Posted February 16, 2006   Email   Print

Suzuki's M109R: Triple-digit horsepower for the Boulevard

by Bill Andrews
Photos by Riles and Nelson

Oh what V-twin wrath hath Suzuki unleashed upon us mere mortal-cyclists. Surely the pursuit of torque will smite the wallets of all who seek great power in the realm of crusierdom.

Or not.

Diving in and out of the wide sweepers that make up the Texas Hill Country aboard Suzuki’s newest flagship Boulevard, the M109R, it strikes me that this kind of roll-on power usually comes from a bike lined up at a light tree, or only after expenditure of a rather hefty bill roll. With nearly 1,800cc in displacement, the motor absolutely rips the 700-pound-plus cruiser down the asphalt. Fortunately, Suzuki’s new Thor-esqe cruiser isn’t priced just for the rich and frivolous. Its $12,399 price puts it well within the means of the average Joe or Joann.

But before we ride the M109R, let’s talk about the gravitational field this creature exudes just sitting on the sidestand.

From the steering stem to the tail, the frame is practically encapsulated in covers. The result is a pleasantly uninterrupted flow for the eye to follow. On the other hand, some may think the M109R has too much makeup — much of what you see isn't really what it appears to be. What looks like part of the subframe is really just a cosmetic cover, just one of several examples on this bike.

If you take the stand that big and bold is beautiful, let your eyes start at the healthy-sized 130/70R-18 front tire in front of the shrouded radiator, travel up the 46mm inverted front forks and come to rest on the partially chromed cone headlight nacelle/mini fairing. From there, the lines flow back and downward, across the expanse of the 5.2-gallon fuel tank (4.9 gallons in California) to the solo seat, and then across the pointed rear fender, which hovers over the burly 240/40R-18 rear tire. The flow works, and the mind is left with a single thought—massive.

The gauges include an analog speedo mounted on the tank with two LCD windows located just below. The left window contains a clock and fuel gauge while the right contains the odometer, with dual trip settings. A sweeping, LCD bar-graph tachometer is mounted high and center stage on the handlebars, with a row of warning lights below. Look a little closer and you’ll notice that redline sits at a surprising seven and a half grand—a relatively high figure in behemoth cruiser land.

Flattrack-style handlebars start at 1.25 inches in diameter at the triple tree and then taper down to one inch at the grips to fit the rather standard-looking handgrips and controls.

Now for the trick stuff Suzuki thoughtfully included straight from their performance bag of goodies derived from both road and off-road expertise.

Stopping power up front is provided by dual, opposed 4-piston, radial-mounted calipers grabbing 310mm discs, a system Suzuki says is derived from the GSX-R sportbike line. The rear has a 2-piston caliper squeezing a single 275mm disc.

Also derived from the Gixxers, according to Suzuki, are the fuel-injection system, air intake port and shot-peened chrome-moly steel connecting rods in the engine. They say the semi-dry sump lubrication system was derived from the RM-Z450, Ricky Carmichael’s AMA Motocross Championship-winning mount.

The heart and soul of this beast, though, has to be its highly potent engine, which Suzuki says was designed to be “lightweight and compact” and yet be “the most powerful cruiser in the world.”

The 1,783cc (108.8 cubic inches, which rounds off to the M109 name) engine is an oversquare, 54-degree, liquid-cooled, V-twin with a voluminous 112mm bore and 90.5mm stroke with four valves per cylinder. To put those figures in perspective, the Suzuki gives up 270cc to Kawasaki’s massive Vulcan 2000, yet the M109R retains a 9mm larger bore.

In the short-and-compact department, Suzuki utilizes a two-stage cam chain system, for timing reduction, to drive the overhead cams—thus keeping the height of the engine down. And since the engine is a semi-dry sump, the oil supply is held in the transmission, a separate chamber from the crank. This also helps keep the engine short.

The output, according to Suzuki’s specs, is 127 ponies at 6,200 rpm, and 118.6 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. From the seat during roll-ons, those figures sound about right.

Straddling the bike, I quickly get the idea that width is part of the bulk equation. Though I can easily get my left foot fully on the ground from the 27.8-inch seat height, my 30-inch inseam can’t quite get a heel down on the right, mostly due to the rather thick, multi-layer shielding around the exhaust pipe. My leg will graze that pipe all day, but thankfully the cover over the pipe never got warm, even to a bare-handed touch.

Ergos are sport-cruiser variety—a low seat with forward controls and a reach forward to grab the bars.

In the direct sunlight, I notice the black bike I’m riding isn’t really completely black at all. Blue flakes sparkle within in the deep finish wherever the sun hits it.

As we pull out of Austin, on our way to the countryside, I decide to get a feel for this beast’s torque. While rolling in second gear, I blip the throttle open and immediately break loose the 240 rear tire. OK, so it was a cold morning and maybe the tire hadn’t reached optimum operating temperature yet, but that’s still a heck of a lot of weight on a pretty big contact patch to bust loose while rolling.

This is going to be a good day.

As we get into the winding hills, I discover first and second gear to be rather "snatchy" — meaning the bike is very susceptible to throttle input. Part of the explanation can be found in the driveshaft turning the rear wheel via a direct connection, the level of torque the powerplant is delivering, and the injection system providing it. Another factor to consider is the transmission gearing, which Suzuki says is designed to provide “maximum torque in the city,” (meaning a higher ratio in the lower gears), and “enjoyable rides on the highway.”

What that gives you is first- and second gear roll-on power that’s simply addictive. Kicking in second gear at around redline is scary fun, and you’ll find yourself repeating it again and again.

All the gears provide a healthy dose of acceleration all the way up to fifth, the top cog, where highway cruising drops the rpm down to 3,000 at about 65 mph.

At this speed, and higher, it’s amazing what that coned headlight housing and other components can do to deflect the wind. Since you sit low in the bike, and reach forward to the bars, all of the pieces ahead of you work in concert to provide some level of wind protection. I never felt buffeting, nor did I feel I was being blown off from the wind blast.

There's no penalty to pay for the power. The engine has a balancer and is rubber-mounted to keep things smooth, while still providing a good vibe.

When it’s time to slow things down, you’ve got those wonderful dual discs up front that can handle the entire job just fine, with only two fingers. That’s good, because the rear brake, on the other hand, is somewhat anemic. Hit it and the bike sort-of says, “Huh?”

Admittedly, part of the problem was the adjustment of the brake pedal, which was a bit of a reach for my size, and Suzuki says that can be adjusted to suit the rider's inseam. But it still took a hefty foot to effect any noticeable change in speed.

But why worry much about the rear brake? The engine provides so much compression braking, you can slow down just fine by simply downshifting. Rolling through Texas hill country, it was fun to let the throttle and engine set my speed for the turns, without even touching the brakes.

Handling is solid and predictable, with the caveat that one really needs to make sure tires are fully up to the task, temperature-wise, before even moderate activity is attempted. The suspension is on the taut side, with rear pre-load being the only suspension adjustment available. You’ll thump over the small humps and larger ones can be disconcerting. But that may be the price to pay for tight, solid handling on such a heavy machine.

Pegs with sliders make first contact and fold up before harder stuff starts to drag.

A minor complaint, if one could be found, is that passenger accommodations have to be decided at home. The rear cowl is removable with available tools, but the passenger seat is a separate bolt-on piece. The seat is included with the purchase price, but unfortunately it’s a choice you have to make before you roll out of the garage.

That aside, Suzuki has built one heck of a potent package. Styling can be argued in the love-it or hate-it columns, but when it comes to V-twin power cruisers, Suzuki's new entry comes competitively priced and armed with great heaping gobs of torque that coerce you to keep twisting the throttle. It's enough power to smite thine enemies. Verily.

© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association