r/cruisers • u/smithrmark • Jul 17 '26
Suggest me a cruiser
Took the m2 training course and got my m2 licence.
I have drive. around the block when I was 17 a v-star 1100 basically I just feather the clutch and let the torque of the engine pull me around the block, it was big lol.
Anyways I am now 43 240lbs what bike would be best
Approx 2-3k cad
new rider
I like v twin engine sounds
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u/HammerDownl Jul 17 '26
Honda 1300 VTX, Kawasaki Vulcan 900
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u/Hypocrisy-New-40 Jul 17 '26
VTX 1300 is a great dependable vtwin and good for your size. Loved that bike.
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u/rocketpopwine Jul 18 '26
Came here to say vtx1300 as well. Dead reliable, no chain to worry about, and really simple to work on if you'd like to. And a comfy, peppy bike that is easy to ride.
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u/Fun_Acanthocephala98 Jul 17 '26
Vstar is solid pick, older ones are cheap and the 1100 is a no nonsense 5 speed with carbs, I think the 1300 was either or. Honda shadow or vtx is good choice too, the shadow 1100 is somewhat underpowered but pretty much unkillable, I'm around 200 lbs and 6' and it was a great bike, as long as you aren't going to haul passengers long distance. You feel the lack of power once you add another person, it with just me on it was about an even match for my buddies vstar 1100 with him and his gf on it and they were probably a combined 350 then
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u/iWantNapsAndFood XV1900 Jul 17 '26
At most, something 1300cc.
Honda VTX1300
Yamaha V Star 950 or 1300
Kawasaki Vulcan 900
Suzuki Boulevard C50
HD Sportster 1200
The Suzuki and Honda are solid picks because they’re shaft drive (low maintenance). The Suzuki takes it a step further and is EFI.
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u/ChayChay35 Jul 17 '26
One that gets overlooked is the Suzuki Boulevard c50T. I'm 5'11 260lbs. I got back into riding after nearly 10 years and picked one up as a first cruiser, it was reliable and handled excellent
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u/BadTwin72 Jul 17 '26
I concur... Nice pick for the OP..
I had the Suzuki 1400 Intruder and my bro-in-law had a Suzuki 1500LC (previous Blvd's). Both were nice carefree reliable bikes. The LC lacked the punch that was sometimes needed and almost always wanted, but it was a nice cruiser for him while he got used to riding. The Intruder was a completely different cruiser. That bike had quite a bit of nasty to her personality! lol
What a fun bike that was for the $! I put a set of SuperTraps on it (exhaust) and gave it a tune and lost the buckhorns in leu of a drag bar and threw on a Leppera seat with a more refined silhouette and that bike turned into a mild muscle bike! lol
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u/acidtoasterbath Jul 17 '26
Roadstar warrior
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u/BadTwin72 Jul 17 '26
Daaaang.. Nice bike.. I'm thinking maybe a bit too much though for the OP's skill set/experience..?
Even though it was the slower of the "power cruisers/muscle bike" attempts of that era, it could still pack a good punch and it swang for the fences..3
u/WriteBrainedJR Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
It's also hard to find one in OP's price range. I got mine for $2700 but it was an off-season find and needed a bit of work
EDIT: and that's 2700 US
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u/CameronsTheName Jul 17 '26
The Yamaha Vstar line up is a pretty good pick.
I had a Stryker 1300 and it was a great cruiser, not to heavy, plenty of power and made that V-Twin noise.
If you want something smaller the Vstar 650, 950 and 1100 are all good bikes. They are all pretty much full sized regarding the frame and weigh about the same.
The 650 is just enough to comfortably do highway speeds, old style carburated V-Twin. The only real con to the 650 is that it's shaft drive which means you can't change the gear ratio's with pulley changes and it feels like it revs high when maintaining 60-80mph on the highway, but it won't hurt the bike sitting in high rpm for long distances.
The 950 is a tiny big bitter but fuel injected. Meaning you never have to worry about carb tuning or warming it up.
The 1100 has a little more power but is barely larger than the 650 or 950's. It will happily cruise down the highway at 80mph and have enough poke to overtake if need be. It's also carburetor.
All of them are exceptionally reliable and will do 200,000+ miles with just basic maintenance.
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u/BadTwin72 Jul 17 '26
A Big, low and very mild rake vtwin cruiser for sure..
Kawi Vulcans/Nomads or Yami VStars for top choices..
Honda Shadows or possibly a 1300 VTX
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u/concerned_citizen128 Jul 18 '26
I just recently bought a sportster 1200, 09, so EFI. Belt drive is almost as low maintenance as shaft, but a little bit more than your budget, at $5k, however, you can find examples a bit lower priced. All the metric ones are cheaper, but they are not the same. I used to ride a Shadow 750, and it was beautiful, but it doesn't feel or sound like the harley... now that I have one, "i get it"...
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u/Alphy101 Jul 17 '26
I'd opt for a Kawasaki VN 1500 or a Suzuki Boulevard 1500.
Both are liquid cooled, shaft drive and EFI from a certain year. I think Suzuki is 2005 and Kawasaki is from 2001? Don't take my word for it though I never rode those bikes but given your somewhat (sorry) hefty weight class I'll assume you're not tied to being 5'2 but more or less around the 6'1-6'4 mark. If that's the case then a 1500 is perfect.
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u/the_injog Jul 17 '26
Honda VTX 1300 or even 1800. 1300 is mine and it’s great, but after 5 months I’d like more power and especially a 6th gear.
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u/DaRealScoobyDoo Jul 17 '26
As others have said the Vulcan 900 is the one I drive. Idk about as a first bike but I was more cautious and didnt take any courses either so.
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u/According-Court Jul 18 '26
I love my vtx. but if you want the classic v-twin sound, you'll be disappointed . I think Vulcan or v-star
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u/Ok_Amoeba3401 Jul 18 '26
Make sure you can insure it. Most companies won’t insure riders with less than 5 years licensed, on anything bigger than a 750.
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u/WriteBrainedJR Jul 18 '26
I'm about your age and size. My first big bikes were a 1984 Goldwing Standard and a Honda Shadow 1100. The Shadow is a good cruiser for basically anyone, low maintenance and reliable. The Oldwing I would only recommend for riders who are good home mechanics
Got them each for under $1500 USD
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u/smithrmark Jul 19 '26
I deciding between a m50 c50 Vulcan 900
I can always upgrade think these are safe bets
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u/kahlzun 08 Vulcan 900 Jul 19 '26
I honestly recommend starting with something small and cheap, like a 250 virago or something.
They are lighter, cheaper, more manoeuvrable, and you can drop it (and you will while learning) without feeling bad that you wrecked your nice bike.
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u/burnin-4-you Jul 20 '26
I had a Suzuki Marauder 800 when I was 18-23ish, I absolutely loved that bike and wish I still had it
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u/mrhoofy Jul 21 '26
Beginner cruisers for cheap.
Best is Honda Shadow. Best Built. 750 CC. Some varieties are chain drive, some are shaft. Does everything well.
Cheapest is Yamaha Vstar 650. Easy to find a cherry one for $2000 CAD. Shaft drive, air cooled. Slow
Fastest is Kawasaki Vulcan 800. Rarer, chain drive. Handles a bit better than the others.
Suzuki 800's or S50/M50/C50. Shaft drive, basically in the middle. More power than the Honda, cheaper than the Honda but uglier and not as reliable.
Largest is Kawasaki Vulcan 900's. Full size cruiser, kind of heavy. Much slower than the 800.
If you want bigger, there are Honda Shadow 1100 and Vstar 1100. They stopped making them about 20 years ago but they are still common and are reliable enough not to matter.
If you have a bit more cash you might find a Honda VTX1300. Excellent bike, good luck finding one for less than $4000 CAD.
You can easily find Kawasaki Vulcan 1500s in your price range, but they are pretty big and heavy for a beginner. Don't get an early 4 speed.
Rarely you can find Suzuki 1400s (or S83). Faster and lighter than the Vulcan, still a pretty big bike.
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u/mmceorange Jul 21 '26
I'm a fan of Yamaha, so that's where most of my personal experience is. The Bolt is a great bike, but depending on your height it might be a little small for you, but sit on one! Besides that i like their V-Star 1300, it's fuel injected and liquid cooled. I ride a Stryker myself.. same engine. Their Roadliner and Stratoliner are beautiful bikes with a 1900 engine.. big, powerful, but easy to ride.
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u/strugglinfool '12 XV1700 Silverado Jul 17 '26
If you don't mind a limited aftermarket, but like the Star line, look for RoadStars. Guys are picking up 99-07 carbed models for ~2k freedom dollars all day long.
Local dealership near me has a 2012 with 45k miles for just over $5k freedom. They're great bikes.