The Cheapest Cruiser Motorcycles

Am I the only one that thinks cruiser riders are different from other bikers? Not different in a bad way, just ploughing a different furrow.

You rarely meet someone on a cruiser that owns any other type of motorcycle. Likewise, if you meet a biker with a few different bikes in the garage, it’s rare that they’ve got a cruiser in their line-up. We’re both flowing in our own way but it’s sort of oil meets water, if you will.

If you’ve never ridden a custom or cruiser, you’re missing out. There is laid-back side to motorcycling and that’s what cruisers are all about. Yes, they’re slower and don’t handle as well as a typical ‘modern’ motorcycle but if you’ve ever heard anyone moan about a Harley they rode, then they’ve missed the point.

Harley Davidson’s bikes are certainly a staple in the cruiser world but they’re not the be-all-and-end-all of cruising. There are lots of good cruisers from European and Japanese manufacturers.

The Japanese can’t bring themselves to produce a motorbike that doesn’t have a good gearbox, decent brakes and solid build quality which in some ways means they’ve ironed out some of the ‘character’ that the American cruiser brands sell themselves on. 

Cruiser motorcycles make great beginner bikes too and there are many 125cc cruisers on the market. Cruisers have a low seat height, low centre of gravity, they usually have a v-twin engine which means you don’t need to rev it for it to make power and they tend to have a softer power delivery. These are all great things for beginner riders.

Cruisers aren’t all massive 1,500cc engines either, there are lots of good mid-size brand new offerings, from Harley, Kawasaki and Honda and if you are happy with an older model there are loads out there.

We’ve focused on budget for this cruiser review. Anyone can buy a cruiser for £8,000+ but we’ve set a maximum budget of £4,000 and our choices start at £1,500. So if you’re watching the pennies but keen to get out there and get the wind in your hair, these are some great picks for you.