classifieds and Crags List for pricing in your area, and to see what equipment is common on used MCs. Like I said go to dealers and sit on these models to get an initial feel for differences in ergonomics. If you decide on a particular MC, come back to these forums and get a current owners thoughts on that model.

Ride safe & long (when you finally get that first MC),
Colorado Fats

Thanks, COFats - that was very in depth.

First of all you mentioned mountains - where are you from?
I live in the middle of the Cascade Mountains.

CCs are not a major factor in my mind unless you are going to be a road warrior or serious canyon carver. Probably going to be a while before you are a REAL serious rider!

Is it hard riding a bike with a large engine if you're new? All things being equal, I'd rather not have to buy a new bike once I start being a serious rider because I skimped on ccs when I first bought it.

Hey Colorado, this is off subject, but I'm wondering - when you write a long post as you just did, does it log you off if you take too long? It does me!

Hey Colorado, this is off subject, but I'm wondering - when you write a long post as you just did, does it log you off if you take too long? It does me!

Sometimes! But if I know that I am going to be long, errr... THOUGHTFUL then I compose offline and paste it on-line. Don't think one liners adequate present facts or justicfication, when subject is important to me or the poster.

I am not only a MCist, but (before I retired) a Systems Analyst. Thorough and detailed was my bread and butter!

Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats

Thanks, COFats - that was very in depth.


I live in the middle of the Cascade Mountains.


Is it hard riding a bike with a large engine if you're new? All things being equal, I'd rather not have to buy a new bike once I start being a serious rider because I skimped on ccs when I first bought it.

CCs are important only if they intimidate YOU, or you lack self control and maturity.

Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats

Hey Colorado, I was a programmer for many years before I retired for the second time, so I guess that's why we're both long winded, er, I mean, thorough! :) Thanks for ther reply. I thought it was just me.

You were discussing horsepower. I like lots of horsepower, because I can either load down my bike and not worry about it when I cruise, or I can just putt around the area. My thought about horsepower is that it gives a person more options, whether or not he uses it. I was of the opinion before I bought my C90T that bigger bikes were more unstable than smaller bikes until I talked with the salesman. He told me that bigger bikes were more stable at low speeds, because they usually had larger tires. It turned out he was right. I've said this before, and I firmly believe it. If you're some kind of fool on the throttle, you'll kill yourself no matter how small your new bike is. If you're sensible and do your best to drive safely, it won't matter how big your bike is. It all depends on the person on the throttle. As far as getting used to a bigger bike, sure it will take a little longer. But, when you're accustomed to a larger bike, it won't matter anymore.

I've got a Suzuki Intruder 1500. To me the most important things are the windsheild and the HIGHWAY PEGS. I have a dirvers backrest and can put up my feet, lean back and just cruise away. I think something in the 650 range is too small, the 1100 is just about right if you dont want to rebuy later! The 1500 may be a bit overpowered and does kick the gas milage back a ways but the strength and stability of the ride is awesome. 4 Gallons under the seat , low ctr of gravity and about a 120 mile range. Big seat so your butt don't get sore and look into a throttle lock so you can grab a drink while your goin down the road. (just make sure you mix it before you take off, as it tends to splatter in the wind if you don't)