Which Cruiser

I'm thinking about getting a cruiser soon for next riding season. Right now I just ride sportbikes and dirtbikes. I have it narrowed down to 3. Vulcan 2000, VTX 1800, or a Honda Fury. I love the looks of the Honda Fury the best, but like the bigger size bikes. Any experience which is best??  

fastride09, if you can, ride each before deciding. I haven't ridden any of these but the motorcycle mags all have ride reviews. Cycle World's current issue has good story about making mods to a Fury. Motorcyclist also did a comparison between the Fury and a Big Dog K9 earlier this summer. Something they noted is that the Fury (which Catterson ended up referring to the Furby by the end of the article) won't go faster than 99 mph, though most other things I've read about the Fury are positive (biggest criticism I've see is that the "chrome" is all plastic, as are the fenders, but that's how Honda chose to reduce the bike's weight).

If quality carries through a line, the Vulcan would be a good choice. My father-in-law rides a 900 LT and loves it! He's had no problems with it.

I ride a V Star 1100 and really like the whole Star line. Have you checked them out? Stars in the size you're look at include the Roadstars, Stratoliner (my favorite and one I will have one day), Warrior (might appeal to the streetbiker in you in a cruiser format), and Royal Stars. My general take on the Star line is that they are dependable rides that may or may not lead their classes and have very good price points.

Hope this helps. Since cruisers differ so much from sportbikes, definitely ride what you can. They can feel drastically different.

Good luck on making your choice. Ride safe, watch out for cagers on cell phones, and thank The Man Upstairs for every safe ride.  

CruiserBruiser:
fastride09, if you can, ride each before deciding. I haven't ridden any of these but the motorcycle mags all have ride reviews. Cycle World's current issue has good story about making mods to a Fury. Motorcyclist also did a comparison between the Fury and a Big Dog K9 earlier this summer. Something they noted is that thee Fury (which Catterson ended up referring to the Furby by the end of the article) won't go faster than 99 mph, though most other things I've read about the Fury are postive (biggest criticism I've see is that the "chrome" is all plastic, as are the fenders, but that's how Honda chose to reduce the bike's weight).

If quality carries through a line, the Vulcan would be a good choice. My father-in-law rides a 900 LT and love it! He's had no problems with it.

I ride a V Star 1100 and really like the whole Star linee. Have you checked them out? Stars int he size you're look at include the Roadstars, Stratoliner (my favorite and one I will have one day), Warrior (might appeal to the streetbike in you in a cruiser format), and Royal Stars. My general take on the Star line is that they are dependable rides that may or may not lead their classes and have very good price points.

Hope this helps. Since cruisers differ so much from sportbikes, definitely ride what you can. They can feel drastically different.

Good luck on making your choice. Ride safe, watch out for cagers on cell phones, and thank The Man Upstairs for every safe ride.

fastride09, I agree, test ride as many as you can, but I can attest to the versatility, handling, carrying capacity, and comfort of the Vulcan VN900.  Good gas mileage, plenty of power to get down the road.  This Sept took an 800 mile trip to North Shore Lake Superior, side boxes and trunk fully loaded and pulled a trailer total weight 300# and with 2 up! Cruised the freeway at 70mph for hours on end, no problem, still got 45mpg!  Lots of goodies out there for customizing. Take a look at my 900 Classic "cruiser". In '08 it took us from SD to Yellowstone Park, 10days of gear loaded (without trailer that time). "VN900 TOURING" on photobucket.
http://photobucket.com/ironsinthefire_bucket
http://ironsinthefire.webs.com  
Ride Safe and No Faster Than Your Guardian Angel Can Fly !!

If there was truly a best bike... only 1 bike would be made.
The 1800's are large, heavy, stable, and slightly resistant to turning.
1300's like the Fury, have less weight, and as a result are going to be a little more nimble, and a little less stable.
You just have to pick which areas you are willing to give up  

Before you choose an VTX1800 over a VTX1300 you might want to check some reviews. The 1300 got better reviews at least in 2008 and the 1800 didn't score too well. The 1300 was considered a better buy and bike. Try looking into web reviews of the others.  

The Vulcan and VTX are cruisers and the Fury is a new chopper.  If you like something inbetween you may want to think about the STAR Raider.  It is a 1900cc with the same engine as the Stratoliner and Roadliner (I have the Stratoliner and really love it but I suggest one of them if you really preferred the cruiser style).  The Raider gets really good reviews. I've done a brief ride on it and found it fun but I like a cruiser more.  The Raider doesn't have as 70's a look as the Fury does with much less exposed frame and a sort of funky looking rear light/license plate holder.  But it would give you the big engine, rides really well, and has gotten really good reviews in every article I've read.  I'd suggest you at least look at it, especially if you have a STAR/Yamaha dealer in your area.  

I definitely think it is a good idea to ride as many different types that you can before choosing one.  Me?  I prefer the VTX simply because that is what I ride.  

You might want to take into consideration that Honda doesn't make the VTX 1800 anymore. The last model rolled out in 2008.  

I ride the VTX 1300 which is plenty of bike for me and the laid back seating position and extra low handle bars are great.  There all good quality bikes and will most likely last you a long time.  

Go for Honda Fury as mentioned by you, the looks are really awesome. Make no compromise when it comes to style.  

I suggest checking out Eagle Rider for rentals.  In many locations they have bikes other than Harley's to rent.  For example, in Knoxville (near the Dragon's Tail) they rent both the VTX1800 and VTX1300 (as well as the Shadow 750).

Take a little trip and go do Dragon's tail over two days, one day per bike.  That's a cheap way to find out which suits you.

A little closer to you is Eagle Rider Richmond.  They have the Star 1100 and the VTX1300.

Do a little digging and see who rents bikes near you.  It's worth a bit of time and money to check them out before you buy since you're making such a big change from sportbike to cruiser.  

YAMAHA STAR ROADLINER 1900.  I GET EXCITED JUST LOOKING AT THE DAMN THING!  POWERFUL ENGINE AND GOOD LOOKS!  AND NO RADIATOR IN FRONT OF THE MOTOR TO HIDE IT.

CHECK THE REVIEWS.   http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/godzilla-cruisers-shootout-14274.html

TOP BIKE AWARDS, ETC... BEATS THE VULCAN, HD SOFTAIL, VTX, AND THE M109 IN THE REVIEW LINK ABOVE.  BUT AS ALWAYS, CHECK ONE OUT FOR YOURSELF!  I LOVE MINE!  GOOD LUCK ON WHATEVER YOU DECIDE.  

I hear a lot of people say great things about their honda vtx 1300, the vulcans, and the star line.  I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

The other thing you may want to think about is a sport tourer like the honda 1300, or the fjr 1300.  The honda felt real comfortable to me.

Then there are the on-off road bikes like the vstrom 1000, buell ulysses, bmw, etc.  If you aren't planning on riding two-up, you might want to go with a 650 vstrom or something like it.

The reason I'm throwing those out there is because you seem to like sport bikes and you like the dirt as well.