NOT getting a new bike, but what do I fancy?

[Old Steve]

Had my 6F for 6 months now, and still love riding GLORIA my 205 Hyosung GV250. She can cruise at 120 km/hr, gets about 350 km on a tank with reserve still in reserve, is great around town - light at 160 kg, not too wide, is a larger bike for her engine size so I feel visible on her, and her seat is low enough for my feet to land flat on the ground - yeah, I'm challenged in the inside leg measurement.

So if I was to consider a replacement, what would it be? I have a chance of picking up a Suzuki Boulevard C50T at a very attractive price. But here's a list of my needs/wishes/preferences:

Cruiser - I'm too old to spend the rest of my riding life with my chest glued to the tank top and my heels jammed up the crack of my bum
Vee Twin (love the sound!)
700 to 900 cc - would go to 950 if the Yamaha V-Star met all my criteria
Range about the same as I get on GLORIA, 350 km before refuelling or need to stretch, that'd probably mean an 18 L plus tank
Shaft drive. Maybe - and I mean maybe - I'd consider belt drive. I've had enough of wiping ScottOiler residue from the rear mudguard and wheel, and I am not an off tarmac rider.
Alloy wheels - that means tubeless tyres
Foot pegs - I'm not old enough to even want to consider foot plates.
Not a Honda Shadow 750 - they've got close to the same power-to-weight ratio as GLORIA, I'd rather keep riding her than change across to a Honda Shadow 750.

Some thoughts on bikes in that size range I've looked at.

Suzuki Boulevard C50 and C50T. Spoke wheels, and I'm not a spoke cleaner and prefer tubeless tyres. Also the 'ducks arse' turn up at the bottom of the mudguards turns me off - if I owned a C50 then the first thing it would get would be a trimming of the bottom of the mudguard.

Suzuki C50C, shaft drive, alloy wheels, 805cc, vee-twin all going for it. Just those aweful ducks arse mudguards and the foot plates. I understand you can just swap M50 pegs for the footplates, the mountings on the frame are the same, you just need to find an M50 owner who wants plates.

Suzuki Boulevard S50. Narrow front tyre and small tank. Otherwise meets all the rest of my criteria. Supposed to be the best handling of the Boulevards.

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic. Spoke wheels and belt drive. I like the wider front tyre, the traditional cruiser look. Seems an attractive bike and meets most of my criteria.

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom. Alloy wheels, but narrow front tyre. Oh well, you can't have everything.

Yamaha V-Star 950. Alloy wheels, wide front tyre, but belt drive.

Hyosung ST-7. Took one for a test ride, liked it very much. Classic looks (after the GV650, Hyosung had to get something right), wide front tyre, alloy wheels, but belt drive.

Honda Shadow 750. Heavy, low powered. Spoke wheels, but wide front tyre. i wouldn't consider a move to a Honda Shadow 750 a move up.

Suzuki Boulevard M50. Guess that's the one I've really been thinking of. Either the previous model with the kicked up rear mudguard, or the new nose cowl model (though buying new isn't really a financial consideration).

[Ender EnZed]

But here's a list of my needs/wishes/preferences:

Cruiser - I'm too old to spend the rest of my riding life with my chest glued to the tank top and my heels jammed up the crack of my bum

Have you ridden many bikes that aren't cruisers? There are a lot of bikes with a decent upright seating position that aren't cruisers. If you like the look then there's nothing wrong with that but it could be worth trying out something different.

[quattro]

+1

A lot of bikes have to be ridden to be understood. I started riding naked bikes because I love them and didn't give a monkeys about cruisers or adventure bikes or race bikes until I actually rode a couple of them. The more styles of bikes I rode, the more I came to understand what they're about. Now I have the same eclectic taste as most bikers have. I think you need to examine whether some of your requriements are prejudices. If they're not- that's grand but I would at least allow other bikes to give you something to think about.

[St_Gabriel]

Gday Steve, as Ender just said, try a standard position bike, you might be surprised. I know I sure was. Pop into GB suzuki (or whatever they are called) at the Mount and try a Gladius SFV650 on for size (if they got a demo to try). It sure made my search for a new ride a whole lot more varied

[baffa]

Agree with the others. A touring-ish model like a 900 honda hornet (bar the fact it is chain drive and not really a tourer) could suit you down to the ground.

[imdying]

Might be worth taking a Gladius for a hoon.

[nodrog:Me]

Go and see Chris at Baycity and have a yarn to him about the ER6n.

[ukusa]

Suzuki Boulevard C50 and C50T. Spoke wheels, and I'm not a spoke cleaner and prefer tubeless tyres. Also the 'ducks arse' turn up at the bottom of the mudguards turns me off - if I owned a C50 then the first thing it would get would be a trimming of the bottom of the mudguard.

Suzuki Boulevard S50. Narrow front tyre and small tank. Otherwise meets all the rest of my criteria.

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic. Spoke wheels and belt drive. I like the wider front tyre, the classic cruiser look. Seems an attractive bike and meets most of my criteria.

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom. Alloy wheels, but narrow front tyre. Oh well, you can't have everything.

Yamaha V-Star 950. Alloy wheels, wide front tyre, but belt drive.

Hyosung ST-7. Took one for a test ride, liked it very much. Classic looks (after the GV650, Hyosung had to get something right), wide front tyre, alloy wheels, but belt drive.

Honda Shadow 750. Heavy, low powered. Spoke wheels, but wide front tyre. i wouldn't consider a move to a Honda Shadow 750 a move up.

Suzuki Boulevard M50. Guess that's the one I've really been thinking of. Either the last model with the kicked up rear mudguard, or the new nose cowl model (though buying new isn't really a financial consideration).

Was one of your criteria Japanese too?

Here's another option, Triumph America/Speedmaster (similar bikes, Speedy has blacked out engine, dual front disc, gunfighter seat. America more chrome, passenger friendly.
Both have;
Parallel Twin (not a vee, but still good sounds with aftermarket pipes)
865 cc (or 790 on earlier models)
Fatter front tyre
Alloy wheels (some earlier ones had spokes I think)
Chain drive
16.4 L tank, newer models have 19.2 L
Foot pegs are std, although some people will have fitted boards as option



or you could go the 883 Harley?

[hellokitty]

Might be worth taking a Gladius for a hoon.

Love the Gladius! If I wasn't so in love with my bike, I would be seriously tempted by one...

Agree with the others. A touring-ish model like a 900 honda hornet (bar the fact it is chain drive and not really a tourer) could suit you down to the ground.

Everyone that I have ever spoken to that has a Hornet loves them! Perhaps you should test ride one?
I mean, I loved my GN250 until I rode other bikes and realised what else was out there....

[HenryDorsetCase]

Buy my Scrambler!

or a Street Triple...

[skinman]

my 2c Motto Guzzi Nevada or California
You wont find to many bikes with a 350k range. My C50 does 270 on 13 litres, 1 up & not hurrying.
I found the S50 too short. I wasnt looking for anything as big as the C50 till I rode 1.

[hellokitty]

Buy my Scrambler!

Scrambler!!! I see this guy on one every morning, and I always think how cool it looks!

[Old Steve]

I have tried the Kawasaki W800, and sat on members of the Bonneville range too. All have too high a seat. I've discounted naked bikes as I've assumed the seat will be too high.

Love the look and feel of the Triumph America and Speedmaster, but both are chain drive. Knew the HD Sportster 883 was somewhere in my criteria, but don't see myself as a Harley Davidson rider - just don't like tassles!

Thanks for the comments, I'm editing my original post to include the Suzuki C50C.

Scrambler!!! I see this guy on one every morning, and I always think how cool it looks!

I'm just a little old to ride a scrambler, my kidneys don't mind how un-cool I look.

[Big Dave]

Just don't buy what you like - you ran out of valid reasoning in the first post.