Metric cruiser quality?

[jafar]

Hope you mean BEFORE the ride, not DURING?

Thats optional, depends on when the whine starts from that quarter

[autos]

hi everybody, just read all the above with interest as i too have just graduated to a full licence at the grand old age of 39 and am looking at cruisers. unfortunately here in marlborough there is no chance of a test ride as they have no or little stock. stick your necks out people, vn900 or c50 please ??

[johnnyflash]

hi everybody, just read all the above with interest as i too have just graduated to a full licence at the grand old age of 39 and am looking at cruisers. unfortunately here in marlborough there is no chance of a test ride as they have no or little stock. stick your necks out people, vn900 or c50 please ??

There is only ONE way to pick your next bike, sure, you can listen to what others views are, If you have a local cruiser group in your area, hook up and they may let you look and sit, but in the end, YOU have to ride them and put your life on it, so you need to sit on em all, get the feel for weight and balance, reach, comfort, riding position etc, then ride it, and dont just pick one, test a few breeds and sizes. Your local bike shop must have even earlier models, otherwise ring one of the main dealers in a larger city and book a day for a few test ride.. its worth spending a extra few dollars in getting the RIGHT BIKE.
If you plan on pillioning a lot then take a pillion with you also, You WILL know the right bike once youve ridden her..

as far as the two bikes you mentioned, both are great bikes. they were part of my consideration in my last purchase as was Honda, but for me with longer two up tours planned the Boulevard C90T won out.

[autos]

i agree with all you say. local suzi dealer doesnt even have a cruiser in the shop, neither does the kwak dealer, have to go to nelson just for a look see. these are the only two in my dollar range so could be a trip to chch. thanks though

[johnnyflash]

i agree with all you say. local suzi dealer doesnt even have a cruiser in the shop, neither does the kwak dealer, have to go to nelson just for a look see. these are the only two in my dollar range so could be a trip to chch. thanks though

Now from what i remember the run from Blenheim to Nelson is a great wee run for a looksee at cruisers :-) Id just ring e ask what they had (or check the website first if they have one) then ring and book the bike for a test ride on a day that suits you.. once you have a make and model sorted you can even look further afeild on trademe.co.nz or autobase.co.nz to find your price range, good luck, its fun looking for that perfect ride..

[jafar]

hi everybody, just read all the above with interest as i too have just graduated to a full licence at the grand old age of 39 and am looking at cruisers. unfortunately here in marlborough there is no chance of a test ride as they have no or little stock. stick your necks out people, vn900 or c50 please ??

VN 900 seems the best bet on the surface of things, the 900cc motor for a fraction more than the cost of a C50 & is the only one in the 'mid size' class with a disk rear brake. Also the VN 900 looks very similar to the VN1600 Meanstreak & thats not a bad thing

Yamaha XV 650 or Honda VT750C2 should also be on your shopping list !!

[Tank]

VN 900 seems the best bet on the surface of things, the 900cc motor for a fraction more than the cost of a C50 & is the only one in the 'mid size' class with a disk rear brake. Also the VN 900 looks very similar to the VN1600 Meanstreak & thats not a bad thing

Yamaha XV 650 or Honda VT750C2 should also be on your shopping list !!

But the VN900 has that funny looking front wheel

[jafar]

But the VN900 has that funny looking front wheel

There are 2 models of the VN900
One is a cruiser & the other is more of a tourer

[P38]

hi everybody, just read all the above with interest as i too have just graduated to a full licence at the grand old age of 39 and am looking at cruisers. unfortunately here in marlborough there is no chance of a test ride as they have no or little stock. stick your necks out people, vn900 or c50 please ??

Boulevard C50T. nuff said!

[Virago]

hi everybody, just read all the above with interest as i too have just graduated to a full licence at the grand old age of 39 and am looking at cruisers. unfortunately here in marlborough there is no chance of a test ride as they have no or little stock. stick your necks out people, vn900 or c50 please ??

Hi Autos, welcome to the site...!

At the end of the day the choice is yours, but this review might help you:

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roa...c50/index.html

Good luck.

[autos]

hey thanks guys i just checked out that review and they seem to be neck and neck. the c50 is cheaper with the summerfest by far as i see it. im longer concerned with the c50 smaller tank, rear drum 100 cc lack, they dont seem to make that much of a difference. two year warranty on the vn is attractive though. am hoping to see the vn in the flesh again on saturday but looks like a 4hour trek to chch to see the suzi. just gets harder to put one ahead of the other

[johnnyflash]

hey thanks guys i just checked out that review and they seem to be neck and neck. the c50 is cheaper with the summerfest by far as i see it. im longer concerned with the c50 smaller tank, rear drum 100 cc lack, they dont seem to make that much of a difference. two year warranty on the vn is attractive though. am hoping to see the vn in the flesh again on saturday but looks like a 4hour trek to chch to see the suzi. just gets harder to put one ahead of the other

15.5Ltr Tank size is an issue for some people, I thought it would be for me as my C90T-vl1500 is only 14L but with 2up I still get 220-260kms per tank and I find stopping every 150-200kms suits us fine, we are cruisers after all, it aint a race where 10 mins to refill and grab a drink is going to make a hell of a difference, and there aint many places in NZ you cant get fuel every 100kms, Btw zuki cruiser warranty is also be 2yr unlimited Kms

[Edbear]

Boulevard C50T. nuff said!

Ummm! Wot he said...

[P38]

hey thanks guys i just checked out that review and they seem to be neck and neck. the c50 is cheaper with the summerfest by far as i see it. im longer concerned with the c50 smaller tank, rear drum 100 cc lack, they dont seem to make that much of a difference. two year warranty on the vn is attractive though. am hoping to see the vn in the flesh again on saturday but looks like a 4hour trek to chch to see the suzi. just gets harder to put one ahead of the other

I can get 300kms outta my C50T with 1/2L to spare and regualry do 280+kms between fills.

You wont even notice the 100cc difference between bikes.

Warrenties are fine but new bikes these days are very rarely defective, hence the reason for extended warrenties, Just bit of a sales gimmic to entice you.

As for brakes, the Suzuki is pretty tourquey cruiser, just shut the throttle down, drop one gear and you are slowing up pretty fast. Even two up I got plenty of braking power, let the engine do most of the work, save the brakes for when you really need them.

Either way your not going to be dissapointed both bikes are

BLOODY AWSOME MACHINES

[jafar]

hey thanks guys i just checked out that review and they seem to be neck and neck. the c50 is cheaper with the summerfest by far as i see it. im longer concerned with the c50 smaller tank, rear drum 100 cc lack, they dont seem to make that much of a difference. two year warranty on the vn is attractive though. am hoping to see the vn in the flesh again on saturday but looks like a 4hour trek to chch to see the suzi. just gets harder to put one ahead of the other

The suzuki is $12,990 summerfest 'deal' & the Kawasaki is $12,995 , for the $5.00 extra I know where i would be going
Often the difference between 2 bikes is the respective dealers, if one seems better than the other often thats all thats needed to swing the purchase.
After sales backup is also a major consideration, keep this in mind when talking to the different dealers & riders of different brands of bike. A Suzuki might be best in chch because of the dealer but the kawasaki may be a better bet in say nelson.