Like most Japanese bikes, all of them shift smoothly and have good clutch action. The only problem we experienced is limited room between the floorboard and toe shifter on the Kawasaki and Star when wearing chunky boots, as many cruiser riders do.
Up front, all utilize a non-adjustable conventional fork with 41mm stanchions. The Kawasaki, Star and Suzuki have single rear shocks that are hidden for a hardtail look, while the Honda has dual rear shocks, and spring preload is adjustable.
As with most cruisers, these bikes have more front suspension travel than rear, which helps keep seat height low. Compliance is generally good across the board, but the Kawasaki and Suzuki have noticeably better damping. All four bikes have single-disc front brakes with two-piston pin-slider calipers.
The Kawasaki and Star use disc brakes for the rear, and the Honda and Suzuki use drums. Four fingers on the lever and good pressure on the rear pedal are required to get decent braking power out of any of them, and none offer much feel.
Only the Star and Suzuki have adjustable front brake levers. The sharpest distinctions between these cruisers are in terms of ergonomics and styling, two qualities that are very much in the inseam and eye of the beholder.
We have a five-inch range in inseam among our testers from inches , and that affects how each bike fits us. As the smallest bike, the Honda Shadow has the most cramped cockpit. Its narrow buckhorn handlebar reaches back toward the rider at an awkward angle, and the footpegs limit legroom. Like the others, the Honda has a wide, dished seat that is soft but not very supportive, contributing to butt burn within a half-hour.
Similar to the Honda, the Kawasaki Vulcan also has a small cockpit, both can give the impression of sitting on the tank rather than behind it. The Star has a tiller-style handlebar that is the widest of them all and is well positioned. All give the rider an unobstructed view of the road, with instrumentation confined to consoles atop the tank that include large analog speedometers, small LCD displays clock, odometer and tripmeter and indicator lights.
The Kawasaki and Suzuki have fuel gauges but the others do not, and the Suzuki adds a gear position indicator. These four are generalists, not specialists. But there are differences in size, with the Honda weighing just pounds compared to pounds for the others. It also has the lowest seat height There are also differences in fuel economy, fuel capacity and range see specs. Notably, the Star and Suzuki roll on cast wheels with tubeless tires, so that flats can be repaired quickly and easily.
Since none of these bikes has a centerstand, getting a flat on the Honda or Kawasaki, which have spoked wheels with tube-type tires, can be a challenging and costly ordeal. Bought tubes installed. Rode it nice bike but not my style. Bought a street bob. Dressed up like a street glide. Love her and still own her. And just bought a street bob set up like a bobber. Picked her up for Also great shape. Owned a few triumph chops.
Many Bsa motorcycles as well. Love the Suzuki gs but when older parts are hard to source. Love the Yamaha xs Lots of aftermarket parts to keep them on the road. Had a Vulcan. Gas tank rotted out. Kawasaki wanted a fortune for it. Ended up finding on eBay. Then down the road at kms front engine blew.
Front hug lost comprsession. So much money to repair. So ok back on the road. Tranny literally piled up skidded my bike to a dead stop. So the cost of ownership for that pis Vulcan was way above any Harley I ever had or still have. I am very much not financially well off.
I do buy cash. When there a little older there just scrap. Me and a bud re ringed it and shelved it. Way cheaper. No matter whether your riding an Indian or a Harley or a V Star or a Vulcan the natural high you get from riding your bike is exactly the same.. Mental fantasy held by immature riders. This is the image the motorcycling and especially the cruising world tries to portray, but it is simply not true. If if were true, everybody would ride, or at least a significant larger percentage would ride.
The truth is not everyone wants to ride for a variety of reasons. The image you hold in your head as your ride is as important to you as the ride actually is. But is this image yours — or was it part of the propaganda of motorcycling? Motorcycling can be fun, thrilling and original to you, the new rider , but the rest of the motorcycling story becomes a part of the propaganda machine that motorcyclists and advertisers and manufacturers generate.
I rode a Tote Goat as a kid, up and down hill, with a wide-assed grin on my face even though my speed was barely faster then a trot. Graduated to small bikes, then big bikes and road for years.
You need to grow up and obtain some maturity. I rode a Harley once. Nothing tickles the old hypothalamus like a naked street 3 banger! Am I supposed to be on the back? Seems like it would be hard to reach the handlebars from back there, but what do I know? I believe in what you say.. On the other side again there are alot of pussies out there and would never want to try something new or fun or adventurous because they are scared to get off the fence to experience it, stuck in daily ruts or rituals..
Got under 5 grand in an 05 and will turn heads anywhere I go. Only true die hard HD guys can tell the difference and only true die hard HD guys give a rats butt.
Land of the free… Live like it! I have had both metric and Harley. I put alot of miles on them both and enjoyed them immensely. The Harley is a beautiful bike and has a distinct sound. Ride what you got,have fun. I had a Vulcan for a while, before ever having a Harley. Then i later got a Harley Road King. No comparison. Probably a Dyna is the funnest Harley. Just my. I have owned Honda shadow, a Virago which was great bike just lack of room, a Vulcan which had no problems keeping up with sportsters, a Kawasaki Vulcan A, very powerful bike, so I go with what I can afford.
And my Meanstreak was made in Lincoln, Nebraska. I went with a friend who was hellbent on me getting a Harley. My friend found it at craigslist and it had 17K on the ODO, Mustang seat and had no scratches, no dings. Depends on what you like. Besides all those Japanese Cruisers are truly clones trying to sway you from buying the real thing. Harley could go the way of the Metric bikes, but then they would lose their nostalgia and that feeling of true Freedom that only a American bike can deliver.
Kawasaki Vulcans are all made in Lincoln Nebraska and have been since , and actually use fewer foreign parts that a Street Glide. Honda Cruisers are made in Marysville Ohio. Most my mates own Harley and we all enjoy our bikes, no matter wether metric or Harley. A big Vulcan Nomad or Voyager is every bit the bike a Harley is, but for half the price.
And there is some evidence they are actually going to require less maintenance over the life of the bike. Currently have 50k miles on my Vulcan and 14k miles on my Meanstreak with nary a problem. Would it sell? Nobody would want it. I came to that same conclusion myself just a couple of hours ago. I have a Yamaha XVS that has a bad starter clutch. A metric cruiser offers everyday riding dependability with a growing number of customization options.
Now keep in mind - with most motors in general - the more radical you make it, the less dependable it becomes. About Metric Cruisers. About Metrics. What is a metric cruiser?
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