Jap cruisers

[Motu]

Japanese BIKES rarely need maintaining .

Not if you buy a new one every year - but ultimatly they will need repair.For those of us who ride bikes constantly in need of repair through old age,the ability to actualy be repaired is an advantage.If you like to work on your bikes yourself....having a bike that's nice to work on is very rewarding.

[Woody@nztrails.com]

We all love the bikes we had in the past and I managed to con the wife into letting me buy a VT100ACE new back in 97. I thought it was a great bike but looking back, I have to laugh when I think of the little touches Honda added to give it that "american" feel, no counter balance shaft in the motor and the "Made in America" printed on the back of the pillion seat. Had an HD rider tell me one day "America was the name of an area in Japan"!
In my opinion, they were trying too hard to be just like HD.
Never had any problem with the shaft drive either, thought it was great.
I do like the look of the M109 but after many years of wanting an HD myself, I would at least have to give one a go.
And yes, I wave to anyone on two wheels although back in 97 I found the sports guys and the HD riders didn't wave back much!

[popelli]

Yamaha has made a line of shitty cruisers too, theyre made for short arsed people and all those roadstars etc are ugly, just in my opinion

have to agree with you on that, but the viragos have been around for over 20 years so somebody must love them and you don't see many broken down on the side of the road

[scumdog]

yes ditched the belt on my bike 10 years ago

best thing I ever did

Why so?

Apart from a bit of stetch if you're putting real grunt through it a belt is pretty much o.k. for most bikes, - more expensive I grant you but cleaner, quieter and less maintainance.

[terbang]

Never ridden a jap cruiser though a lot of them look pretty nice and maybe I will get something of the sort sometime. Used to ride with a mate who had a Suzuki 1500 (not sure of the model) and he could move it along quite well. He bought a sprot bike and we only see him in the distance now. He is still raving about the merits of ground clearance. only cruiser I have ridden ws a Harley which was cool but it was old and did tend to have bits fallin off it all the time.

[Bonez]

Japanese BIKES rarely need maintaining and nowhere near as much as HD's

BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Waylander]

I would have to say the best looking one was my custom XV1600 Roadstar which is listed on trademe for Holeshots, but best power has to be The New M109R which has more song than Led Zep, and more grunt than any other cruiser i have ridden including the following: VN2000, VL1500, C90, VT1500, VZ1600 Marauder, V-Rod, Road king 1550, Deuce. The only thing with more snot at the wheel is the Rocket3 which has to be my next bike......

I can almost bet you my Vmax has more pull. Need to talk tot eh guys at the MotoGB and see if they will let me take that hideous beast thing out for a quick spin to find out for sure.

[Rogue Rider]

I can almost bet you my Vmax has more pull. Need to talk tot eh guys at the MotoGB and see if they will let me take that hideous beast thing out for a quick spin to find out for sure.

Hey man, I'd have to agree, I had a 92 V-Max and boy it raged against anything. I had completely forgotten the torque and power it had. Have you seen the new/ old K5 limited production UK/US V-Max. It was a very streetfighter styled bike with twin under over bar lights, and a massive 300mm rear tyre. The front was a 190mm as well and it looked absolutely mean. I saw it and a write up on www.wheelsofgrace.com magazine. It was very impressive, and looked radical. Go the V-Max, but still love my M109R until they relaes a new one (V-Max) that is anyway,

[popelli]

Why so?

Apart from a bit of stetch if you're putting real grunt through it a belt is pretty much o.k. for most bikes, - more expensive I grant you but cleaner, quieter and less maintainance.

cause it scredded itself (relatively new belt as well)

cheaper quicker and easier to fit chains and sprockets

chains are more efficeint

chains handle more horsepower

chains can have gearing altered a lot easier

chains even when buggered will get you home

chains make it easier to run wider tyres

as regards maintenance I have a scottoiler and maintenance is limited to refilling the scottoiler every oil change

apart from cleaning and my bike is more akin to a rat bike anyway and only gets cleaned about once a year if that, name one advantage that a belt has over chain

[Rogue Rider]

Push rod engines, the yamaha 1700 has these?? maybe imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

As regards Porshe designed engines, this goes back to the early 80's when the evo was introduced therefore apart from a couple of XR 750's porsche is behind every hd built for the last 20 odd years.

Archaic, why they do the business and up to recently HD had the land speed record, held not with a twin cam evo or a V rod but with a twin engine powered Shovelhead.

But you are right on one count: the V rod does match jap bikes and to quote Ozbike magazine "no self respecting harley rider would be seen dead on a it"

lots of bikes have speed records for there catogouries, gota call a spade a spade I guess, havn't seen a Jap spadehead yet but anythings possibe, or a fork head, or maybe a rake? I saw a Harley Bomfire once which was entertaining, however the jap bikes do burn better and faster too.....

[Waylander]

Hey man, I'd have to agree, I had a 92 V-Max and boy it raged against anything. I had completely forgotten the torque and power it had. Have you seen the new/ old K5 limited production UK/US V-Max. It was a very streetfighter styled bike with twin under over bar lights, and a massive 300mm rear tyre. The front was a 190mm as well and it looked absolutely mean. I saw it and a write up on www.wheelsofgrace.com magazine. It was very impressive, and looked radical. Go the V-Max, but still love my M109R until they relaes a new one (V-Max) that is anyway,

Nah, never heard of that one.

Rumors about the new one though, a guy in Barcelona says he say the new Vmax being tested around his town.

[Phoenix]

what it is with you and ugly bikes. One looks like a buffalo side on and the others tank looks like a pregnant sow

[Phoenix]

BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

whatever, I was with a group of them and they all putted out, or leaked oil, or wouldnt start up again after stopping, my bike kept running

[Waylander]

what it is with you and ugly bikes. One looks like a buffalo side on and the others tank looks like a pregnant sow

Me?

I like to be different. And what I consider an ugly bike would be different to what you consider an ugly bike.

[Phoenix]

We all love the bikes we had in the past and I managed to con the wife into letting me buy a VT100ACE new back in 97. I thought it was a great bike but looking back, I have to laugh when I think of the little touches Honda added to give it that "american" feel, no counter balance shaft in the motor and the "Made in America" printed on the back of the pillion seat. Had an HD rider tell me one day "America was the name of an area in Japan"!
In my opinion, they were trying too hard to be just like HD.
Never had any problem with the shaft drive either, thought it was great.
I do like the look of the M109 but after many years of wanting an HD myself, I would at least have to give one a go.
And yes, I wave to anyone on two wheels although back in 97 I found the sports guys and the HD riders didn't wave back much!

the sports bikes and cruisers still hardly wave at eachother, we have 7 bikes, 2 cruisers (VLX 600 + VZ800) 2 commuters (FXR 150 x2) and 3 sports bikes (CBX 750 x2 + GSF1200S)
and guys on 4 cylinder bikes dont wave much at me when Im on the M50