Afraid I"ll Hate my rental bike :-(

B

BeastieGirl

Well-known member
I'm flying to Phoenix next Saturday and decided to rent a cruiser for a change of pace. Based on my size the guy who owned the rental company would only rent me the Honda 750 Shadow Aero - but after researching it on line I'm a little worried I'll find it seriously under powered compared to my FZ1.

I do only tiptoe on the FZ1 but after 100,000 kms together, I don't even think about that anymore. And it does sound like a nice light nimble bike, so maybe all will be well.

Anybody familiar with this bike? My cruiser experience has been one demo ride - my last bike was a sport tourer as well.
 
I think your going to be very disappointed. It's a nice riding machine but power it does not have. Unfortunately your hate over the lack of power will probably take away from the otherwise good riding quality's of the bike. I rode one in a demo ride once and found it lacking on power even for a 750 cruiser. For me the throttle was pretty much an on/off switch. No need for anything in the middle.

There's lots of rental company's around if the owner won't rent you something else. Your the customer, you have the money and the power. Just about any cruiser will have a lower seat height then a FZ1, and the weight is not an issue once your moving. You can rent a Harley Dyna Low Rider from Eagle Rider in Phoenix for $149/d and it has a 25.8" seat height, with mid mounted controls. If your 5' or taller you won't have an issue. A quick search for 2010 FZ1 shows a seat height of 32.1". It's also 1573cc's so power should not be an issue, but it's a different type of power then a sport or sport tourer. It's mostly low end torque with a fairly flat response.

I would rent something else. I feel that if you go with this, your going to come back and hate all cruisers.
 
This^ my dad had a 750 shadow. Boring! And I'm not a track guy or a ss guy. The power leaves no impression at all. Even the 1100 feels anemic. Rent a victory, tons of grunt, good braking, light steering.


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It's a rental. Just remember that whatever power it makes, it makes that power all the time.

:D
 
Riding in the warmth of the Phoenix sun sounds great.

Do you have a choice of rental? If you don't I'm sure you will enjoy just getting out but if possible you want to rent something with a little more gusto.

Whatever cruiser you rent it will certainly be different than your regular bike. Anytime I've ever ridden a cruiser I always found the riding position with my feet in front of me very strange.
 
Your'e touring.Enjoy the scenery,the weather and the people.The bike is just a tool.Wear a CDN flag patch or something and enjoy the hospitality that comes your way.
 
I rented a bike while down in Sedona and it was a Harley Fat Boy or something like that. It was a nice comfy ride and fine for relaxed cruising. It was the most underpowered bike that Eagle Rider had and it was definitely tame compared to most bikes I ride, but it was fine for the purpose.

That said, my brother has a 750 Shadow and I have tried it out a few times. It is by far one of the most gutless machines I have ever ridden. Don't rent it. It's your time and money you will never get back. As mentioned, go to Eagle Rider and see what they have if you have not committed to your rental yet.
 
My whole thing with renting is that you get to try something new, possibly exotic. I'd love to rent a gs,tiger,or 990 adventure in Arizona. Also love to try a hyper-motard. Shadow 750? I'd be like wtf? It's like renting a Prius. Lol


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Return it for a VRod, Im not a cruiser guy either, but rented a HD VRod once upon a time, man was that thing a blast to ride.
 
I'm with Wingboy on this one. It's been a long winter, your riding skills might be a little rusty, you're riding somewhere different, just sit back and enjoy a leisurely ride! A shadow 750 is not going to have a lot of power, but it's 100% more powerful than your parked fz1! You're not buying it, you're just renting for a few days. Just focus on the scenery and how good it feels to be back in the wind.

I'm jealous. I've still got about two inches of ice build up in front of my garage door and three foot snow banks down both sides of the driveway!
 
Well tomorrow is my deadline for cancelling and I'm still waffling a little. I'm getting a good deal on this bike - 99 bucks a day, unlimited mileage and no deposit. This guy has other bikes - Harleys - but without a frame of reference its hard for me to know what works for me. I'm thinking I'll keep this rental and if I hate it in the lot maybe he will let me try something else when he realizes I'm an experienced rider, not just a little woman.

The input has been really helpful - thanks guys.
 
That's a good price for unlimited mileage, but i'd still swap out with something larger or switch rental places and pay more.
 
Need to change your mindset to enjoy that bike - or any cruiser. If you're hoping it's nimble, or wishing for more power, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Think about lazily slumping in your couch while the world whizzes by all around you. That's cruising. Make sure you choose a pretty looking world to whiz through.
 
It's the equivalent to going to Canada's Wonderland and only being allowed on the childrens' rides.

Look, you can go down to the Caribbean and rent a scooter and have a blast and have memories that will last a life time so I guess it all depends on your expectations. I'm used to a nice cruiser that will roll along the miles without any effort. If you ride a FZ1, a Honda 750 Shadow is completely different.
 
You'll be fine, it wont make anywhere near the power of your regular ride, but the interstates in AZ have 70mph limits and you can do that all day. Enjoy the scenery and southwest charm. Its a cruiser crowd down there and pretty friendly.
I've been all over the state on both a Duc and an old HD sportster, it doesn't matter, the cactus and mountains and huge lakes, cowboy towns and remote cafes don't care how you arrive. It just matters that you arrive.
If your adventurous , a lot of the attractions, Bisbie, Sobino canyon, Sonoran desert, Painted desert are accessed via gravel roads, that shadow will be a lot more useful than a SS.
 
These guys seem to have a wider choice

http://www.azride.com/motorcycle-rental/

Hell on a 3 day rental the difference is not a lot and get a bike you like.

no lack of power on the Honda and nice storage.

Honda-ST1300.jpg



The sport-touring motorcyclist is a unique animal, one part long-distance hauler, one part canyon-carving ace. Comfort and performance have to be perfectly balanced in their machine, and that’s why there’s really only been one choice. Gold Wing-inspired luxury and CBR-derived performance have been impeccably fused, with wind-tunnel-honed bodywork and hard saddlebags complementing a powerful V-4 engine, shaft drive and a race-bred chassis. The result? A bike that’s equally at home swallowing up miles of blacktop as it is dicing through the twistiest of alpine passes.

Features: Heat Clothing Option Plug, Rear Tour Pack available

reserve-now-button3 Day Rate $372 / 7 Day Rate $833

Price: $129.00
Click to expand...

If you are in Phoenix you gotta go down to Estrella for the thrill of a lifetime.....

26JunGlider-013.jpg


http://www.azsoaring.com

http://www.azsoaring.com/rides/

BTW you will get to fly the sailplane - not hard and much fun....landing is the learning curve...you don't do that as a one time rider. Think motorcycling in 3D
 
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If you go there to carve canyons then its not enough, if you go there to experience new things and see nature then any bike is more than enough.
 
crankcall said:
You'll be fine, it wont make anywhere near the power of your regular ride, but the interstates in AZ have 70mph limits and you can do that all day. Enjoy the scenery and southwest charm. Its a cruiser crowd down there and pretty friendly.
I've been all over the state on both a Duc and an old HD sportster, it doesn't matter, the cactus and mountains and huge lakes, cowboy towns and remote cafes don't care how you arrive. It just matters that you arrive.
If your adventurous , a lot of the attractions, Bisbie, Sobino canyon, Sonoran desert, Painted desert are accessed via gravel roads, that shadow will be a lot more useful than a SS.
Click to expand...
I think this pretty well sums up my mindset for this trip. I have ridden to the SW twice and with the
givi case, tent, and other gear and doing thousands of miles on interstates I'm glad I had the FZ1. These are the areas I want to explore because the furthest south I got was Prescott - once because of time constraints and once because of triple digit temps :-( I have a whole season to enjoy the FZ1 and lots of twisties in easy touring range. So I'm just going to make this a relax and smell the roses (or cactus) situation.
 
My wife is just back from our house in Presscott, its 16-18 during the day and -3 overnite, the GrandCanyon is 8-10 during the day. Pheonix is 20-24 and sunny, south is warm. Remember its friggin chilly in the desert at night, so if you tent take, your fur lined thong. Trip east to Apache Junction is an interesting place, the Sonoran desert is just awesome, I'd have a look at the Frank Lloyd Wright college and museum. Old Scottsdale is sort of fun. There is a couple airplane/flight museums south of Pheonix which is pretty cool. Bisbie is a hippy dippy town that's fun, there is a copper mine doing underground (1mile) tours down there, if you've never been in one, I'd go. Do not go to Nogales on the AZ/MEX border, and do not go dirt trail riding within 10km of the border in that area, its the drug corridor and not nice, everywhere else in that state is gorgeous.
I've been all over on a 30hp? sportster my neighbor loans me, its a tool for the job there. I'm really happy when I get 128hp to, but being out in the sun and seeing the mesa, mule deer herds and occasional javalina is better when your not just looking down over the clip-ons.
This touring thing is a mindset, even if you hate the bike, its 100% better than your getting here. And it gives you a reason to go back.

PS , its patio season in the SW.
 
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