Sport motorcycles and Cruisers are the two types of motorcycles a lot of people are confused with. And when it comes to buying a new motorcycle, these two types of motorcycles are always in people’s minds and most people do not know the differences between them and which one to buy.
So, what’s the difference between Sport motorcycles and Cruisers? These two types of motorcycles are very different and the truth is that each has a different purpose. While Sport motorcycles are designed for high-speed races because they are quick and light in weight, Cruisers are made for riding on public roads at slow speeds and for beginners because they are quite heavy, slow, and have different riding positions.
In my opinion, Sport motorcycles are only suitable for racers because they are fast and easy to handle on the road even though they are expensive while Cruisers are very suitable for slow and calm riding. These two types of motorcycles have a lot of different things and are really not the same. As most people think, young people will choose a Sport motorcycle because it has a modern design while older people will much love the classic design of the cruisers that look very old.
If this whole topic of Sports motorcycles and Cruisers interests you, keep reading because in this guide, I will show you everything you need to know about them.
So, let’s get started.
Cruisers & who are they suitable for?
First, what is a Cruiser? When I say Cruisers, you’ll probably think about Harley motorcycles that make tons of Cruisers. So, a Cruiser comes with a massive engine that can reach over 2000cc, but they are less fast and their built technology is quite old. They also have very low horsepower, which makes them relatively slow.
In addition, Cruisers offer a relatively old design, but there are lots of people who love the old design and the fact is that many people continue to buy them. While younger ones love Sport motorcycles, older people choose to ride Cruisers. This is proven by a survey conducted where almost 60 percent of those who own Sport motorcycles are under the age of 30 and less than 25 percent of them ride on Cruisers. Most young people make accidents much more with Sport motorcycles because they are only suitable for advanced riders while Cruisers are better suited for beginners.
Cruisers come in a sitting position different than those of Sport motorcycles. In cruisers, you place your feet at the front with your hands raised upwards and your body leaning back. While some love it, some dislike it, so it depends on what you love.
In my opinion, the biggest advantage of Cruisers is the comfort and the relaxed sitting position they offer, which means that even in very long rides, you will enjoy and won’t experience pain, unlike sports motorcycles that are less comfortable.
Cruisers are also much heavier than sports motorcycles and this is mainly due to the large engine size they have. Cruisers averagely weigh between 400-700 lbs (181 to 317 kg), which is very heavy and there are even Cruisers that weigh over 1000 pounds, especially Harley motorcycles.
So, should I buy a Cruiser? Cruisers will only suit people who love old designs and don’t care about speeds and those who want a motorcycle that will give them good road handling. And if you decide to buy Cruisers, I recommend you buy Harley because they are the best Cruiser producer of all time and offer the best Cruisers in the market.
In my opinion, Cruisers are more suitable for older people because in most cases, only older riders buy them because of their old design while sports motorcycles are suitable for young riders who want more power, speed and modern design.
Pros of Cruisers
- Comfortable and relaxed riding position (especially for long riding)
- Cool design of the ’80s (an advantage only if you like)
- Lots of moment
- Safe and friendly for novice riders
- Well handling on the road
Cons of Cruisers
- Very heavy (can weigh over 1000 pounds)
- Slow
- Bad acceleration
- Old design (a disadvantage only if you don’t like)
- Not good for races
- More expensive
- Pretty old and doesn’t have a powerful performance
Sport motorcycles & who are they suitable for?
Sport motorcycles are the most popular type of motorcycles in the market. They offer crazy performance and are the best and the most powerful in the market. They come up with a very impressive design and are able to reach fast speed and acceleration.
In addition, the design of Sport motorcycles is amazing and
fits together with the high-quality built construction, which is why most young
people love them.
Further, the speed and acceleration of Sport motorcycles are crazy and the
fastest in the market and most Sport motorcycles come in 600 to 1000cc engine.
They produce amazing speeds, especially because they are light (400 pounds on
average), which is why they are the best type of motorcycle for racing.
Also, Sport motorcycles have a different sitting style. The sitting style brings the legs closer to the body due to higher leg pegs and most of the bodyweight is forward, which means that the sitting position of Sport motorcycles is much less comfortable than that of Cruisers.
It is important to know that Sport motorcycles are much more expensive and costly to maintain, especially because of their crazy performers.
So, who is suitable for Sport motorcycles? The truth is that Sport motorcycles are the worst choice for a beginner, so if you want to get a Sport motorcycle, you must have had at least riding experience on a motorcycle less than 600cc because Sport motorcycles are very fast and their acceleration is crazy. They are more difficult to control, which is why it takes to be a skilled rider with experience to throw down on Sport motorcycles.
In my opinion, ride a Sport motorcycle only if you are a very skilled rider because most Sport motorcycle accidents happen due to riders’ incompetence. So, buy a Sport motorcycle only if you have at least one year to two years of motorcycle experience.
Pros of Sport motorcycles
- Modern and beautiful design
- Very fast
- Crazy performance
- Agile
- Excellent treatment
- Suitable for racing
- Made from very high-quality materials
Cons of Sport motorcycles
- Less stable
- No protection from wind
- Unsuitable for beginners
- Expensive to maintain
- Uncomfortable
The differences between Sport motorcycles and Cruisers
1. Cruisers are more comfortable than Sport motorcycles
Sport motorcycles are very uncomfortable, especially for long-distance riding and every motorcyclist will tell you that Sport motorcycles are uncomfortable because they have a sitting style that always requires your body to struggle. They also do not offer protection against wind and the small effort you need to invest in stabilizing them is precisely why they are more suited for racing and short rides.
However, Cruisers are very comfortable and suitable for long riding because they are very stable and have a better sitting position that you will feel like leaning on the motorcycle. So, Cruisers are just perfect from the comfort side and Sport bikes are not really approaching the comfort level of Cruisers.
If convenience is something very important to you, you have to take this into account before deciding which to buy. And if you are riding a very long distance, Cruisers are your best choice, while Sport motorcycles are excellent for you if you are riding a short distance, in the city or racing.
2. Sport motorcycles are faster than Cruisers
Sport motorcycles are the fastest type of motorcycle in the market but are not only the type of motorcycle faster than Cruisers. Sportbikes manage to reach very fast speed and crazy acceleration and have a very powerful horsepower, unlike Cruisers that are relatively slow and do not even give half of what Sport motorcycles offer in terms of speed.
I don’t know why a lot of people think that motorcycles that have a bigger engine size are faster. Although this is not 100% wrong, the fact is that Sport motorcycles that have 600cc engine are much faster than Cruisers that have a 2300cc engine and this is mostly due to the size of the engine because the bigger the engine size, the more the motorcycle weight which significantly slows down the speed of the motorcycle.
But with this, very slow Cruisers can be a pro for beginners because they don’t need high speeds motorcycles, so it’s important to know that.
3. Sport motorcycles have better performance than Cruisers
It is quite clear that Sport motorcycles have better performance than Cruisers because Sportbikes come with a very impressive and strong performance. And the truth is that not only do Sportbikes better than Cruisers in terms of speed, but also in terms of brakes, quality of the materials, and everything technologically.
And because Sportbikes win from a performance standpoint is precisely why they are so much better for racing.
4. Sport motorcycles offer modern design while Cruisers features an old design
The truth is that there is no winner when it comes to design because while some people love the old design of Cruisers, some love the beautiful and modern design of Sport motorcycles.
In most cases, older people love the Cruisers’ old design reminiscent of motorcycles from the 80s, while younger people love the impressive and modern design of Sport motorcycles.
In my opinion, Sport motorcycles are much more impressive and beautiful because I don’t like a motorcycle that comes in an old design of the 80s, I love a motorcycle that comes in a modern and beautiful design that you can even show off to your friends.
But that is just my opinion, I would be happy to hear your thoughts too in the comments section.
5. Sport motorcycles weigh lighter than Cruisers
Cruisers are super heavy and the average weight of most Cruisers starts from 400 pounds and can even reach over 1000 pounds, which is crazy. Cruisers’ engines are large and built from heavy materials, which is what makes them very heavy and slow.
But Sport motorcycles weigh very light and most Sport motorcycles weigh not more than 450 pounds because of their relatively small engines, which allows them to be faster and accelerate better.
The weight is quite your decision. When choosing a Cruiser, you need to take into account that it will be harder for you to ride with the weight and you will have to put more effort, unlike Sport motorcycles that are easier and will require less effort when riding.
If you want to know more about motorcycles weight, I highly recommend you read the full guide I wrote about getting a heavy or light motorcycle, click here to view.
6. Cruisers offer better protection from wind than Sport motorcycles
When riding a motorcycle, you will experience a lot of wind, which is very uncomfortable especially when riding long distances. Sport motorcycles on the one hand have no significant protection against the wind, especially because of the fast speed you’ll reach when riding them.
On the other, Cruisers have more wind protection when riding because they are not as fast as Sport motorcycles.
I personally do not like winds flying at me when riding. It is very annoying, especially in winter that it can flit cold air at you, and I am sure no rider will also like it, especially when on a long ride. So, take this into consideration, but if you finally buy a Sport motorcycle, I will recommend installing protection from wind.
7. Sport motorcycles are suitable for advanced riders while Cruisers are suitable for beginners
Sport motorcycles offer the ultimate performance and can reach crazy speeds. If you are a beginner and you get a Sport motorcycle as your first ride, it is like a suicide mission because Sport motorcycles are very powerful and you have a higher chance of having a deadly accident. So, only riders who have riding experience should buy Sport motorcycles.
However, Cruisers are very slow, which means they are perfect for beginners. They are simply the best choice for beginners.
So, in short, if you are a beginner, buy a Cruiser. But if you are an advanced rider, go for Sport motorcycles.
8. Cruisers are expensive than Sport motorcycles
Cruisers cost much higher than Sport motorcycles but not usually in all cases. And the truth is that it is not such a small difference, so you have to take that into account.
9. Sport motorcycles require more maintenance than Cruisers
Even though Cruisers are more expensive, Sportbikes require a lot of money on maintenance, starting from a few hundred dollars to even thousands of dollars and it all depends on your type of motorcycle. And the more powerful your motorcycle is, the more you should expect to pay on maintenance.
The reason why Sport motorcycles cost so much money on maintenance is mainly because of their crazy performance.
By the way, the fact that Sport motorcycles ride faster, you should expect to pay more money for fuel, because Sport motorcycles are not as economical as Cruisers in terms of fuel.
10. You can put more weight on Cruisers than Sport motorcycles
Due to the heavyweight of Cruisers, you can significantly load more weight or equipment. Also, if you weigh very heavy, Cruisers will be more suitable for you, unlike Sport motorcycles that are not suitable for lugging equipment.
So, which should I choose, a Sport motorcycle or Cruiser?
In general, no motorcycle is better than the other. Each has advantages and disadvantages and each is destined for a different purpose. If you are a beginner and do not want to get a very fast and dangerous motorcycle, a Cruiser will be excellent for you. But if you are an advanced rider who wants to ride faster, a Sport motorcycle is the best for you.
For any questions, you may have or opinion on the article, feel free to write us a comment, and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
Thanks for reading, until the next post.