Bandit to Shadow to Bandit....

[jbrough7]

Spent some time yesterday with a bud who is just a bit older but a confirmed cruiser dude.  He's just been into riding for five years and never ever ridden a bike other than his ACE so it was neat to see his reaction after riding the Bandit.  I've only ever ridden 4 bikes in my whole life so I sure ain't no expert, but I like to pretend I am.  A bit like that great canadian writer, Farley Mowat (Hardly Knowit) who would fly into a place for a couple of days and then write a novel about it as if he had lived there all his life!

Anyway, we swapped bikes for a bit and he came back off the Bandit with a white, ghostly look to him! "Man!" he says.  "That thing is scary fast!  I couldn't ride it!"

I told him it's not really that fast but he says all crotch rockets are too fast for him.  Told him it's NOT a crotch rocket but he wouldn't listen....

His ACE was okay but the slow, loopy powerband was hard to get used to after the Bandit.  I realize ya gotta rev our bikes up a bit but still there's a lot of hp that is available RIGHT NOW so freakin' hold on already.

I hate the pulled back bars on the ACE!!!  Awful!!  It's like you're not even on a motorcycle.  When I had a cruiser, the bars were pretty flat , sorta like a shadow spirit.  If I got bored I could just twist them down and pretend I was racing or something.

We went in a stealership and looked at bikes cuz he's thinking of moving up but all he wanted to look at were 1300 Honda cruisers and the like.  I jumped on a 650 Vstrom but he said "No way, I'm an old man and that thing is for a young guy!"  Told him it was actually for old guys but  it's Cruisers or nothing for him!

Just interesting to hear another perspective. Weird to think the Bandit 650 is 'too fast' when the 1200 is about the same weight and 40 more horses.  He woulda sh!t a brick with that thing!!

[Desolation Angel]

That is an interesting post.  I often wonder if the fascination with cruisers relates directly to age.  That meaning maybe a lot of older guys make the assumption that they can't handle the "sport bikes" when they get into riding and settle for big, slow, heavy cruisers for that reason.  The same guys, perhaps, that would buy a giant fire engine red Dodge Ram diesel duallie pickup despite the fact that they work in an office as a I.T. guy, not a construction company foreman?  

Some cruisers are semi-attractive to me, but in the end the performance turns me off.

I would never go to buy a car and ask the salesman to show me the biggest, heaviest, slowest, most outdated 1950ish looking thing they have!     Rather, I ask what they have that's fast and holds the road like it's on rails.

[tacoman]

I think people go to cruisers because they're more mainstream.  Walk into a dealer and thats usually the first thing you see, a line of cruisers.  Most folks don't know about the "standards" or "sport tourers" and group them with crotch rockets.  I would have never considered a Bandit but I got mine free and after riding it a while and doing some mods, I kept it as my only bike.  Tell your friend to really consider the Vstrom 650, I hear its a great bike.

[texasbandit]

Cruisers are so ..... cruiserly!  With the exception of a few "Power Cruisers" they are very non-intimidating, with about the same power and acceleration as a 1960's 250 or 350 UJM- or at least that's how they feel to me.  Some might even match the performance of a 650 verticle twin - whoohoo!

[amboman]

I can relate a little to where your freind is coming from.  I returned to bikes after about a ten year break.  You know, house, wife, kids etc.  The first cycle I purchsed on my return was a Shadow 750.  I had convinced myself that I had bought the cruiser for all the right reasons, I was telling myself that after such a long break I should start of with something safe and comfortable.  The one thing I forgot to take into account was that pre family guy life I used to ride things like GS 1000 and Laverda 1000 turbos.  Of course in my case the inevitable happened and I out grew the Shadow very quickly which of course lead me to the B12.

Do you think that mid life crisis is a virus or something, I am heading to 40 and I think I have caught mad cow or the like. I sold the B12 and went over to the dark side and bought a Honda CB 1300.    

Happy with my choice so far though.  

[Red01]

And here I thought cruisers were so popular because their owners/prospective buyers were trying to fulfill some kind of "bad ass" image/fantasy. (Isn't that why they usually dress like pirates?) Never really thought about 'em being too scared of the power of a non-cruiser street bike.

[kevinfromrex]

I was a shadow 700 (86), shadow 1100 (88) and harley sportster rider for many years and I cant for the life of me figure out WHY!

Riding with that little power, in that position, with that kind of handling s*cks!

I love my bandit!

Now I crave more and more speed and horsepower, Im ruined, or saved , depending on your perspective.

[Desolation Angel]

...(Isn't that why they usually dress like pirates?)

Now that is d@mn funny!     That never crossed my mind before now, but it is so-o-o-o-o accurate!  Pirates!  Aaargh!

 

Avast ye, and ahoy there me mateys and shiver me timbers!

 

I'm gonna be using that literally forever!

Whar's me grog!  

[fritobandito]

Being a post cruiser type myself, I can honestly say that, back in "the day", I thought they were the coolest bikes. Wouldn't have it any other way. But, I remember my first test ride on a 2004 B12. I went home, called a buddy and shouted in the phone, "Holy guacomole Batman!!!" The Shadow was for sale the next day. Funny thing, it took all summer to sell that beast. Much to many of you'ins dismay, I sold the Bandit and bought a Kawasaki GPZ1100. Not quite the low end grunt of the Bandit, but once it gets going, it's every bit as fast and fun. Also, and I'm being honest, the GPZ holds the road much better. Feels much more "planted" and much smoother. Sorry folks, but it's true. Remember when I said it took all summer to sell the Shadow? Well, the Bandit sold in less than a week. Says something me thinks.

[jbrough7]

It's just too bad you never got on a Bandito 650!  Now THERE'S a bike!!

[smooth operator]

I have a buddy that has been riding as long as I have known him('bout 20 yrs) and he's always driven a Harley.Right now he has a 2000 road King. He was the local president of the ABATE,and just looks like a Harley dude. He went and did the draggon the week after the Boss rally. He mention he'd like to try something more nimbble for a 2nd bike.So I told him we'll trade bikes next time we go for a ride. I bet he likes it.

[jbrough7]

Just saw this article in the National Post on the Softail Springer Classic and it fits in the theme of this thread, I think.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/driving/story.html?id=47a95089-f91d-4c49-a4c0-5ddcc0ba34dc

So a person can pay $22 large in Canada to be able to go 100km/hr??  I gather the bike is comfortable (at 'speed').  It'll hold its value too.  But any one of the Suzuki cruisers would be twice the bike, some of them for 1/3 the cost!

Cruisers are a totally different mindset and then Harley Cruisers take it one more step!

[RDUBandit]

...I would never go to buy a car and ask the salesman to show me the biggest, heaviest, slowest, most outdated 1950ish looking thing they have!     Rather, I ask what they have that's fast and holds the road like it's on rails.

You might not, but millions of Americans do.  They're called SUV drivers.

[Desolation Angel]

It's just too bad you never got on a Bandito 650!  Now THERE'S a bike!!

Yeah!  So, how's your wife liking her new bike?

[Red01]

jbrough7: Just saw this article in the National Post on the Softail Springer Classic and it fits in the theme of this thread, I think.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/driving/story.html?id=47a95089-f91d-4c49-a4c0-5ddcc0ba34dc

I loved this snipet from the article:

I want all the retarding power I can get