Disappointed in some bikes

As im sure you all know i have been looking for a new bike to add to the stable. I have a '99 SV650 which fills the sportbike category and now i decided I shall buy a cruiser. By my definition that mean feet forward riding position, somewhat rumbly exhaust and laid back ride. Now as most everyone knows essentially every bike company and their mother makes a cruiser like i have described.

Most all of them as very comfortable, are great to look at and appeal to me on a aesthetic level as well as comfort. All of em sound good stock or with a set of pipes. All of this is cool.

Here is where i start getting annoyed/irked/ upset:

They are slow

Insurance prevents me from getting anything larger then a 800 (for the most part) unless its a Touring bike. and by no means can i get a Sportbike. Im ok with all this.

I started to look at cruisers and found great deals on 600cc-800cc bikes. I was stoked.

I did some research to see how fast they are because i would like a bike to have some balls not to speed and crash to my death but to have some fun and get a rush and enjoy the thrill of speed.

600 ish cc cruisers are slowww as molasses. Your taking average of 16 second quarter miles at mid to high 70MPG. Pitiful but in all fairness thats a "starter/ new rider cruiser"

750 ish cc cruisers get a bit heavier but have a big boost in displacement so i got excited thinking ohhh they be quick bikes. FAIL. Your looking at average of 14 second quarter mile and up to ooooo 80ish MPH.

As of now these bikes top out around 100MPH. Before you yell about how its illegal and dangerous to go that fast and all that, i know. I understand. But the bikes just have no speed or acceleration to em.

800cc bikes disappointed me the most. These are some seriously good looking bikes. Was at a dealer talking about buying a Suzuki M50Z today. Till i found out how slow it is! 15 sec if i recall right. My Saturn does that.

A) How does a bike with such a hunk of an engine and some even with EFI move SOOOOOooo slowly? Surely the engines have the power to move it around quicker then that? Is the gearing on em that horrible that it sucks fun out of it?

B) Maybe im asking for too much. NO! Is it too hard to ask for a 12 second bike (give or take) with a foot forward cruising position that has an engine under 800cc?

C) Lastly, and i hope this is true, maybe the bikes are slow from the factory to save the average joe shmoe that cant handle a bike that size so its choked down to prevent lawsuits. Will these bikes seriously wake up with intake/exhaust/ jets? (shadows/ intruders/ etc) Will a simple tune totally change the bike OR are they just slow.

Please help me understand all this. Pick A, B or C and answer any or all or give hard facts that prove me wrong, or suggest things. (keep in mind im lokking at bikes under 2500ish bucks and stock condition at this point, might might spend more like on that M50Z i mentioned)

Thanks all and please help me out here

D) People who buy cruisers aren't looking to go fast. The bikes are built to put on the mileage, reliably.

Cruiser = not fast.

you cruise in a 66 Caddy Convertible for as long as your wallet holds out at the gas pump, A BBC powered chevelle will make 12 second runs but isn't comfortable.

you've been answering your own question

I had a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 1500fi for a while. I found it pretty slow, very heavy, and the feet forward riding position to be uncomfortable. I wanted to like it but it never grew on me. I've spent most of my riding life on sport touring or standard bikes and just couldn't get used to the sluggish feelings of the handling and power delivery. The constant dragging of floorboards got old quick too. Nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't for me. My ex-wife's SV650 was a MUCH better bike for me. I really miss that bike....

Cruisers are great to look at, that's true.

That they are comfortable is not true. Try that feet forward, curled spine position for an hour and let me know how your butt and back are feeling.

Feet foward is not a good control position either. You don't want a bike that can do much when you're so poorly perched on it. You have remarkably little control seated that way, and are hanging on only by gravity and your hand grips. And you cannot toss the bike around or dance with it. There's a reason you've never seen a dirt bike or sport bike set up this way, and it's almost all about control.

V-twins are generally slow. V-4's are generally not. The V-4 bikes are not as cool looking generally. But, there is always my beloved Yamaha V-Max. Lack of speed is not a problem with that cruiser'ish looking machine.

After we all get done bashing Harleys as slow pigs and such, with a little modification, they can scream. Make no mistake, Harley is not inherently synonomous with slow.

Feet forward sucks. Your back is vertical so every bump you hit goes in your butt and straight up your neck.

Round out the stable? You've got 50 years of riding ahead of you, take your time choosing.

Dan

If you can swing it, the only thing that sounds like it fits the bill for you might are the V-Max, V-Rod, and maybe Suzuki M109, but all are above your displacement limit.

FYI- Suggest you look at the Yamaha 920s, especially the chain drive version. Performance is actually pretty good for street riding (13 flat 1/4 mile ). There was a 750 version also.

Major modification needed is to update the starting system to the later type. Yamaha made a lot of good design decisions on this engine ( offset cylinders, dual carbs, external oil lines, etc ) but the early starting system wasn't one of them.

You're looking for a muscle cruiser. Here's a comparo or two..

Hod Rod Hearts: Meeting of the Muscle Motorcycles

The Great Musclebike Brawl

None of the cruisers will be as fast in a straight line as a liter sized sportbike from the factory. They're just not built that way. But they are easier to drag race. A friend had a Vrod for a short while and said he could demolish less experienced riders on it at the strip. But get a guy who's got some skill on a sportbike and that Vrod was toast.

But that's racing...

On the street cruisers usually have sufficient to high power but I wouldn't call them explosive like say a Hayabusa.

Find yourself a nice clean V45 Magna. They have a cruiser look, are 700 cc, and not slow. They also made a V65 Magna, but that is over your cc limit. ( the V65 was the fastest bike available until the VMax came along)

They are old now though, but clean ones are out there. Great bikes!

A good friend has a V45 Magna. Goes pretty good for a "cruiser" of "only" 700cc. 122,xxx miles on it with nothing more than occasional maintenance beyond the normal oil changes. If he were to sell it, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it (though he plans on riding it into the ground, which will be some time yet).

Cruisers are built to cruise from bar to bar on a poker run, not go fast or be ridden long distances.

I wouldn't even bother with a "small" cruiser. Keep riding little, sporty bikes until you can afford the insurance on a V-Max, probably the day you turn 25.

it is a good thing that they are slow because they don't brake very well and can't turn at all.

Speaking of cruisers, I sat on a few Victorys at the Polaris dealership today. Compared to Harleys, their designed seemed to have much cleaner lines. Not that I want to try a cruiser any time soon, how do they compare?

I'll echo the comments about feet forward. While it may look cool, it's not comfortable for great lengths of time.

I've refused to make the switch to forward controls on my Dyna, but have highway pegs, in essentially the same position as FCs, instead. I've learned to shift and brake with my heels, if I'm out on the highway pegs.

Some guys in the Dyna circle on a HD forum I frequent have put the mid pegs on their bikes, just they have another place to put their feet, for some relief of the forward controls.

dculberson wrote: Cruisers are built to cruise from bar to bar on a poker run, not go fast or be ridden long distances.

You're thinking chopper or bobber for bar hopping and poker running.

Cruisers can go fast and be ridden long distances. From my 1800 mile weekend, Milwaukee to Deal's Gap, via Ashville, NC. My buddy and I cruise at 80-85 on the I-State.

Ill have to sit on a Magna and see how i like em. ill have to find some cool custom ones for inspiration cause stock they do not do too much for me.

Chet wrote: FYI- Suggest you look at the Yamaha 920s, Major modification needed is to update the starting system to the later type.

Ill have to check these out too but i keep hearing about horrible starting problems and that worries me. Again stock they dont do much for me but i have seen some sick ones posted here and else where.

RealMiniDriver wrote:

dculberson wrote: Cruisers are built to cruise from bar to bar on a poker run, not go fast or be ridden long distances.

You're thinking chopper or bobber for bar hopping and poker running. Cruisers can go fast and be ridden long distances. From my 1800 mile weekend, Milwaukee to Deal's Gap, via Ashville, NC. My buddy and I cruise at 80-85 on the I-State.

Harley?

Yessir! FXD Super Glide

It ain't new but it went like hell. The Honda Magna V45 - The V4 was torquey, smooth and did a flawless 35k miles under the fairing of my VFR. They were feet forward but a little more upright and practical than a pure cruiser. They sound like engine porn.

Sounds like you are looking for something of this ilk,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_TrSuABke4 (aftermarket bars.. they make it sweeeet)

Either that or one of 914's goldwing strippers.

RealMiniDriver wrote: Yessir! FXD Super Glide

I just started at Hal's...c'mon by and say hi sometime.

Don't forget the V45 Magnas from the 80s. I spent time in both the 90s version and had a 84 for a while, and liked the 84 much much more. The earlier bike was a bit taller, seating was more upright, and it handled better.

(these were both used bikes though, so tires may have been a factor)