What are some good cruisers for a first time rider?

Question

Like brand wise and the actual bike too. thanks

Answer 1

Pretty much all of the major "metric" bike manufacturers build great cruiser-style bikes.  Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki...they all build dependable, stylish bikes in the 500-750cc range that will serve a first time rider well.  Just go to their websites and nose around, or hit the dealerships to eyeball the bikes in person.

A few things to look for on whichever cruiser you buy.  1) Stay away from spoke wheels.  They require tube tires, and if you ever have a flat it's a real hassle to get it up and running on your own.  Spend a little extra money to get a bike with non-spoke wheels & tubeless tires.  With tubless tires you can just plug the puncture, air up the tire, and head down the road.  2) Warranty.  3) Comfortable seats.  This should be a real deal breaker for you.  Crappy seats make riding damned unpleasant. (To be honest, most stock seats suck.) 4) Fuel capacity.  Bigger is always better.  5) Size matters...especially with engines.  As a first-time rider though, I'd go no larger than 750cc.

Good luck and happy shopping!

Answer 2

First, please take the MSF course.  As far as cruisers go, for the beginner, I would recommend something used and smaller, as small as the Yamaha or Honda 250.  You would use that until you gained some experience and confidence.  Then, trade up to any maker's cruiser.  All makers are putting out quality products.  You have to decide what size, how much power (bigger is not always better), weight, etc.  I ride a Honda VTX1300 and love it.

Good luck.

Answer 3

The only good cruisers out there are Harleys.  All the others are close copies of a Harley, but don't quite have the style, sound, etc. that a Harley possesses.  I'd suggest a Sportster, Dyna or Softail.  I've been riding for 30 years and have ridden both j*p bikes and American bikes.  My Harley is my favorite.  Be sure to check them out before you make a final decision on a bike purchase.

Answer 4

Cruisers are really a poor class of bike.  They are all about copying that harley look, and this always comes at the expense of performance.  Sure they are good beginner bikes because they are benign.  Your money would be much better spent on a dual sport or a naked bike.

But if you do care about that look so much the only choice is a Harley.  It is true that any of the metric crusiers are much more bike for the money but they all still underperform in the world of bikes.  People who care about that corney 1930's style all see the Harley as the icon.

Answer 5

This is dependent on your size and what you will be using it for. Need more info.

Answer 6

You didn't say anything about your age. Depending on your maturity level you could go up to a Honda 750 Shadow. Get the shaft drive model. Used to be a new rider would get a 250 move to a 500 and them move up etc. Today each step up costs like heck so jump in and be careful.  You could get a good year or more on this bike before you move to more cc's.

Answer 7

If you are ready to ride a Yamaha V Star Custom - 40-cubic-inch (649cc) air-cooled 70° V-twin; SOHC, 2 valves/cylinder would be a good start.

or the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD Four-stroke, DOHC, eight-valve parallel twin Displacement 498 cc .  

A 250 is good bike to learn to ride on but you will get tired of it quickly.  A 500 to 800 would give you great performance, fuel mileage, and not too bad a ride.  

Answer 8

suzuki gz250

Will go fast enough for freeway, but I wouldn't drive cross country with it.  Doing 400 miles round trip with a 10 minute break once an hour or so doesn't scare me, though.

Answer 9

What others have said is right.  Experience, Age and size are need to knows.

Look at the Suzuki GS500.

( I have said this so often I am thinking about maybe hitting Suzuki up for a promotion fee.)  

Answer 10

Used Kawasaki Vulcan 500

Answer 11

first of all there is a tubeless spoke rim,second of all spokes flex so they contribute to a smooth ride. any of the j*p cruisers are good bikes personally I would stay away from a driveshaft. Its only advantage is low maintenance. However they are weird in the rain. They also cause the bike to flex or jack up and down when shifting.Also a driveshaft is heavy.  stay away from the 650 yamaha V star they throw a rod around 45,000 miles. I have had many of them in my shop for that reason.