We welcome your comments and criticisms. Send them to Motorcycle Cruiser,6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515, or cruiser@sourceinterlink.com. All materials sent to the editors will become the property of Motorcycle Cruiser and cannot be returned.
Sometimes A Wingnut Can Be Neither Left Or Right
My main gripe,(along with 40,000-50,000 other Honda Goldwing owners) is your total lack of coverage and write-ups on the Honda Goldwing in your Motorcycle Cruiser mag. I will not re-subscribe to your mag until I start seeing articles featuring the most successful motorcycle,(both styling and engineered) to hit the American highways,
Bob Frank
Burlington, Wa.
As the lone standing cruiser-specific publication on the market, we have a choice to make. Either (a) we go ultra-purist and be very strict with our interpretation of what a cruiser is, or (b) we go the other way and broaden our scope a bit. I'm inclined to go with Option B. If you saw our last issue, the '09 buyers guide, we did indeed include the Goldwing in our listings, and hopefully, we'll get the chance to do a full-on touring bike comparison this year.
Change We Can Believe In
Mr. Bartels, I have never understood what was "Cool" about burnouts. Why does the cover of the December issue have a cretin ruining a perfectly good rear tire? Is Motorcycle Cruiser magazine becoming Muscle Motorcycle? After reading your opening editorial and your article on the VMAX, I believe you are one that doesn't get the spirit of what Cruiser should be about.
John Verhaar
Rockton, IL
I'm guilty. I'm the cretin in question. See the prior response for more detail into how I feel about the direction of the magazine. The term "cruiser" is a marketing term from the 80's referring to a retro-styled American-style bike, in other words styled like a Harley or Indian. And yes "cruiser" does evoke a sense of calm serenity that a VMAX never would, but as a shrewd marketing move, the VMAX resides in Yamaha's Star brand's lineup, which is all cruisers. So naturally, so is the VMAX, right? Besides, if you knew the wretched excess we're treated to at the average press launch, you wouldn't even ask the question!
Reach For it!
I have been riding since this July. I am new to motorcycles, but to tell you the truth, I have a problem. I am 4'11" in height and trust me, short legs are no funny business. My husband bought me the Honda 750 and I will say, it rode soooo smooth, only it was too big in the tank side. Not just that, my legs had so much to reach. Went to see if I could get a smaller one like the 650, but the shifter and rear brake were really far up front.
Well, we decided to head out to the Harley store and found the perfect moto for me...an 883 low. Great ride, great tank with so much power, but...the kick stand is in an awkward position deep in the bike. What I do is lean the low rider to my left side before I start to kick it to the curb...so its stable.
Do you have any suggestions?? I can handle all the rest this beautiful baby gives me...even the little bit of tippy toeing to keep her up, no issues with that!
Aida Campbell
Pennsylvania
What you need is a kickstand extension. I seem to remember selling a lot of these back in the early 90's when I was a parts guy. A quick search of the internet led me to two solutions. There's a H-D part (50250-04) that fits 04 and later bikes, but it supposedly doesn't fit the "L" or the Nightster. I'm guessing that the reason its not recommended is that it limits lean angle on those shorter machines, but as a new rider, that's probably not much of an issue for you. There's also a J&P piece (530-548) that fits the same models years with theoretically no restrictions, however it may have the same issue, as it looks to be a similar design. -BB
Ageless
I love your magazine and I buy it every month. I especially like it for both the rider information and the cruiser bike information, which helps me to keep up with the industry. I just turned 72 and riding a Stratoliner cruiser makes me feel Ageless. I ride all year, including the winter. It helps to keep me in good physical shape and it helps me to stay in great mental shape by requiring me to constantly be mentally alert to ride a big cruiser safely in the crowded New York City area. I also take long rides to the Catskill mountains in upstate New York. Riding the Stratoliner also makes my work more enjoyable as I always take my laptop computer with me to do my work. I probably have visited just about every Starbucks within 50 miles of New York City on my Stratoliner. I stop frequently to work on my laptop and on my cell phone. By the time I get home at the end of the day from riding my Stratoliner, I am tremendously energized physically and mentally from riding it and getting my work done. In essence I look at riding a cruiser as helping me to stay Young, Ageless and Active and living life to the fullest. In essence, my philosophy is that Age Is Only A State Of Mind and riding the Stratoliner helps to keep me in a great state of mind.
Alan Fink
New York, NY
As a fellow bike-riding mobile-office user, I can totally relate.
Oh, That Knob?!
I recently have started to read your magazine and have enjoyed it very much. I ride a '06 Vulcan 1600 Classic and read with great interest the comparison article "Class Act" in your July issue. I was confused, though, with the weight you quoted, 754 lbs, the manufacture states 671 lbs dry. Is there really 83 lbs of fluids in the bike ? I was also confused when you said the Vulcan lacked rebound damping, it has four position rebound damping and my wife and/or I notice quite a difference if I leave it in wrong position (1 for solo or 3 for 2 up) when we ride. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada where, while the main highways are in excellent condition, many of the scenic back roads have not been repaved in 20plus years and are very rough. We both find the ride of the 1600 really reduces the bumps and adds to our ride enjoyment compared to other bikes we tried/owned. I must state that I have not ridden a Victory or ridden a Harley in many years.
Eric Compagnon
Nova Scotia, Canada
As you might have guessed, the bike in question has been gone from our garage for months now, so we went to our pals at Kawasaki to ask after the phantom rebound adjustment. Forsooth! There is one! As you already know, since you own the bike