Cruisers are traditionally the ‘low and slow’ type of motorcycle. It makes sense, too, as we can’t all go zipping around on two-wheeled rockets all the time. It is necessary to watch the scenery sometimes as well. And maybe stop and smell the roses. However, there is a subset of cruisers for those riders who love their cruisers and who like to ride quickly all at the same time.
These are power cruisers, and they retain everything that makes a cruiser a cruiser: the long, low stance, the laid-back attitude, and almost always a V-twin engine. They change things up with a slightly more aggressive riding position, lots of power and/or torque, and sometimes even electronics that wouldn’t be out of place on a sport bike. Here are ten modern cruisers that don’t sacrifice performance while still giving you the full cruiser experience.
Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Price: $15,999
The Sportster from Harley-Davidson has always been the sporty product in its lineup, and the current generation Sportster S takes it to a whole new level. It has a trellis frame that uses the engine as a stressed member, a high-power liquid-cooled V-twin (the most powerful cruiser by H-D today), and a six-axis IMU. The result is 120+ horsepower and a curb weight that is well below the traditional cruisers from the brand.
|
Engine Type |
60° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,252 cc |
|
Max Power |
121 HP @ 7,500 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
93 LB-FT @ 6,000 RPM |
Indian 101 Scout
Price: $16,999
The 101 Scout is Indian’s equivalent of the Sportster S: namely, the sportiest Indian cruiser in the range. Unlike the Sportster S, it has a traditional cradle frame and twin rear shocks. The rest of the equipment sounds quite familiar: a powerful liquid-cooled V-twin, full adjustable suspension at both ends, inverted front forks, Brembo brakes with radial front calipers, and a TFT display with connected features. The TFT display offers updates on traffic and weather conditions, besides allowing you to locate the 101 Scout.
|
Engine Type |
60° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,250 cc |
|
Max Power |
111 HP @ 7,250 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
82 LB-FT @ 6,300 RPM |
Harley-Davidson Low Rider S
Price: $19,999
The Low Rider S is Harley-Davidson’s performance cruiser from the Softail range. You will realize this because it is the only one in Milwaukee’s cruiser lineup with inverted front forks and twin front brake discs. It is coupled with the most potent Milwaukee Eight 117 version, the High Output. Like the rest of the Softail range, it gets a six-speed transmission and a six-axis IMU, but this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing because it has a very simple analog/part LCD instrument cluster that belies its performance.
|
Engine Type |
45° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,917 cc |
|
Max Power |
114 HP @ 5,000 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
128 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM |
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Indian Sport Chief
Price: $19,999
If you’re a traditionalist, you’ll be very happy with the Sport Chief. It is powered by the Thunderstroke 116, a massive air-cooled V-twin with 2 valves per cylinder. That means it is a torque monster, but it also has modern features like fuel injection, a by-wire throttle, and rear cylinder deactivation. Elsewhere, there are premium components like Brembo brakes with radial fixed calipers at the front, KYB inverted forks, and optional Fox piggyback rear shocks with adjustment for compression and rebound damping, and an extra inch of travel of the stock shocks.
|
Engine Type |
49° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,890 cc |
|
Max Power |
89 HP |
|
Max Torque |
120 LB-FT @ 2,900 RPM |
Harley-Davidson Breakout
Price: $22,999
The Breakout is by far the most aggressive design in the H-D cruiser lineup, with its drag-bike looks. It is powered by the Milwaukee Eight 117 in the same state of tune as the Fat Boy (Custom), which also means it gets the liquid cooling for the cylinder heads. It gets a six-axis IMU, meaning a full safety suite is present along with the performance. With its 21/18 inch wheel combination, it is probably the only custom-bike styled modern cruiser available today.
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Engine Type |
45° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,917 cc |
|
Max Power |
104 HP @ 4,800 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
126 LB-FT @ 3,000 RPM |
Buell Super Cruiser
Price: $25,900
There is something deliciously naughty about plonking an engine from a sport bike into a cruiser chassis, and then going ‘let’s see what happens’. Buell did the same with the Super Cruiser, which is finally getting dispatched to customers who had pre-ordered it. The Roland Sands design also makes it look good, and if you look carefully, you’ll find Buell’s uniqueness in it somewhere or the other, like the rim-mounted front brake, star-spoke rear alloy wheel, and horizontal back-link rear shock.
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Engine Type |
72° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,190 cc |
|
Max Power |
175 HP |
|
Max Torque |
102 LB-FT @ 8,200 RPM |
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Triumph Rocket 3 Storm R
Price: $26,695
The Rocket 3 has the world’s largest displacement motorcycle in history. You wouldn’t accuse it of being slow. Still, Triumph worked on the current generation and managed to shave off nearly 90 pounds of weight from the old bike, and added displacement and power to it. A full electronics suite, full adjustable suspension from Showa, brakes from Brembo, and a single-sided swingarm add a premium touch to it. A two-way quickshifter is an optional extra, but a TFT display is standard.
|
Engine Type |
Longitudinal I3 |
|
Displacement |
2,458 cc |
|
Max Power |
179.5 HP @ 7,000 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
166 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM |
Ducati XDiavel V4
Price: $28,995
The XDiavel is Ducati’s more laid-back version of the Diavel, if you can call something with nearly 170 horsepower that. You could go the whole hog and opt for the Diavel V4 RS, but the XDiavel V4 is a more well-rounded machine, balancing thrills with everyday usability better. That’s not to say it is lacking features: the Granturismo engine has a counterrotating crankshaft, rear cylinder bank deactivation, the ‘twin pulse’ firing order, and a standard two-way quickshifter. This remains one of the quickest accelerating motorcycles in the world today.
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Engine Type |
90° V4 |
|
Displacement |
1,158 cc |
|
Max Power |
168 HP @ 10,750 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
93 LB-FT @ 7,500 RPM |
Ducati Diavel V4 RS
Price: $39,995
The Diavel V4 RS is Ducati’s cruiser with everything turned up to 11. It gets the Desmosedici Stradale engine from the Panigale V4 with the Desmodromic valvetrain, so it is higher revving and generates more horsepower. You still get the twin pulse firing order, a semi-dry sump, and more power than the standard Diavel, which is generated at lower revs. 60 MPH comes up from a standstill in 2.43 seconds, which is ballistic. No, not just by motorcycle standards.
|
Engine Type |
90° V4 |
|
Displacement |
1,103 cc |
|
Max Power |
182 HP @ 11,750 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
89 LB-FT @ 9,500 RPM |
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Arch KRGT-1
Price: $85,000
Arch Motorcycles is usually known because of one of its founders, Keanu Reeves. But to ignore the products themselves is doing them a disservice. These are hand-built, high-performance works of art. The KRGT-1, for example, uses its billet aluminum fuel tank as a part of the frame. It is also split in the middle so that the air intake for the S&S engine can be accommodated and not push the rider’s knees wide. All this while, the wheels and Yoshimura muffler are made of carbon fiber. Fully adjustable Öhlins suspension is also standard.
|
Engine Type |
45° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
2,032 cc |
|
Max Power |
>122 HP |
|
Max Torque |
122 LB-FT |
Sources: Ducati USA, Harley-Davidson USA