Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Cruiser Time, cool bikes, great bikes

Question
Hello. I have been riding motorcycles for about 8 years now and have owned three, all sportbikes. I want to upgrade into a cruiser, but haven't found a right fit for the budget. In terms of riding, I have had several experiences where I have rented a few Harleys, my two favorites were the soft tail and road king. Although I found both to be great bikes, now that I want to purchase one, the price seems a bit much. I have noticed that Yamaha and Honda make similar styled cruisers to match the Harley Davidson and are significantly lesser in price, but are they worth purchasing (in the long run)?  I am curious to know what your opinion is on the matter. Thanks.

Answer
I don't have direct experience with the Honda and Yamaha cruisers (from this decade, anyway) but from what I hear, people LOVE the Yamahas. There are entire clubs devoted to the V-Stars. I understand they're very reliable and great fun to ride.

In my opinion, the Hondas are fine motorcycles, but they seem to lack character, they're a little too generic. I tried a VTX once and didn't care for it, though the Magnas are really cool bikes.

I think you'll be totally happy with either one, if you're trying to get started with a cruiser and want to save a few bucks over the Harleys. In all, I'd recommend the Yamaha.

Pat