Brad Gee Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 Hi guys I'm a little giddy at the moment after passing my Mod 1 yesterday on a Suzuki Gladius (really dislike the feel of these bikes... cruisers all the way!), and booked in for my mod 2 next Wednesday I have 4 years experience riding on the road with my trusty work pony the YBR125 for the past two years, and before that a yamaha DT80. I am a confident and controlled rider, not interested in speeding and learned not to make silly risks & mistakes the hard way during my teen years (now 31) I have my eye on the XVS1300. the size of it and everything appeals .... but I'm uncertain if this is a wise choice and I should start off with the 950. Il be buying new so id rather not buy the 950 and get a month or so down the line and think i should have bought the 1300. Any advice would be greatly appreciated Brad
lallasro Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 well, the things are easy: you need power, you go for 1300, you need handling, go for 950 there is not big diference, if you are a good rider, you can start with 1300, another thing, 950 is air cooled, 1300 is water cooled. if you are not all day long on germany autobahn to need more speed, in my opinion 950 is a good choice. if you want go for a big bike, you can skip the 1300 and go directly for 1900. from my knowleadge, on this forum just Clarke had both 950 and 1300
Brad Gee Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 Thanks for the input 1900 is a little too big i feel! Perhaps in so many years. I do like the sound of more handling with the 950 as I do live in a town, but would appreciate the extra grunt for going up and around the lake district on occasion. without seeing them both in the flesh im under the impression the 950 looks alot smaller in size. spotted an XVS1300 in the showroom and fell in love with it.
captf Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 spotted an XVS1300 in the showroom and fell in love with it. I had a sit down on one at the Manchester Bike Show recently. So comfortable! Slap some bar risers on it, for my stumpy arms, and it may be my next bike in a couple of years.
slice Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 It's all about confidence and approach, if your confident that your enough of a rider to handle it and you approach it with a degree of healthy fear and dread then I don't see a problem with buying a great big lump of a bike, but always remember it will kill you if you f**k up. Not being dramatic or anything just saying that is a hell of a stride from a 125 to a 1300. I have just bought an FJR 1300, I have been riding since I was 14, so about 50 years, and I am just about ready for this thing, you might be much better than me, lot's are, and have confidence oozing out of every pore in your body but it won't help when it gets away from you. Just sayin mind not trying to twist you either way. 2
Brad Gee Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 mutual input is always welcome and it's one of your points which led me to making this post. passing test and going straight for a 1300 ... I wanted to make sure the motorbike community didn't recoil in horror at the thought of someone who's newly passed going out and getting a 1300. Though again I appreciate thats a difficult one to answer... as there's a huge difference between an idiot who cuts cars up and rolls the dice with every ride.... or one which is quite happy poodling along just enjoying the ride..... Id rather arrive 5 minutes late in one piece, than push my luck. Im also under the impression that a 1300 cruiser isnt that big of a deal due to the power to weight ratio... compared to a 1300 racing bike for instance which as you would expect would go like lightning. (unless im wrong on this?) I guess the key to this is respect, and I have plenty of that. I took to the 600 Gladius like a duck to water. infact it was nice having a heavier bike to ride despite the posture not being my cup of tea .... when I got back on the YBR125 after training on the 600 it felt like someone had stolen my engine and so light it felt like a childs toy. 1
captf Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 Checking the specs of the 2014 model, power-wise, it's on par with the gladius for 'grunt' [72 vs 71]. However, it is also ~50% heavier. But then, cruisers aren't built for acceleration and the like. They're made for a comfortable [and bad ass] looking ride. However, I've never ridden a cruiser to compare how the power is different, so will need to defer to the more experienced chaps here. And I remember that feeling of jumping back on my 125 after my DAS training. Wondering where all the power had gone... I went on my YBR125 at the weekend, to keep the battery charged, and found I was now revving it a lot harder than I used to
Brad Gee Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 Indeedy Captf ... the 600 felt like all it wanted to do was go go go.. while I like that for being able to get out of a tight spot when needed, I wouldnt want that kind of acceleration all the time. Looks like il be booking a test ride once I've passed then!
captf Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 I wouldnt want that kind of acceleration all the time. It actually doesn't take too long to get used to it. I honestly barely use the power range of mine; but it's there if I need it. The 'issue' is that you're used to the lack of power of a 125, and the need to crack that throttle fully open to get anywhere. Once you're used to only needing more subtle wrist movements, ~70bhp becomes far easier to handle. Now, the power of a Ninja H2 would terrify me.
Ttaskmaster Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 However, I've never ridden a cruiser to compare how the power is different, so will need to defer to the more experienced chaps here. World of difference, IMO... Same for comparing the ride on my massively powerful but easily controllable FJ1200, to riding a tuned-up 600 Hornet hoolie-bike that won't even move away unless you're revving halfway round the dial... Every bike is different and some are more different than others. Here's a sort-of general impression on Cruisers, that might be of help: Cruisers still put out a LOT of grunt, albeit down the lower end, and you can go from standstill to FUCKING HELL quite easily, even on a 650cc one - Believe me. You can also tear up the roads and ride like a loony, if you so choose. In my opinion, the 950 will be plenty to step up to and a whole world of fun! 2
Brad Gee Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 captf I see your point about adjusting to the throttle. guess once you're used to it its just as natural. Ttaskmaster lol thanks for sharing the link to your previous post. that was great to read and picked up a few tips from it too. il take a second look at the 950. will try and talk my dealer into letting me test ride both to see which one I prefer
meatloaf Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 I moved up from my 535 to my xvs1300 some 16 months ago, for my that was a big enough jump and took a while to get used to the bigger bike. Most of my riding is on the open road where the 1300 is great to ride but if I had to do a lot of town riding I think I might prefer the smaller 950. IMO the 1300 is a fantstic bike and I love it, and as Tasky says there is plenty of low down grunt and there are times I do go from standstill to fucking hell fairly quickly. I have never been on a 950 so I can't compare the two bikes, but if you are a sensible rider and take it easy at first you should be fine on the 1300. Do take the time and follow Taskies link as there is some good info there. What ever you choose stay safe and have fun.
clarke Posted April 29, 2015 Posted April 29, 2015 I went for the 1300 from a 125 albeit it was restricted to 33bhp to begin with (throttle stop). The 1300 is a great bike but it is a heavy bugger. I got the 950 a year or so after trading the 1300. The 950 is obviously lighter and the engine is very good but no comparison to the grunt of the 1300. The 950 handles much easier (at least I found it did) but I kept grounding the floorboards - something I never really did on the 1300. The suspension on the 950 seemed quite harsh although I never checked the settings on the rear shock (previous owner might have had it turned up). It depends how you're planning on using the bike. If for short, town riding or round local twisties I'd almost say get the 950. If I was to buy another cruiser I'd go for the 1300 though - not necessarily because it's better but I had one for 3 years so more memories (had the 950 for about 4 months but personal circs forced sale). The 1300 always ran out of fuel at 130-145 miles and is bloody heavy to push (I know from experience) I think I posted a review of both in the Cruiser section 'XVS950 vs XVS1300' or something like that?
Brad Gee Posted April 29, 2015 Author Posted April 29, 2015 Cheers meatloaf, Clarke. I mentioned my choices to my instructor via email as i figured who better to tell me than the guy who's been assessing me. He's recommended I get a 1300 too. so good news! Yes, I live in a town, but its Blackpool... not hardly a traffic nightmare when you know your way around it... you just don't go near the joke of a traffic system of a town centre. I'm quite happy to sit in a queue of traffic rather than trying to filter lol. Could see that going horribly wrong for an inexperienced rider on a big bike, as Task's post points out.
neversaydie Posted April 29, 2015 Posted April 29, 2015 Thats a heck of a step up and Id be inclined to go for a used bike as the first big one, get some miles under your belt with a decent cheaper bike that wont mind so much if you bin it (shit happens you know), learn how they work, how to maintain them etc then part chop it in for a biggie
clarke Posted April 29, 2015 Posted April 29, 2015 The 1300 never stopped me from filtering... If you go for it and want advice on mods/useful info etc let me know
GazzyG Posted May 2, 2015 Posted May 2, 2015 Both would be awesome. The 1300 has that extra grunt, but is by no means fast. Coming from a YBR, however, even the 950 will feel like it has all the power in the world. Whichever you get, enjoy!
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