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Motorcycle User Reviews - 2009 Suzuki Boulevard C50T

Motorcycle picture of a 2009 Suzuki Boulevard C50T

I bought my 2009 Suzuki Boulevard C50T in November 2009 and as of February 16, I've put over 700 miles on it.

We can ride year round down here on the Gulf Coast. It's my first motorcycle in 25 years and I was amazed how quickly my skills came back. It's also my first touring bike.

It's well balanced and has a smooth ride and more power than I need. I've cranked it up to 85 on the interstate a couple of times. It still had more to go, but I didn't want to push my luck with my rusty riding skills.

I took a road trip with two friends about a month ago. One had a Harley Road King and the other rode a 1200cc Sportster. I didn't have any problems keeping up.

I took the MSF Basic Rider Course in 1980. I took it again last week. I was surprised how much better my Boulevard negotiated some of the tight turns as opposed to the on/off road bike and the sport bike in my class.

Pluses: More than enough power for the casual rider. I've never had a bike with shaft drive before, but I like the idea of not having to adjust the chain. The blue/white color scheme stands out better than the basic black. The floor boards are a nice touch. The forward controls are nice, but they took some getting used to. You can't beat the electronic fuel injection for cold starting. The digital display includes a gas gauge (never had that on a bike before), a clock (beats pulling over and pulling out your watch), odometer, two trip meters, and various warning messages that pop up. I like the safety feature that won't let you start the engine in gear if the kickstand is down. Likewise, it acts as a second kill switch if you put the kickstand down while in gear. All of these features are great, especially on a bike that sells for less than $10,000.

Minuses: I'm not a big fan of the heel shifter. I seldom use this feature, but I've gotten to the point that I don't accidentally use it. I've scraped the floorboard a couple of times when I was really getting into a turn, but the bolt on the bottom of the floorboard is a good reminder that I can't lean this one as much as my previous two general-purpose bikes.

Overall rating is a big PLUS. In the short time I've owned it, I can't think of a better bike to restart my biking career with. When/if I get a bigger bike, I'm thinking it may just be a bigger Boulevard. I just wish that Suzuki would offer more color options on their models. A choice between black and grey/black on some of the other Boulevards doesn't seem like much choice. Are you listening Suzuki? -- tbear

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