2009 Suzuki Boulevard C50 Sport Bike reviews

Fell in love at first sight when I saw this bike at my local dealer. I bought it used with 14,000 miles on it. I've gone on some long trips, and shorter rides out on county roads near where I live outside Atlanta. Just a great overall bike. Shaft driven is smooth. Good response. Top in is limited to about 100 mph. (I ride with some speed demons) Plan on keeping it for a very long time. Show less

My friend and I just took our 2007 & 2009 C-50's on an 1,191-mile ride around central, eastern, valley, & metro Oregon. During the ride I kept track of our miles between fill ups, & then I figured (with a calculator) our mpg. From the Salem area to Bend we were at 47 mpg, which was the lowest mpg. during the entire ride. Our next lowest mpg. was 51, which was from Redmond to Estacada. Everything in between was 56 mpg. all the way up to 73 mph. (which was from Burns to John Day.) Most of the time we were ranging in the mid to high 60's & lower 70's for mpg. I was also very impressed with the comfort of my 2009. We were riding nearly 10 hour days, and I never cramped up. During the 10 hours of riding we made several stops, although very brief (2 to 15 minutes), except for a 45 minute to 1 hour lunch. My tailbone started to hurt after about 9.5 hours. Furthermore this bike also had plenty of power to move me up the steepest mountain passes, even while fully loaded for a week's worth of camping. I've owned much larger bikes (Yamaha Roadliner 1900, Kawasaki Concours 1400, Kawasaki VN900 Vulcan, and I have ridden the Honda ST1300, and the Goldwing 1200) and I must say that this bike is more nimble, comfortable, and gets much better fuel economy. I have also found that in the type of riding that I normally do, I don't need a big bike, it's just overkill. As a side note, the insurance is also lower if you have less than 1000cc's. The only downfall that I have found with this bike thus far is that it is not a great freeway bike. It will run at speeds greater then 65 for long periods of time, but I really don't think that this bike was designed for that. This bike is the perfect bike for the city, county back roads and state highways. In addition, the speedometer is off by a percentage. I figure its off by 5 to 9 mph at speeds greater then 65 mph, in our favor. If you are looking for a great bike that is easy to handle, is out of the "Box" comfortable, looks good, and gets good mpg., and your ego dosen't get in the way, then this is the bike to own. Show less

This bike is one of the best. It has plenty of power, great handling and awesome gas mileage. I've ridden this bike throughout New England and western Washington. I love sport bikes but I have negotiated this thing through turns that stopped some sport bikes. It's a good thing the floorboards are on hinges because I've dragged them plenty. It has kept up with 1400cc Harleys until top end. The guy was really surprised. This is a great bike for beginners as well as experienced riders. Though if you have experience (real experience, not I've ridden a few times experience), I would recommend bumping up to the C90. The shaft drive and liquid cooling are phenomenal and reliable. I gave it a 4 for comfort because if you are taller than me (5'10") the riding position can get uncomfortable in the knees after about 2-3 hours. I would recommend some freeway pegs to combat this. My wife has recently discovered that she loves riding on this and now wants to learn to ride as well. Show less

This is my first "real" bike, after riding a Suzuki s40 for 1000 miles. Even though it is a bigger cruiser, it was not a problem to get on this bike for the frist time as a newer, woman rider. I did a lot of research on this bike. It is fuel injected (comparably priced Honda is not, but the Honda is fuel injected for 2011 for mucho $$), it is shaft driven (Kawasaki Vulcan is not) and it is liquid cooled (H-D is not). Try riding an air cooled bike in the heat or in traffice and it is like being in an oven. I found the price to be very reasoble, negotiable. I am thrilled to have this fabulous bike that easily zips me 2.5 miles into town for work, or 2.5 hours on the highway cruising in northern NJ. Maybe I should have bought the C90, but for $3500 less in the $6k range, I am glad I bought the C50. Show less

This is my first bike, and I had never ridden before. I use it to commute 25 miles roundtrip evey day, only missing 5 days each year on average. My wife and I have taken numerous trips of about 400 miles roundtrip on all kinds of roads from Route 95 to city streets. We ride this thing as much as possible, stopping for breaks every 50 minutes on average. We look for excuses to ride, even just to run to the grocery store for small loads. Unfortunately, Florida does not offer much opportunity to experience the joy of winding roads, but I have come across a few decent ones with my wife on-board and there is no problem. There is good clearance and I have been able to lean this bike over with no fear. With over 385 lbs between my wife and I, this bike has great acceleration from low-end to high-end. At 50 mpg all of this makes for an amazing experience. I can't tell you how much I love riding this bike. I often slalom ride with my wife in the passenger seat just to enjoy the feel. I have done my share of sitting in stop-and-go traffic and at stop lights in 90 degree Florida heat, and I am never in fear of the cooling system failing me, even at Daytona where I have seen other bikes pull off and park because they were overheating. I am thinking about my next bike, one that we can ride across the southern states, and I will be looking at the C90 as my first choice. The only thing I can say I regret about this bike is that it has so much chrome. don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, but I live within 1/2 mile of the ocean and keep my bike outdoors. That salt air combined with the wind-blown beach sand tears chrome up. The pipes, engine, headlight, handlbar, etc. that come on the bike hold up exceptionally well, but the Suzuki aftermarket chrome falls apart within weeks of installation. I should have had those things powder coated. Overall, the price, reliability, handling, and performance of this baby are all top notch. Show less

Love this bike. My first brand new bike. I've owned everything from sport bikes to cruisers. By far, this is the most enjoyable bike to just take off and go for a ride. Very smooth and comfortable. Even the wife asks to go for a ride non-stop. Show less

I have had this bike for only a couple of months, but I have put on 1000 miles even though I have a horrible office job that usually keeps me working at least six days a week. I ride when ever I can. I'm tall so fit is very important. I fit on this bike better than I do a Harley Heritage. My knees are a bit high up on the side of the tank compared to most average height riders, but that is the case on any bike I ride. I wear a size 12-13 shoe and my foot fits fine on the footboards without feeling like my knees are too bent. There is plenty of power for Interstate riding even though the engine is only 800cc. The bike is light enough to be easily maneuverable. Saddle is fine for up to one and a half hours of non-stop ride time. Brakes are responsive. Show less

My first bike, just put 1500 miles on it as a daily commuter and weekend cruiser. I love it. I made made some mistakes and the bikes lightweight helped me overcome those mistakes without a problem. It has allowed me to get used to riding on the highway and in the country without feeling over powered. On the highway it has given me the extra ummph to get pass the idiots who don't want to see me. The floorboards and the back shift make it comfortable on the long country ride. The only minus is the wind, you sit high; on high windy days this bike moves around. If you are looking for your first cruiser this is your bike. I love this bike. Show less

I bought this bike in August '09. It is bike #21 for me, but I hadn't had one for over 20 years. The C50 looks good (I get a lot of compliments) and rides as good as it looks. Given its weight versus displacement, it performs very well. Show less

I bought my Suzuki Boulevard, brand new, in May 2005. When I bought this bike I had only one year experience riding motorcycles. I was a little nervous, but the bike felt great the very first time I rode it from the dealership. If you are thinking of buying the C50 Boulevard, get one. You will not be disappointed. I have over 23,000 miles on this bike, and I bet it I would get another 23,000 easily. Here are some things that I like about this bike. It does look bigger then an 800 cc bike. I bought the two tone black and blue model and the paint still looks just as good as when I first purchased it 4 years ago. The weight of the bike is great. Like I said earlier, I only had one year experience riding, so the 550 lbs gave me more confidence in handling and control of the bike. Fuel range is excellent. I have been getting over 50 MPG. Also the fuel injection is great. For being just an 800 you get some good power. No. You are not going to be able to do 0 to 60mph in 2.3 seconds. But if you are using the interstate and need to do 80 to keep up with traffic. You can. The sound of the bike is nice. At first I thought I wanted louder pipes, but after looking how much it was going to cost, that thought went away really quickly. Liquid cool engine is a plus. Drive shaft also a plus. Floor boards are very nice. I wear an 11 size boot and have no problems shifting. Here are a few cons of the bike. These are minor, and should not change your thinking on owning this bike. But no bike is perfect. As with most bikes the seat is not the most comfortable. I purchased an Air Hawk motorcycle seat, and that has made a world of difference on long trips. It is an air mattress for motorcycle seats. If you have a chance, check out their products. Fuel gauge would be nice. There is a fuel light, which from the manual says that you have a gallon of fuel left, but believe me, once that light is on, you have well more then a gallon left. Headlight could be a little brighter. Now this is with my bike, and I have not heard this with anyone else, but I get back fire. I had it checked out a few times, but no one can seem to figure out why. I mark it up as nature of the beast. Brakes could be better. You are not going to be able to stop on a dime. Oh, and by the way. don't think that this bike is only for going around town either. If you want to take long trips with this bike you will have no problems. I took a 7 day trip through Arizona on this bike last May. I did 1700 miles within that week, and the bike was a charm. Word of advice though, if you are going to take a trip like that, purchase the Air Hawk seat. I have been thinking of up-grading to the C90, and I am sure it is a fine bike, and after reading some of the reviews on here, people do like the bike. Couple reasons why I wouldn't, one is the fuel tank. It only holds 3.7 gallons, which the C50 holds 4.1 gallons. So your MPG drops considerably. Also the bike is not liquid cooled. I have been looking at the new Yamaha 1300 Tourer. Seems like a solid bike. Not sure if I want to up-grade or not, but if I do it will be very hard to part with my C50. Hope my review helped you in your decision. My last advice is research. The internet is probably the best source, but check out the motorcycle magazines. They are very helpful. Good luck with your purchase, what ever you get, and be safe. Show less