I am finally looking to buy my first ever cruiser. I have not even been on a motorbike in 25yrs and even then it was always dirt bikes, bushes, trails, etc.

My question is for the experienced riders out there, I narrowed my search to the '08 Kawasaki 900 Vulcan but recently have been considering the Vulcan 1500.

Is the 1500 to big to start with? and if so why? if not why not?

I can ride a bike, but have never ridden a street bike, I am nervous about it, especially the city riding. I am registered in a professional rider training course.
Your thoughts please.  

The bigger bikes are a severe problem for people with no 2 wheeled experience. Many of them take years even to become confidant on small bikes. You may or may not find it possible to get comfortable with a large street bike, in the first year. Everybody is different.

The 900 will be more responsive and is plenty of bike for one up riding, but if you load it to the max and get up on the interstate you'll find the larger bike to be more comfortable on an older body, for long rides. If you only stop for gas a couple times on the way, the 900 will be just fine. Larger bikes are generally more of a concession to the passenger's comfort than the rider's needs.

The best training is from a course that requires you to ride your own bike. Training on a course supplied bike, is mostly just a way to give a taste to people who have never ridden. It makes it more profitable to operate a school, but it doesn't help you adjust your efforts to your bike's handling.

regards,
Joe  

Hello everyone, hope you can help answer this question  so I can choose between the suzuki boulevard c109r with drive shaft vs the kawasaki vulcan 2000 with drive belt.Which would be the better bike ,I had the opportunity of sitting on both bikes hard to make up my mind.THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.  

I am 60. My last bike was a 650 Triumph Bonnie in 1977. Two years ago I bought the 900 LT. Fortunately, price was not a factor for me. I have never had a minutes regret. It is size and performance very close to the 1500 (I have a friend I ride with who claims that it is almost the same.) The bike is more than powerful enough for 2-up, although, like most of us, I ride alone 90% of the time. The 900 is 100+ pounds lighter than other bikes of similar look and overall size. I find that much easier for me to handle overall. I also think that the belt drive, fuel injection, (ALWAYS starts), and water cooling makes it as reliable as any. If you go to the Kawasaki sites, you will find the overall satisfaction extremely high.

Unless you plan to do a lot of 2-up long trip, you can't go wrong.  

I too was "out of the saddle" for about 25 years. I just bought a Suzuki C50 a couple of months ago. I was torn betwwen the Vulcan 900 and the C50. I chose the Suzuki because it just felt more comfortable to me. It has all the power I need I ride it to and from work about 70 mile round trip and it does 70 on the highway with no complaints. It also has a shaft drive. I haven't heard any complaints about the belt drive but I just liked the shaft drive better.
You will feel more confident after taking the motorcycle training course. There are several on-line reviews on the various bikes to help you make you decision. Good luck and happy riding.  

Rookie:

After being away from dirt bikes (125's) and street bikes (and old honda 350) for almost 30 years, I purchased a Kaw Vulcan 900 with the same concerns in mind.  Now, a year later I am thinking of a larger bike, yet any such purchase would still be another year away.  If I'm 100% honest with myself, I still have some skills to master and the 900 is more than enough bike on which to learn them.  

Have to go with Sloowpoke on this one....the larger bike may not be the best choice for starters/restarters unless you see that you will be riding two up more often than not.  Mileage between the two is about 5 to 7 mpg different with the 900 coming in at 45 to 47 (for me on my commute) and the Nomad/1500 being claimed at about 40 mpg...if that's a concern.

If you're looking at a lot of highway miles at sustained higher speeds (70+) the vibration on the 1500 may be less than that of the 900 (see if you can get a test ride on used bikes of similar years)....always wanted a 6th gear for the 900 when riding freeways!  If backroads and speeds closer to 65 are where you'll ride, the 900 does a great job at sustained speeds under 70.

Despite my wandering eye for something with a bit more "umph", I do not regret the 900 as my purchase for a return to riding...in all honesty, its plenty big enough for the majority of my rides and, like any bike, with a bit of practice, becoming easier to handle as each day passes.  

HI. I too had been off a bike for about 20 years. The last bike I rode was KZ1000 KAW. Fun and FAST  Now I am 57 and I don't need FAST just a nice cruise. I have a 05 C50T with 20 K so far. The 900 was not out yet. I think you will be happy withe either bike. The road test I have read have all been very good for either the 900 or the C50.
  I thought that I would buy a bigger bike after a year or so not the case. The C50 has been the best allround bike I have ever had. In town it is easy to handle has enought HP to get up and going when needed.
  I think that the Vulcan 1500 will be a little heavy for the first bike. They are a little longer than the 900 that makes them seem heavy when in slow traffic and parking lots. That is when people get in trouble with the bike. SLOW parking lot or gas station driving. I have seen it a lot. It is allways the guys with the big bikes seems like.
   Try to find a dealer that will let you drive the bikes you are looking to buy. There is one here thy will let you drive anything in the show room and not for a 10 min ride. The test drive I took lasted 20-45 min. I rode 3 bikes and the last one was the C50. I   now have. I have not had any thing go bad yet.   Good luck and ride safe scruffy  

Sounds like we are all getting back in the saddle. I myself was 17 years away. I purchased a 2008 900 Vulcan Classic LT and love it.(in May) Dry weight is only 595 lbs. The only option I added was the Vista cruise. It's my daily commuter and I average between 50-55 MPG. Lightweight and easy to handle (I'm 6', 240)
My only complaint would be the factory seat which you will hear from about anybody on factory seats. Also comes with a 2 year warranty which was  a deciding factor for me on the Kawasaki.