Hello.  I'm taking the brc next month and have my permit now.  I am looking for a bike for commuting purposes that gets decent gas mileage.  I like the look of the honda shadow and vstar classic 650's.  Does anyone have an opinion on the best bike for this purpose?  Speeds of the roads I'll be on generally are around 70mph.  Thanks, Eric  

HI: I ride a C50T 05.  It has been great.
The Honda is a good bike. I ride with BIG DAN that's what he had for about a year. It was a great bike to learn on. He had to get a bigger bike. It was perfect for learning. The bike was very dependable rode nice and looked good too. He now has a 1100 shadow and pulls a trailer..    He is having too  much fun with it.
I think that any bike 800cc-650cc will be a good pick for you. They are not too heavy and manuver well in the parking lots and in heavy traffic. Good luck with your hunt and have fun riding.. scruffy...  

On the bargain list, check out the Kawi 750. They stopped making them, but, they are fast, maneuverable, tons of after market(they sold well), shaft drive. Not real good on 2 up for distance, but, for anything up to solo touring, it's rock solid. When I bought my 800, the dealer was talking about someone who just bought a 750, and was going to California and back (I'm in Mass). Heard a couple months later she had made the trip, and had no problems.  

I have a 03 Honda shadow ACE 750-LOVE this bike.Rides 2 up just fine,good power and ride, sounds good.Park next to my buddys HD road king-looks almost just like it.At 6'2" it seems just a little small.Looking to get a 1300 vtx or v-star 1300.
If you want a Very good clean bike with classic style, size and looks- look NO further,I have the bike for you.
I ride to work 65 miles round trip,no problem.bike gets 50-54 mph-I do not ride it hard.50-60 mph.
hope this helps.
Don-D  

Any two cylinder bike can get over 50 mpg in city traffic. Getting 50 mpg or more at 70 mph is a completely different situation. A windshield will rob your mpg. I always got 53-55 mpg on my 80ci Harleys, but they were all naked bikes.

That out of the way, the most maneuverable bikes are the ones with the least amount of trail. It's not so much that they turn sharper, but rather that they feel less top heavy than other bikes of the same weight. Cruiser style front ends vary from slightly less than 4 inches of trail, to more than 6 inches of trail. A 700 pound bike with 4 inches of trail will feel lighter than a 500 pound bike with 6 inches of trail. A 500 pound cruiser with 3.5 inches of trail will maneuver as easily as any standard bike in traffic.

regards,
Joe