Haya-Cruisa
HAYA-Cruisa
Suzuki's 2006 M109R matches high style with sportbike tech
DON CANET
CW FIRST RIDE
WHEN SPORT RIDERS CONGREGATE for some benchracing, Suzuki is certain to get more than a mention. GSX-R repl 1-racers have earned a rightful place in performance-bike history with two-decades of accolades and numerous racing championships to back up the fast talk. Yet many performance enthusiasts share interest beyond roadrace circuits and back-roads, past clip-ons, rearsets and cornering capability. A trail of burnt rubber painted by Big Twin torque has seldom pointed to a Suzuki cruiser: Until now!
With the arrival of the Boulevard M109R, Suzuki is now staged and ready with one of the most exciting muscle-cruisers to emerge from Japan. Its massive 240mm rear meat, spread across an equally impressive 8.5-inch-wide rear wheel and married to long low dragbike-inspired styling, makes a strong statement that’s backed by a performance pedigree bred from GSX-R/ Hayabusa lineage.
Last year’s launch of the Boulevard line signaled Suzuki’s renewed commitment to the cruiser segment. While this was largely a cosmetic facelift and rebadging given existing models to create a more cohesive and recognizable brand , there also came an assurance of greater things in the near future.
The M109R delivers on that promise, serving as the flagship Boulevard model, showcasing up-to-date technology that will likely spread throughout the family as new models emerge in the coming years. The M109R is no accident or blind experiment; it’s the result of extensive surveys and focus groups American Suzuki conducted to pinpoint what cruiser buyers desired most. And the common theme that came up time and again was a thirst for greater performance. This message wasn’t gathered solely from Suzuki faithful but rather riders of all makes-including those brands already leading the power-cruiser segment.
The M109R is not only the largest-displacement motorcycle Suzuki has built to date, but also (according to Suzuki) boasts the largest bore of any road-going, gasoline-powered engine period-bike or automobile! Shocking really, as its 109-cubic-inch displacement (1783cc) is surpassed by several bikes, some carrying in excess of 2 liters. The truth lies in how you stroke it, however, and the Ml09’s oddly oversquare 112.0 x 90.5mm bore-and-stroke arrangement defies conventional long-stroke cruiser wisdom. The goal was to make the engine light and compact for a low center of gravity and to allow greater flexibility in styling and chassis design.
Shortening stroke has shaved height off the top of the engine, while a semi-dry-sump lubrication system locates the oil sump in the gearbox-like the RM-Z450 motocrosser-allowing the engine to sit low in the frame. Another height-conscious feature has been widening the cylinder spread to 54 degrees, up from the 45-degree Vee of previous Boulevard engines. The added real estate between the liquid-cooled, composite-coated aluminum cylinders has resulted in straighter intake tracts and provided space for a large, 10-liter airbox. The centerpiece of Suzuki sportbike tech residing here is a sophisticated fuel-injection system.
As on late-model Gixxers, each throttle body features twin injectors and dual butterfly valves-the secondary valve is operated by a 32-bit engine-management computer. This system has done wonders for smoothing the power delivery of the mighty GSX-R1000 and performs similar magic with the Ml 09, giving it a broad spread of power. GSX-tech is also present in the form of a servo-controlled valve in the 2-into1 -into-2 exhaust system.
Other GSX-R influences include the shotpeened chromemoly connecting rods and the four-valve cylinder head’s narrow included angle and efficient combustion-chamber design. Even this cruiser’s dohc valvetrain employs direct shim-under-bucket valve actuation and a two-stage cam drive that’s similar in design to that of the TL1000 sportbike-although the 109 uses chain drive throughout to avoid gear whine.
Sound being an important selling point for cruiser owners, Suzuki tested many pipe lengths and experimented with muffler packing to come up with a hearty exhaust note. The pre-pilot production unit we got our hands on sounded pretty darn serious-let’s hope the final example that passes EPA standards isn’t too soft-spoken.
The Boulevard rolled out of the CW photo studio with 0.0 miles on the odometer and a smell of newness wafting off the exhaust headers as I rode across town for its maiden cruise. If the engine was tight, I didn’t notice. Power delivery is broad and controllable when you need it to be, yet exhilarating when you put the spurs to it. The 6600-rpm redline is reached quickly in lower gears-really quickly! No problem, though, as the rev-limiter doesn’t cut in until 7500 rpm registers on the tachometer.
The untried brakes felt feeble at first bite, but following a few hard applications the pads bedded in nicely and produced stopping power expected of dual Tokico radialmount four-piston calipers lifted right out of the GSXR1000 parts bin. The master cylinder delivers a firmness that allows its five-position adjustable lever to be set in the closest position to the bar. Putting a healthy squeeze on the floating 310mm rotors didn’t easily bottom the fork, either. Likewise, even heavy application of the back brake runs little risk of locking the rear tire’s rather large and heavily weighted contact patch.
While there was never a question as to the fat rear Dunlop’s ability to grip the road, how would it affect handling? Everyone who rode the bike was pleasantly surprised by how little the big skin hampered maneuverability. Steering is certainly not neutral-requiring constant input to hold the bike over in a corner-but it also doesn’t take a great deal of muscle to maintain your chosen line. Tipping side-to-side comes fairly easily, in fact, and there is a good sense of stability whether running in a straight line or leaned over. Abundant cornering clearance isn’t a trait the M109R has inherited from the GSX-R, howeverquite the opposite-meaning hard-ridden Yamaha Warriors, for example, won’t be easily reeled in on a twisty road.
While tilting the horizon and strafing corners isn’t this bike’s forte, turning heads is. Try sitting at a traffic signal without attracting curious stares, or topping up the 4.8gallon tank at a gas station without fielding a question or two. It was all very reminiscent of the sort of attention Harley-Davidson’s V-Rod generated when first released. Could this have anything to do with the sleek flowing lines that meld around that big-ass rear tire? Even a diehard sportbike snob has to admit this bike looks tough. Seated in the spacious saddle, you’re presented with an attractive two-part instrument cluster featuring an analog
speedometer with inset LCD odometer, dual tripmeters, clock and fuel gauge, all located atop the tank. A digital LCD tachometer mounted on the flat drag bar sits just below eye level. The handlebar has a muscular 1.25-inch tube diameter in the center, then tapers down to 7/8-inch near the hand controls. The sloped headlight fairing blends smoothly into the tachometer, providing an effective windscreen of sorts that makes cruising in excess of 80 mph a breeze-or lack thereof... The rider sits low in the bike with a straight-forward reach to the bars and roomy forward foot-control placement. Shorter riders will also find that the 26-inch-high saddle provides added confidence at stops.
At first glance, this Boulevards’s bar-hopper styling appears uncompromising, but looks can be deceiving as medium-range comfort is surprisingly good thanks to adequate suspension travel, supple action and perhaps the lowest vibration level I’ve ever encountered on a big-bore Twin. Props to the 109’s counterbalancer. I never noticed the slightest buzz in the rearview mirrors!
Suzuki was in need of a performance-cruiser with an identity all its own, a replacement for the now-dead Boulevard M95-an “alliance” model that bled Kawasaki green more than Suzuki blue. Look for the M109R to not only be priced competitively, but to offer true value in its class. It’s a refined muscle-cruiser for the masses, delivering an ease of use that becomes evident the moment you hoist the bike off its sidestand and realize how little effort even that requires. Perhaps Suzuki has been slow to get serious about cruiser performance, but waiting has its rewards, and the fat-tired future looks bright indeed.
