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Anyone here ride bikes?
I rode dirtbikes as a kid (admittedly not very well), and about 5 years ago I got a hair up my ass and bought a beat up old Yamaha Virago 535 (535CC V-twin "cruiser"), took my MSF and aced it (the instructors thought I was some sort of plant or evaluator from the state because they couldn't believe I was an actual noob). The bik broke down on me so much that I was more aggravated with it and finally got rid of it (didn't take a loss, so that was nice).
Well, lately I've been bored, and I wandered down to the Harley dealer a few blocks from my house and talked about renting a bike. Surprisingly easy! Show my motorcycle endorsement and proof of insurance, put $1,000-$2,000 on a credit card as a deposit (depending on the insurance you take), and away you go! Since they closed our plant down for the Thanksgiving holiday I had the perfect opportunity to make the most of the unlimited miles. So I picked it up last Tuesday morning and returned it on Friday (3 full days). What I was worried about is the bike they let me rent. I know very little about HD models, so when they said it was a "2016 Softail Slim S" I didn't think much of it.
Holy....balls....that thing is fast. ABS front and back, key FOB, cruise control, 1800CC (113 CI) monster V-twin (of course) on a 750ish lbs behemoth. But $19,900 price tag...no thanks.
I had sooooooooooo much fun and although was tentative the first day (never been on anything close to that size) I quickly fell into the rhythm and had no issues. Of course, that means I am fully addicted to riding again.
So I've narrowed down my choices to the following:
Cruisers:
* Yamaha Stryker (1300CC, slightly raked)
* Suzuki C90T BOSS
* Yamaha Raider
* Kawasaki Vulcan (900-1600CC range)
Sports/Naked:
* Yamaha XSR900
* Yamaha FZ09
* Yamaha FZ07 (maybe too small for my 6'2", 250lbs frame)
* Ducati Street Triple
* Kawasaki Versys
So, anyone have any opinions on those bikes? I need to sit on the sports bikes to decide if I like the riding position (cruisers are all pretty much the same). If it's not comfortable for riding through an entire tank of gas at a time I'm not interested. And although the XSR900 screams "HIPSTER", it gets rave reviews for it's power, ease of use, and comfort.
I rode dirtbikes as a kid (admittedly not very well), and about 5 years ago I got a hair up my ass and bought a beat up old Yamaha Virago 535 (535CC V-twin "cruiser"), took my MSF and aced it (the instructors thought I was some sort of plant or evaluator from the state because they couldn't believe I was an actual noob). The bik broke down on me so much that I was more aggravated with it and finally got rid of it (didn't take a loss, so that was nice).
Well, lately I've been bored, and I wandered down to the Harley dealer a few blocks from my house and talked about renting a bike. Surprisingly easy! Show my motorcycle endorsement and proof of insurance, put $1,000-$2,000 on a credit card as a deposit (depending on the insurance you take), and away you go! Since they closed our plant down for the Thanksgiving holiday I had the perfect opportunity to make the most of the unlimited miles. So I picked it up last Tuesday morning and returned it on Friday (3 full days). What I was worried about is the bike they let me rent. I know very little about HD models, so when they said it was a "2016 Softail Slim S" I didn't think much of it.
Holy....balls....that thing is fast. ABS front and back, key FOB, cruise control, 1800CC (113 CI) monster V-twin (of course) on a 750ish lbs behemoth. But $19,900 price tag...no thanks.
I had sooooooooooo much fun and although was tentative the first day (never been on anything close to that size) I quickly fell into the rhythm and had no issues. Of course, that means I am fully addicted to riding again.
So I've narrowed down my choices to the following:
Cruisers:
* Yamaha Stryker (1300CC, slightly raked)
* Suzuki C90T BOSS
* Yamaha Raider
* Kawasaki Vulcan (900-1600CC range)
Sports/Naked:
* Yamaha XSR900
* Yamaha FZ09
* Yamaha FZ07 (maybe too small for my 6'2", 250lbs frame)
* Ducati Street Triple
* Kawasaki Versys
So, anyone have any opinions on those bikes? I need to sit on the sports bikes to decide if I like the riding position (cruisers are all pretty much the same). If it's not comfortable for riding through an entire tank of gas at a time I'm not interested. And although the XSR900 screams "HIPSTER", it gets rave reviews for it's power, ease of use, and comfort.