Why do people need more than a 600cc?

[Maddevill]

Whaaaa?

So we should all be riding cruisers? Are you serious??? I find the riding position of all cruisers horrible. And I want a bike to do what I want right NOW, not a few seconds from now when the chassis can handle it. Everybody can like their own style of bike but, to me, cruisers are low performance bikes for low performance riders. Flame on.

 

[Kornholio]

Hilarious.

American's have been short-changed of the ideal street bikes for decades. Naked bikes. AKA: standards.

It doesn't have to be a cruiser and I'll totally agree that the riding position can be pretty disagreeable for some folks. Standards are pretty neutral when it comes to riding position.

I'm not even going to touch the "low performance riders" fallacy.

Still, arguing that a sportbike is anything but a race replica is pretty silly too. I love the bikes for what they are, but city bikes they are not. Thing is, I think the majority of those folks that buy them are fully aware of that and the rest are just kids who have self-esteem issues... :later



...Yes, I'm kidding about that last part.

 

[raztec]

:laughing

So we should all be riding cruisers? Are you serious??? I find the riding position of all cruisers horrible. And I want a bike to do what I want right NOW, not a few seconds from now when the chassis can handle it. Everybody can like their own style of bike but, to me, cruisers are low performance bikes for low performance riders. Flame on.

Not everyone. Only those who recognize that bikes are made for specific purposes. :cool

To each his own of course. But for me, there is absolutely no comparison in the level of comfort, riding position, peripheral visibility, and manageable low end torque between my cruiser and my liter sport bike.

Riding modern sport bikes in the city is like riding a Formula 1 car on the street. Nothing about them is designed for low speeds.

Of course I realize not everyone has the luxury of having more than one bike and once you get on an open, windy country road a sport bike is more fun. But that's where the track comes in. For everyday street riding, a cruiser (or even a moped :laughing) is better suited. :ride

 

[cleverusername]

:laughing

For everyday street riding, a cruiser (or even a moped :laughing) is better suited. :ride

i think most people on here get the nervious tick when mentioning a cruiser as a multipurpose motorcycle in the context you're discussing.

standards, sport tourers, tall rounders - yes.

but clamshell position, a low seat height with no better visibility than a standard car, and poor handling (with a few exceptions) all contribute to a design of limited utility. especially in an environment that requires all-round capability, such as an urban environ. i could see a cruiser having just as little utility as a sportbike in the city.

 

[raztec]

i think most people on here get the nervious tick when mentioning a cruiser as a multipurpose motorcycle in the context you're discussing.

standards, sport tourers, tall rounders - yes.

but clamshell position, a low seat height with no better visibility than a standard car, and poor handling (with a few exceptions) all contribute to a design of limited utility. especially in an environment that requires all-round capability, such as an urban environ. i could see a cruiser having just as little utility as a sportbike in the city.

Yes, I agree a cruiser isn't the ideal urban motorcycle. But I do think it's much better than a sport bike for the city.

It's certainly the most relaxing bike to ride in terms of riding position. I'll give it that. And being relaxed helps you concentrate on the traffic which is the no. 1 thing you should be paying attention to when riding in an urban environment.

 

[Feanor]

The moment you begin to push the lessening of what you feel is the "extreme", the more you degrade the "norm" until one day you'll find that the norm is far below your own expectation or desire.

You say that 600's are too much, someone after you will say 250's are more than adequate, then after that, no one will REALLY need more than maybe a really good Vespa.

For me, I'm all for the ATO equipped 2000CC Roots Supercharged dragbikes on the street. People will look at that, shake their heads and proclaim, "That's just crazy! Why would anyone ever need anything more than a Turbo 'Busa on the street?!" I think that's pretty much the sweet spot.

The original post is pretty ancient, but I still find it an oddly selfish point of view; that something someone finds no use for, or outside their skill level to use, must be of no use or within the skill and discipline of anyone else. A classic logical fallacy.

 

[Feanor]

The moment you begin to push the lessening of what you feel is the "extreme", the more you degrade the "norm" until one day you'll find that the norm is far below your own expectation or desire.

You say that 600's are too much, someone after you will say 250's are more than adequate, then after that, no one will REALLY need more than maybe a really good Vespa.

For me, I'm all for the ATO equipped 2000CC Roots Supercharged dragbikes on the street. People will look at that, shake their heads and proclaim, "That's just crazy! Why would anyone ever need anything more than a Turbo 'Busa on the street?!" I think that's pretty much the sweet spot.

The original post is pretty ancient, but I still find it an oddly selfish point of view; that something someone finds no use for, or outside their skill level to use, must be of no use or within the skill and discipline of anyone else. A classic logical fallacy.

Just like freedom of speech, you've got to vigorously defend even the points of view that make your blood boil, because that's the only way to preserve with any certainty the things that YOU actually hold dear.

 

[Feanor]

apology for double post... Something appears to be a bit strange with the edit function...

 

[Gixxergirl1000]

As others have said, it's not a matter of need, it's a matter of want. You can be sure if they made a 2 liter bike, people would buy those too. For most, it's the desire to know they have the best and fastest. They don't want to be "lacking" in any way.

For me, it was only because the colour scheme I wanted wasn't available in a smaller displacement bike. However, I quickly realized that a liter bike is way too fast for the street, as are most 600cc sport bikes for that matter. So after a year I took it off the street and now ride it on the track only. Even so, I believe it's too fast for most tracks (except Miller and maybe TH) and a 600 or 650 twin is plenty.

Moreover, any sportbike is totally inappropriate for the street. These things were designed for the track primarily. Everything from the riding position to the suspension to the brakes were not designed for low speed comfort or handling. A powerful cruiser with plenty of low end torque like the one below is infinitely better suited for the street. It just doesn't have the nimble handling of a sportbike. But for visibility and every day handling in traffic it's ideal.

Wouldn't be caught dead on it. I have a compressed disk in my lower back. The more upright I sit on a bike, the more it hurts. That thing you posted looks like a torture rack to me. Plus, it's ugly!
I'm only 5' 6", so it's not like I'm folded up like a pretzel on my Gixxer. It's roomy as hell, I hardly have to shift at all when I do ride around town. And I don't know what kind of brakes you have on your bike, but I've got one-finger braking on mine, and they're not the least bit grabby, and do a great job of slowing me down, whether I'm doing 100 or 10 (yay for steel braid brake lines & sintered pads!).
However, since I pretty much loathe riding around town/commuting on a bike, I only have to deal with that crap when I head for the good stuff! :teeth
One last thing... the race replica bikes do great at track days... but FYI- if you were going to actually race one competitively, there's a shit-ton of things you would need to buy, add, modify, etc. to get it race-ready. They're certainly performance machines... but they do just fine on the street, assuming the rider has sufficient skill to pilot it.

So we should all be riding cruisers? Are you serious??? I find the riding position of all cruisers horrible. And I want a bike to do what I want right NOW, not a few seconds from now when the chassis can handle it. Everybody can like their own style of bike but, to me, cruisers are low performance bikes for low performance riders. Flame on.

Well, I'll agree that cruisers are low-performance bikes... but some people really don't want a performance machine... they want something to just sit on and ride slowly from point A to point B, enjoying the scenery, and if that's what makes them happy, then more power to them. In fact, I wish there were more people who wanted bikes that like... might thin things out a bit where I like to ride! :laughing

 

[slummy]

Ok, I'm not going to read through all 50 pages, but I do wonder if the OP is still riding. Anyone know?

 

[mean dad]

.....So after a year I took it off the street and now ride it on the track only. Even so, I believe it's too fast for most tracks (except Miller and maybe TH) and a 600 or 650 twin is plenty.
...

:laughing

MotoGP should switch CBR1000's.

 

[carries an axe]

:laughing

MotoGP should switch CBR1000's.

no, monkey bikes :teeth