Suzuki Boulevard C50T vs. Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT

I've been riding for 3 years on a Suzuki SV650S. It has been a great first bike but I've been thinking about getting a cruiser. I want something my wife won't hate being on the back of.

We're not going be making any long road trips. The bike will mostly be used for commuting and for weekend rides into the Rocky Mountains...we live in Denver.

I am interested in anyone's thoughts about these two bikes. Thanks in advance.  

After much research I just bought the C50T. So far everything is performing as promised. I really like the size of the bike, has plenty of room for riding 2-up. All of the motorcycle comparisions I read before buying this bike endorsed the C50 over all other bikes in this class. Expect to pay mid 7k out the door.  

I've been tossed up about both bikes for weeks.  I'm getting back into the game after about 20 years driving a coffin.  I spoke to a guy riding the 900LT, and he said that other than the seat (which he thought was unbearably hard) the bike is a gem.  I've been looking hard at both, and there's something about Kawasaki I just can't get my mind wrapped around.  To me, the Zook just seems more solid and well thought out.  Good luck with your choice, whatever it is.  

I have over 10000 miles on my 2006 Kawi 900LT.  My partner in crime has just under 10000 on his 2006 Suzi C50.  We like both bikes, but there are some important items that have come up on his Suzi that you should know.

First, the Suzi only comes with a 12 month warranty vs the Kawi 24 month.  With that said, the C50 developed cracks throughout both rims with less than 7k miles, but the manufacturer insists that this is not a manufacturers defect, but the way that Suzuki cast its rims.  You can even google this and find many C50 and C90 riders have had this same issue.  Another problem that the Suzi has had is a broken header at 8k on the front cylinder, although the manufacturer did honor this under warranty.
The Kawi's only problem was the rear wheel bearing was dry when the dealer sold it to me, and they admitted it was their fault, not the manufacturer, and it was handled promptly under warranty.
Both bikes are enjoyable that each of us have soaked over anther $2000 in accessories.  We ride to work together every morning 75 miles round trip and we occasionally go for weekend trips.

Good luck with your choice, but I would say before you buy, ride both.  If you have a bike show that comes to your city, go there first and see all the bikes of this class and even ride them.  That's what I did last year in houston.

take care  

Thanks for the advice, guys. I still haven't made up my mind. I'm having a hard time finding a dealer that will let me take either bike for a test ride, despite the fact that I have a motorcycle license.

I'm leaning towards the C50T, but I'll keep thinking about it.  

I,v been riding a 04 Volusia for 4 years now with 40000 on it and not one problem at all and I have pushed this bike to the max more then once its a owsome bike I like it so much that I just oddered a new C50SE . I have been riding for 30 years now and find that the Suzuki is just right for every kind of riding .try it yull like it  

I ride a C50 I was forced to sell my 883 15 years ago. I shoped every Crusier you could think of. I went with the C50 for 2 reasons price and power and I love it.  

Dr_jmg

I just purchased a 900 Classic LT about a month and a half ago. This was my first bike. The bike has lots of power and rides OK. Gas milage is 40.7 miles/US gallon at approximately 70 miles/hr. Drive train seems noisier that I would have expected (A whirring sound coming from the vicinity of the engine and whining here and there) but I'm a beginner so this is probably normal (had it in for its first service and the tech took it for a test ride and said that everything was normal) The seat is not very good at all for highway cruising. After about 1/2 hour on the highway my butt starts to get sore. But I'm starting to think that this may be pretty common. I was on another forum and a group of Harley riders were discussing the merits of various aftermarket seats by "Sundowner" "Corbin" and "Mustang" and some of them were raving about how much  difference a chunk of sheepskin made. This I am definately going to try. I chose this bike because I am a pretty thin light guy 155 lbs. and didn't want to get overwhelmed by an 800 lb. plus cruiser and I'm glad I make this choice. I am getting more comfortable with the bike every day and may hand this bike down to the Mrs. next year and upgrade to a bigger bike.

Good luck with your choice

John  

Go with a Mustang seat, I added one to the C50 and it gave me about 1.5 hours of drive time and sometimes more.
I hear that Corbins are good but have a long way to go to break in and Mustangs are just ready to go.  A guy I work with builds 50K bikes and he pushed me towards the Mustang.  That seat and 4 inch risers on the handle bars helped a lot, I am 6'4" so must everything is small and I have to upsize.  

Thanks for the advice shablap. Those seats are damned expensive and one would hate to make a mistake with purchasing the wrong one! It's kinda maddening that bike manufactures would produce a bike with seats that are so uncomfortable........expecially a touring bike????

John  

G'day, Dr !
I am the very satisfied owner of a new '06 Boulevard C50T Limited Edition (White w/alloys). This is my first bike after 22 years, and it's all I expected. I test rode all the '06 800cc-1100cc cruisers. My choice was based on price, engine design - 45º V-twin w/45º offset crank providing smoothness w/o power-robbing counter-balancers, EFI, and most importantly, tubeless tires on alloys (no spokes!). I have to thank Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine for the specific and comparo reviews as they definitely aided my decision.
Good riding and keep the rubber side down!
MacMan  

Hi fellow riders.  I've been riding a Zook 2000 Intruder 805 for about 4 years now.  The bike is great, but the seat was awful.  After 30 minutes the butt was sore.  I customized my own seat. I had to. Any seat that is humped up will kill your gluteus maximus for sure.  Flat is better and a bit concave even better since it supports more area.  I've seen that the custom seat folks do the concave seats to suit your bottom.  Just don't get a fat butt and need a new seat.  Downside of concave seats is that they pool water.  I'm gonna redo my seat and put some gel stuff in it this time.  That technology is used for shoe inserts, bicycle seats, etc.  It's probably good for motorcycle seats.  I think a good seat should provide 2 hours of riding time at the least, about a tankful on the hi-way.  My advice to test out a bike seat is to go to the dealer and sit on the thing for an hour if they'll let you.  If it doesn't pass that test maybe look elsewhere.  But anywayz, if the only thing wrong with a bike is the seat, then that's not so bad.  Easy to replace or modify if you have some basic talents.  

Have no firsthand experience with either of those bikes, but another option you could look into would be the Triumph Bonneville America and Speedmaster which are 865cc parallel twins. I *think* the 2008 models have a slightly larger fuel tank.  

Hey guys, my first post here. I rode a HD 883 for several years before I sold it in '02. I'm debating buying an '06 C50 from a buddy. He's only got 900 miles on it and never rides it. He's willing to part with it for just the payments. My question, what's with the negatives on the spoke wheels? Is there a saftey issue with the tube tires, or just preferance? Thanks!  

I purchased the 2007 Kawi VN900LT about 6 or 8 weeks ago, and have 1300 miles on it already.  I love the bike.  This is my 5th bike, but my first cruiser.  I bought my wife a 700 virago once (ex-wife now), and I hated it.  It was fun as all get out in town, but long distance was a killer.  I pretty much stayed away from cruisers at that point.  My last bike was a 91 Honda ST-1100.  Anyway, the Vulcan is awesome.  Yeah the seat could be more confortable but after 1300 miles, I can now go more than an hour and a half without having to get off.  I STILL plan to by a mustang seat though.  The only problem with the bike was a bad sending unit and thus the fuel gauge did not operate properly.  It has just been replaced and works a bit better now.  Still not as accurate as my car, but it will do.  A friend of mine has a 2006 Suzuki C50T.  It is also a great bike.  He only does short runs with it though and has never gotten into long distance riding.  So they both work great for us.