Advice pls

[Herculie]

Hi bros...

I got my 2A license last month.

And i am taking my time looking for a cruiser bike. cos i'm riding a phantom now.

Will like to change to Shadow, Dragstar or Steed. (In order of preference choice)

If you bros can, pls advice me on the handling, size, weight, most importantly FC and low or high maintance...

Thanks bros...

hope to join ya all soon...

[nights]

Perform a search for past threads and you would probably falls onto many already discussed or advised threads that would assist you very much in class 2A cruiser selection.

 

Cheers and Good luck!

[maniahk]

yeap, basically there's alot of previous posts regarding ur comparisons.. but to boil it down, size n wt wise dragstar n shadow not much difference, steed will look distinctively smaller when parked beside either. dragstar has a slightly larger tank den shadow, think tank capacity is 15, 14 n 12 for dragstar, shadow n steed respectively.

 

handling wise is up to individual ba.. but all 3 wun be a problem once u get used to it.

 

fc wise steed has slightly better mileage due to its weight, shadow n dragstar abt e same at ard 20km/l, but it is noted dragstar customs have slightly better mileage den dragstar classics. i personally manage abt 22-23km/l for my custom

 

as for basic normal maintanence dragstar most hassle free, coz no chain n sprocket to change, other den dat other factors will be more or less similar la.. if i not mistaken dragstar oso has less spark plugs den shadow, n dragstar has no radiator to take care off as well, fully air cooled..

 

if comparing dragstar n shadow, it was previously noted in some earlier posts dat as dragstar is shaft driven n shadow is chain driven, shadows provide slightly low end power, but dragstar has better high end.. dun take my word for it tho, its juz wad was said b4..

[mhvin65]

Herculie, welcome to the club! I am also a convert from Phamton to a Shadow. For me, I love the relax curiser ride and now, I love my new toy, Honda Shadow ACE. If you are like me, than I think you should give Yamaha Dragstar or Honda Shadow a try. Also, there are alot of mod. you can do to make your bike looks nice. Cheer!

[Herculie]

dear maniahk,

 

Thanks very much for your explanation. Now i guess its really up to my preference of looks of the bikes only.

Looks like i'll be choosing between dragstar and shadow.

just one more Q: since dragstar is shaft driven its lesser maintenance than that of chain driven, if 'touchwood' say break down, will it be alot costlier than repairing the chain driven one?

thanks...

[Herculie]

hi mhvin65,

 

i see u just got yourself a shadow... congrats...

i would love to be riding one soon, but i gotta pay my priority right. cos i need to get a laptop first for my studies... haiz...

but will be looking for either dragstar or shadow man...

i too love the relax style and low riding style of cruising bikes...

any bros here got good bargain tell me ok....

the other time i saw one in garage sale in morn, very gd sale: $7.5k for FY plate, Shadow... then at night i check, sold out...

[maniahk]

Originally posted by Herculie@March 16, 2007 08:20 pm

dear maniahk,

 

Thanks very much for your explanation. Now i guess its really up to my preference of looks of the bikes only.

Looks like i'll be choosing between dragstar and shadow.

just one more Q: since dragstar is shaft driven its lesser maintenance than that of chain driven, if 'touchwood' say break down, will it be alot costlier than repairing the chain driven one?

thanks...

haha if u mean say e shaft break down, yea i think it will be much more costlier..

 

laptop for studies? if u in uni or poly dey got interest free laptop loan one wad.. haha..

[Herculie]

Originally posted by maniahk@March 17, 2007 02:26 am

haha if u mean say e shaft break down, yea i think it will be much more costlier..

 

laptop for studies? if u in uni or poly dey got interest free laptop loan one wad.. haha..

haha.. what are the chances of the shaft breaking down? i guess its very very very low?

 

well... i can take the loan but i m already on study loan... and in the end, u still have to pay back, not much diff.. haha

[maniahk]

Originally posted by Herculie@March 17, 2007 10:27 am

haha.. what are the chances of the shaft breaking down? i guess its very very very low?

 

well... i can take the loan but i m already on study loan... and in the end, u still have to pay back, not much diff.. haha

hmm.. if u dun wack it overly hard, i'm sure it'll sustain.. haven heard any shaft problems in e forum tho.. haha.. dragstars r quite known for their hardiness..

 

as for e laptop loan, consider it a interest free bike loan too.. haha.. leaves u w 2k on hand to spend ma.. haha.. tho i myself din get it la.. lol

[NormalAspirated]

Originally posted by Herculie@March 16, 2007 11:17 am

Hi bros...

I got my 2A license last month.

And i am taking my time looking for a cruiser bike. cos i'm riding a phantom now.

Will like to change to Shadow, Dragstar or Steed. (In order of preference choice)

If you bros can, pls advice me on the handling, size, weight, most importantly FC and low or high maintance...

Thanks bros...

hope to join ya all soon...

Base on your 03bikes ... I will go for Honda. Find the lightest weight and make sure in good healthy running condition.

Many just bought it and run it in a shiity condition and hoping for the best. IMO, that will never happen.

Getting info from posting here will not gives you a complete answers. Do a search and go for some meet up to extract more info.

[lang]

I ride a drag classic 400cc. I get about 25km/l most of time riding alone, and 20-22km/l when I take pillion. I think it cost more to service a dragstar than honda, cos I change the shaft oil once every 3yrs. Bike shop advise me to do that. Plus, I always send my bike to the very expensive mah motors for servicing. .. but I trust them.

 

Yes, I think that the deciding factor is looks. You should probably buy whichever is more pleasing to your eye... sometimes a great bargain comes up, that could be a deciding factor too.

 

End of last year, I bot my fx plate drag at 6K. Excellent condition plus already many upgrades installed.

 

Good luck! and welcome to the club.

[plasticblackspecs]

Hey Herculie, welcome to the club. I got a Shadow after much debate between a dragstar and shadow. Same like you, decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

There's a lot of deciding factors la. Like maintenance, appearance, forward control, high or low, speed, durability, custom factor, accessories, weight, color, rarity (I doubt you can find much dragstar customs nowadays). Do look thru the old archives. It's pretty useful. A lot of hidden tips here and there. I'm even picking up some as I go thru them when I have nothing else better to do

 

FC wise I think it's a bout the same. I get around 20-23km/l or sometimes more depending on riding habit.

 

Maintaince wise, one shop mechanic told me once that made sense when I was out going thru shops and asking about Shadows and Dragstars. For Shadows, "...it's about the same as Super 4s cos everything is the same". Dragstars I can't comment though.

 

I think the best way is for you to try to find out as much info as you can, learn as much and make the final decision yourself. Then you can join us, show off your ride and tell us long winded stories on why you choose what you choose. Actually I basically got a Shadow out of pure luck. I almost sprung for a Dragstar Classic, then a Dragstar custom. I must say I'm very happy with my decision. I still do wanna get a custom though

 

Just my morning not enough sleep rant.

[warlock]

Originally posted by maniahk@March 17, 2007 02:26 am

haha if u mean say e shaft break down, yea i think it will be much more costlier..

 

laptop for studies? if u in uni or poly dey got interest free laptop loan one wad.. haha..

I have a friend who rode a Dragstar Custom 400. One day his shaft was spoilt and he paid like 600+ to fix.

 

So it does happen. But yah the chance is kinda low.

 

Trung.

[maniahk]

well.. look on e bright side.. 600 is only enuff for abt 4 chain+sprocket changes? n e shaft definitely doesnt break down so easily..

[Herculie]

hmm....

thanks for the infos bros...

really helps.