When it comes to cruisers, we are genuinely spoiled for choice these days. There is a wide selection of options available to us from around the world. Traditionally, this is a segment that has been dominated by American manufacturers and the Japanese manufacturers were more or less content to build cut-price imitations.
Things have changed a fair bit these days. While the Chinese manufacturers have picked up the mantle of building cut-price alternatives, Japanese manufacturers have learned how to stand on their own two feet in this segment. If we were to remove all personal bias from the equation, one model really stands out. Not only as the best Japanese alternative, but a bike that, in most respects, actually beats the American manufacturers at their own game.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Honda. Whereas, the opinions are our own.
10 Best Cruisers That Can Commute, Tour, And Explore
These cruisers can handle your weekday commute, and then take you anywhere you like over the weekend.
The Honda Rebel 1100 DCT Is One Of The Best Cruisers On The Market
MSRP: $10,399
You need only go and take a look at a Honda Rebel 1100 up close to see the difference. Honda’s build quality is right up there with the best in the industry, and while money is always saved somewhere on motorcycles in this price range, no corners have been cut in terms of quality. It is, however, certainly not alone at this end of the cruiser market.
The Harley-Davidson Nightster is actually cheaper than this DCT model. It matches the Rebel 1100 in terms of power and safety features, but has had its fair share of reliability issues in the past. While most pertain to the first year model and have since been resolved, some electrical issues persist.
The other American cruiser in this space is the Indian Scout Sixty Bobber. It is more of a bare-bones option, but some will prefer that, and since its recent update, it seems as though Indian has resolved the few reliability concerns it had in the past. If bare-bones is what you want, Yamaha still offers the air-cooled Bolt R-Spec. While reliable, it is both outdated and underpowered compared to any of the similarly priced alternatives.
A Punchy Unicam Engine Powers The The Rebel 1100 DCT
Power: 87 Horsepower
This is not a motorcycle that will win any spec-sheet showdown. The Rebel 1100 is all about making good, usable, real-world power. On paper, it is down 14 horses and 10 pound-feet of torque compared to the Africa Twin and the NT1100, which both use the same engine. But the Rebel has been optimized for torque delivery from right down low in the RPM range. Pretty much all its torque is available from just over 2000 RPM.
Automatic Transmission Is A Major Point Of Difference
Honda has bet big on automatic motorcycles, and much to the dismay of some purists, it seems to be paying off in a big way. It has proven to be a major point of difference in the touring segment, and by offering the Rebel with it, the bike really stands out as the only fully automatic cruiser on the market. In the past, if you wanted an automatic motorcycle, your only real option was a scooter. Honda now puts an automatic – or E-Clutch – in pretty much every kind of motorcycle, giving you more options than ever before.
How Honda Could Change The Automatic Motorcycle World
Honda’s simpler E-Clutch technology might give us an automated Rebel 300 soon.
The Rebel 1100 DCT Is A Feature-Rich Cruiser
A recent refresh has brought the Rebel right up to date, which is pretty important in a market that demands so much from motorcycles. While the TFT dash disrupts the aesthetic side somewhat, it is something most modern riders want. You can choose between four ride modes via that new dash, and you also get cruise control, ABS, and traction control.
The one miss is something that has become common within the segment, and that is the glaring lack of a passenger seat. While we know this saves money, and you can always check an options box, this is still something that really shouldn’t be optional. It is very much a design-first approach, but on what is an otherwise very practical motorcycle, it beggars belief that it isn’t even standard equipment on the high-spec SE version.
The Kawasaki Cruiser That Rivals the Honda Rebel 1100 At A Lower Price
Kawasaki’s Vulcan S delivers Rebel-like style and performance without the premium price tag
The Peace Of Mind That Comes With Owning A Honda
As much as all the modern tech is nice to have, that most likely won’t be the main reason you would buy the Honda over any of the other brands. Along with the top-notch build quality comes the almost inherent knowledge that a Honda motorcycle will be reliable. The modern Unicam engine is proving to be just as reliable as any Honda product that has come before it, and in this particular tune, optimized for midrange performance, it is relatively understressed. All this to say that it is very hard to put a dollar value on the peace of mind that comes with owning a motorcycle like this.
Even so, it won’t be to everyone’s taste. It certainly does not offer the same theater as a V-twin. Honda’s metronomic reliability and exceptional build quality are, in some respects, a double-edged sword. This is precisely what makes them feel appliance-like, and an automatic will only serve to exacerbate this. Objectively speaking, this might be the best cruiser on the market, but you will still need to take it for a test ride before you decide if it is actually the best cruiser for you.