Recommend an old cruiser motorcycle for me (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/15/2026 8:23:25 PM EDT
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I bought a new nightster 975 earlier this year. I love it for an in town ripper to the gym and work but its not good for longer rides (gas tank is too small,its too light etc etc). I have some friends that want to go on longer rides next year and by the time I upgrade my nightster with forward controls, windshield , bags etc etc I could just buy some cheap metric cruiser on fb. So which ones were good and which ones were crap? |
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Vulcan 900 classic LT or go all the way up to the 1700. Kawi makes the vaqueros also, iirc it's got less hp than the vulcans. I've had two vulcans, great bikes for my need, put lots of miles on both of them, both got totaled out in wrecks though. |
| Long rides being comfy, it's hard to go wrong with a full dresser. I'm not a fan of air cooling, but if you're looking for older, it's hard to argue with a Road Glide or Street Glide. You could look into the Jap bikes, too, like the Vulcans and the C50T, too. If you find one that fits you, terrific, but if you want to customize the bike, they just don't have the options you would with a Harley. |
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Originally Posted By GlutealCleft: Long rides being comfy, it's hard to go wrong with a full dresser. I'm not a fan of air cooling, but if you're looking for older, it's hard to argue with a Road Glide or Street Glide. You could look into the Jap bikes, too, like the Vulcans and the C50T, too. If you find one that fits you, terrific, but if you want to customize the bike, they just don't have the options you would with a Harley. I would love a street glide but a bit out of my price range. |
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Originally Posted By GlutealCleft: Long rides being comfy, it's hard to go wrong with a full dresser. I'm not a fan of air cooling, but if you're looking for older, it's hard to argue with a Road Glide or Street Glide. You could look into the Jap bikes, too, like the Vulcans and the C50T, too. If you find one that fits you, terrific, but if you want to customize the bike, they just don't have the options you would with a Harley. I mean if no - Harley is on the table then get a gold wing. Or a Beemer. |
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My ‘97 Shadow 1100 is still going. Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Check out a 1500 Kawasaki Drifter. You can buy them cheap, ride the hell out of it, pretty much sell it for what you paid for it. Attached File |
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Those older Moto Guzzi bikes are wonderful.Attached File |
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Originally Posted By TriggerM: Get a mid to late 90s Softail with a carburetor. Cheap. Bulletproof. If something breaks there are tons of parts available. Had mine for 17 years. Here ya go. Simple to work on and great cruisers IMHO. Can be bought for a few grand, replace the rubber lines and off you go 
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Originally Posted By Ndenway1twicetimes: Vulcan 900 classic LT or go all the way up to the 1700. Kawi makes the vaqueros also, iirc it's got less hp than the vulcans. I've had two vulcans, great bikes for my need, put lots of miles on both of them, both got totaled out in wrecks though. is the 900 good for long rides on the highway? |
| I had a 1994 Electraglide for a couple years. It was cool. I've seen a number of them for pretty cheap recently and it's had me wanting another one, but I'm done riding for a minute. |
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Originally Posted By PorkchopSandwhiches: is the 900 good for long rides on the highway? Originally Posted By PorkchopSandwhiches: Originally Posted By Ndenway1twicetimes: Vulcan 900 classic LT or go all the way up to the 1700. Kawi makes the vaqueros also, iirc it's got less hp than the vulcans. I've had two vulcans, great bikes for my need, put lots of miles on both of them, both got totaled out in wrecks though. is the 900 good for long rides on the highway? My classic LT was a 15', 5spd, iirc 5.3 or 5.4 gallon, liquid cool, fuel injected & belt drive, had the touring package (saddle bags, bitchbar, windshield, floorboards & seats, heel/toe shifter)($7481 cash otd). my round trip to work was near 80 miles, approx 56 was highway. Plus I rode all over state, back roads & highways/interstates, and into kansas, arkansas, texas & new mexico. it's not the smoothest riding cause it's a 660lb/wet (middleweight cruiser not a 900lb+ touring bike, figure my weight got up to 230lbs & my gf was 120lb plus the gear I kept in saddle bags got us close to 1000lbs rolling. it wasn't uncomfortable to me, farthest ever rode in a day was bit over 700 miles out of state, most in state rides were less than 500. Here a pic what mine looked like new, first few weeks I had mine I added 12v sockets & usb and side running lights so it glowed in the dark.  
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I added a used a Dentist Glide to the stable when Mrs. Tangotag complained about her sore ass from the bitch patch on my Dyna. It doesn’t get much more comfortable than a FLHTK. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Lightning1960: I'm not really a Honda fan, but a VTX1300 is hard to beat for dependability, comfort, and price. When my 15' vulcan got totaled out in 18', right at a month later I bought a 06' vtx1300 w/7000miles on it. man I bought it from just had new tires and full service/tune up, it looked new & ran great, figured $3k cash for it was alright. Rode it till march this year when a man was over to buy 11' 250 cruiser (touring dress) I'd bought my woman (replaced it with a 250 rebel she wanted). He seen my vtx and wanted it, told him no sale, I'll trade straight titles for that van your driving (96' dodge 1t passenger van), hand him key to fire it up/ride & while I test drove the van. Get back & we trade. |
Honda ST1300, indestructible V4 engine, shaft drive, electronically adjustable windscreen.. https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/honda/st1300-review-used |
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I bought a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic LT 1700 back in '09, new off the show room floor. That was a GREAT bike. I put over 44K miles on it before I wrecked it one morning on my way to work. Insurance company totaled it. I rode that thing for 14 years. It was big and heavy which made it great on the hiway. When I got in the position to buy another bike, I made an impulse purchase of an old Road King for cheap. The Harley is ok for what it is but I sure miss that Vulcan. |
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The Japanese really enjoy shutting off the OEM parts supply on older models. HD is getting into that game but the aftermarket support for older HD's is very strong. They're all good in their own right, just stay away from anything Japanese from '83-'88 when the HD tariff was in effect. Those bikes were often compromised to sneak under the tariff and the parts are impossible to find because there's a limited span to which they were applied. |
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It seems weird to buy a cheap other bike when you have a new one in hand. The 3 gallon tank isn't ideal but for most rides if you can make 100 miles that should be fine. You are going to want to get off and stretch anyway. You don't need to get crazy on add ons. Start with bags and see how you like it. I've never been big into long trips but when I was younger all of my trips were with soft bags and a waterproof duffel strapped across them. You end up with a lot of storage and a backrest if you set it up right. Windshield is nice but still optional. Unless you've already sorted this out and make your mind up I'd at least try a few rides with your rig. |
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People who don't like motorcycles are just... weird.
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Originally Posted By PorkchopSandwhiches: I would love a street glide but a bit out of my price range. Look at a used twin cam. It'll hold it's own all day long. Chain tensioners might need to be looked at, but the rest of the bike is solid. Can be had all day long for around 5Gs. I'm sure they'll take your 975 back in trade. |
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Originally Posted By AR15Texan: Honda ST1300, indestructible V4 engine, shaft drive, electronically adjustable windscreen.. https://i.ibb.co/xqKbw83r/1714126355-honda-st1300-pan-european-review-used-price-07.jpg https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/honda/st1300-review-used A riding buddy of mine had one of these. Surprisingly quick and nimble. I would second this motion. |
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Originally Posted By Smashy: My '97 Shadow 1100 is still going. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/291771/IMG_2858_jpeg-3827911.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/291771/IMG_2854_jpeg-3827912.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/291771/IMG_2851_jpeg-3827913.JPG Attached File |
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I'm pretty happy with my Boulevard. This is the middleweight (805 cc), but for longer trips, the bigger one could be better. Attached File |
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Attached File Attached File Big fan of BMW. Parts are available. Easy to work on. Low HP compared to modern bikes but lots of torque and very comfortable for long hauls. You can set them up as a cruiser or a sport bike. My last one was like the red bike R100S and I rode from Tucson to Austin in 1 day and got a ticket in a small city in west Texas 95 in a 55 and I asked to see a judge because I had an Az license. Pled no contest and he asked about my bike, went out to look at it and fined me $35 and he liked my bike. They are easily an all day bike and pretty much bullet proof. |
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Originally Posted By bssrf4: Honda VTX 1300 or 1800. tons with low miles and accessories available I had a Honda VTX 1300 (spoke wheels and floor boards). I rode that thing for thousands of miles. So smooth, comfy, and low center of gravity. I added an aftermarket fairing and Harley Street Glide bags from ebay for cheap. |
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Originally Posted By EDDIECRUM: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_2119_jpeg-3828600.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_1684_jpeg-3828601.JPG Big fan of BMW. Parts are available. Easy to work on. Low HP compared to modern bikes but lots of torque and very comfortable for long hauls. You can set them up as a cruiser or a sport bike. My last one was like the red bike R100S and I rode from Tucson to Austin in 1 day and got a ticket in a small city in west Texas 95 in a 55 and I asked to see a judge because I had an Az license. Pled no contest and he asked about my bike, went out to look at it and fined me $35 and he liked my bike. They are easily an all day bike and pretty much bullet proof. I had a red '77 R100s like the one in the pic. I did a lot of touring on that bike, solo and two up. I did some modifications to it that helped. The single shock Airheads, '89 - '95, handled a lot better than the earlier bikes. |
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Originally Posted By curiomatic: I had a red '77 R100s like the one in the pic. I did a lot of touring on that bike, solo and two up. I did some modifications to it that helped. The single shock Airheads, '89 - '95, handled a lot better than the earlier bikes. I see a lot of used BMW's for sale at very good prices. Just got to watch out for some quirks like the ABS systems on certain models and rattly clutch baskets on others. |
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A few years ago,my dad picked up a low mileage early 2000s Honda Magna for a song, and he used it as a daily driver till he retired. I finally rode it this summer, and I was surprised at how comfortable and powerful it was. The Magnas had a V4 750 engine from a Honda street bike. Very smooth running, and used ones are pretty cheap. |
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Originally Posted By AR15Texan: Honda ST1300, indestructible V4 engine, shaft drive, electronically adjustable windscreen.. https://i.ibb.co/xqKbw83r/1714126355-honda-st1300-pan-european-review-used-price-07.jpg" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/xqKbw83r/1714126355-honda-st1300-pan-european-review-used-price-07.jpg https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/honda/st1300-review-used Sonny Barger can't be wrong |
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Originally Posted By 9divdoc: Sonny Barger can't be wrong Originally Posted By 9divdoc: Originally Posted By AR15Texan: Honda ST1300, indestructible V4 engine, shaft drive, electronically adjustable windscreen.. https://i.ibb.co/xqKbw83r/1714126355-honda-st1300-pan-european-review-used-price-07.jpg" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/xqKbw83r/1714126355-honda-st1300-pan-european-review-used-price-07.jpg https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/honda/st1300-review-used Sonny Barger can't be wrong "In terms of pure workmanship, personally, I don't like Harleys. I ride them because I'm in the club, and that's the image, but if I could I would seriously consider riding a Honda ST1100 or a BMW. We really missed the boat by not switching over to the Japanese models when they began building bigger bikes. I'll usually say 'F**k Harley-Davidson.'" |
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Originally Posted By EDDIECRUM: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_2119_jpeg-3828600.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_1684_jpeg-3828601.JPG Big fan of BMW. Parts are available . WHERE? BMW dealer stuff is slowly tapering off, Beemerboneyard is a shadow of its own self and so is Eumotowhatever. |
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Originally Posted By CapedCrusader: I see a lot of used BMW's for sale at very good prices. Just got to watch out for some quirks like the ABS systems on certain models and rattly clutch baskets on others. Originally Posted By CapedCrusader: Originally Posted By curiomatic: I had a red '77 R100s like the one in the pic. I did a lot of touring on that bike, solo and two up. I did some modifications to it that helped. The single shock Airheads, '89 - '95, handled a lot better than the earlier bikes. I see a lot of used BMW's for sale at very good prices. Just got to watch out for some quirks like the ABS systems on certain models and rattly clutch baskets on others. If you want an Airhead, check to see if your local dealer still services them, because the younger BMW Tech's weren't trained to work on them. Around Y2K, I sold an '86 BMW K bike that I couldn't get a front turn signal lens for; they were "NLA". Nowadays, I won't own a bike that's more than twenty years old. |
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Originally Posted By CB1: Valkyrie F6, best Motorcycle I ever owned. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/147/Valkyrie__31__JPG-2887864.jpg JACKPOT! Run SeaFoam, Six carbs to tune and synchronize.
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| Owned many motorcycles and hands down the best one I ever owned was an 86 shadow 500. A hard 40k miles and not one problem. Bought it new when I was 16. Find an old 700 or 750, little more power, with low miles. That V-twin was one of the best engines ever made. that 500 would cruise 75 all day long, |
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A ton of good stuff recommended here, really, there is no bad choice! Most important thing is to ride. Use it or lose it! To that point, avoid the bike that spends its time in the shop, or waiting for parts due to rarity, age, or god forbid, you get a fantastic deal on a custom build What that says is get a Honda, or a Harley if you’re into that. Don’t know about HD parts availability, but the owners seem to keep them running for years and years. They are not nearly as tech heavy as the Japanese, and the basic design is very similar throughout the years; perhaps that’s why. I would agree with not considering any brand older than 20 years old. Low mileage doesn’t eliminate things like leaky fork seals and a host of other problems that simply appear after passage of time. Honda product support (parts) is better than most. |
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Originally Posted By BooJangles: Honda Vt1300 or 1800. Or Kawi Vaquero. My dad’s VTX 1800 was a torque monster. And the shaft drive was EXCELLENT for quick downshifts to scare little old ladies. And I entertained myself dragging the floorboards everywhere. But they are comfy and strong and indestructible. Worth a look. |
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