Russbiker Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Are there many XVS950 owners on here? Be interested to here thoughts on the bike compared to others. My gf is getting her first big bike in the next two months. She has a Kawasaki Eliminator at the moment and her short list for her first big bike is an xvs950, honda shadow spirit 750, kawasaki vn800. Anyone owned a couple of these bikes and can compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Goff is/was one of the main 950 supporters, having swapped her legendary Elvira 650 Classic for one. Alas, she hasn't posted much recently. I believe she's off being romanticised. I thought the 950 sounded fairly interesting. Not a fan of Classic styling, so it's not high on my list, bu I've heard good things. I ride a 650 Custom myself, so try and have her check that out too - It's a popular bike and many of us here ride one. Shadows are stalwart workhorses. Honda engines are bulletproof and I almost bought one myself, but for another buyer who got in first. Solid, dependable, reliable, steady and other such similar adjectives. But that's mostly all that can be said about the Shadow. It's almost a dull ride by comparison. There's a saying in South Africa - "There is Kak, there is complete Kak and there is Kawasak". I've hardly ever liked Kawasakis. Something about their Cruisers tend to look like cheap rip-offs of other, better designed and better styled models. Of the big four, I'd say they are possibly the lowest ranking. I couldn't name more than a couple of their models and their sales staff have always seemed like moody bastards. I've never felt motivated to look much beyond that. Even their concept bikes look like unimaginitive shite, especially when compared to things like the Suzuki G-Strider!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awa355 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 In New Zealand, the Suzuki C50 / M50 Bouelevard crusiers are very highly thought of. 803cc they perform well, handle good and seem to be bulletproof. Not sure if they sell in the UK. As said above, the Honda Shadow 750 is a goodie but wont do anything more or better than the 650 Yamaha. One factor you DO need to look at is the dealer backup and service. Any of the models you ask about, in good condition is usually,going to be reliable, but need parts ( especially for an older bike) and none of the dealers are very interested. In NZ, the Honda dealers attitude to parts avalibility, 2nd hand bike servicing is shit. They dont want to know you once a bike has been sold. I have had two recent Hondas, and found I could get parts in from Australia cheaper and quicker than through the local Honda dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cov_AL Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I sold my XVS650 Custom to buy the XVS950a and I've been grinning ever since! The 650 is a great bike, I really loved mine - but the 950 is just beautiful to ride. I've recently clocked up 10,000 miles on mine and can't fault it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarke Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 My brother recently bought a Kawasaki VN900 and its a nice bike, runs well and is very comfortable. I almost bought the Yammy XVS950 (but went for the 1300) - the 950 looks great and is also comfortable. This may be of interest to you: http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/features/1008_crup_900cc_middleweight_cruiser_comparison/index.html ? There's also this video on youtube Also have a look here: http://forums.delphiforums.com/vstar950/start and here: http://www.yamahamotorcycleforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russbiker Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 Thanks for the sound advise fellas. It looks like its gonna come down to which bike commes up for sale at the right price first. Shes had a sit on the shadow and the xvs950, she think theyre both low enough for her (5' 3"). Havent found a 650 in a shop yet for her to have a look at. There any differnce in top speed between the shadow and the drag 650? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Not really. Most Cruisers top out at around 92mph. It's usually about the torque and acceleration before you reach that point. The 650 and 1100 Drags both have a similar top speed, but the 1100 will whip the arse of a 650 (assuming you ride it properly, which my race partner didn't but that's another story ). I do have bad memories of a guy who traded in his 750 Shadow to get a 1300 Honda somethingorother Cruiser. He found it immensely hard to cope with so much extra torque and was an absolute danger to ride anywhere near! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russbiker Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Well she bought her first big bike today. She found a really nice Shadow 750 with 4000 miles for 3grand. Prestine condition 05 reg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarke Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Good to hear. Hope she enjoys the new bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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