ORIGINAL: kzman

Can anyone give me some insight on the SG power and how well the bike handles.

Thanks
Kzman

ORIGINAL: Pierre Boivin

I went through the same dilema. I also found the Yamaha Star line of bikes very appealing as far as looking as much as a HD without being one, but In the end what made me decide Is that I knew that at some point I would be sitting in my garage and looking at the bike and It would still be a Yamaha. So It really comes down to what do you want an HD or a Yamaha, only you know that in your heart.

ORIGINAL: foneman

ORIGINAL: GOSTAZ


As far as what I said, I should have prefaced it with "this is how I feel" But I thought that was clear from the "I have ridden" comment. That implies that its my opinion.... If I wanted to proclaim it as fact, I would have said something like "the best handling bagger, period" But to explain my opinion, here goes... I am 6'2 and when I sit on EG Standard or an RK, I am 3 inches farther from the street on the top end. The rear suspension is also higher. When the suspension preloads going into a corner, the EG has to "sit down". You feel this in your rear end. At anything over 40 mph, it can feel weird IN MY OPINION. The SG, running harder shorter shocks does not have rear end movement like that. You lean it and its there IN MY OPINION. It was also my experience that I can take my hands off the bars on the SG, and unless I shift my weight, it tracks totally straight, because there is less wind resistance from the shorter windshield THIS IS FACT. Lower cross wind effects as well THIS IS FACT. When I sit on my SG, I am sitting farther "in" the bike . My weight is closer to the road. It's also causing the rear tire to plant harder, because I am also sitting 1/2" farther rearward FACT. The rear suspension is also lowered, and shorter travel. The last time I lowered a bike, by the time I did good shocks, and got everything dialed, I was at least a grand lighter in the back pocket. It also took a lot of time. Never said I was an engineer, but in the almost 20 years I have been riding, the closer you are to the road, the better you are going to handle. Not hating on the EG, or ANY other bike for that matter. Life is too short. But after riding everything, I will tell you, IN MY OPINION... that a lower bike is going to handle better. My experience riding the complete touring line seemed to back up that feeling. So I bought a SG, and I like it. Apologies for not stating everything correctly. Never meant to be insulting. As far as the money, there are a bazillion posts in this very forum, that seem to back up the point that EG's and SG's are different enough to come down to splitting hairs when you do the accounting. They are for different audiences. I wanted a bike without fender lights. I do not like tall windshields, or chrome trim on the bags, running lights, or soft bags.... There is nothing wrong with them. I just did not want them. So I bought an SG. And I will go to my grave saying that it handles better. Every car or bike that I have ever raced, or even just farted around with, when I wanted it to handle, down went the shock travel, and chassis height. Worked pretty well, apologies if that is insulting.

I'm all ears...Don't insult me by saying the lower stance.