Nuclear family
What we have here is clever gene pool selection
Suzuki’s 1783cc M109R is undoubtedly the Big Daddy of the Boulevard family. He’s the heavyweight contender. No less tough is the 1462cc M90, the “ready for a rumble” teenager, but now there’s a new bro’, the feisty 805cc M50 baby of the family. Yes, I know it’s stretching credibility a little to call a 269kg motorcycle the “baby” of any family, but if you take a look at the two bigger family members you may well decide it’s a reasonable call. After all, both of the larger machines really are big bikes!
What Suzuki seems to have done is build the flagship of the M family to be as tough as possible. Both in looks (there is also a concurrent C family of more traditionally styled bikes) and in performance, this bike really stood out. But of course you get nothin’ for nothin’. The M109R is not only staggeringly powerful and fast, it is also quite a handful. It isn’t hard to ride but it is heavy and it takes a certain amount of muscle to make it work.
The M90 is very much a toned-down version of the 109 in power and performance, weight and appearance. It still looks tough, but not quite as totally in-your-face. It benefits from the association with big daddy, and Suzuki benefits from being able to sell a more manageable bike that still has the M cachet. I liked this bike very much indeed.
Now comes the M50. Styled in an even less aggressive way and with the reduction in power and performance you’d expect from a much smaller engine, it nevertheless still has the family looks and can draw on the 109 and 90 for street credibility. All this without being especially hard work to ride. It should be a winner; is it?
The styling is quite reminiscent of the 109, with the bucket-shaped headlight cowl and triangular tail-light among other family features, but unfortunately the comparison also makes it obvious how much of the sheer power of the bigger bike’s design has been lost. It’s difficult to know what else Suzuki could have done; cloning the 109’s appearance would have devalued the bigger bike far too much. Nevertheless, the M50 looks a little plain — but then again there are a lot of buyers who don’t like the techno-gorilla look of the M109R.
I do, though.
When the M50 was restyled to the M family look, the engine was left pretty much as it was. Why fool with success? The 805cc v-twin has been a trusty powerplant that has always started well, run cleanly and accepted the throttle with alacrity. It’s also economical and the gearbox is pleasantly smooth. Not that you need to change gear much. By the time you reach 60km/h, you can change into top and stay there for most of the day. Suspension is fine, responsive and compliant.
The suspension does not handle high-speed riding very well, and the brakes aren’t exactly state of the art either, but that’s not what cruising is about. The M50 fits its design brief as a mid-sized, mid-powered and mild-looking cruiser pretty well perfectly.
The bike is also comfortable, especially now that the seat has been restyled and widened. The pillion has benefited from this even more than the rider. That odd-looking cowling around the headlight that is the most obvious family trait is actually very effective at keeping the breeze off the rider.
I only did one longer ride on the M50 while I had it, and found it perfectly adequate, if not especially inspiring. The wide pillion seat was useful for my seat bag, though. For the rest of the time I used it as a commuter and weekend runabout, and it fulfilled both roles very well. The bright orange finish even got me a few admiring looks — well, I assume they were for the bike …
So the answer to my question, above, would have to be yes, the Suzuki M50 is a winner. Although toned down, it still looks more distinctive than its predecessor, and even if it lacks the power (in both performance and appearance) of its larger family members, it has enough of each to satisfy what I think will be a substantial number of cruiser riders. The price is right and Suzuki has an enviable record of reliability.
The one consideration that’s most likely to see you rolling out of the showroom on one of these is simply that it is a full-on cruiser, but it is not intimidating.
Oh, and get the orange one — if you’re keen to get a few admiring looks, anyway …
Quikspecs
Model: Suzuki Boulevard M50
Price: $10,990 (plus on-road charges)
Warranty: Two years, unlimited distance
Power: 39kW @ 6000rpm
Torque: 69Nm @ 4000rpm
Engine: Liquid-cooled 45-degree v-twin, four valves per cylinder OHC, electronic fuel injection with Suzuki dual-throttle valve (SDTV) and digital ignition. Automatic idle speed control (ISC) system eliminates the choke and shortens the engine’s warm-up time.
Bore x stroke: 83 x 74.4mm
Displacement: 805cc
Compression: 9.4:1
Transmission: five-speed, final drive-by shaft
Suspension: Front, 41mm upside-down telescopic fork. Rear, link-type monoshock, adjustable preload.
Dimensions: Seat height 700mm, curb weight 269kg (wet with fuel), fuel capacity 15.5 litres, wheelbase 1655mm
Tyres: Front, 130/90 H 16. Rear, 170/80 H 15
Frame: Twin loop steel tubing
Brakes: Front, 300mm disc with fully floating two-piston caliper. Rear, 180mm drum
Fuel consumption: 5L/100km premium
Theoretical range: 310km
Colours: Black, Orange
Ecological friendliness: A pulsed air (PAIR) injection system introduces air into the exhaust ports to ignite unburned hydrocarbons and cut down on emissions
Verdict: Baby maybe, but not a softy