Commuting on a cruiser?

[jeremysprite]

I've been thinking lately of selling the second car and buying another bike for me to commute on.
I've ridden 150s, 250s, 400s and had a GT650 for a while. Been really into sports bikes most of my life but since owning a 400 il4 for a while then going to the torquey 650 I've totally fallen for torque over hp..
I've been looking at a few older cruisers, Suzuki savage and intruder in particular, probably only the 650+ as I'd lie to take my wife for a spin every so often and go for short cruises myself.

My question is, what's it like commuting with one of these bikes everyday? I normally ride through 50-60km/h stuff, not really stop start, filtering type traffic. I found the 650 quite heavy but guess I'll just have to get used to that.

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[ellipsis]

...not as heavy as a bus though, mind you...

[leathel]

low center weight, easy enough to handle, can idle through the gears rather than rev it out...

Some are a little tall in the gearing but mostly OK

My 750 is fine, the older USA made 1100 is a little taller in the gears so isn't quite as easy to idle along (to high in one gear revving a little in the other)

Not as fun as a Motard in town but a lot easier to get on and off for the missus ;)

[AllanB]

Why the heck not is the real question! Get into it mate.

[Big Dave]

The main issue is handlebar width. Particularly if it's in the reasonably narrow range of car mirror heights.

Raise or lower the bars out of that range for best results. Then cruisers are skinny and good at low speeds.

Sitting lower isn't the optimum - nicer if you can see over the traffic, but eh.

Theoretically, you've invested in aesthetics in a cruiser. It's about the look, non? Commuting on it and keeping it tidy eventually becomes a pain.


Overall: Doable, but not the best tool for the job.

[GrayWolf]

To add to Dave's comments
Cruisers can be longer and slower steering than a sprotbike etc.. So can be difficult to man-oeuvre in close traffic...
what they can offer though is with 650+ is an easy level of torque for slow speed riding that is easier than a 4pot that needs a lot of revs, clutch slip

[Theantidote]

i commute regularly on the viagra 1100...no dramas...nice and laid back with plenty of no traffic grunt to have a bit of fun on...
the handle bars width is a really good point as a friend has a sporty with super wide bars...no good for lane splitting...
the older model intruders between 700 and 800 cc's i reckon would be a barrel load of fun for sure...nice and low for the lights yet with ample go power when you want it...2 up though, she maybe a little uncomfortable on the p pad...but for cruising on your own i think you'd have a lot of good times...
plus they're cheap enough...bastards...now that i've got the viagra they've all come down in price by about a grand...good luck bro and have fun but be careful lanesplitting...even on gentle curves cagers cant see you (even if we're looking) and those fucktards on cellphones with blonde hair can be the worst...

[RDJ]

For most of the past year I've been commuting to and around the Sydney CBD on a 1200 Sporty. Big enough to still go on long weekend trips but small enough around the city to be nimble. Nimble being still relative of course. Fits narrow gaps rather well, even though its turning circle is not like a Vespa's. Main issue is a relatively high-effort clutch in stop-start traffic (since filtering is banned). But always fun.

[ruaphu]

Yep, commuting on a cruiser can be a pain if your lane jumping, spliting or out running things making life stressful. That style of ride is not what cruisers are about. HOWEVER if your happy to sit back and go with the flow, no issues. I do it most days on a fully 'dressed' behemouth 2000cc Kawasaki Vulcan. Yep it's like punting an oil tanker down a Venice water way but hey, I know my limititations and importantly the bike's and provided I don't do anything dumb it makes for a stress free cruise with all that torque available.

Once I hit the highway, it's a laid back affair using all available torque to out hustle anything in a relaxed unstressed manner. I've been there done that on sports and sports touring bikes, all good, just always felt busy and not really got the most out of riding. I found the change cruiser to be a good one, makes for a more relaxed enjoyable (if ya keep limitations in mind) ride in my view. Prior to having cruisers, in all honsety I thought they were just pigs, however after two years aboard two large capacity cruisers, all good and way more enjoyable.

Re the slow riding and wieght, ya get used to it after a while. I tend to use a combination of clutch feathering and rear brake application with the tight slow speed manoverability stuff, makes things way easier.

Cleaning....................................Hmmmmm m yeah can be a pain if I do alot of wet weather stuff. I've taken to spraying the bike with a dry silicone, everything just hoses off now, makes things a dodle. Cheers Ando

[Old Steve]

I did 24000 on my first cruiser including a lot of commuting - a Hyosung GV250. Then did another 9000 on my Suzuki Boulevard M50, I loved that bike and rode to work and took the long road home as often as I could.

I think the mid size cruisers - 750 to 950 - are a great choice for one up, two up and commuting. And you're spoiled for choice too.

There's the:

Suzuki Boulevard M50 (my choice so naturally first in the list, did I say that I loved that bike)
Suzuki Boulevard C50 (if you want the more classic cruiser look, but footplates so I didn't consider it)
Yamaha V-Star 650 and 950 (the 1100 has pegs instead of footplates so is my favourite of the V-Star range)
The Kawasaki VN900
Honda Shadow 750 (I felt the Shadow 750 was a little heavier and lower powered than my M50, but horses for courses)
The Harley Sportster, the small one - what is it, 883 cc? (though it has a peanut tank as standard, I think the larger tank was available as an option but probably not that available in the pre-loved market)
Triumph Bonneville in all it's guises, including the Triumph America (the Bonnevilles probably have a higher bar than most classic cruisers, if that's a concern for you)
Hyosung ST-7 (I liked the test ride I took just after getting my full license, not sure how many were sold and if they're available on the pre-loved market. Keep an eye on the chrome, give it a good Autosol as soon as you get one and reapply often)
Hyosung GV650, the V-Rod wanna lookalike, never ridden one but heard they are a reasonable ride (same applies as for the ST-7)

There's a cheap CF Moto 650 on sale over here in Oz, don't know if they're available in NZ but they look a little bit like a small ST1100 or FJR1300 - not sure of the quality though as they're made in Chine.

Can't readily think of any more, but that's a good list of bikes for you to get around the dealers and have a sit on/take for a test ride. Then look for the one you like with the condition, mileage and price which fits your needs.

[ital916]

I used to commute 75 km's round trip in Auckland on a voyager 1800 full dresser, and I managed to lane split safely, without ever coming close to putting a scratch on it. The smaller cruisers like the m109 are great to commute on.

[ellipsis]

...I used to commute to work on Sikorsky 76's and 61's...they were big and filtered ok...

[SMOKEU]

A Hayabusa has plenty of torque, and it will be fine 2 up as well.

[ital916]

Oh, and one little gripe with the OP, you'll find IL4s, triples etc can produce more torque than a twin, no such thing as " more torquey", it is just that the power delivery is different. Grinds my gears when people say my bike is more torquey, or this is more torquey. Fuck that word.

My bus puts out about 101 ft-lb at 6900 (american units grrr)

A trumpy thunderbird (same year - 300 cc more) puts out 108 ft-lbs at 3000 rpm. Similar torque figures, just a different delivery see.

[Theantidote]

I did 24000 on my first cruiser including a lot of commuting - a Hyosung GV250. Then did another 9000 on my Suzuki Boulevard M50, I loved that bike and rode to work and took the long road home as often as I could.

I think the mid size cruisers - 750 to 950 - are a great choice for one up, two up and commuting. And you're spoiled for choice too.

There's the:

Suzuki Boulevard M50 (my choice so naturally first in the list, did I say that I loved that bike)
Suzuki Boulevard C50 (if you want the more classic cruiser look, but footplates so I didn't consider it)
Yamaha V-Star 650 and 950 (the 1100 has pegs instead of footplates so is my favourite of the V-Star range)
The Kawasaki VN900
Honda Shadow 750 (I felt the Shadow 750 was a little heavier and lower powered than my M50, but horses for courses)
The Harley Sportster, the small one - what is it, 883 cc? (though it has a peanut tank as standard, I think the larger tank was available as an option but probably not that available in the pre-loved market)
Triumph Bonneville in all it's guises, including the Triumph America (the Bonnevilles probably have a higher bar than most classic cruisers, if that's a concern for you)
Hyosung ST-7 (I liked the test ride I took just after getting my full license, not sure how many were sold and if they're available on the pre-loved market. Keep an eye on the chrome, give it a good Autosol a but that's a good list of bikes for you to get around the dealers and have a sit on/take for a test ride. Then look for the one you like with the condition, mileage and price which fits your needs.

Wow that's a really well thought out list of pros for those models mentioned...well done sir