Long post that will hopefully help folks who want to ride and buy a bike in the DR.
All motorcycles are a series of compromises in ergonomics, performance, engineering, and cost.
Each genre of bikes...sportbikes, cruisers, tourers, standards, dirt/enduro bikes, dual-sport, scooters, motards...are designed and engineered for a specific purpose. When a bike is in elements it wasn't engineered for, bad things can happen rapidly.
If one isn't concerned about the probability of those "bad things" happening, then ride anything you want in any condition you want. Just be aware the emergency medical system in the DR is about non-existent, and you'll likely get man-handled by a bunch of well-intended Dominicans who will throw you in that back of a pick-up without regard for your injuries.
I understand the allure of cruisers, as I've owned many, the last being an '04 Honda VTX 1800C (yes, an extreme case for a cruiser, a 750lbs/105hp/110ft.lbs. beast.) The cruiser is an American idea to this day, and was designed to go in a straight line on smooth pavement comfortably at a decent speed with two people for short stretches. The riding position is more laid back with the riders weight more on the tailbone with arms extended, legs more forward,the classic "cool" Easy Rider look. The disadvantages: very heavy, NOT good on curves because of the physics of weight, wide wheels/tires and lateral/longitudinal CG, NOT good on rough roads due to stiffer suspensions to carry heavier weight, poor in crowded conditions, murder in potholes and speed bumps because of low road clearance.
Sportbikes, really fun machines in the right conditions, are mission designed to accelerate/decelerate rapidly, and turn quickly on smooth pavement, have low/narrow CG due to shorter wheelbase and low riding position, and are extremely light. Disadvantages: terminally uncomfortable very quickly for the average human who isn't an in-shape athletic jockey, murder on rough pavement, smaller wheels, and offer no real suspension "cushion" for potholes or speed bumps. I have seen riders launched off a sportbike after hitting a medium pothole because the smallish front wheels and stiff suspension just don't give and ride through. They tend to be fairly inexpensive, a LOT of "go" for not a lot of dough. Personally, I'm too old and large a human being to ride one anymore. 15 years ago was a different story
Tourers, like the ST1300, Gold Wing, FJR, and BMW LT's are designed to do a single mission well: gobble long distances of good tarmac in great physical comfort. Disadvantages: no-go in twisty's, hard to maneuver in narrow and and crowded conditions, heavy, expensive. But slick.
Standards, like many street fighters, are all over the place, different mixes of sport bikes and cruisers. Some are more cruiser, some more sport bike and their weights reflect it. Depending on the sport/cruiser ratio, the advantages/disadvantages above are still true. For instance, the Suzuki B-King is more sport bike based on the guts of the monster Hyabusa, and the Triumph Bonneville is more of a cruiser, based on old Brit technology and style with better suspension and motor. Both are "standards" and depending on how nuts you are for going reallyreally fast, these make decent overall urban rides. The ergos are good, with a more upright seating position.
Dirt/enduro bikes are tall, rugged, mission-specific, have big wheels and knobby tires, fairly light, smaller/medium displacement one-cylinder engines (more torque), mushy brakes and narrow seats. They are designed to ride on dirt and gravel first and foremost with the rider standing up and not sitting down much, and can bang over speed bumps and through potholes easily. They can handle really bad conditions. Disadvantages: tires not made for street performance, poor braking on pavement, uncomfortable and "buzzy" due to the tall gearing made to get into the flat part of the engine torque curve at lower speeds. However, change tires to more knobby street tread and they can handle the DR streets well. They can be reasonably priced or very expensive (like an enduro Husky.)
Dual-sports, like the V-Stroms, TransAlps, BMW GS's, Tenere's, KTM Adventures, ets, are a mix of sport bikes with dirt bikes: long wheelbase, tall, street/dirt tires, sport bike motor, dirt bike suspension, and street bike ergos. They can carve twisties, they can fly along the autopista, and can whip gravel roads, not as well as a sport/dirt bike, but a good compromise. The ergos are good, with a more upright seating position. This is the type of bike we use as they are perfect for OUR needs. Each dual-sport is a mix of sport and dirt bike. For instance, the KTM's are 40/60 sport/dirt, while the V-Strom is 70/30 sport/dirt. They can be reasonably priced.
Scooters: this is the right bike for most applications in the DR with small displacement, short wheelbase, light, easily managed and often with no clutch. They are fine for short hops on the shoulder of the road. Not real motorcycles in the purest sense, I am surprised the larger scooters like the Bergman and Silver Wing are not more popular. Cheap and easy to maintain with simple tools and minimal mechanical aptitude, parts are cheap and plentiful.
Motards are another type of bike I think is excellent for many of the conditions in the DR, and about the only place I've seen them is Las Terrenas. A motard is a smaller displacement dirt bike with a street seat and big, fat, soft balloon tires. They can be ridden on sand and dirt, no problem, do fine on the street and offer decent pothole/speed bump protection. KTM makes some awesome, but pricey, motards. If I wanted a bike to putz around town on at slower speeds, I'd prolly go with a motard. And they aren't that expensive.
Really, one must assess what their riding conditions and habits are to choose the
right tool for the mission. Sure, you can ride a sport bike in town and a cruiser in the mountains, just like you can drive a Hummer H1 in town and a tiny HiJet on the autopista. But it's not the right tool to do the job safely.
Keep in mind a really good, experienced, knowledgeable technical rider can ride any bike well. But we're talking less than 10% of folks who ride motorcycles, and almost all of them started riding in dirt as a kid. Just because you haven't crashed a bike doesn't mean you're a good rider. And let me say this: of all the guests Motocaribe has had I'd rank their skillset, top to bottom, as:
- Dirt Bikers
- Sportbike riders
- Cruisers
The best, most skilled riders, to a man/woman, are sport/dual-sport riders who cut their young teeth on dirt and arrive with full riding gear: helmets, armored jacket and pants, boots, full gloves, raingear, etc.
The lowest skilled, least technical riders we've seen are generally the cruiser crowd who got into riding as an adult for "lifeestyle" reasons and would never consider being seen on a "rice burner" or "Jap crap."
Not all, but they do congregate toward the bottom in skill. They arrive with jeans, maybe a denim jacket, fingerless gloves and half-helmet.
We've come to learn we can predict what kind of rider our guests are by the kind and quality of riding gear they bring along...