I love cruisers more than any type of bike, even though i owned alot of other types of bikes, but cruisers just fit my lifestyle more, im 20 and i got a honda vtx 1300N and i love it and i love all cruisers tbh, theyre comfortbale, sporty, luxurious and the sound is just eargasmic❤️❤️❤️
cruisers is how civilian motorcycles were supposed to be, if you look back at old motorcycles. the sport motorcycles, also vulgarly known as crotch rockets, are mimicking racing motorcycles, and are dangerous to be on traffic and roads, many accidents and people injuried or worse
Hahaha... same here. And I love to let those "real man's bike" guys know that they sure seem to put a lot of stock into what people think of their rides.
Have an 02 Honda Shadow i fixed up and got for $300. Looks like nearly new only 18k miles. Took it from San Antonio, Tx to Lake Dallas, TX and back. No problems and my added storage helped a lot. Got numb hands for weeks after. So i swapped the handlebar grips out for some better ones. Its a VT750DC but plenty of power and water cooled. I would like a Harley some day but not in the budget. Plus, a lile new $300 bike, can't really beat that. Just a carb rebuild and some wear parts replaced. Did my own back tire too. I have the Mustang seat which makes a huge difference in comfort. I do want some type of scrambler style but since I'm new and riding only about a year, i think ill stick with my ride till i can't fix it myself. Then ill look into a Harley. Till then, cruise on.
You'd be surprised how "in the budget" a Harley can be, depending on what you're looking for. You can probably pick up a Sportster with say.....20K miles, for a lot cheaper than you might think. Even the Big Twins aren't as bad as you'd expect, depending on what you really want, and how much DIY you're willing to go for.
I think you hit the nail on the head Dan. With cruisers, and especially Harley, your buying a platform, not a motorcycle. The stock motorcycles give you a starting point to create a motorcycle that meets your exact needs. With all of the OEM and 3rd party accessories that exist, almost everything on the bike can be changed to make it yours. I love stopping in at the dealers here in Tucson and seeing the parts and accessories that have come out, you never know when you might find that piece that completes your ride.
I have a big cruiser, a 2007 Yamaha Royal Star tour deluxe and I love big heavy cruisers. They ride good, are comfy all day long. I ride my bike on trips, a 500-mile day or more is what I love doing. I have cruise control, luggage rack on the passenger backrest, hard saddlebags, leg fairings, full wind screen, backrest, and a fuel countdown and other stuff you mentioned. I started on a HD Sportster many years ago, but once you ride a big dog, you never want to go back to smaller cruisers/bikes. So much more comfortable.
Perfect timing! I test road some Harleys over the weekend just for fun 😊 Speed bumps and potholes were brutal on my Honda Rebel when I was riding that. In Milwaukee basically everyone needs to upgrade the shocks on Harleys, the streets here just don't stay smooth for long.
I have a couple of V-Twin cruisers that are water cooled with drive shafts, mustang seats, custom pipes. One's a Suzuki C50 with the whole package (bags, racks, windscreen etc.) the other is a pearl white S50 with nothing but custom pipes and a Mustang seat. They're not Harley's but I'm a disabled Vet (get off my front yard old guy) and can no longer handle all that weight so high up (believe it or not riding helps keep me from going cripple). I also have a 2018 Yamaha R3 and a Yamaha SR400. Again, believe it or not the SR400 is a blast to ride, Put a pair of dual sport tires on iy and off you go.
You forgot all the other brands of cruisers. I have a Custom Vulcan, this video was already kinda pointless but after watching someone say Harley 1000 times it really was pointless. Most bikes are actually liquid cooled, only harley hasn't caught up yet. My 86 Shadow which was my first ride at 16, had a radiator and dual fan set up. I own a custom Vulcan that puts half.the Harley's I ride up with to shame, and its half if not a third the price including all the aftermarket parts and accessories
Always been a cruiser fan. You hit the nail right on the head as to why they’re so great! Going to be looking to add either a bagger or touring bike in the near future. Decisions decisions... Great video as always!
Just gonna say that your videos are always educational, I'm gonna be picking up a Honda Rebel 500 in a few months and I'm sure what I've learned from you will help keep me rubber side down! Keep up the awesome work, dude!
Chia Lee well I have several reasons to stay small, first thing is price and the 500 is a good compromise. Second is weight because I'm a skinny dude. Third being insurance, again the 500 is a compromise. If I had more money, and weighed more if definitely go for something bigger but the Rebel fits the bill
Thanks for the videos! I took the MSF Beginner Rider course at Alligator Alley Harley-Davidson in Sunrise, FL for a SWEET price - the special is offered to veterans and first responders. The knowledge and skills I gained are worth every nickel and now they treat me like family.
Couldn't agree more! Went into my MSF course offered through our Community College for only $50 with essentially zero riding experience and came out with the confidence and skills I need to practice and run the same drills on my bike ('88 Honda Super Magna) in a nearby parking lot. I can't recommend a MSF course enough to new riders!
i've owned 3 harleys, all had cruise control. right handle bar, under the star switch you'll find a screw / bolt with a funny looking 5 finger head. that is a throttle lock, get to your desired speed and snug it down just enough to keep the throttle handle from returning to idle. you can still turn it by hand. that is cruise. none of my hondas had it, not the 350 sl, the 450 nighthawk, or my 1100 shadows.
I'm about to get my first bike I'm getting a shadow vlx 600 but all of your videos have been extremely helpful. I'm doing as much research and gaining as much knowledge as I can to prepare myself before I get out there and you explain everything precisely and you make it easy to understand. Props to you and keep on making these videos!!
I just bought my first bike. It’s an 86 intruder 700. I take my msf class on the 16th and 17th. I really enjoy all the tip videos you have put out. I already have full gear too and can’t wait to get riding!
I'm watching this as I'm pretty sure my bike Is a cruiser. I own a Honda rebel 500. It's no Harley but it's a good starter bike until I get the appropriate licence for the bigger bikes. Plus I love the fact that cruisers have a low seat height for so.eone short like me. Feels safer that I can flat foot the the ground instead of trying to stretch on a sports bike
I’ve got an 05 Super Glide with an 88ci, got 70,000 . Changed out the cam chain tensioners. Come to find out they’re supposed to be changed every 30,000. They were like a plastic shoe that the timing chain constantly runs across the top of the tensioner . This is/was a huge design flaw. I did away with them and put a gear drive permanent fix. Put in an S&S cam didn’t bore it. That was 20,000 ago. I rode Honda’s for years, loved them, still love them. It took at least a month to get used to the Harley, had to learn to like it, Sometimes, it’s just too heavy. It’s when you have to maneuver in tight places . On the highway or back roads, plenty of power and you’re comfortable. If I had it to do over, I would buy a ST1300. Comfortable, maneuverability and performance. All that said, I hate the Saber, all with that faux chopper style . My son just bought a Rebel 500, haven’t ridden it yet. Gold wings are just behemoths, but they do have a reverse. Crotch rockets, no thanks. Generally I ride a minimum of 100 miles if I’m going to bother to get on the thing
Vulcan S w/ABS for the win. _Piss_ easy to ride, big power for a 650 parallel, comfortable for 4+ hours easy, 50-70mpg, extremely beginner friendly.. what's not to like. Once the goofy mirrors are replaced (exhaust too if it bothers you) it's also a great looking bike. Inb4 "It'S nOt a HaRLeY" £uck H-D, seriously. The sooner the cancer kills the host the better.
I still ride a '95 Sportster 883 Hugger with the 1200 conversion... yep, I'm that old.. lol.. no cruise control, no fuel 'anything' at all except for a gas cap and a hole under it. I have to watch the odometer on trips. Mustang seats rock. Dual backrests. Makes long trips ridiculously comfortable for rider/passenger even on a sporty. IMO, the 883 is the best sounding Harley made. Mine lost a little of that mad potato sound after the conversion. Not much, but there is a difference.
iZedCaliber grom if you dont want to travel a lot or far . its fun. If you want to travel a bit further take the reliable bmw. Its really light and fun in the corners . About the Suzuki .. I dont know much about that bike
iZedCaliber I started riding this year on a Cruiser and I loved it. I have a 1999 suzuki intruder vs800. get the 800cc you'll want more power trust me as you progress. Lol. I'm about to upgrade to a Yamaha warrior 1700 next year if funds permits.
You can get a fuel gauge for your bike with a couple OEM upgrades dude, I did it to my nightster. Also you have a throttle lock on the bottom of the housing that can be used as a poor man's cruise control. Love the channel!
Cruiser for my first bike, a Johnny Pag 300 Spyder. Light, long and low, forward controls.... kinda looks like a 883 Sportster with lots of front rake. Pain in the ass to find aftermarket parts for, even replacing the busted shifter linkage ended up being a one-off custom jobby! BUT there's still lots of stuff I can add/change/customize to my heart's (by that I mean "wallet's") content...... love the channel Dan, great to see someone who'll talk about depression in men.
I would like harleys more if the majority of Harley riders weren't so damn snobby about people riding anything else lol. That and the aftermarket for anything but harleys is hot or miss. They're like glocks with wheels, tons of fanboys and they've cornered the parts market.
I would like Harleys more if they were lighter, faster, cost less, and were more dependable. It would also be nice if their tech was a little more advanced than the early nineties. Bwahahaha. That'll never happen.
Got a 09 1200c with 3500miles for $3500 three or four years ago. 17000 miles now and all it's needed so far is tires and a battery. Stage 1 only it can outrun a newer dyna w a 110ci. I only weigh 150lbs bit I think mine might be a ringer cause I've never heard of anyone hitting the Rev limiter in 5th gear.
@@micheal49 Yep, I agree mostly. I like the styling of most H-Ds, but the tech and value is just not there. It seems like the "if you don't like money"-choice and I don't really see how I could rationally pick a H-D over an Indian or Yamaha (or anything else that fits the particular taste). Currently saving for a Rebel 500 myself.
Low center of gravity brings up an interesting point. Which has to lean further: A bike with a low center of gravity or a high center of gravity? Before you jump to the answer consider a 10 speed bicycle following a cruiser down a steep tight twisty road. Who leans more?
I rode my first HD a few weeks back and I found that it was stable until it wasn't. It was easier to ride in heavy traffic without putting my foot down constantly, but the moment it wanted to flop over it became really hard to stop. I nearly dropped it a couple times and would have if I weren't relatively large and strong. It was an OK bike, but definitely not intended for the highways here in WA.
my cruiser doesn't have a friggin fuel gauge. you'll know when it starts stuttering and dies, and you have 50 km left after turning the fuel cock to reserve. ah, good times.
Got my first bike last November, 2016 softail slim s, it took me a while to learn how to ride but I learned. Someone stole it last night, it sucks watching his videos without my bike
Hey DDFM, thanks for the video! Somewhat off topic but i wanted to ask about the Burly Saddlebags you've installed, have you had any issues with the shock mount license plate with it yet? Also, did you see if you could mount the license plate vertically? Really tempted to buy some for my sportster, they look awesome!
Hey Dan, I have heard rumor/legend that BMWs we're the safest motorcycles because of their rider position or something. Remember seeing crash videos and a TV special. Maybe 15 years ago. Maybe you could do a video on that? Idk good channel
Regarding point 1: Approaching undivided (old-school) speed bumps at a 45-degree angle can keep you from bottoming out without having to go around and off road. Cruise control is fine, but like you said not all bikes offer it. A simple solution is an aftermarket throttle lock; I make heavy use of mine on any ride over an hour or two.
Joey Farmer Ok yeah, that's a throttle lock. Got one on my Intruder and on the Shadow I had before that. A small accessory that amounts to a major QoL improvement.
I have been shopping for a decent cruiser for some time and I can say hands down the best I have seen so far is the Triumph speed master. Take into account that this is my own personal opinion here and not me stating facts. Although, I can say the price is much easier to stomach than the equivalent Harley Davidson. Just seems that with Harley Davidson you are paying for the name over everything else. I mean not saying they make bad bikes, just over priced ones.
Watching this as I own an 84 shadow 700 but have yet to ride it due to it being "built/gone through" by a buddy, can't find much in terms of reviews for it since it's so old, any feedback would be appreciated. Used to ride my mom's 2008 1200 nightster before she sold it but I wasn't exactly old enough to understand what I was doing in terms of riding, I was 11 and just knew how to go up the road to my buddy's house to show off and be a jackass 🤦🏻♂️
I'm more of an adrinaline junkie. I owned the only cruiser I would ever on and that's a Yamaha v-max (0-60 in 2.5s) but I don't have it any more but I would get another one
I have an 18 Low Rider with the 107.. Base model. Cruiser....?? Kinda more like an old "standard" of the 70's and the tech of today.. Lots of torque and good power out of the box with a LOT to add on to make even more HP. You showed one at 1:42 (Duel gauges and Black..)
If you’re looking at a cruiser cause you can’t assume that shape you have to to ride a sport bike try the new Ducati cruiser it is stupid fast and corners like a Ducati
My 1993 sportster has a throttle lock for Cruze control only bad thing about that is if I need to slow down I have to unlock the throttle first witch is scary
I have a question, at the start of the video you took both hands off the handle bars, have you done anything to prevent the bike from stalling out? And if so what did you do
The thing that bothers me the most about cruisers is the suspension. I already drove some Harleys and all looked very comfortable but were extremely hard. 😕
Andrew Jones. Ditto, monoshock suspension saves you from taking all of the impact on your spine. It dampens a lot better than dual shock softails. Hence why sport bikes usually have them bc they can take the abuse or in this case, soften the ride.
@@dustoffmedic71 the new softail street bob? got my 15 bob. test rode the new M8 softail street bob. Waaaay better. Less jarring, less bucking. Absorbed the road imperfections. Vast improvement with the m8.
Question. I have a ninja 300 (just learning) and I feel like the engine breaking is very harsh, it's a newer bike 2017 only 2.5k miles on it. But if I let off the throttle in a lower gear its slows way down, and some times it feels like it jerks alot. cuz on the throttle I'll be rolling off and then engine breaking kicks in so it lunges and if I get back on the throttle it lunges back... so it's like a very jerky ride some times... why is that???
Love your show, Dan! I'm also in Tucson, AZ. Quick note, I have a 2003 Honda Shadow Sabre 1100, which is liquid cooled. All of the Honda Shadows I believe are liquid cooled, as are the Yamaha Star and some of the Kawasaki cruisers.
Lael C Clark Yamaha's Star bikes are not liquid cooled, brother. Not Drag Star 650, nor Midnight Star 950... But you're correct about Shadow. Every Honda Shadow is liquid cooled, and every Yamaha Star are air-cooled. Mine is a '04 DragStar 650. Awesome bike.
Wow no cruise control. I have a 2014 iron 883 it has a knob that I can twist with my thumb that keeps pressure on the throttle so I can take my hand off.
Being a cruiser is no excuse for no cruise control. My almost-40-year-old yamaha maxim has one. Yours is weird my guy. Loved the vid though. Keep up the good work 👍
Hey Dan, I am about to get my license and I was thinking about getting the rebel 500. Love the style! My concern is that I will be taking some unpaved, back roads sometimes. Would be fine for that?
jean morelli The rebel was what i tested on. It was smaller than the 500 it seemed. Anyways, off road is risky on anything not a dirt bike in my opinion. I would get tires for the majority of the road type your riding on. Street tires do little off road as far as traction. In a straight line you can still brake and spill over. Plus, dirt bikes have better clearance. From the Honda Rebels I have seen and ridden, clearance isn't very great. A rebel is more for inner city where high speeds above day 65mph are rare and you just need to get around cheaply, quickly and park in tight spaces. I may be wrong but just based on my experience. Get a bike for the conditions you plan on riding on. Cruisers for the long ride on pavement, sport bikes for the track or inner city for pep and take off and Dirt bikes or those duel sports for off road. Unless you mean just for say a dirt path or gravel path but nothing hard core. Then maybe but witb the tires and clearance, i wouldnt go with a Honda Rebel. Hope this helps. Cheers.
Thank you!! I am more torwards a bmw g310gs. I will be going into some surf spots and camping with the bike. As well a lot of highway. Wont be hardcore offroad but maybe the bmw is a better choice for me
jean morelli depends on how hard the dirt roads get, I mean the regular fire road shouldn't be a problem for any bike. Just slap a belly pan on there and you are good to go. May I suggest looking into a used Yamaha bolt or xv950 depending on where in the world you live. Or if you plan on going with an adventure bike the older f650gs or g650gs, both reliable as hell and surviving some drops (don't ask me how I know)
Hey Jean, have you not heard of the honda cb500x ? similar engine to the rebel and price not far off, more ground clearance but not too tall and right tyres for the job, -loads of interesting videos on utube about how good they are, just a thought, have fun.
Can you get automatic cruisers like 125s I'm doing my cbt soon but I love cruisers and I'd like to spend at least a year just learning the road on an automatic before going for manual and just wondered thanks for the help
You probably won’t find an automatic cruiser. I’d recommend taking a MSF course, they have manual bikes to learn on. They’re typically 250cc. It’s easier than you think.
I'm sorry I thought that this was a cruiser review ,not an advert for Harley's , I have a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic that is chromed out ,and 99% of it came from EBay and some parts such as made by Cobra I had imported from the States all at a fraction of what it would cost to do the same to his Harley .If you like Harley's fine ,and good luck to you ,but before you decide on a bike have a good look around at what you can get for you're money ,as you may be pleasantly surprised.................Take care out there no matter what the hell you ride
Any fuel tuner is going to void the powertrain warranty except the scream'n eagle one which is only tuned for their products. The EPA got upset that Harley was selling and servicing "race only" tuners so now anything that isn't approved gets denied as part of the settlement.
