harley 883 or suzuki s50

K

KO5

New member
which one is a better bike for a rider with 1 yr experience. i have a s40 i like the bike alot but want more power and comfort.
 
The S50 is a great all around bike, faster, more agile, and smoother than the 883. I think it is more comfortable also, and with the extra power you won;t outgrow it as quickly.

But if you want a Harley, then I guess nothing else will do. I love Harleys, but don't like Sportsters (I've had two, an ironhead and an evolution, and was not real happy with either), so I rode Intruders until I could afford a big twin.
 
I'm a harley rider now but I started out with the M50 and rode over 13,000 miles on that bike which had plenty of power and was a much larger bike then the 883. How many miles do you have on the road and have you take the MSF course? Depending on these answers you may need to move to something bigger or not,the 883 won't be bigger at all. And what kind of riding do you do? Long trips or just commuting around town?
 
I sold my 883 this spring and got a C50T and the ride is night and day , If i got another HD it would be a soft tail the 2 bikes are different.
 
I used to ride the 883. That was like work. After a 2 or more hour ride, all I wanted to do was go to sleep. Granted the newer 883's are rubber mounted engines which reduces the vibration some, but looking at pricing and what your get for your dollar the S50 is a much more comfortable and affordable ride.
 
You're going to be at a bit of a disadvantage asking that question in this forum - this used to be a Suzuki-centric site, so the majority of folks are Suzuki fans. If you want to bling the bike out hardcore, get the Harley. There are a lot more aftermarket parts for HD's in general. If you want something that may be a bit more mechanically reliable (don't start guys) get the Suzuki.
 
Or, you can bypass both of em, and get a Honda or a Kawasaki.

Truth be told, though, the S50 is a good buy.

Seeing that you have a bit of money to blow, as you're considering the Hog, take a look at the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic. It's the fastest bike in its class, I believe, and it's way more comfortable. 7350 bucks.

I would recommend it over both of those motorcycles, and anything that Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, or HD has to offer.
 
thanks for the replies i am a suzuki fan myself. i have heard good and bad about the harley but not much on the s50 mostley the m50 and c50. i want more power and better ride i ride mostly around town but i will get out a go on a 50 to 100 mile ride with friends.
 
Thanks, I put it out there in Off Topic under My Turn,
I'm stayin' close on your heels.


97ram, sorry for the threadjack....and now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Get the C50
 
Well, if you're digging speed, and you want a suzuki, go for the S50. I believe they're faster than both the M50 and C50.
 
I use my C50 to go on 100 mile (+/_) rides with friends most weekends and use it to commute to/from work M-F in rush hour traffic. I can tell you that the C50 is an extremely comfortable ride under both conditions. I also have absolutely no complaints about the power in the city or out on country rides.

I may have missed something, but...
If you haven't gone to the dealer and sat on these bikes, you definitely MUST. You'll be surprised by how comfortable some models are over another. Each rider is different, try several makes/models in the cc range your looking at.
 
S50 faster than an M50? I don't think so... went for a ride on a 1998 Intruder 1400 GLP, the bike had 3000 miles on it, in mint physical condition and the bike struggled to get to 100mph. As for the 883 vs the Suzuki 800v twin, my mate has a worked 883, I have an M50, today he and I went for a ride, we came up on 2 sports bikes and went to overtake them (they obviously were travelling legally) but when I dropped a gear and accelerated past them, he did the same thing and I had to braked or I was going to be up his arse, and that happened repeatedly as we passed cars.
 
I just bought a 2007 S50 - my last bike was a 1986 Honda Rebel 450 - I 've been riding 6 weeks and had about 400 miles prior to the new S50. I have 200 on that so far.
It's a heck of an upgrade from the Rebel 450 - and only about 60 lbs heavier. Your S40 was lighter than my Honda though, so power to weight - you may not notice that great a difference. I say go test ride one and see what you think. I thought my Rebel would last me for at least a year before I wanted more power...
My S50 has plenty for me and I haven't really taken it past half throttle yet! (break in period)
I can't comment on the HD 883, but everything I read prior to purchasing the new bike pointed towards Suzuki.
I realy liked the M50, but wanted something light weight while I'm still in my riding infancy.
 
An M50 is lightweight.. going from a 450cc to a M109 is a scary thought. So you've done a total of 600 miles in your life?? my first bike was a Suzuki FXR 150 in February last year, Ive done 10,000 miles on that, then I bought a 2005GN 250 and did 3000 miles on that before I sold it last month, have 2 Honda CBX 750's and done about 4000 miles on them combined, just bought my M50 last month and have done 600 miles on that. I know these numbers are nothing compared to older riders and riders in the USA, I live in NZ
 
Yes, I've only ridden about 600 miles total.
Some people start out on shiny new bikes. I put in about 50 parking lot miles right after the MSF course. That was many hours of controlled practice in low speed maneuvres - I could figure 8 the 450 in a 10x20 foot rectangle.
I practiced emergency swrving and stopping too.
When I ventured out onto the streets, I rode and still ride like everyone else is out to kill me.
 
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