Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
Now pretty much all of the major motorcycle manufacturers have announced their full lineups for 2024, including Harley Davidson who usually come in a little bit later.
So now that we’ve got a full idea of all the bikes that will be on the market for this model year, here are our picks of the best new and updated cruisers and American style tours and we’ll go in price order ascending.
And as you can imagine with Harley being involved, it does get pretty spendy starting at the most affordable end of the spectrum.
Kawasaki Eliminator 500
First one is Kawasaki Eliminator 500, Now this bike is based upon their 500 platform that also powers the Z500 Naked and the Ninja 500 sports bike. And so you’ve got a parallel twin with a 180 degree crank that makes around the 45 horsepower mark.
The curb weight is nice and low at 176 kilograms, and the seat height is also nice and low at 735 millimeters. Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
So this should make for an excellent choice for anybody new to biking who fancies that laid back cruiser Stanson riding position.
In fact, it comes in very similar to the Honda Rebel 500, which has long been a popular seller in that sort of market.
But what I will say is the Kawasaki is about 15 kilograms lighter.
The seat’s a little bit taller as well, so you don’t feel like you’re fully scraping the floor and perhaps the looks are a little more neutral as well with the rebel being particularly distinctive.Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
So definitely do check this one out if you are already looking at a rebel.
BMW R12
Now it’s a big step up in price now to the next bike with the BMW R12 coming in around the 12,000 pound mark, but it has to be said, you’re getting quite a lot more performance and spec.
This bike is powered by their 1200 errand oil called Boxer twin, effectively the same as you’d find in their previous Gen R 90 retro.
And so peak power is up at 95 horses, which is really quite punchy for this category of bike elsewhere, you’ll find good quality breaks from Brembo suspension from Masaki and a relatively slender wet weight of 227 kilograms.
So I’m actually expecting this bike to handle in quite a lively fashion. And also the riding position looks fairly sporty too with mid position foot controls, although I guess the boxer twins sort of force their hand on that one.
I’ve gotta say though, what I think I really like about this bike most is the styling. I really do think they’ve managed to make a good looking bike out of this and they haven’t gone too far down that Harley clone route, which I think is for the best because it makes this bike stand on its own two feet In terms of the looks.
Royal Enfield shotgun 650
Another 700 quid will get you a bike, which I would consider to be far more desirable, and that’s the brand new Royal Enfield shotgun 650.
You see, while the extra 150 cc of capacity don’t necessarily get you much more in terms of top end power, the shotgun does have an extra 10 NM peak torque,
so it’ll feel like it’s got a bit more shove in the mid range and also the 270 degree crank in this parallel twin gives it a much more pleasing character and sound at the exhaust.Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
Then you’ve got the overall design style, which I think is just that little bit more authentic looking in terms of the slightly retro vibe that you’ll find on a lot of these bikes.
For me, that’s massively aided by the steel cradle frame as opposed to the steel trellis on the Kawasaki, but also the genuinely air & oil cooled engine as opposed to the liquid cool twin that definitely has a much more modern appearance.
On top of all that, Enfield always offer a nice selection of paint jobs too from the stealthy base model to the more bright and popin premium versions, whereas the eliminator 500 at the moment is only available in the single black colorway.
Moto Morini Calibro 650
Now there’s no exact price confirmed for this next bike yet, but I’m expecting the new moto Morini Calibro 650 to come in around the seven gram mark if their other 650 bikes are a decent gauge.Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
Now for your money, you’re getting a decent parallel twin that makes around the 60 horsepower mark, although it does get that 180 degree crank like the Kawasaki, which for me always makes the character feel a little bit flat.
Still it has to be said, it looks quite good if you like that slightly more modern aesthetic and there’s a lot of design flare and detail across the bike. Finished off nicely with LED lighting all round and a distinctive daytime running light up front.
I’ve also got a call out that almost Spider-Man looking radiator guard behind the front wheel, which I think will be divisive and you’ll either love it or hate it, but at least they’ve done something that makes this bike stand apart from the crowd.
Now the rest of the bike in terms of chassis spec looks decent if not outstanding, with comparable specs to something like the Enfield, but really I think they’re most likely to sell these bikes based upon those striking looks.
Harley Davidson Street glide or Road Glide
the brand new Harley Davidson Street glide or Road Glide, which have had a big update for this year, inheriting a lot of features and design cues from their super premium CVO models of last year.
The big one at least visually is that LED lighting at the front end, which has a much more modern look than previous iterations of these bikes and personally it’s one that I actually quite.Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
Now there are also performance upgrades with a bigger, more powerful version of their Milwaukee eight V twin and there’s a brand new 12 inch TFT display, which is absolutely humongous and it now uses their Skyline operating system, which I have to say is very nicely designed and really does make these bikes feel pleasant to use as I found out from Boeing, the CVO version last year.
Now granted it is a huge step up in price and also a huge step up in weight with the Street Glide being the lighter of the two and still coming in at over 350 kilograms wear.
Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST
The brand new 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST, which comes in at 38,995 pounds. The idea of this bike is to take the Standard Road Glide and completely suit it up as part of their custom vehicle operations department.
Take an inspiration from the king of the Baggers race series that has built in popularity over the past few years.Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
So this bike gets the 121 cubic inch version of the Milwaukee eight V twin, which makes well over 120 horsepower, and I think they say it’s the most powerful version of that engine that they fitted into a factory bike.
Although that is a 135 cubic inch version, which you can buy as a crate engine and have fitted at the dealer as a massive upgrade elsewhere, you’ve got a titanium exhaust with a carbon end cap as well as a bunch of carbon body work.
And so even though this bike comes in at 363 kilograms curb, it’s still about 12 kilograms down on the previous generation CVO Road Glide.
Brakes are from Brembo with four piston radially mounted calipers on some wavy discs and suspension comes from show up with full adjustability at both ends.
So this is a much more sporty ride than you’d typically expect from this genre of bike from Harley. Top 6 Cruiser and Tourer Motorcycles
And it’s all finished off with a king of the bag inspired paint job that features a Screaming Eagle logo on the side and some popping red accents on the hardware.