Suzuki M109R Review

Now Japan is set to make the number famous again with a motorcycle that finally breaks the mould of cruiser clones.

With its distinctive headlight fairing, the Suzuki Boulevard M109R looks more like a custom bike from a Californian hot rod show than something that came out of the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee, and it's not before time.

Suzuki has already come close to breaking the mould with its all-black M50 but the new bike is still a surprise.

The company basically has nothing to lose in the cruiser market, where it is no more than a bit player.

Harley took out six of the top 10 spots in the category in the Australian market for the first six months of this year, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, with Honda and Yamaha the best of the rest in third and fourth spots with the VT750C and XVS650 respectively.

The Japanese and Europeans have tried hard to crack the cruiser market, including everything up to 2000cc V-twin engines, but major variations on HD's traditional look have been few and far between — until now.

Apart from the fairing, the new Suzuki is fairly standard cruiser fare.

The V-twin engine sports a 54-degree angle between the cylinders, rather than Harley's 45 degrees, to accommodate the fuel injection system.

Liquid-cooled with a semi-dry sump, it sports a cubic capacity of 1800cc, or 109 cubic inches, hence the M109R designation for the US and Australian markets.

The company claims that the 112mm pistons are the largest in a production car or bike.

There are upside down forks, radially-mounted front brake calipers and a huge cast aluminium swingarm with underslung single shock with preload adjustment.

A sizeable pillion seat is included to replace the rear cowling in front of the LED teardrop tail-light.

At 240/40 the rear tyre is the biggest fitted to any Suzuki.

Everything about the M109R looks big and solid.

Firing up the mill with the 900W starter motor produces a meaty staccato beat from the exhausts, but the bike doesn't dance across the garage floor.

Yes, your dentures are safe with this one.

At 315kg dry it is no lightweight, but neither is it intimidating to ride.

The low seat height helps here and cornering is not the heart-stopping exercise you might expect.

Your boot heels touch down first and then the kerb scrapers on the footpegs, before you start grinding the undercarriage.

Back off the gas mid-corner and it will sit up, courtesy of the shaft final drive, but it doesn't get out of shape.

Chopping down a gear requires care as the engine braking will easily lock up the back wheel.

That rear hoop is a bit of a mixed blessing as it provides a wide contact patch but means some effort is required to pitch the bike into a corner.

The front discs do a commendable job of hauling up all that motorcycle without drama, but the back disc looks and performs like a Harley item — minimal travel, minimal feel and rapid lock-up.

The M109R is more a point-and-shoot bike than a corner carver.

That big mill is a beauty, providing miles of smiles with its massive mid-range mumbo.

Figure at least 200km between fuel stops.

The five-speed gearbox is a slick shifter, but will spit the cogs into neutral if you rush the shift from first to second.

Thanks to the fuel injection this Suzuki will run at idle (900 revs) in first gear without any drive line snatch.

This tester prefers belt drive for cornering, but it is hard to argue with the smoothness of the shaft on this baby.

The feet-forward highway pegs, combined with flat pullback handlebars that make you lean forward take a bit of getting used to, but it's not torture.

That lump on top of the 'bars, which houses the rev counter and warning lights, actually seems to reduce turbulence, though there's still a fair bit of wind noise around the helmet.

It would be nice to have a digital speed readout up there, as the tank-mounted speedo is well out of the direct line of sight.

The side-mounted ignition and separate steering lock are two Harley features we could do without.

Come on Suzuki, aren't you trying to break the mould?

SPECS

Engine: Liquid cooled, 1783cc V-twin four-stroke with balancer shaft

Power: 90kW @ 6500rpm

Torque: 148Nm @ 3500rpm

Transmission: 5-speed

Economy: 7.23 litres/100km

Price: $18,990