I need help with motorcycle shopping. My husband is 6'7 and 285 pounds.?

Question

What would be comfortable for him? But of course safe and not too fast...i am his wife =)

Answer 1

any japanese big cruiser or tourer or any big harley

Answer 2

Depends what the primary usage of the bike will be. I have a CBR1000 and a Harley Road King, I'm 6'3" and 245lb. Both are comfortable, but the Harley is not feasible to use for daily commuting because it's wider and more difficult to split lanes. Also the Harley is air cooled, so while you are sitting in traffic the bike is getting warmer under you making it really miserable in the summer time. The Road King comes stock with cruise control, making it ideal for those long holiday rides. Have him go to a big dealership and sit on as many bikes as possible.

Answer 3

I would take him with you even if you want to suprise him b/c it would be bad if you got him one he doesn't like.

Answer 4

Get him a cruiser. CERTAINLY take him with you to get it. Please dont try to suprise him. Let him pick it. They will feel different, and I'm sure he'd want to pick the one that he thinks looks better then the rest.

Answer 5

Yamaha Radier

Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer

Yamaha V Star 1100 V Star Silverado

The Yamaha Star line of bikes is the BEST bikes out there right now

Answer 6

i'm assuming curiser?

he's a big boy, get him the biggest bike you can.... harley davidson road king for instance.. honda gold wing would be good too... yamaha warrior is another...

either way, remember he is one big m**o.. he needs a big bike.. dont' worry about him killing himself so much as you would if someone 5'8'' were to jump on the bike.. it'll probably be a strugle finding one that fits him comfterably to begin with.

Answer 7

it depends what he wants. A streetbike might be too small for him. a cruiser type might look better.

motorcycles feel diff and to find the perfect one u need to sit down feel it, otherwise u'll end wasting big bucks on a bike u wont even ride bc it's too uncomfortable

Answer 8

I wasn't going to answer this question until I saw all of the "get a harley" comments.  I've been riding for 30 years, owned 61 bikes, and currently build and service custom choppers.  I'm BMW, Honda, Bombardier, Triumph, and Harley-Davidson factory trained.

"Comfort" is so subjective that a bike that's supremely comfortable to ME will become uncomfortable if my mood changes, so answering the comfort question directly is impossible.

I have a question for you, the Asker: is this his first bike? If not, how experienced is he?  

If he is just getting started riding, his height and weight matter a lot less, since bikes for beginners are necessarily smaller in stature. Starting out on a big cruiser or touring bike will most likely ruin everything, since those machines are just too much to start on. It'd be like teaching a 15-year-old to drive in a UPS truck.

If he's an experienced rider, read on!

I know Harleys inside and out. I have two on my lifts at work right now, and a dozen waiting. What I DON'T have waiting to work on is a Honda. Or a Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW, Triumph, or Yamaha.  Harleys mean job security to a bike mechanic, so I love them for that reason.  The only way I'd ever recommend a Harley is if you didn't care about money.  Not only will you pay the built-in premium for the "privilege" of owning one,  but you'll pay dearly and often for repairs once the warranty runs out. Not only that, but they are maintenance-hungry, and if you don't get them serviced quite regularly, they will start falling apart, literally.  

That's not to say a Honda won't ever break, but any Japanese bike is ten times more reliable and maintenance-free than a Harley. BMW makes a broad range of bikes, and they started back in 1923, and they know what they're doing.  They are the most technologically advanced bikes I've ever worked on.  Anti-lock brakes, heated seats and grips, cruise control, a-arm (Telelever) front suspension, and a host of technical innovations that would bore you so I won't mention specifics.  

The two that surprise most people are Triumph and Victory.  Well, wow- I never typed both names before: triumph and victory seem redundant!  Triumphs are still made in Great Britain, and are brilliant machines. Victory is made in America, and they are everything Harley wants to be.

The general public has this image of Harley-Davidson as  "powerful, high quality, American-made" etc. Truthfully, they're heavy, ill-handling, weak, cobbled-together, expensive status symbols. The V-Rod is a great Harley, however!  They knocked it out of the park with that bike, but the Harley Faithful hate it! It handles better than anything Harley has ever sold, it has fantastic brakes, it's lightweight, and PORSCHE designed the engine! But it's the worst-selling bike they have. Now does that make any sense?

Conversely, Victory has succeeded in making bikes that perform as well as they look, and they don't overcharge for them. They are truly beautiful machines. If you like the general image of Harley's bikes, look very carefully at Victory.

Lastly, look at Triumph. Specifically the Rocket III.  I can't explain how that bike makes you feel. It has a presence unrivaled in production motorcycles today, and it's comparatively affordable.

Every major manufacturer has a bike that is comfortable to someone. Sitting on one is the only way to judge that. What is comfortable to me might hurt your back, and vice versa. BMW, Victory, and Triumph have the friendliest, most involved dealers in the industry. Harley dealers are focused on your money, any way they can continue to get it after the sale.  Japanese bike dealers seem about as interested in your personal satisfaction as the janitorial staff at Wal-Mart. They are strictly get-it-done types, efficient but machine-like.

The reason I included that last bit was because motorcycles are not necessary, they are indulgent.  The dealers are much more important to bike owners than car dealers are. Most Victory customers can expect to return to their dealership and be greeted by name! Triumph and BMW, too. It's an on-going relationship with bikes.

Well, I can't blab forever. Good luck, look on the internet at the things I've mentioned, get to some dealerships, sit on every bike you can, and when you find one you're really considering, sit on it as long as you can. Amazing what will start hurting after 20 minutes.