[choco]

Ok I got to ask this question why do a few members here seem to get so hell bent and so much enjoyment by putting down the VL 800.

Now I don't mind if you moved up to a bigger bike or you like to give some helpful hints to other members but why in the hell are you putting down the VL 800 so much.

I been on and off this forum for a few years now and I use to enjoy it but not so much anymore, it's getting quite sad when I start to read post after post how great there new ride is and they are so happy they have moved on from the VL 800 which was nothing but trouble for them.

Btw I have owned three C50's which I have really enjoyed, I am not a new rider unless you think 37 years on the road is a short time, bigger bikes I have had many of them last bike was a 2001 Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide and btw if you think by owning a bigger bike you will never have no troubles then you are fooling yourself.

Ok yes the VL 800 has some problems but show me a bike that doesn't bet you can't and if you find that riding on the super slab at 90 mph was to hard then take the back roads at a more relaxed pace and 90% of the time you will give you better scenery and it's called cruising.

I said my two cents worth and I am sure I will get a few replies from some of these members that I am sure that I have upset now, it doesn't matter I now go to another forum for VL 800's and yet to find any doom and gloom there about these bikes and it's a pleasure to read there post's on how much they love them.

 

[RellaLou]

Well, I LOVE my VL800! I wouldn't give her up right now unless forced to! :wayhappy:

 

[Whiskey]

I'm a very happy owner of a C50. I think the people that so vocal are just people who feel like they got burned and get very vocal about their dissatisfaction with their ownership experience.

The C50/VL800 is not so great of a bike that it creates ravenous fans who are vocal, so the only people you hear are the whiners. I'm sure that for every person who complains about their ownership experience there are many more who are very happy.

The bike is and has been an extremely popular model for Suzuki and wouldn't have gotten that way if it was the hunk of junk that some would have you believe it is. Perhaps the happy owners are too busy riding their bikes to post here.

:wayhappy:

 

[desim]

Always a few haters, here we put up with em.

 

[okie dog]

I've said in many posts how much I love my Vol. Me and my buddy's will trade bikes sometimes during runs,just to get the feel of each different ride. Not one person has complained about my ride,they just bit#h about their $600 month payments, and say mine is more comfy and smoother to ride. To me the Vol is perfect in many ways with the exception of a little more power. Of course it wasn't perfect until I started making in mine. Its no Ferrari, just a da#m nice motorcycle! I think I'll keep my Vol, maybe get a V8 chopper for when I want to go fast!! BTW what other vl800 site are you visiting?

 

[Skrapiron]

I don't know why you think this is something new.... The standard answer since I joined in 2008 has always been 'Get a bigger bike'.

It is, what it is. An inexpensive, 800cc middle weight cruiser. Because of that, it does have some very serious limitations. Namely available power and extreme vibrations at freeway speeds. There's nothing that can be done to change that. No bolt-on exhaust or modified drive can make this into a bigger bike. Period.

How you ride determines whether you'll have a long and fruitful relationship or move up in the same riding season. Those who find the bike adequate pretty much means confine themselves to secondary roads for every trip. Once you venture onto the freeway, the love affair ends abruptly. With posted speed limits at 70 mph and traffic flowing much faster, the bike struggles.

 

[Mark's c50t]

I really like my Stella (05 c50t) but I do see where it is a bit limited. I have owned 1100cc and up most of my riding life and I found a nice deal on Stella and had to try it out. I don't do trips on it and plan to make it a slammed low rider for fun little rides with some friends and for that I LOVE the bike. I think it is just human behavior for some to put down things they don't like and some don't care that it might make someone else feel inferior. I think the best advice is enjoy your ride and skip the posts by the haters . Ride safe and live strong!

 

[Jeffrobombero]

I don't have a problem riding on the slab other than when it's really windy. I used to take it 90 miles a day to work and I kinda miss it.

 

[S-C50Rob]

If someone buys a C50 expecting the same bike as a fully dressed 1700cc, that's their fault. When you buy a C50, it's an 800cc, expecting anything else makes you the idiot. I've had plenty of bikes and still have a few different bikes. I don't expect the same ride as when I hop on an old Honda CB175 as I do my C50... Sure, you can be trying out bikes, which is fine, bought the C50 and then found out that it wasn't powerful enough for you. That's fine, but don't go slamming it cause it's not as powerful as a Harley or Victory or what ever... IT'S AN 800CC!!! it is what it is, a middle weight cruiser. Slam it cause of something mechanical that's actually a problem, but don't put the bike down cause it's not like "another" bike... That's just silly! Most of my rides are 600 miles and up and I enjoy every single mile!!!. Yes I've switch to a DJ drive, and? I was just at a Harley dealership a few weeks ago. Some guy was looking to buy a Harley, we got to talking, he was debating over the 96ci or 103ci... then he said "don't matter, all Harleys suck until you do a little work on the engine and pep it up" That's from a guy who only buys Harleys... All to say, no bike is perfect. Ok, rant is over. I'm jealous of all of you as I can't get to my bike for a few months and haven't ridden her since last year... Can't wait to see her again!!! Ya'll have a blast on what ever you ride and be safe!!!

 

[rvcycleguy]

"those who find the bike adequate pretty much means confine themselves to secondary roads for every trip. Once you venture onto the freeway, the love affair ends abruptly. With posted speed limits at 70 mph and traffic flowing much faster, the bike struggles. "

I completely disagree. the bike does not struggle. the bike is very adequate. It does what its sold to be. No more, no less. The love affair does not end on the slab. It only begins as its on the way to your destination. Its one of the best bikes on the road for its size and weight class. Once again Skrap, as the recognized pessimist in the forum, it does not surprise anymore to see your negative posts.

 

[Skrapiron]

Actually, it is all a matter of perspective. It has nothing to do with being negative. It is simply seeing things from a different angle. When I rode the C50, all I knew was the C50. Like you, I found it ADEQUATE. Not great, just adequate.

But when I moved on to something else, I recognized the limitations I had lived with and accepted as part of the ownership experience. Lack of power and poor performance at freeway speeds being the most apparent.

It isn't a dig on the bike. It is what it is. It is ADEQUATE.

 

[Mark2112]

The wife and I have enjoyed my 08 C50T very much this summer. Since I bought Lucille in April I've put 3100 care free miles on her. Two lane mountain roads, and highway. Although she can't take a lot of these WV mountains in 5th gear but thats ok, we just downshift and putt on. Years ago, in the 70's we used to take car rides just for the enjoyment but gas prices have changed that. Since I started riding last year, I get to re-live that, thanks to Lucille.

 

[Polovision]

Haters goin' to hate.

 

[olfart]

I love my c50 yes I bought a bigger bike for long hauls but no bike I have had can compare to my lil c50 for back road crusing great gas milage sweet looks good ride and just the peace of me and my machine out on the back roads god what could be better:wayhappy::biglaugh::shades:!

 

[scorpion46]

Love my c50. It gets me everywhere comfortablely and cheaply. I enjoy the bsck roads which seem to be more oof ehat it's made for. The dj drive made it much better when going 2up on long vacation trips. No complaints here.

 

[Mr. Efficiency]

I still have the same position I've always had about the vol c/50. It is still the best value in the cruiser market and it does what cruisers do as well as any other. i would still have mine if there were room in the garage, because I have other bikes (touring, ADVtourer, sidecar) that do what they do best, too.

now, my Vol was always a second bike I used as a cruiser, so I think its fair to talk about other bikes and their merits. But I certainly feel strongly about the Vol, its the common denominator that brings us together. I certainly dont have anything bad to say about mine.... Not to mention the fact that a lot of these guys that claim their other cruisers were big upgrades.... I bet I'd get there just as fast on a Vol.... So there.

People think they want to hear tales about why their new bike is better than the bike that brought them here. not only is that not true, its also a fallacy that folks want to hear it .

As far as cruisers go, I still really like the C50 because its not overweight, overpowered, overpriced or overblown by sanctimonious owners. I love the bike, and its no coincidence their owners are ususally really nice folks, too.

I've met the nicest people on a C50.

 

[Counter Steer]

Loved my C50, but as a cruiser with only a 4.1 gallon tank, the limited range here in the West had me looking for gas every 135-140 miles. I don't like buying gas more often than I have to pee. When I moved to a touring bike, the first was a VStrom with a 300 mile range and then to my current touring bike which does 250 between fill-ups. If my C50 had even a 5 gallon tank, I'd probably still be riding it.

 

[472viper]

The "mine is better than yours" argument has been going on since cave men first compared clubs.

People need to remember that "better" is 100% subjective and is influenced by, as has been said, perspective.

People make buying decisions based on all kinds of criteria. Some think fast is important so if theirs is faster they are going to let you know. Some want bigger, some want prettier, some want smaller and more nimble. Too often people confuse "different" with "better".

I like to pull a trailer. 1600 Kawasaki's are geared specifically to accommodate pulling trailers. My 1600 Kawasaki pulled a trailer better than my C50 Suzuki. That didn't make my Kawi a "better bike" it made it a different bike.

Our last trip consisted of 8 Harleys, a Goldwing, 2 1300 VTX, a 1400 Intruder and an older Yamaha. We all arrived at the exact same time.

"Get a bigger bike" is a tongue-in-cheek good natured jab and nothing more than that.

 

[beezer]

Mine is better.

Hope this helps

 

[canuckrider]

Loved my C50, but as a cruiser with only a 4.1 gallon tank, the limited range here in the West had me looking for gas every 135-140 miles. I don't like buying gas more often than I have to pee. /QUOTE]

Yeah, but Charlie as we guys get older we find that we need to pee more often, so maybe a shorter range isn't such a bad thing! :biglaugh:

I loved my '04 Volusia and enjoyed it for over 4 years. But I did find it "just a little short on legs" when it came to cruising the major highways. That's when I moved up to the Nomad 1600 which does just about everything that I want out of a bike.

I sold my Volusia to my son and rode it a few times afterwards. Everytime that I did I realized that I missed the lighter weight an nimbleness of the Volusia. Some day when I find that the size and weight is too much for me to handle I will look for something smaller and lighter and the VL800 will probably be on my short list.