Cruisers Reviews on Cycle Insider (4,828)
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The 1979 Suzuki GS1000L felt like a monster compared to my first bike. I had noticed it in a dark old grain shed at a neighbor's party in rural Iowa. Under the dust I made out the Suzuki emblem and a speedometer that had somewhere around 19000 miles on it. I called about it later and was re-directed to the owner who said if I could get it running I could have it. I was there the next day and shocked to discover it was a one liter bike! A decade of neglect left the throttle only barely able to lift the slides. Another year and they would have been locked solid. I even broke a jet needle trying to free them from the varnish. Two weeks later with all unusable components replaced, it was running off an iv drip can with 10 years of dust and oil smoke burning off and drifting up and over the machine. The next few months saw a new jet kit, more carb tweaking, electronic ignition fitted, led instrument bulbs, new tires and other improvements made including 4 into 4 pipes. The end result was a bike that sounded like a world war two fighter on startup, and once warmed up ran very well. I could never get it to start as nice as my best friend's cb750k, but the battery and charging system were up to the task with enough extra juice to power an h4 headlight also. I've heard that it's important to keep the oil level up to cool the stater coils. Mind also, all switches and connectors as they corrode easily. The engine was a work of art with the crank and transmission running on roller bearings and a gear driven primary. The only chains were the cam chain and the drive chain. It was awash with torque. Owed partially, I suspect, to the weight of the crank and a relatively square bore and stroke. Something most manufacturers seem to have forgotten. This made it fun and practical to ride, as takeoff was always easy and low speed drivability surprisingly good for a bike that wasn't much less than 600 lbs. The torque stayed all the way up to 7000 when the power delivery turned savage. They made 90 some HP stock and I suspect I was well over that. Handling was awful but predictable due mostly to age, weight, and soft suspension. Again, if only I had access to half the parts I do now, fork springs, shocks, and tapered steering head bearings would have gone a long way to sorting it out. As it was it would weave and shake at anything over 80, and get downright terrifying, so I mostly just used it for speed limit touring. The tires were too thin and anything soft was quickly devoured. Fuel economy was never better than 40 and often worse than 30. Even so, it was still far less expensive to run than many of the sport bikes I have owned since, and will always be one of my favorites.

The 1977 Yamaha XS360D2 was the first bike I ever purchased back in 2004 at 16 with 2900 miles on the clock. The price was 550 from a local dealer in a small town in northeast iowa. It was pretty clear it needed carb work right from the start as most of this age will by now. It was the blue one with spoke wheels, front disc, kick starter, and points ignition. Aftermarket emgo megaphone mufflers were also fitted and were plenty quiet. I wish I had the jetting skills I have now because it seemed as though it could have been a very nice little bike. All I could do was clean the carbs back then and they were stupid lean even before I fitted foam filters. Starting was always hard. I would often run the battery down to nothing (probably weak to begin with) then continue with the kick starter until it popped off. I suspect the starter was just a bit too slow, or the idle circuit was just a bit too long (lets out way up on the top side of the carbs) also often resulting in stalls on takeoff. That said, it always idled nice once running and ran well with few flat spots besides the lean top end (my own fault). Because of this fuel economy was amazing at 60mpg+ but I often struggled to do 65. I still put over 6000 miles on it in one summer and always got compliments and questions wherever I went. When you're a kid on a metric bike from the seventies everyone notices. Handling was steady enough to enable full speed back road riding if I so desired, and at 17 and stupid I often did. The bike was also very light and I only dumped it once trying to do a u-turn on crushed rock. Ah, fond memories of learning hard lessons. I didn't get burned too bad and was actually able to lift it off my leg. The engine was a parallel twin with a 180 crank and no balancer, oddly enough. Top end was SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder and tappet type adjusters (no shims required). Something about the sound drove dogs completely mad. Weirdest thing I've ever seen and I've heard others say the same thing. Shifting was always smooth with the exception of a somewhat remote feel to the clutch. This again, could also have been down to poor maintenance (cables) but it made it a bit hard to find neutral sometimes. Suspension was also pretty soft but it mattered less to me back then. All in all it was a high quality, stable, tough, little bike that would have been dead easy to maintain. Had I been as handy back then, it would probably have been a good performer too.

This bike is an extremely dependable beast. When I say beast,I mean it can easily carry myself, my wife, and four day's worth of clothes and supplies at 80 mph hour after hour down the highway. It's a heavy ride! You've got to get used to riding slowly through parking lots.It's also not particularly fuel friendly either.About 150 miles per tank, then it's time for gas, and a coffee.There is nothing more satisfying than entering a hi-way, rolling on the power, and going from whatever to 90 in seconds!Nothing ever wrong except for tires and brakes in 10 years!!! Did you read that Harley riders!I bought this bike to ride,not show off.I ride every day in the Summer, and never wast $$ at the shop.All hail Honda!!

i have always had a honda motorcycle. i have been riding sense the 60's. loved the valkyrie when it came out in 97 couldn't afford it then. 2007 bought a 97 still own it now has 65k on it. never let me down is still a thrill to ride even at 66 years old. when i can't hold it up on 2 wheels i will have it converted to 3 wheels. lots of respect for this bike from many other brand owners. still gets lots of attention no matter where i go. will never get rid of it.

The road king has Excellent ride quality.and a great seating position. It is great for long haul riding. just a little heavy backing up. So you just have to get used to the additional weight. Oh and BTY this is my wife's ride. She is 5ft 7in.

The '08 was actually the second one. First one, an '03, suffered a head-on with a car making a left turn directly in front of me. Light, very easy to handle, excellent on gas, and the cheapest transportation I've ever had. Very comfortable to ride, especially after installing floorboards in place of pegs. Although, the vacuum operated fuel pump was a let-down and caused a number of problems until I changed it to electric, like the '03 was. It was often mistaken for a 650 or 750, especially coming off the interstates. About 4 gallons of gas, 70+ MPG, top end somewhere over 100, and 200 mile range before starting to look for a gas station. But, I made a huge mistake. I traded it for a larger bike. Even trade, hard to pass up, I thought. Now I'm looking to trade back down. But not looking for fuel injection.

This beast is RAW power and i havent really had any issues except a bad battery which happens, switched to a 500cca lithium as compression in the S&S is stupid high. I only have 4,207 miles on it as of 9-15-19 and bike is a 2000 year bike. No big issue's as its just barely broke in. I will tell ya if your a noob rider straight off a harley better super glue your pants to the seat, This beast will blow the pubes off your wife on a jump seat on the fender.. Anyways love the bike its a rigid which i love & easy maint. As i have a dry belt drive primary with a chain. Shes a beast blows every bike i have run off the road like he wasnt even there. It Keeps up with my 900hp Cobra Mustang till about 130mph then the cobra dusts it. I will prob. Never part ways with this beast....Never..

The reasons I bought a 2019 Indian Scout 60 is because I like the size, and weight of the motorcycle. While this bike has plenty of power for its weight of 542 lbs, I don’t ever feel it’s too much for me to handle. I am a late (very) to riding motorcycles. The scout is well balanced I like the larger tires which give me more confidence with traction in mind. The leather seat is very comfortable and the rider position feels natural and upright without any awareness of a particular position - “it just feels right”. One stand out feature I am particularly impressed with is ABS brakes. I have read that insurance studies have shown a 37 % decrease in accident avoidance with this feature. The Indian Scout 60 has impressive acceleration and yet I find it easy to roll slowly on country roads chugging along enjoying a Sunday afternoon.

Great bike! Previous owner must have shared the same vision for a “Cholo” style Softail as he/she had already added several aftermarket parts. It’s exactly what I was looking for and I love it. I have some plans of my own for the bike to add that personalized touch.

GREAT NEW BIKE FOR ME A SENIOR OF 71 YRS OLD LOOKS, RIDES AND HANDLES WELL FOR US OLDER RIDERS

Couldn't have found a better fit bike for myself with ease of handling for a beginner.

TheHonda CTX is flickable, comfortable, and well balanced. You will not be blown away by the power but the sub-700cc parallel twin provides adequate torque off of the line and coming out of turns so that the safe rider really doesn't need any more. You will find the low rev limit frustrating. The transmission is easy and smooth giving you a nice click into gear with a light clutch and shifter. The CTX has more clearance for leaning than most cruiser style bikes and the center of gravity is so low that it is still fun in the twisties. The biggest things that will stand out are the cruiser riding position, the low seat height, the low rev limit, and the useless gears. Mine does not have the dual clutch auto but I hear it is great for those that don't want to ride a motorcycle. While this is a great bike for beginners, it is plenty of motorcycle for those that don't have a desire to die on a motorcycle.

Good clean bike,fast and loud. It pounds the streets in the little town of New Troy MI.The big fat tire took one turn to get it right.

I learned that one should have inspected a purchase very detailed before buying but doing all the repairs and maintenance gives one satisfaction that it is in top shape when it is done. I really like riding this bike and it performs great.

Like Thor's hammer, Mjolnir; "in Norse mythology as one of the most fearsome and powerful weapons in existence" Yamaha Raider has a 'Thunderous' feel due in large part to its torque no doubt

I bought my HD Trike Ultra in july of 2017. i had not riden a motorcycle for many years and as i am older i wanted a more stabe ride and the trike fits the bill perfectly. It has awesome power from the Milwaukee 8 107 motor and the six speed transmission and if you punch it in 6th it goes big time.

terrific ride. plenty of power,great handling. raelly like the bike

it's only a 4 speed rpm's are high when on the highway good for city driving, and work bike.....

I found my new Tri Glide through Cycle Trader. Setup a watch on the bike to keep an eye on it and they sent me info when there was a change. Once the price dropped a bit, I sent the seller (private) an email through Cycle Trader and made plans to look at the bike. First trip there, we made a deal and the bike was mine. I found Cycle Trader to be the best place to find and review motorcycles and give yourself time to decide just what you want before you purchase. If I buy another in the future, it will be through Cycle Trader again.

Great experience surfing on this site after so many months looking for what I want.

Private seller gave an honest description of the motorcycle and provided excellent post-purchase support. Immaculate and low mileage at a value. Very happy with this 'sight unseen' purchase (other than phots provided).

Great Bike... Great Shape... Everything that it was said to be and more...

Great Bike I love it. Its great for us short leg girls

I've been riding almost 60 years and owned everything from a Honda 50 to a Gold Wing and several Harley Ultras..... This thing is like a two-wheeled car......too big, too heavy and too ponderous in traffic. Look for something less.......

found to be very comfortable from get go low-rider also handles well in turns