Good cruiser for a beginner??

[patmahe]

Hey everyone have been flicking through the newbie rider post and its very helpful but I'm really into the cruiser bikes and have my eye on a Yamaha Virago 535, is this a good bike and a good beginner bike or am I better off to stick with a more conventional bike for my first??

Cheers

[Pete B]

I started on a kawasaki W650, classic triumph looks but very affordable & conventional which I found to an excellent starter bike. Have since moved onto a kawasaki meanstreak 1500, half the price of a harley, more stylish & goes like a sports bike.

[Steve_T]

I knew a girl with a Virago 535 (she was on my City and Guilds course). She hated it and got rid. Might have only been that one what was a lemon (caused her a lot of bother), but they're a bit gutless compared to more regular bikes - my low powered SV 650 has >20bhp and it's a further 10-20bhp down on other 600 inline four starter bikes.

Steve.

Edited by Steve_T on Thursday 9th August 17:24

[jconsta6]

I've ridden older XV1100's in the past and they always seemed ok - not the fastest in the world.

From some of my other posts, I've come back into biking after being out of it for a long time and "feel" like a beginner in many respects. I've got on amazingly with my Triumph America - it's plenty fast enough for me and does exactly what it says on the tin. At 850CC - it's not some lumbering behemoth that you can't manouver either.

Obviously I'm biased, but feel free to email if I can give you any more info about them.

Cheers,

JC

[A1ec]

Never really liked the Virago 535 as it has a horrible riding position and looks very dated.

I used to have a Honda Shadow (VT600), which was very good, and it also looks better as the rear suspension gives the impression of a hard-tail.

I moved up from the Shadow to the Yamaha Royal Star (XVZ1300), but that's way too big for a beginner, whereas the smaller Drag Star 650 would be a good choice.