Reasons Why You Should Buy a Cruiser Motorcycle

• Table of Contents
• 1. What Are Cruiser Motorcycles?
• 2. Reasons to Buy a Cruiser Motorcycle
  • 2.1 The Comfort
  • 2.2 It’s High Time We Admit We Can’t Drive Over the Limit
  • 2.3 Long Road Trips
  • 2.4 They’re Stylish
  • 2.5 Ability to Equip and Modify
  • 2.6 Ideal for Beginners
• 3. What are the Best Cruiser Bikes to Have?

1. What Are Cruiser Motorcycles?

Any bike that offers a laid-back riding position with your feet forward and your hands up and makes you sit upright or lean a bit back to get a comfortable position is a cruiser bike.

In terms of performance, the term cruiser motorcycle translates to rideability and easy shifting, providing you a hefty amount of low-end torque but with the exclusion of major horsepower.

Although there’s a sub-class of cruisers that offer high horsepower known as power cruisers, we’ll refer to them as cruisers as well.

2. Reasons to Buy a Cruiser Motorcycle

2.1 The Comfort

A cruiser is nothing if not comfortable. For an enduro or sportbike rider, sitting on a cruiser alone can be the most life-changing experience ever.

With a laid-back design that supports short and tall heights and unlike other bikes, the backs of the riders, the cruiser is probably second to only the touring class of bikes in terms of comfort.

And that’s because the tourers are designed to be the ultimate traveling experience (the prices speak for themselves).

Whereas, the cruiser was designed to deliver comfort to the daily rider. For to-and-from work commuters, the adventurists looking to make quick work of a city or the rider looking to take a breather on a bike that’s designed to let you breathe, cruiser bikes are available in many makes and models.

With each boasting of luxurious conveniences and cutting-edge technology to make your experience even more enjoyable, you can also browse the market for cruiser bikes that fall within your budget.

Sure, you might not be able to jump over rocks or pass through slow traffic like a maniac on a Ducati, but you will be savoring the pleasure that comes with the joy of riding a motorcycle like the way it was meant to be ridden. Feeling that breeze of fresh air hitting your chest as you cruise through the setting sun and enjoy the views with uninterrupted horizons, that’s what you get with a cruiser.

Also Read: Thinking of Buying the Best Cruiser Motorcycle for Yourself? Read This

2.2 It’s High Time We Admit We Can’t Drive Over the Limit

Exactly. It’s childish and foolish to assume that you can fully rev a 1000cc superbike even on the emptiest of highways. You just can’t.

And what’s the point of having all that power if you can’t use it? This isn’t about what you’re not allowed to do. It’s about what you really can’t do. The laws aren’t the problem. Too much power is. It’s just deadly, nuts and stupid.

The thrill might appeal to many but all of them won’t be responsible adults who actually appreciate road safety. Sure, these rides are fun and all but never outside the tracks.

There are several tracks that you can go to but the point is, you can’t only be a race track rider. Which is why, it’s high time that we admit that super bikes are childish luxuries, whereas the smart choice is a cruiser.

With its magical comfort and convenience designed to give you the most amazing cruising experience, a cruiser bike comes with enough power to satisfy your urges on the road but gives you enough control and handling to be able to easily ride through anything at all.

That’s not to say that a cruiser isn’t fast. A cruiser like the 883 can go well over 100 mph and still sustain its impeccable traction and road grip. As said earlier, you can easily satisfy all your urges on the road and overtake almost anything in the city. In fact, even with a cruiser, you won’t be able to find many instances in the city as well as on the country roads to take that throttle all the way back. And neither should you.

2.3 Long Road Trips

Although the main class of bikes that were designed for the longest hauls were the touring motorcycles, it’s no secret that they’re mostly out of our budget.

The fancy equipment and the humongous size that they come with make it really hard for someone to think of investing in something like this without considering their plans a few times.

Most people only talk about a touring bike when they’re criticizing it for its huge size, making it difficult for you to move through tight spaces.

However, even modern tourers, if they were affordable, would be convenient for the city as they allow you to strip the bike of the heavy luggage items and make it nimbler and more maneuverable in traffic. But one can turn things literally around with a cruiser instead.

A cruiser bike is a complete opposite. Instead of stripping the bike of anything, you can equip a seamless cruiser bike with several motorcycle luggage options and prepare it for a long road trip as well.

In fact, given that some cruisers like the 883 Iron are only 1/5th the price of their touring counterparts like the CVO, going with a cruiser is much cheaper. All you’ll be sacrificing is the luxury of being with the conveniences offered by the CVO (which aren’t that bad but come with a $50,000 price tag).

Your cruiser bike can easily carry all your luggage and still deliver peak performance. If you’re equipping a cruiser motorcycle with sissy bars, saddlebags and tank bags or trunks, you’re going to have sufficient space to pack for even the longest motorcycle trip.

2.4 They’re Stylish

A cruiser motorcycle is undoubtedly the sexiest-looking motorcycle that we all know of. Whenever we think of a low-riding badass motorcycle with blacked-out accent paint and a chopper-like frame, we immediately think of a cruiser bike like the Indian Scout Bobber, the BMW R18 or the Honda Rebel.

Not only are all these bikes the coolest looking bikes on the planet, but they’re also insanely powerful and elegantly designed.

Moreover, since they come with a minimalistic design that features simple yet dark colors with colorful accents, you simply don’t have to do much in order to make them more appealing.

A Low Rider S is an excellent example of how cool bikes can look without modifications or styling upgrades.

This cruiser motorcycle is certainly one of the most iconic marvels of mechanical engineering out there. However, if you’re thinking of buying a cruiser motorcycle, you should know this.

2.5. Ability to Equip and Modify

Cruiser bikes are everyone’s favorite because they can appeal to almost anyone. And with a few modifications, cruisers are perhaps the most customizable types of bikes that can become laid-back choppers as well as racing bagger bikes that know no equal on the road.

If you’re the type who likes to make their presence known on the road, you can make your bike go loud with the right mods. Similarly, if you want to be minimalistic, you can even black out everything and go for custom mirrors and turn signals to make your bike look anonymous and inconspicuous.

Since cruiser bikes like the Iron 883 don’t have much going on at the front with the speedometer, you can easily equip low or high ape hanging bars, keeping in mind the state regulations that apply in your region of course. Other than that, you can even go for custom light designs, colors and modifications pertaining to the tank, the transmission down to the last sprocket.

If you’ve ever seen a biker community gather at events like Sturgis, you’ll get an idea of just how crazy and creative people can be with their bikes, especially with cruiser motorcycles. One of the craziest styles that you’ll notice is the seemingly huge but art masterpieces, the bagger bikes. The idea of bagger bikes was first associated with the heaviest touring class.

But now, you can find bagger bikes of all classes since the very definition of the word describes a bike with huge bags. From hard and soft side-mounting saddlebags to stylish leather swing arm bags, you can have anything on your cruiser bike to enhance its appearance and give yourself more room.

These bags can be of any size, depending upon the look or the luggage space you’re looking for. Moreover, you can even equip handlebar bags or if you’re in the mood for adding a windshield, bags that go with it as well.

2.6. Ideal for Beginners

The first thing that you should know about a cruiser bike is that they can almost control themselves. Modern cruisers are equipped with cutting-edge technology that allows them to become the most convenient asset to have on the road. If you’re looking for a companion for the long haul, a cruiser bike is the one you should go for.

Though they are heavy, there are several beginner cruiser bikes that have proved to be incredible choices for first-timers. One of the things that set this class of motorcycles apart is the weight distribution and the ergonomics.

For any new rider who is afraid of maneuvers like banking in any direction, this bike can be especially good to instill trust and confidence.

Of course, that would only be possible if you have experience riding a low-powered bike beforehand.

Because if you think about riding out on a monster like the Harley 883 for your first time, even though that gorgeous beast is able to drive itself, the risk of getting yourself hurt or trapped under the behemoth is a lot.

Also, you’d end up putting a neat dent or at least a few deadly scratches on the tank. Therefore, if you’re a beginner looking to ride a bike, you should try a low-powered cruiser. Compared to enduro or race bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja or the Suzuki Hayabusa, etc. which are monsters that are not meant for anyone who has no experience on a bike, a cruiser bike is a seamless joy ride waiting to be had.

3. What are the Best Cruiser Bikes to Have?

Now that we know all the reasons why we should buy a cruiser (because they’re cheaper!), take a look at some of the best cruiser bikes you should buy as a beginner in 2022 here.