Spend any time on American highways. What do you see? Endless caravans of semi trucks? Definitely. Some pretty poor driving? For sure. And, should the weather play ball, you’ll see American cruiser motorcycles. You’ll see plenty of these proudly displaying badges and paintwork from the likes of Harley-Davidson, Indian, and the now-deceased Victory Motorcycles.Low-slung, comfy, attitude-heavy cruisers are a part of American motorcycle culture. That said, there are alternatives. Powerful, liquid-cooled, technology-laden alternatives. Better yet, one alternative from across the sea makes a good case for being a smart alternative to the dime-a-dozen American cruiser. What Makes A Good Cruiser? Harley-Davidson A good cruiser simply has to tick a couple of boxes, with little focus on anything else. For starters, a decent cruiser is comfortable. Floor boards aren’t a must, but they can help, like in the case of the now-discontinued Harley-Davidson Softail Slim. Like the aforementioned Harley, a cruiser that did its homework should include a low seat height. After all, cruisers are heavy bikes; being able to flat-foot one at a stoplight is a helpful attribute.Speaking of heavy, a good cruiser should have enough grunt to roam city streets unhindered and overtake slow-moving highway traffic. With that said, a cruiser doesn’t have to go as far into road trip savviness as dedicated baggers and touring bikes. Can you add bags? Sure. Does it need to arrive from the factory with them? Nope. Cruisers are about having a good time and looking good in the process. American Motorcycles Aren’t The Only Cruisers Out There BMW Motorrad Now, when you think of the cruiser motorcycle segment, you likely conjure mental images of American models. The Harley-Davidson Low Rider S, Fat Boy, or maybe the Indian Chief, right? But just because the Bar & Shield has been rolling out cruisers for decades doesn’t mean Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a monopoly on the segment. European and Japanese alternatives are on the scene. Want a non-American cruiser? Big marques like Ducati, BMW, Suzuki, and Honda have options. But one Japanese bike promises a smart alternative to the old-school, air-cooled Harleys and Indians of today’s market. Oh, and it’ll smoke its tires just as well. Suzuki Boulevard M109R: Big Power, Bigger Attitude Starting At $15,799 Suzuki Suzuki brought the Boulevard M109R back to the block yet again for a 2025 model. That move continued the metric cruiser’s 20-year tenure, no small feat in a segment largely defined by low, lazy American cruisers. And the formula hasn’t changed too much over the nearly two decades of the M109R. It packs a big, power-dense V-Twin, big brakes, and a chunky, over-the-top attitude. That much hasn’t changed over the years. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Even 20 years after the original 2006 model hit the streets, a late-model M109R is a viable, more aggressive, and often cheaper alternative to the likes of the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy or Indian Chief Bobber. 109 Cubic Inches Of Fury Suzuki In typical cruiser fashion, the Suzuki Boulevard M109R’s main bragging point is the engine tucked into its steel double cradle frame. In this case, it’s as it has been since Pluto lost its big-boy-planet status: a four-stroke, 1783-cc 54-degree V-Twin. For 2025, the Japanese brand claims the mill has 128 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque on tap. It’s enough power to launch the Herculean cruiser as hard, if not harder, than anything from the domestic cruiser section. Take the 2026 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S, for instance. The Low Rider S produces 114 horsepower, 14 shy of the M109R, despite the extra eight cubic inches of displacement.Suzuki Better yet, while most American-made cruisers you’ll find are traditional air-cooled applications, the Suzuki is liquid-cooled. That’s good news for a heat-producing V-Twin like the one stuffed into the M109R’s frame. Beyond the sheer size of the thing, the 109-cubic-inch twin features a dry sump lubrication setup and electronic fuel injection with Suzuki’s Dual Throttle Valve system. The SDTV uses two butterfly valves per 56-mm throttle body, which open and close as instructed by the Boulevard M109R’s electronic brain, and optimizes air flow for combustion. Fat Tires, Aggressive Look Suzuki Take a look at the Suzuki Boulevard M109R, and, even in a slimming shade of Glass Sparkle Black paint, it has a thick profile. From tip to tail, the proportions of the Suzuki cruiser are muscular. Most notably, the Boulevard M109R rides on a fat rear tire. Just how fat? At 240 mm, the Japanese brand says it’s the widest tire it has ever fitted to a production motorcycle. That rear tire gets its motivation courtesy of a shaft drive that Suzuki says is low-maintenance for miles of worry-free riding.Suzuki The rear end of the bike appears that much larger when you take the tail section and factory 2-1-2 exhaust system into account. Up front, the brawny 46 mm inverted front forks hug a 130 mm front tire and a set of radially-mounted, four-piston front brakes. And, like something off the roving Martian death machines from the 2005 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds,” the headlight cover ever so slightly hangs over the lamp, creating an almost squint. This is one menacing-looking cruiser. A Boulevard Bruiser With Road Manners Sure, it’s a power cruiser with enough grunt to contend with some of the best American brands have to offer. But how is it as a, you know, cruiser? The Boulevard M109R’s seat rides at 27.8 inches, less than 2 inches taller than its principal competition in Harley-Davidson’s lineup: the venerable Fat Boy. Then there’s the rest of the formula: a set of floorboards, the drag-style handlebars on chunky pull-back risers, adjustable rear shock, and comfy front-sprawling controls. Even with a curb weight tipping the scales at over 760 pounds, the M109R can pull double duty as a stylish urban cruiser and a highway companion. American Cruisers Can't Match The Suzuki's Price-To-Power Ratio SuzukiYes, there are plenty of torquier bikes from this side of the Pacific. But nothing from Harley-Davidson or Indian matches the power you get from the Suzuki Boulevard M109R at the same price. Take the Sportster S, for instance. The fat-tire Harley starts at $15,999 and produces 121 horsepower. Not up to M109R standards. Then there’s the Indian 101 Scout. With a $16,999 starting price tag and 111 horsepower on tap, it’s not quite on par with Suzuki’s aging power cruiser. The M109R Versus Other Japanese Contenders Honda So how, then, does the M109R compare with the horsepower outputs of contenders from its own neck of the woods? Well, the Kawasaki Vulcan S might be (much) more affordable, but its 60-horsepower output is hardly up to the Boulevard’s might. The same goes for the 65-horsepower Yamaha Bolt R-Spec and the 87-horsepower Honda Rebel 1100.Sources: Suzuki, Global Suzuki