Honda's new cruisers

[67fire]

http://powersports.honda.com/street/...stom-line.aspx

What do you think about them?

Eric

[black27696]

Fix
The
BLANKING
SEATS!

They still use what's basically a larger version of the seats on the shadows. Is it SO much to ask that you put a decent seat on the bike? If it raises the cost, make it an option, but my God. They could make a VTX seat with the same sort of upholstery and padding of the goldwing seat really easily and make it an option for people, rather than the rock hard wafer they currently use.

[alalien]

No lie!

Everyone is using this squished down, make you buy something aftermarket seats.

My 86 Magna's seats are worlds more comfortable than the seats coming out on new bikes.

[vulpine]

I like the Interstate but I have just seen pictures. I would need 2 see one in person 2 make any real judgement. I like the fury in pictures but when I saw one at a show the plastic was overwhelming and distracting. The Sabre even though similar looking, just doesnt seem 2 flow. Only my opinion and yes I am aware my bike has plastic.

[jskibs]

I've never been a fan of Honda's cruisers, except the Valkyrie. I don't like these, either.

[bluesjr]

Saw them on TV during the Tour of California today. Good sports event to advertise M/C's. I'd like to see them in person, but don't think I'll ever be in the market for a 1300cc.

[Kingshead]

I agree, way too much plastic, and I don't know about their comfort level but those are some hideous seats.

Like my A.C.E. a lot better.

[BikeCycleMan]

How do you deal with low speed wheel flop on such raked forks? - does it take extra muscular arms and shoulders and wide bars?

[Goliath616]

Originally Posted by black27696

Fix
The
BLANKING
SEATS!

They still use what's basically a larger version of the seats on the shadows. Is it SO much to ask that you put a decent seat on the bike? If it raises the cost, make it an option, but my God. They could make a VTX seat with the same sort of upholstery and padding of the goldwing seat really easily and make it an option for people, rather than the rock hard wafer they currently use.

but if they did that, they would lose all the kick back money from the after market seat makers...I swear they are in cahoots with each other.....no other reason to charge $400-$600 for a freaking seat!!!

[porange]

Man, they all look the same to me.. Is this how you cruiser guys see sport bikes?

[Kingshead]

Originally Posted by porange

Man, they all look the same to me.. Is this how you cruiser guys see sport bikes?

AAAAHHHHYUP.

These are all the same bike, just different versions, cruising, touring, and I guess semi-touring? LOL

[louturks]

The first thought that came to my mind was, well, they're different looking.

[internationalballer]

I like that stateline, thats a sharp looking bike. My question though is, why is Honda only putting single front disk brakes on these bikes? I'm sure its enough but I like the comfort I feel from having dual brakes on my Yamaha even if it is over kill.

[bluesjr]

Originally Posted by porange

Man, they all look the same to me.. Is this how you cruiser guys see sport bikes?

Pretty much. Although I bought a jacket from a guy last weekend and he had a black Ducati monster in his garage. Very nice!

[smooth1]

Originally Posted by porange

Man, they all look the same to me.. Is this how you cruiser guys see sport bikes?

Yep. The sport bikes all look pretty much the same to me.

[RUMBLEBK]

I sat on all three models here in Vegas. Then I sat on a 08 VTX 1300. The VTX was much more the feel of a crusier. The new models felt fat and unbalanced. I dunno don't take my word. I am just getting back into this. But I have owned about 14 bikes at one time or another.

I did get to ride the VTX. That will be my upgrade bike in a couple of years.

[Kingshead]

Originally Posted by smooth1

Yep. The sport bikes all look pretty much the same to me.

Actually, when approaching on the road I find it almost impossible to distinguish sport bikes from the larger scooters, just sayin. HEH HEH HEH

[alalien]

LOL! I had that same thought the other day.

I did however learn a way - scooter riders sit upright while sport riders generally have a forward aspect to their torso.

[Outdoorguy57]

As for the seats...well, welcome to the world of Honda. I've owned several Hondas...Accord, CR-V, Civic, etc. and all of them have hard seats. Just like their bikes.

When I seen the Sabre, I thought that would be the bike that I'd like the best, out of the 3 new models. However, after sitting on the Sabre, it felt more like a chopper with drag handle bars on it. It's very slim/skinny. I didn't care for it and like the Interstate and Stateline much better.

I don't like how they've "shrunk" everything on these bikes to get them more streamline in appearance. The thing that I don't like the most is that they shrunk the gas tank...from 4.8 gallons with a 1.0 gallon reserve to 4.4 gallons with no reserve.

Good riding, Outdoorguy57

[Badlands-4-2]

Originally Posted by BikeCycleMan

How do you deal with low speed wheel flop on such raked forks? - does it take extra muscular arms and shoulders and wide bars?

That is my question as well. I sat on a Fury, and even in the showroom that front end had to be muscled to get from side to side.

[67fire]

I, rode a '72 H-D Chopper back in '78 that had the 2 foot extended front end and...
It was a DANGEROUS bike to ride!!!

Eric

[Outdoorguy57]

The extended rake on a chopper requires the driver to lean the bike to turn it, rather than turning the handle bars that's common to most motorcycles.

Yes, in comparison, choppers can be dangerous to ride...if you're not familar with the turning radius differences.

Good riding, Outdoorguy57

[chaindad]

The Interstate is AWESOME....imo...while having an oil change done last week I gave the 1300s a good close look....I am still slobbering & drooling over the Interstate...what a beautiful scoot....the windsheild seemed a bit short to me, but man oh man if I could afford one I would be riding an Interstate....I really liked the wide, curved bars....the low seat height was perfect for me....floorboards....heel/toe shifter....leather covered hard bags....WOW!!! And yes porange...they all look the same to us....well....except for Rex's....

[greyboyfan]

The only thing I like is the Clean look of that big ol' cylinder head. Looks like a Huge pan-head. I already ride an 1800. WTF happened to that motor?. They seem to be going backwards.

[badinfluence63]

HD clones/copycats.

[OTD]

Just as Harleys are cloned from Indians and showbikes. But when someone looks at a Metric cruiser and calls it an HD it just makes you realize how little they know about motorcycles. BLAH...BLAH...BLAH...

[badinfluence63]

Originally Posted by OTD

Just as Harleys are cloned from Indians and showbikes. But when someone looks at a Metric cruiser and calls it an HD it just makes you realize how little they know about motorcycles. BLAH...BLAH...BLAH...

When someone looks at metric cruiser and calls it a HD its because the metric cruiser industry has been shamelessly cloning HD.

Honda's line is a line I wouldn't mine owning. I like the GW and the various shadows.

[markk53]

Originally Posted by smooth1

Yep. The sport bikes all look pretty much the same to me.

You and Porange are funny...

My wife thinks all bikes look alike, some just have more plastic...

[Kingshead]

Originally Posted by 67fire

I, rode a '72 H-D Chopper back in '78 that had the 2 foot extended front end and...
It was a DANGEROUS bike to ride!!!

Eric

EXACTLY why you rode it, admit it.

Martin

[Brighteagle]

Originally Posted by RUMBLEBK

I sat on all three models here in Vegas. Then I sat on a 08 VTX 1300. The VTX was much more the feel of a crusier. The new models felt fat and unbalanced. I dunno don't take my word. I am just getting back into this. But I have owned about 14 bikes at one time or another.

I did get to ride the VTX. That will be my upgrade bike in a couple of years.

I have a VTX 1300 R, loaded, with aftermarket seats. It's my first bike and I am very happy with it. Very comfortable for long rides. A good choice in cruisers.

[chefonahonda]

The plastic on my Phantom is a hell of a lot easier to keep clean and shiny than chrome and is lighter. I think Honda should use lite weight matte black flex metals instead of plastic. Plastic is hard to touch up when it gets dinged by flying stuff on the road. I am liking the Honda Sport Touring models more than their new cruisers but love my phantom.

[vito]

This past spring I was in the market for a new bike, and these Hondas were at the top of my list. Then I actually sat on them at the dealership. They felt heavy and unwieldy, actually ponderous. I also did not like the seating position and the reach to the handlebars, but mayber that was just a reflection on my height, or lack thereof at 5'8". I also looked at the comparable Kawasaki 1300 cc bike (I can't remember the model name) and it felt the same. I was really concerned about slow speed instability. Then I sat on and rode a new Triumph America. Sure it only has an 865 cc engine, but it just felt right. I bought the Classic Touring model (which is really a 2010 model but Triumph calls it a 2011) and have had it for about 3 months. I absolutely love this bike. Other than it having only 5 speeds, when I wish it had a 6th gear, and needing to change the windscreen to a Clearview, this bike has been perfect for me. It is not a sportbike by any measure, but it has enough power for me to safely out-accelerate cars from a red light, and while I do not know the top speed, I have had it up to an indicated 100 mph which is faster than I would normally ever be riding it. If you find you like the Triumphs but think this is too small a displacement, you can try the more expensive and heavier Thunderbird or even the 2300 cc Rocket. I did not want a 700 lb plus bike, and this America, at 550 fully ready to ride was just perfect for me.

[chefonahonda]

After 6200 miles on my Phantom I agree with others about the seats and I have not ridden any other bikes. Will be looking at replacement seat soon.

[markk53]

Originally Posted by greyboyfan

The only thing I like is the Clean look of that big ol' cylinder head. Looks like a Huge pan-head. I already ride an 1800. WTF happened to that motor?. They seem to be going backwards.

Having sold Hondas back when the 1800 and 1300 came out I can tell you the 1800 was a clumsey bike compared to the 1300. It was just heavy and felt it. The 1300, as most riders found out, was adequate power for a cruiser, without overkill and they had money left to put on some accessories. They found bigger wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Dealers sold out on 1300s and had 1800s sitting on the floor unless they chopped the snot out of the price.

Plus the 1300 has the single pin crank that gives it that classic narrow angle V-twin loping rumble, the 1800 had the staggered pin crank that had the 90 degree V sound, just not the same for some riders.

[WinterWarrior]

I love the honda shadow line, having spent some time on an 89 750, and i like the look of the honda spirit 1100 (may be my next bike.) Honda's larger cruisers have never hit me right though; I guess the VTX is nice looking to a point, but these factory choppers are ugly to my eyes.

BTW I did see one of these things in the showroom the other day, and the plastic is really unbelievable. Granted I never liked extreme raked choppers, so take it with a grain of salt

[Brighteagle]

Originally Posted by markk53

Having sold Hondas back when the 1800 and 1300 came out I can tell you the 1800 was a clumsey bike compared to the 1300. It was just heavy and felt it. The 1300, as most riders found out, was adequate power for a cruiser, without overkill and they had money left to put on some accessories. They found bigger wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Dealers sold out on 1300s and had 1800s sitting on the floor unless they chopped the snot out of the price.

Plus the 1300 has the single pin crank that gives it that classic narrow angle V-twin loping rumble, the 1800 had the staggered pin crank that had the 90 degree V sound, just not the same for some riders.

I really like my 1300. My husband has an 1800, and I like it too, but it's too much bike for me. It's a beast, it sounds really cool, think it's a great bike for him.

My 1300 has a hyper-charger, and it's plenty of power for me. I'm a cruiser fan, and I enjoy great rides with my cruiser family and friends.

PS: Both of our bikes have Vance and Hines pipes.

[Oogadee Boogadee]

Here are my thoughts, in order as they came to mind....

-the extra sleek engine-hugging tank is a bit too contoured for me
-wow, the rear fender is actually taller than the tank... a bit imbalanced for me
-maybe this cruiser is a bit too contemporary for me
-let's see their other lines
-damn, those shadows look good - traditional, just enough, but still lean and tough!

so there you have it! they look good, but not for me. Kinda reminds me of the HD v-rod, which, looks awesome.... but not for me.

James

[Arko]

Originally Posted by porange

Man, they all look the same to me.. Is this how you cruiser guys see sport bikes?

Yep. All plastic and whine.

Seriously though..the new Honda's are ...interesting(?) but not my cup of tea. Kind of look like a cross between their Fury and a Victory.

[smooth1]

I really really like the look of Brigheagle's ride. I've heard that that 1300cc is just the right size for a cruiser. Just out of curiosity does the hyper charger do much good?

[Brighteagle]

Originally Posted by smooth1

I really really like the look of Brigheagle's ride. I've heard that that 1300cc is just the right size for a cruiser. Just out of curiosity does the hyper charger do much good?

Yes! When I first bought this 1300, the hypercharger was dirty, and this was my first bike ever, so I didn't really know what it did. But a friend noticed it was dirty and cleaned it for me, and the next time I rode it, well, the first time I gave it gas, it about left me behind! What pick-up! And the sound was incredible! It sounded just as big and bad as our 1800. I will never be afraid to pull out into traffic with this bike. It will take me where I want to go, FAST!