Right now, I am going to start a thread and I just KNOW that there will be a certain amount of urine extraction taking place AND I would not be supprised to find names like "Billy" and "Scousepie" involved in this unsatisfactory pastime but here goes! at the weekend I had a ride on a mates Viagra and was just so impressed with the comfort and ease of handling of the "cruiser" style of bike. I have been thinking of getting rid of the Pan for a while now and am seriously considering a 750 VT shadow. How do these bikes do on distance work, I do about 30k a year would it be up to that? How do they stand the rigours of winter? How much protection does one of those big screen things give? I realise that it wont give the same level as the Pan but does it keep a little of the wind of or are they just a style thing.I have to ask these things as the last naked bike I rode was a Norton Commando so just a distant memory really. any other comments etc more than welcome ( cept the "weekend warrior" or "wanna buy some cheap tassles" type)

Ive got a few mates that ride these type of motorbikes, thing is here 835, their basicaly a jap harley with loads of chrome and stuff. and where as they dont do anything for me(i didnt say they werent proper bikes) i know owners of them just love em... cant say ive ever seen cruisers doing the winter commute, but that dont suprise me cos of all the chrome and polished sh!t..as i said 835, not my type of bike..but if it floats your boat. then there is no reason why you(hopper) and JP(fonda) cant go riding off into the wild blue yonder.

I dont think the fly screen will offer up the same sort of protection your used to with the Pan, think you kinda spoiled yourself there on that score.



oh and remember not to have your tassles too long, cos your liable to get wipped to death with them. and chanty pot lid IS an optional extra not a must have

i had a cheap VN750 i used as a 2nd bike a couple of years ago & i loved it, often wished i still had it to be honest.
you are NEVER going to get the same level of wind protection as you do on the queen mary/pan. but the big screens do the job well enough. the only thing you have to watch is all the shiney bits-they wont wash as easily as a honda plastic pan. go for it, & ignore billy-he rides an old mans sportsbike-so what does he know you can have tassles over 18 inches long, just not anywhere near the bike thankyou.

Obviously the chrome doesn't like it all that winter weather, altho I like cruisers not keen on too much chrome (or tassles). Japanese cruisers normally have lots of it. Have a friend who had the VT750 honda shadow as his only bike till recently and commuted in winter, I commute myself in winter and have a friend on a Road King who commutes all year. If you really like the bike then you will do the extra cleaning, but would have thought the Pan is ideal for the miles you do and commuting, but cruisers look much better I agree Think the Pan can look like a big scooter, or is that scooters have gone the other way around? Sweet that your last naked bike was a norton commando, saw one at a bike show last sat.

You need lots of anti-corrosion spray, I use FS365 (Scottoiler).

Just thought of the storage, unless you get a road king it won't be as good as panniers/topbox on a Pan.

HTH

Echoing what others have said 835. I ride a Virago XV1100 and I love it. Main thing is the comfort and chilled riding position. It's just so relaxed. I haven't done a huge amount of motorway riding coz I hate them but there is no problem on long runs. The screen keeps the wind (and bugs) off me completely which helps avoid fatigue. The downside to the screen is riding in the rain. You are almost completely blind! I have to look around the side to see where I am going. Handling is nowhere near as good as on a sports or tourer. The front can be a little wobbly on bends at high speeds (70+) especially on eneven surfaces. To be honest I wouldn't want to use mine for day to day commuting in the winter. As others have said there is so much chrome that it's a constant battle keeping the rust at bay. For the same reason you would really need a garage for storage. This is the first cruiser I have owned and I just love this style of riding. I wouldn't go back to any other kind of bike now but that's my preference - each to their own. ( And yes I do have tassles )

I've had a lot of UK customers doing European tours on em. The only complaint I've heard is that when fully loaded it can be a bit of a sail.. catches the wind on the faster roads.

Had a guy here with a fab set of luggage for a Cruiser.... he's gonna mail me when he's back in UK, he's just left. I'll ask what they if you like. Wasn't a name I recognised.

enjoy 835!! If you get one.

Several riders in the Reading local clubs have Shadows, all of which are ridden all year round. Most of the riders are ones whose opinions and decisions are worth learning from, IMO, so that says a lot to me.

Reading has a big cruiser contingent it seems, but the surprising thing is that most of them are ridden all year round.

I say go for it. It'll take a while to get used to distance riding on a cruiser, especially if you're tall and cannot yet afford to customise the controls yet, but it's definitely fun.