Six cruisers from around the world

What pops into your head if someone suggests the idea of getting a cruiser motorcycle? We suspect that for a big percentage of the population, that engenders an image of some laid-back dude or miss, heading into the sunset on something that looks very much like a Harley-Davidson. And while that works as an image, it is far from being the entire picture.

In case you missed it, cruisers have become a hugely popular sector of the motorcycle market over the last few decades. And when you look at what’s happening around us, it makes sense.

Increasingly strict road rules have played a part, while busy working lives mean people put a high value on getting away from it all astride a motorcycle that lets you enjoy life at your own pace.

When you start to scratch the surface of this market segment, you soon discover that the offerings cover a huge range of budgets and vary literally from mild to wild, with lots of interesting stops in between.

Here are six of the best…

Harley-Davidson’s ability to spot several niches within a niche produces some intriguing models and the Breakout is a good example.

This is a motorcycle that is as much about attitude as it is performance, which has been the way of things since it was first introduced in 2013. It has been produced with two engine series over that time: Twin-Cam and the current Milwaukee-Eight.

When you eyeball the thing you’re met with a raked front end with a big 21-inch rim, rolling past the visual highlight of the big V-twin and to the ultra-low seat and a rear end punctuated with fat 240-section rubber sitting on an 18-inch wheel. Really, it’s all engine and wheels, which has a lot of appeal.

It’s not all just paint and chrome, however, as Harley – particularly with the Milwaukee-Eight series engine – can boast pretty strong performance in 117-cubic-inch form (1923cc), with a fair bit more locked inside should you take it to a decent tuner.

The entry cost of around $39,000 for a new one is a little sobering but over a century of brand- and bike-building comes at a premium.

Find your own Harley-Davidson Breakout right here on bikesales.

Related: Buying a used Harley-Davidson Breakout

If ever you wanted an illustration of the breadth of choice out there in cruiser-land, the contrast between the Harley Breakout and Honda’s CMX500 is a perfect illustration. While ostensibly in similar market segments, the CMX, pitched as a starter bike, is less than a third of the price of the Harley at around $11,000 depending on variant.

And while it may lack some the American’s glamour, you’re in a pretty good place as a riding experience for the relatively uninitiated. Parallel-twin road bikes like the one in this machine have been a Honda mainstay since the start of the 1960s, so you’re sitting on a wealth of experience.

The CMX500 runs a fuel-injected powerplant that claims a healthy enough 45.5hp (33.5kW) for a 190kg wet weight. That combined with a low seat (690mm) makes it an easy thing to handle, with the safety net of anti-lock braking.

While you wouldn’t take it racing, it’s got the engine capacity and enough performance to manage a highway trip without stress and so is a realistic proposition to take touring.

Find your own Honda CMX500 right here on bikesales.

Related: Best new cruisers under $20,000

While both the previous models are available as used and new machines, the Yamaha disappeared off showroom floors nearly five years ago. However, they are still keenly sought-after by those in the know, and with good reason.

The firm’s experience with mid-sized V-twins dates back to the start of the 1980s and over time has branched out into all sorts of fascinating variants. Launched in 1997 as a major engineering and chassis update from the ageing mid-sized Virago series, the V-star was as much about packaging as technology.

The air-cooled twin still ran single overhead cams in two-valve heads and was fed by carburettors. Very ‘old skool’, and as reliable as the proverbial hammer. The 41hp (30kW) power claim wasn’t exactly tyre-shredding, but enough to make the low-slung and very stable machine a good companion on the highway.

Throw in relatively low maintenance demands, including a shaft final drive, and you have a compelling package for the cruiser/tourer with an eye on low fuss and value for money. Plus, they looked like a pukka V-twin cruiser and had a fair amount of presence. These days, around $10,000 will score you an excellent example.

Find your own Yamaha V-Star XVS650 right here on bikesales.

Related: Yamaha V-Star 650 price roll-back

Cruiser-land hasn’t always been BMW’s natural hunting ground. It had a crack at the market with the R1200C series from 1997, withdrew in 2004 and came back with the stylish and far more convincing R 18 line-up in 2020.

It very much talked to the marque’s traditions, with a giant 1802cc interpretation of the boxer twin at centre stage. It wasn’t all show. The four-valve-per-cylinder engine is air- and oil-cooled, runs a digital engine management system with fuel injection and claims a healthy 91.1hp (67kW), with peak torque (158Nm) chiming in at just 3000rpm.

Perhaps more importantly, we are now looking at full-size cruisers, presented in a range of formats, including a bagger, a fully decked-out tourer and even a bobber kit. Watch this space as the variants continue to roll out, much in the way you might expect from a certain American marque.

In the saddle, you get an intriguing mix of traditional cruiser feel – something substantial and laid-back – with an overlay of BMW’s latest technology including the all-important safety nets.

A new one starts at around $25,000 and we’re now seeing a decent fleet of used offerings on the market.

Find your own BMW R 18 right here on bikesales.

Up to now, we’ve being talking of motorcycles that vary from gentle through to moderately quick, and now we’re wandering into very different territory – that is, power cruisers.

This is not a new phenomenon. For example, Yamaha had a red hot crack at the idea with the V-Max from the mid-1980s. However, Ducati is now one of the great exponents of the idea with the Diavel (aka Devil). Essentially what you get is your cruiser with a big dose of performance streetbike thrown in. That includes powerplant, chassis and supporting electronics.

Before we get too far down this path, keep in mind there are two main streams to the Diavel family tree. They are the V-twins running versions of the company’s legendary Testastretta engine and more recently the wild V4s running a variant of the company’s premium sportsbike powerplant.

Prices new start at around $33,000 for the twin and $42,000 for the V4.

There is a good number of twins on the used market at the moment with older versions (10-plus years) available in the mid-teens.

When it comes to power, there isn’t a whole lot in it, with around 160hp (118kW) for the twin and 170hp (125kW) for the V4. However, there is a substantial character difference between the two powerplants, with the four having a more urgent and frenetic attitude.

The Diavel has really pushed the boundaries of what a cruiser may be, but at the same time appears to have pulled a younger audience into the mix, which has to be a good thing.

Find your own Ducati Diavel right here on bikesales.

When it first underwent a revival in Hinckley in the UK midlands in the early 1990s, Triumph may have seemed an unlikely candidate to have a crack at the cruiser market. However, that’s been turned on its head with several variants of the Bonneville twin series over the years, plus the Rocket 3.

When it comes to a Bonneville, you have long been able to get everything from a sporty variant (Thruxton), through to a standard street bike, to a cruiser such as the Bobber.

It’s running a 77.5hp (57kW) version of the company’s liquid-cooled, eight-valve, fuel-injected parallel twin. That, by the way, is a 1200 and is compact enough to keep the bikes relatively light for this class.

With the Bobber, you’re entering the whole alternative world of lowered and bobbed machines, stripped back to look purposeful that, like the Diavel, tends to pull in a younger crowd.

Triumph’s engineering for this series has developed a reputation for being solid and easy to look after. Pricing for a new one starts at $23,190.

Find your own Triumph Bonneville Bobber right here on bikesales.

So, next time someone mentions the idea of buying a cruiser, you’ll know that could lead to all sorts of interesting toys!