What’s The Most Difficult Cruiser Motorcycle To Ride? Here’s What Riders Say
Although the film “Easy Rider” may portray otherwise, cruiser motorcycles are not always easy to ride. Cruiser subtypes include choppers, bobbers, and power cruisers, none of which are exceptionally geared towards beginners. Instead, cruiser designs typically prioritize aesthetics, power, and comfort from a relaxed, low-riding position. Such characteristics often give the bikes low maneuverability, and their high-torque engines can be difficult to tame.
There’s no universal agreement about which specific cruiser model is the most difficult to ride, but that doesn’t mean riders aren’t opinionated. Across online sources, from review sites, blog posts, and forum discussions, cruisers like the Indian Roadmaster and the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy are frequently mentioned as some of the least beginner-friendly cruisers. However, the cruiser that fulfills all of the traits for riding difficulty is the Suzuki Boulevard M109R.
Not only is the Boulevard M109R one of the heaviest bikes that only skilled riders can handle, but it also checks all the other boxes for difficulty, like high torque, large size, and a wide rear tire width that makes handling on turns daunting. While the Suzuki Boulevard line may not get as much attention as the Roadmaster or the Fat Boy, a comparison of rider reviews reveals a common consensus about this heavy-set Suzuki cruiser: riding one requires advanced skill.
Why the Suzuki Boulevard M109R is so difficult to ride
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The Suzuki Boulevard M109R design exhibits all the common handling problems associated with cruiser motorcycles. In numerous forum discussions, riders highlight the bike’s awkward performance when cornering, and many point out how the design prohibits leaning into sharp turns. Some have even commented that to make a sharp turn, it’s often necessary to simply stay upright and steer with the handlebars. Such a maneuver is made even harder since “the bike gets jerky in gear at low speeds,” so experienced riders will often ride the “friction zone” of the clutch during a turn.
Furthermore, the Boulevard M109R’s size is definitely not ideal for riders of short stature. One 5-foot 9-inch reviewer complained of the “stretched out” feeling, and even a 6-foot 1-inch rider backed up the sentiment. The bike’s low-rider dimensions combine with 764 pounds curb weight to make the M109R basically inaccessible to smaller riders. Even experienced and large-framed riders find such specs challenging, admitting that the M109R comes with a high learning curve.
One of the most beloved features of the M109R also makes it one of the most challenging motorcycles to ride. Its V-Twin engine can reportedly generate 118 lb-ft of torque, placing it on the list of the most powerful Suzuki motorcycles ever. Many owners praise the M109R’s exceptionally high torque, with some calling it the ideal motorcycle for “traffic light warriors.” However, others warn that such a fast acceleration can easily cause inexperienced riders to “dump,” or drop, the bike by simply pulling out of the driveway. At the end of the day, the Suzuki Boulevard line features all the low-riding, powerful features of a classic cruiser — but it takes skill to tame one.
Our methodology: What makes the Suzuki cruiser stand out
Crowning one specific cruiser model as the hardest to ride is tricky, since it’s a subjective question. After all, different riders have different needs. Both people and bikes come in all shapes and sizes, so riders with bigger frames will find it easier to ride the large size and weight of cruisers. Experience plays a big part as well, since skilled riders often discover idiosyncratic difficulties of a bike design that beginners wouldn’t even consider. Finally, riding style and terrain are critical to the cruiser experience. For example, Harley-Davidson cruisers differ from touring models by design, and riders become accustomed to the use case of their own bikes.
That being said, it requires more than name recognition to earn the title. The fan bases for Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles are more active in North America, so there’s a popularity bias at play. In comparing rider opinions, we considered not just the frequency with which a bike was mentioned, but also the variety of the complaints associated with it. For example, while the Indian Roadmaster’s high torque makes it a challenging bike for beginners, its lack of a fat rear tire helps provide smooth cornering.
The Suzuki Boulevard M109R not only has a fat rear tire, but it also checks all the other boxes that make a cruiser difficult to ride. Therefore, we compared feedback from numerous forums like M109Riders.com, Reddit, and MotorcycleForums.net. Blogs are also useful; they may not be objective, but sites like TopSpeed.com and DaxStreet.com provide valuable insights from expert riders. Few, if any, riders have had the privilege of testing every cruiser ever produced. But as far as difficulty goes, the M109R simply checks all the boxes.
