10 Powerful Cruiser Bikes From The 2000s That Are Worth Buying Today

Through the 90s and early 00s, we saw a huge influx of metric cruiser motorcycles. While the giant that is Harley-Davidson slowly awoke from its slumber, other manufacturers had won over a big slice of the lucrative cruiser pie. Two decades later, it is easy to see why the vast majority of those under-powered motorcycles from this era are not necessarily highly regarded. While there were many flops, some of the more powerful cruisers from the 00s have gone on to become cult classics today. These powerful bikes are – for the most part – pretty affordable, and well worth buying today.

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10

2009 Triumph Thunderbird

Power: 84 Horsepower

Triumph

When Triumph came out with the Thunderbird, it really took the fight to Harley. Unlike most of the other metric bikes, the Thunderbird offered impressive torque delivery as well as great build quality. It is still a fan favorite to this day, and even though that big twin will vibrate a fair bit, it is well worth a look with prices dipping below the $5k mark.

Specifications

9

2009 Victory Vegas 8-Ball

Power: 85 Horsepower

Victory

Victory got a pretty bad name for having a host of reliability-related issues throughout its relatively short history. The bikes were also pretty expensive compared to the metric cruiser options, and customers were understandably left rather disappointed. Today, we know what we are getting, and considering how low the prices are, the risk might well be worth the potential reward.

Specifications

8

2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200

Power: 89 Horsepower

Harley-Davidson

It might come as a shock to some, but there is such a thing as an underrated Harley-Davidson. The XR1200 was always going to be a fairly niche model that toed the line between a cruiser and a naked standard, but it was a lot more niche than Harley would have liked. The fact that you can pick these up for less than $5k makes them astonishingly good value for those who know what they want.

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7

2004 Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod

Power: 115 Horsepower

Mecum

Air-cooled fans that might gravitate towards the aforementioned Harley-Davidson Sportster did not want anything to do with the V-Rod when it first came out. It was the first genuine high-performance Harley, with a liquid-cooled V-twin ready to take on the other up-and-coming muscle bikes. This continues to split opinion today, but it is certainly worth considering with prices steadily coming down.

Specifications

6

2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000

Power: 116 Horsepower

Kawasaki

For a brief moment, this Kawasaki was the largest displacement production motorcycle, right up until the Rocket came along in the same year. Weighing in at 820 pounds, this was a huge bike, and even though it made more than enough power to compensate for its girth, it never really sold particularly well. Today, it serves as a reminder that there really is such a thing as “too much”, but if you like this kind of excess, it is relatively affordable today.

Specifications

5

2004 Honda Rune

Power: 118 Horsepower

Honda

It is a little unfair to be overly critical of the Rune as it was, by any measure, an experimental model. Honda’s strange experiment reportedly cost millions of dollars to manufacture, with a host of one-off parts on the bike. To most of us, this just looks like a very expensive mistake, but there is no doubt that it will one day be collectible thanks to its unrivaled build quality, rarity, and most importantly, its story. For now, prices are still within the reach of us “non-collectors” and it is well worth considering if you like this amount of chrome.

Specifications

4

2009 Suzuki Boulevard M109R

Power: 123 Horsepower

Suzuki

At the opposite end of the build quality spectrum, we have the Boulevard M109R. While fantastically powerful, this model has not proven to be the most reliable over the years, with several reports of transmission issues. But, with prices sitting this low for a bike that you can technically still buy new, it is desperately hard to overlook.

Specifications

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3

2005 Yamaha V-Max

Power: 140 Horsepower

Bring A Trailer

The first generation V-Max enjoyed a long service life, but by 2005, this was showing its age. The V-Boost system on these bikes is both complex and hard to source parts for. So if you do decide to get one of these, it is very important to inspect the bike or have a mechanic look at it to make sure everything is in order. If that is in order, there isn’t much else that goes wrong with the awesome V4, and it offers tremendous bang for the buck.

Specifications

2

2005 Triumph Rocket III

Power: 144 Horsepower

Triumph brought a literal Rocket to a gunfight. Just as the muscle cruiser scene was starting to heat up, this came along and blew everything out of the water with more displacement and more torque than anything else. It is by any measure a bit of an ugly duckling, though, so if you want the power, you do need to accept its looks.

Specifications

1

2009 Yamaha VMax

Power: 200 Horsepower

Yamaha

The second generation VMax came out right at the end of the decade and almost immediately made everything else look a little average. While the Rocket still made more torque, the VMax made a whopping 200 horsepower. That’s more power than most contemporary superbikes! Today, with prices actually climbing, a newer version might be the smart play, but even so, it is still worth considering.

Specifications