Vacation Bike Rental Suggestions? Harley vs. Kawa for sportbike rider? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Vacation Bike Rental Suggestions? Harley vs. Kawa for sportbike rider?

I

iriderockets

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Hi there,

I am going on vacation for a week in Maui, attending a wedding there which will be pretty boring. However, to spice things up I am going to rent a motorcycle for a day or two from EagleRiders. The choices I have are:

Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail Classic
Kawasaki Vulcan 900
Suzuki V-strom 650.


Now I normally ride a supersport, so I am inclined towards the V-strom. However, my gf will be with me and I want her to be comfortable and safe as we tour around the island, thus I am thinking I should go with the H-D or the Kawa, both of which have backrests for the passenger.

Any suggestions between the H-D Softtail and the Kawasaki Vulcan 900?

Thanks very much!
 
I'd still consider the vstorm 2up and check out some of the roads less traveled.

Not sure how well the HD will hold up in the heat and humidity? Guess it will do fine as long as you're moving.


The Vulcan is liquid cooled.

Pretty sure the Heritage comes with soft saddle bags which makes it nice to pack a few things. Not sure about the Vulcan?

I'm a HD guy so, I'd probably choose it against my better judgement.
 
I would eliminate both the HD and Kawi just based on the feet-forward ergos, but that's just me. Between both though, might as well experience Murica the right way. HD.
 
Since it's a rental and a holiday of sorts why not shake it up and rent the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic? You'll get a lot more likes on FB to boot.
 
being on vacation in an exotic location and 2upping with your gf
go with the HD - ride in comfort and enjoy the surroundings

plus enough torque to handle both of you
 
I'd go with the HD. You normally ride SSs; expand your horizons...try something different and see how the other half lives for a couple of days.

I think your GF will be more comfortable on that anyway: It's not just about you, eh?
 
Kawi is liquid cooled, Harley is air...but the HD has a lot more CC's so it may be a more enjoyable performance level for you being used to SS riding.

I think you'll enjoy either honestly, and I agree...try the cruiser for something different.
 
I rented a Davidson on vacation in Cozumel, the contrast to what i'm used to made it very amusing. No point comparing, they are different beasts. My wife, never been on my sport bikes, or any bike ever, felt safe on the big road king with side bags and a back rest.
 
HD all the way bring no need for speed in Maui . All nice relax riding .

Make sure to cover your head and use lots of sunscreen if you try riding without a helmet . The sun is brutal down there .
 
Was there last year. I'd do the HD, but don't try Kapalua to Waihee on it though, that road along the North coast turns into a one-lane goat trail with a lot of blind corners.

Road to Hana is cool if you like jungle foliage, RD 30 from Kapalua to Maalaea is easy riding mid-week. Don't forget to watch the sunrise from 10, 000 FT at MT Haleakala.
 
If Maui is anything like Kauai which it probably is Vstrom hands down. I had a Hypermotard and went over some roads wishing I had a 50/50 tire or at least something like an Anakee. I can't imagine taking a pig cruiser around and actually exploring and having any fun but if you're just going to be going on main roads with a passenger it depends, even then the Vstrom still has pretty big grab bars despite not having a backrest and will be way more fun to ride.
 
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The Softail will have better ergonomics and ride than the other two and loads more torque for two-up riding and steep hills.
 
Never been to Hawaii but my 2 cents.

Ive rented HD before in SF and hated it. So much vibration and forward foot control felt weird. For some reason my butt/lower back hurt in shorter amount of time than riding sport bike.

My regret is not renting something more sport or standard as I would've been able to enjoy the awesome roads around SF.

If you want to see how HD would feel, I think demo rides are better for that.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
I had a V-Strom 650 for 3 years & my wife loved riding on the back. Comfi enough, good leg room. Best choice for exploring.
 
The vulcan 900 doesn't have enough ballz ... ride the vstrom if you want closer to 'normal' riding for yourself or get the Harley 'cuz it has more cc's as a cruiser.
 
Hi everybody,

Thanks for the very thoughtful replies! I'm going to try out the HD tomorrow. Probably one of the few times when I get to ride something so different from my own bike. I'll let you know how it goes!
 
@ iriderockets

is there a demo tomorrow?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hi all,

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I wanted to report back on my experience. I ended up renting the Harley Davidson Sportster 1200. They had it on display and I sat on it and felt really good, so I went for it.

Really fun bike. Very easy to ride, especially at low speed compared to my sport bike which just likes to go fast. The other big difference I noticed was that the much softer suspension resulted in a much more "relaxed" riding experience. I hadn't appreciated how "on edge" sport bike suspensions actually are. You basically don't have to worry about bumps / potholes / cracks in the road, etc with the soft suspension, which is something I am regularly always on the look-out for.

I quite enjoyed the open-faced helmet too. Hawaii is a helmet-optional state but I still went for the brain bucket lid, which was quite comfortable to wear.

Overall, a great experience and I can see myself picking up a Harley one day. Thanks for all your help.
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