First time poster here!
Been reading all your posts and see we have some really educated folks here and i was wondering if you guys could  help me.  This may be a stupid question but i was wondering what would b the best time to purchase a new cruiser? Im 22, and a senior in college and will be buying a new cruiser upon graduation (i luckily got a great job).  I will be home on spring break in mid march and will be shopping around with my parents.  Just wondering if i should be looking to purchase then or wait until end of may when im out of school. if anyone could share their dealer stories or tips it would be greatly appreciated!! thanks guys (and gals!)  

HI;   Yes , You should look now. Spring is prime time for the dealers. Winter for the buyers. First take the Motor Cycle Safety course regardless if required or not. It will give you at least a running start.I think you should stay with a 750cc-900cc bike.Honda,Suzuki,Kawisaki, Yahama all make very good cruisers.
  Look for a good dearler. This is harder than one might think.The dealers around here are not user friendly. I had to go 100 miles to find a good one. Look for the bike that doesn't feel heavy while you are setting on it. Tip side to  side to check the balance. While setting check to see if your feet are flat on the ground. NO tippy toes. Also check the handle bars lock to lock to see that your hands don't come off. This is not good while in the parking lots or trying to move backwards.You need both hands on the bars when doing slow manuvering.  A buddy of mine droped his Honda twice because the bars were too much of a strech for his short arms. We adjusted them and has never had any trouble sence.
  Dealers love to see a first time buyer. Don't get too excited with the first bike. Never Buy the first one you see.Try to get the dealer give you a test ride.This is tuff to do sometimes.
When you find the bike you want.Let the dealer know you have one more to look at. He may make you a better deal to take it now. That is what happened to me. I saved about 2000.$$ for a better optioned unit. They through in  a helmet and some gloves.
    Once you find a good dealer get to know the guys in the shop. Keep in touch with the guy that sold you the bike. This works to your advantage if they know you you will  get better service when needed. I have not had any horror stories with the dealer I bought my bike from. I will more than likely buy another bike from them next year..
Set your price range you intend to spend try to stick with it. Because you can get a good cruiser here $5900.-10,000.00$$$ Mine was 7200. in 05 C50T   boulivard .
Try to figure what type or riding your going to do. Cruisers are not quick. They will exceed 100mph.the sports bikes will get to 100 in 2or 3 gear. Buy good riding gear.NOT flip flops shorts T shirts.You will not injoy road rash   MY friends kids now wear all the stuff. The have  croch rockets( hondas) they both ran off the road.It took 3weeks for th one 8 for the other. They still are out of control but now they wear all the gear.
I hope all this helps I seem just to be rammbbling ...scrufy...  

thanks scruffy,
all that info will help immensely. I, too am looking at the boulevard c50, but i am having trouble deciding between that and the m50.  I have been riding a honda 750 since i was 16, got my license on that.  For christmas i got a nice icon leather jacket and will be upgrading to a shoei helmet.  I will def be checking out more than one dealer, in fact i try to look at some everytime i get a chance.  Thanks for your help!  

I would wait until you have your first pay check from your job.  The economy stinks and we don't know which industries will be getting hit.  Unfortunately, nobody has a secure job anymore.  If I could go back in time to when I was 22 and give myself advice I would do a few things.  The first things would be to avoid certain women, date as many women as I could, and to not screw up my date with a girl named Muriel.  (She was Super Hot and really cool on top of that! I spent an entire night of saying and doing the wrong things, and then another week of trying to apologize, but screwing that up as well!)  What a freakin' idiot I was!!!

Then I would tell myself to pay for everything with cash.  Debt really does create a type of slavery.  A friend of mine is going through bankruptcy now and it is a hard time.  You probably won't have the cash to buy a bike outright the first time, but I would suggest at least having more money toward a down payment and to be certain of your paycheck.

Sorry for the depressing thoughts.

Congratulations on your pending graduation and your job though.  As far as the specific bike...I went with the c50t and use it primarily for commuting.  The bags come in very handy.  

Good luck.