Tall and heavy beginner rider here, 191cm 125kg. Smaller bikes look ridiculous on me, so I've been looking at cruisers. Also got my eye on the bigger stuff partly because I like the idea of being able to comfortably rock any size bike without it looking wrong. Only thing is in southern Germany we have actual corners, so a bike that only works on a straight highway isn't the answer.Sat on the XVS950 and XVS1300 already, both felt fine for my size. Also briefly got on a Suzuki M1800R Intruder and that thing is massive. Leaning toward the VTX1800 the most. Fuel injected, shaft drive, looks right without trying too hard. The VTX1300 would probably be more realistic for German roads but it's carbureted while the 1800 is injected.Also looking at the XV1900, which is the Midnight Star here in Europe, Roadliner? in the US. But it's belt drive and sits around 320kg which starts pushing into M1800R territory.The Road Star Warrior XV1700 interests me after the VTX1800. More muscle cruiser than bagger, sport-derived forks, better cornering clearance(?) than the others. Still belt drive. But if anything in this class was built to handle roads that aren't flat it's probably this one.The VN1700 seems to be the only one with ABS, which I don't get. But every vn1700 variant looks like something a 70y old rides to a country fair. Can you even strip the sissybar and touring kit off and make it look clean or does it just end up looking unfinished?Genuinely curious whether the Honda 100k mile reputation is a Honda thing specifically or whether any well-maintained Japanese cruiser from this era holds up the same. Is there actually a reliability gap between the brands or is it just noise?What about Triumph in this displacement range? And is there any Harley that competes here without being a money pit or is that whole category just a badge tax?
I daily a VTX1800 and i love it. Its great on city or country roads and a breeze on the highway. The only concern is gas consumption, i get about a hundred miles before the light comes on. Holds about 3 gallons before the light and i believe another gallon after the light so total range probably in the ballpark of 120-130 miles. Where i’m at, these bikes are basically free, i paid $3000 for mine from a dealer and there are private sales at $2k. If you get the pre-i-think-2005 version there’s an issue with the fuel pump regulator, easy to check and easy to repair.It’s my understanding that most other metric cruisers have about the same bulletproof reliability, so i would still consider the others, but i love my VTX. Aftermarket parts are drying up but the bike is well equipped to begin with.
>>28908793VMAX
>>28908822Not sure if I'm ready for this much power. I can control myself but still.>>28908806It's gorgeous, they go for 5k+ over here but so do all the other bikes I named
>>28908822Based. Yamaniggers need to bring it back, they sold it unchanged for 11 years and like all of their good bikes they're discontinuing with no replacement.
HOSS
>>28908865>2spd auto and a worse power to weight ratio than a 600No thanks.
>>28908793Did you try/consider the kinds of bikes cops use instead? They're usually big sport tourers and cops take those things through really tight training courses, those kinds of bikes would be much more suited to twisty euro roads. If you feel they're too small then you probably have some weird body image or self esteem issues. And they can look much chonkier if you add side panniers and a top box.I think it's stuff like BMW R 1300 R, Yamaha FJR1300 or Honda ST1300.
>>28908902No I know, they are fine. I was actually looking at the VFR 800 a lot but right now cruisers are where it's at. Also nobody near me is selling a VFR800 right now and BMWs are pretty expensive.It's not about self esteem, I took all lessons on a mt-07 and I have to stretch my legs after 45 minutes on that thing.My brother is even taller and loves his GS but I'm not into adv that much.
>>28908869Cylinderlet cope
>>28908793>Leaning toward the VTX1800 the most.expensive partshave you considered the large adv bikes?
>>28908822I fucking hate the fake intakes.
>>28908793>Leaning toward the VTX1800 the most.Rear suspension jacking during acceleration.
>>28909031I drove an old 1100GS a bunch of times and it fits me well but I'm not the biggest fan of the adv genre. I like cruisers most right now. Is parts shortage really an issue? I'd imagine you could fit a lot of aftermarket parts. or is it specifically bad on this bike?>>28909039isn't that somewhat true for all shaft driven bikes?
>>28909034They launch missiles though.
>>28909116based and Mr. Grimm pilled
>>28908793>beginner rider>XVS950>XVS1300>VTX1800>VTX1300>XV1900>XV1700>VTX1800Beginner riders in my cuntry are limited to 660cc and you're looking at bikes that are three times larger. Are you sure you can legally ride any of those bikes?
>>28909131Gayest shit i have heard in my life. An 1800 cruiser is easier than a 500 crotch rocket. And don’t let that distract you from the fact that these laws are a huge overstep and an infringement of your natural rights.
>>28909434>your natural rightsNobody has 'rights' in a penal colony.
>>28908793>beginner rider here>a bike that only works on a straight highway isn't the answerYou will run out of skill before any bike you might buy runs out of lean angle on normal roads.
>>28909131Yes above the age of 24 you can go straight for the open loicense>>28909434true>>28909552good to know
>>28909434>Natural rightsWhat the fuck does this even mean lmao.
>>28908793get a dad adventure bike (GS, etc) like all the other fat bodies. VTX's are gay fake Harley's
>>28909612European moment.
>>28909653I don't care about the brand, I just want good value. Don't like ADV bikes.
