Hi All, Based in Norwich and very new to the cruiser seen as I am basically looking for a bike with more torque and less revvy bhp. I currently ride a KTM SMT which is great, I just need something a little more casual if you know what I mean. I've had a demo ride on a Victory Hammer S so far and am booked to ride a Thunderbird on Saturday, which I am looking forward too. Might even give a Rocket III a go but I am 5' 8" and I think it's gonna be a little oversized for me...I shall see soon enough Short list so far is: * Victory Hammer S - demo'ed and give it 7/10 * Victory Judge - no demo available as yet * Thunderbird Storm - me likey the specs, demo ride soon * Rocket III Roadster - wildcard.... I don't like excess chrome so am keen on a more blacked out cruiser hence my short list, although I haven't seen any black pipes and exhausts for the TB as yet...? Anyway, I'll let you know how I get on. I'll either be part-ex'ing soon(ish) or adding a second bike a bit later on when funds are available, it will depend on trade-in value and if I think I will still want a everyday bike as well as a cruiser or not Cheers
Welcome to the forum, The TB & R3 are both awesome bikes and so are the victory's tbh I don't believe there's a bad bike out there these days. Both the TB & Rocket are great fun and you'll be amazed how agile the Rocket is for it's size. If you haven't watched it yet, there's a vid on the thunderbird section of the de-cat mod, this is a relatively cheap mod at about £100 but it makes the bike sound like it should. Please let us know your thoughts after the demo rides and hopefully you'll be "going your own way". CC
Welcome to the forum. I'm a little similar to you in that I moved from a big "adventure" type bike to a cruiser. I traded a Tiger 1050 for an America and for the first time in years I'm actually enjoying riding. I'd sort of forgotten what motorcycling was all about. The 1050 was a brilliant bike, faster, more comfortable and practical than the America but riding it was more like a job than a pleasure. It did everything I wanted it to in a coldly efficient sort of way. There will of course be those who genuinely enjoy the Tiger but I regretted buying it even before I picked it up! I still managed 17k in 2 years though! I tested the Rocket III and the Thunderbird and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. In fact I'd go so far to say that Thunderbird was one of the best bikes I've ridden. Unfortunately it is rather big and although I had no problem in getting both feet on the floor (I'm 5' 8" too) it was a heavy lump to manoeuvre onto the patch of concrete and rubble I laughingly call my hard standing. Similarly the R3 is a big bike to push around and I decided that as everyday bikes they were just too big for me and I ended up with the America. Not as fast or flash as its big brothers but still a very satisfying ride. Try one of those as well. I'm not sure you'll need an everyday bike. For me the America will handle pretty much anything as long as I work within the limited ground clearance. I'll be using mine for everyday riding plus European touring. The tank will give well over 200 miles and luggage and screens are all available (avoid the Triumph stuff though as it's very expensive). Good luck and safe riding :smile: Cheers Dick
Hi & welcome to the forum - a mate had a Thunderbird storm and said he was always grinding the footpegs so he chopped it in and bought a Rocket! Much better he says but I've not ridden either so I'm only going on hearsay! Enjoy what ever you decide on :upyeah:
Thanks for the welcome all, I get the feeling the TB Storm will be the one but the demo will set that straight very soon... Yep, seen it and love the sound...2 things I will want to do to a TB / R3 if I get one, 1) remove cats and 2) ceramic coat pipe and shorty cans :smile: So, what is that £100 buying? Is it a kit where I need to modify the pipes / replace certain parts? How does it work? edit: I'll ask in the thread on it so others benefit from the answer Just wondering if I'll miss the occasional hooning on a supermoto in the twisties, plus I can still add the work miles on one and leave the nice cruiser to mature nicely with age I am hoping that the cruiser will be with me for a very long time. Although I am assuming the bigger engined cruisers can cover a LOT of miles before needing rebuilds? Me thinks so, that would be very impressive 200 MPG on a heavy cruiser I was impressed with the 50MPG of the Victory Freedom lump compared to my SMT at 30-35MPG I think the R3 will be just too damn big for my liking, but we'll see, for the little extra it costs over the TB you get a lot more bike it seems though, roll on Saturday when I toy with them all! As far as clearance goes though the Thunderbird has more than the Hammer S and to be honest after a 2 hour ride on the Hammer I was finding I wasn't trying to go super fast everywhere and wasn't finding clearance an issue...A fair few corners were met at the speed limit without a bother, and some were taken slower than I would on the SMT, but it all suited the riding style I got into. Maybe after a while once used to the bike I would find it a bit restrictive but I am not getting a cruiser to push hard in the twisties, for that I'll likely have my SMT if I have my way :wink: Also the trade in on the SMT which has been offered so far ain't worth it in my eyes. It's done a fair few miles, 14K miles in 2 years to be exact, I just think I'd be better off keeping the bike, and maybe sticking dual sport tyres on it and using it for commutes and in the poorer weather. It is a great bike I would miss for sure. Back to youtube now to watch more bike vids
They look absolutely stunning, have all the right bits but, well, you summed it up really. (And as uncomfortable as fuck!)
Welcome to the forum, i was a bit unsure when i bought the speedmaster as never had a cruiser before but after riding it, its nice to ride and cruise around ,done the speed thing and the rat bike think..........must be getting old :biggrin:
think if i sat on a pocket rocket the tempation to go quick would be to tempting probably kill myself, just sayin
I had a T'Bird 1700 and it was a sweet bike but when it comes down to it I ended up grinding the pegs on corners all the time and it is one heavy lump and to be honest I ended up liking it to look at rather than to ride so I swapped it in for my Speed Triple and don't regret it for one second!!!! By the way I have some decat pipes for the TBird which indeed did make it sound awesome. £30 to the first bidder
Just bought aftermarket cans for the SMT and will fit a new set of Angel GTs on Saturday before my test ride of the TB and R3. This means I'll keep the SMT and be looking at getting a cruiser as a second bike for certain now, maybe an ex-demo at the end of this year if available or buy new next maybe... In reality this means grinding pegs ain't an issue, if I get the urge for speed in the twisties the SMT comes out, and the cruiser will be for what it is intended, cruising at the weekends and touring with the better half on the back. I don't drive the car at all, that's left to the wife, so 2 bikes is fair enough I reckon :wink: Not long now until I sample a Thunderbird and Rocket III :upyeah: