Didn't get to ride too much today, since I was meeting a friend (a fellow rider coach from NJ who got to escape the cold!).. he got there late, which left us with slim pickings. Still had a good time though.
VMAX: (stock photo)
Yes, it's got lots and lots of torque and power. For me, that's where the good things ended. Did not like the ergonomics at all. The air scoops on sides of the tank force your knees out. If you want to keep knees in you have to drop them below the air scoops, which creates odd ankle angles.
I also found it to be incredibly top heavy.. perhaps the most top heavy bike I've ever ridden. And I guess it's a Yamaha thing: throttle tip in is quite abrupt (no worse than FZ09, but not much better).
If I wanted something ridiculously powerful, I'd choose Busa over this one without 2nd thought.
M109 (stock photo)
Finally got to ride this one. One of the smoothest cruisers out there. Loads of smooth low end torque and buttery smooth transmission (seems to be the norm for Suzuki.. so much smoother than Yamaha :don'tknow: )
Doubt I'd ever own a bike like this, but I enjoyed demo'ing it. I do think it's one of the meaner looking power cruisers out there.
Vulcan S (stock photo)
Just nothing to write home about. I suppose the brakes were quite good for a cruiser. Everything was just so-so. Kawasaki is the only manufacturer to do a stretch of highway on their demo ride. I got this thing up to a pretty good speed and it just wasn't that impressive. And the cruiser with no wind protection? .. at highway speeds your really feel like you're going to slide off things thing. Not my cup of tea.
VMAX: (stock photo)
Yes, it's got lots and lots of torque and power. For me, that's where the good things ended. Did not like the ergonomics at all. The air scoops on sides of the tank force your knees out. If you want to keep knees in you have to drop them below the air scoops, which creates odd ankle angles.
I also found it to be incredibly top heavy.. perhaps the most top heavy bike I've ever ridden. And I guess it's a Yamaha thing: throttle tip in is quite abrupt (no worse than FZ09, but not much better).
If I wanted something ridiculously powerful, I'd choose Busa over this one without 2nd thought.
M109 (stock photo)
Finally got to ride this one. One of the smoothest cruisers out there. Loads of smooth low end torque and buttery smooth transmission (seems to be the norm for Suzuki.. so much smoother than Yamaha :don'tknow: )
Doubt I'd ever own a bike like this, but I enjoyed demo'ing it. I do think it's one of the meaner looking power cruisers out there.
Vulcan S (stock photo)
Just nothing to write home about. I suppose the brakes were quite good for a cruiser. Everything was just so-so. Kawasaki is the only manufacturer to do a stretch of highway on their demo ride. I got this thing up to a pretty good speed and it just wasn't that impressive. And the cruiser with no wind protection? .. at highway speeds your really feel like you're going to slide off things thing. Not my cup of tea.