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Originally Posted by Dupo
Oh yea, i know what you mean about looks. I tossed a few out the door based soley on the look of the bike. The boulevards are a prime example of that. Nice bikes, look kinda gay to me LOL.  |
Well, I don't know about gay but when I'm riding my Boulevard C50 (805cc) I'm pretty happy.
Looks are subjective and important but you also need to consider what you prefer in the handling and the feel of the ride. For example you will find a difference in the handling and road feel between a thin and a fat front tire. For me the solid ride of the fatter front tire is more comfortable. You may prefer something different. It helps to ride a few different designs to know the differences regardless of the look of the bike.
Last week I rode a couple of Victory motorcycles to see how they handled with the different frame and wheel set up (same power at 1634cc). One had a 130 -70/18 front tire and the other had a 80 - 90/21 front tire. Rear tires were the same. Big difference! Beautiful bikes with lots of power. I ran through the gears to get them up to highway speed (60mph) and when I looked down at the speedometer to check it was already at 85 and fast heading north. Now there is a bike you won't outgrow too soon. Very solid and well built but I still prefer the fit of my 805cc C50 and know that once I make a couple of changes (forward controls and a little lower) it will fit my 6'1" body a little better).
A 750 or 800 cc power plant will suit most folks and cruise at highway/interstate speeds all day just fine. After that you are paying more for a little faster acceleration and gas. A few decades back this class was the big bike and people cruised all over the country with no problems. This class of bike is probably one of the best values today. If someone was to give me a larger displacement bike I wouldn't refuse it but I wouldn't spend the extra money to buy one. Be careful about getting caught up in the idea of outgrowing a bike. If you think you will "outgrow" a 750/800cc bike and need an 1100cc bike how long before you outgrow that for a couple hundred more cc's then a couple more again adinfinitum.
You mentioned that the weight between the 750 and the 1100 is minor. If that is the case then I personally wouldn't spend the extra money on the 1100 for that reason alone. For handling a passenger I would want more than a minor amount of additional weight and I would want it balanced. Again you have to ride.
Time in the saddle on a bike that fits and handles the way YOU like is what will put a smile on your face. If your present bike does this for you then enjoy your ride while you take your time to RIDE other bikes. Talking about a bike won't replace riding the bike.
Cheers!