27th Jul 2011, 11:04
Well, I did sell the "little guy", and the new owner is just as happy with the bike as I was. It was probably one of the best bikes I could have chosen to learn to ride on, and I could have made a couple of modifications to the bike to make it a better fit for my size, but opted to go for the bigger bike. I didn't end up with a cruiser, but it is a V twin from a cruiser.
Since I was used to the standard riding position, I wanted to stay with that, but with more leg room and a more comfortable seat... I actually found the bike back in October of 2010, but I didn't think I would buy it (price was quite a bit higher than I wanted to spend)... long story short, over the winter the dealer dropped the price on the bike by $1300 and I offered them another $100 off with taxes in, and they accepted the offer (and replaced the battery, since the other one had died on the sales floor).
I now ride a Yamaha MT-01, which is a sport/standard with the engine out of the Warrior cruiser... 1670cc Vtwin, 90Hp & 110TQ... so double the Hp, more than triple the TQ and an extra 150lbs... but the suspension is much better equipped to handle my weight, and there is no problem with having to gear down to maintain speed in wind or on hills...
New toys are always fun!! Although I do miss the little bike from time to time (I miss the fuel economy and the tank range...)
Ride Safe!!
Later.
30th Apr 2013, 21:44
I would not recommend a Suzuki Cruiser. Although their sports bikes are nice (I also owned a GS550), the cruisers are JUNK. Nothing good from them. I am now parting out of my daughter's cruiser because the POS broke so bad it would cost me almost as much for repairs as I paid for it. This is after spending over $1000 so far on it. Try almost any other brand.
15th Nov 2010, 11:14
I am over 33,000kms now and the season is now over (Alberta, Canada), pretty late riding this year.
I have had another repair on the bike, the clutch cable broke on me... but it was very easy to repair and only took about 20 minutes. The part from Suzuki was only $24 CDN...
This is a great bike to learn with. As for the cruiser "upgrade", I'm not so sure. I may end up waiting another season before getting a bigger bike. I am thinking more experience would be a good idea before adding more "excitement" to the ride. I am still having a lot of fun riding this little fella around. The fuel consumption is great. I am averaging 4.9L/100kms, and with a 20L tank I have great cruising range. I will have a hard time giving that up... maybe something along the line of the V-Strom DL650 (similar consumption and a larger tank), but I will decide after the "demo days"...
Later.