So, do cruisers handle?

This was a question I was recently asked and I didn't have the answer. I'm not a nutter or one to claim that i'm some sort of hero and I have certainly never worn a silly hump back suit, but this morning I went out to find out if they do handle or do they just chug along and change direction eventually.

Well, Ive had some shite bikes and I have had plenty of great bikes and for this year I decided it would be my first cruiser which i'm currently learning to ride for an upcoming tour in June. Ive got a gixer thou as well and I can ride it so I'm pretty used to sending machinery along a bit when called for. So, with an open road at 7AM I headed off to the Yorkshire Dales

65 miles later the verdict is in.

YES, they can be ridden very quickly, more so in fact than I expected, the America is easy to flick about (almost as easy as my last NC-24) and in the right hands, progress can indeed be brisk. I didn't need to scrape it, even accelerating hard, out of a hairpin uphill into Beckwithshaw so there was another myth exploded.

So, the answer to the question that none of you were thinking of asking and probably don't care about either is Yes, a cruiser can handle without protest (if ridden properly)

Only downside is the rear shock set-up isn't really expecting such fun and games so if I was going to do this again, I might change something.

Great fun

EM

 

I did think that this must be a good cruiser as far as handling goes. I don't imagine they are all like this at all so possibly down to the good work of the Triumph boys. Deffo hear you on the sportsbike thing. No way I could keep up with myself on a sportsbike riding the America but by the same token, there are many power ranger types that i've ridden with that couldn't keep up with me on the America when they are riding their sportsbike.
I have one good mate who now lives in shame after once challenging me to a race over the mountain from Ainsa in Spain up to the border with France. I was on my lardy arsed BMW 1100RT back then and he had a mint, 4000 Miles Daytona 955. He was over 2 minutes behind me at the border and i was sitting on a snow drift smoking a fag when he turned up. He blamed his tyres, the road surface, the heat, everything he could think of but he couldn't face the fact that it was just he that was a less experienced rider than I.

His BKS leathers didn't help him either despite costing more than my 10 year old BMW at the time. LOL

Just out of interest, here he is throwing the snowballs at me after the event at the very location we ended the little adventure. I didn't mention it in the video as it had already ruined his day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALWTm18YO0