Suzuki M109R Boulevard

You could be forgiven for thinking that the term performance cruiser is an oxymoron, until you ride some of the latest offerings. Triumph's killer 2.3 litre Rocket III is a perfect example, and there are more coming on line. Suzuki's latest entry is the M109R Boulevard -- the name includes the capacity in cubic inches (actually 1783cc), while the M is for muscle...well, that's the theory.

The Boulevard is no weakling -- US performance claims for the bike include 127 horses at 6200rpm and 118ft-lb of torque at 3200rpm. Certainly the bike is anything but slow in a straight line, despite the hefty 315 kilo weight figure.

 A lot of effort has gone into keeping the height of the engine down, including a two-stage cam drive system and a dry sump lubrication set-up. The four-valve per cylinder set-up uses a variation of the current GSX-R fuel injection and is liquid-cooled. Bore and stroke dimensions are undersquare while it runs a 10.5:1 compression ratio.

So what's it like? The looks are anything but subtle and one of your problems will be parting the bystanders while you make your way to the saddle -- which is very low. There's no hesitation on the start from hot or cold, and it seems to breath very cleanly at low revs -- something that's not always easy to achieve on very big twins.

Not surprisingly, there's a ton of grunt from down low and this thing is huge fun to launch from a set of lights -- no talent involved, as you just need a few revs on board, crank the throttle and hang on. It's not going to nail a Rocket III, but will scare the bejeezus out of just about anything else on two wheels. One real surprise is just how willing the twin is to explore the top end of its rev range.

 Clutch and transmission cause no real complaints. The take-up on the clutch is about medium and very progressive, while the gearbox did prefer an assertive shift technique -- dither on the left foot and you could end up with some clunky changes. Ratios were fine and the shaft drive is typically seamless.

Braking up front is handled by a variation of GSX-R stoppers and there's no complaint about the power or feel from either end.

The Boulevard is carrying sports rubber and plenty of it. Like the Triumph it has a massive 240 section on the rear. In both cases this is a victory of form over function -- it looks tough but isn't great for the handling.

Suzuki has done a reasonable job of overcoming the bump steer characteristics and reluctant turn-in typical of the super-wide rear, to the point where it steers a little better than the Rocket and is more willing to tip in to turns. There's not a huge amount of cornering clearance and it's about average for this class. You can get in and out of corners very quickly, but have to take it a little more gently mid-turn. The feet forward ride position isn't great for cornering but you get used to it.

 Pillion accommodation (which can be removed for a solo seat look) is probably better than average for the class, though I daresay any regular co-pilot is going to be looking for a proper grabrail or sissy bar. The Suzuki USA site lists a couple of alternatives in this area.

The dash is an interesting design, with digital tacho mounted on the bars and speedo on the tank. In reality it would be useful to have their positions swapped, although the set up looks good. Fuel range is reasonable.

We were generally getting about 16km/lt out of a 19lt tank, though the reserve warning tended to cut in quite early. Overall finish is slick and it looks great in the flesh. For this class, it offers a heck of a lot of metal for under $19,000.