Old Dude Suzuki M50 Review

I'm part of the older generation riders coming back to their roots and their love of motorcycles (65 years old). I bought an M50 and it's the first time I have been back on a bike in over 25 years. I picked the M50 after much research in middle size cruisers. In general I think the M50 is a very g...ood bike for the money. I like the style and the low to the ground seat. (I'm 5'8"). I think there could be an improvement in the rear suspension. it seems harsh and doesn't take bumps well, even with ajustment. It could use a rear disc brake. But, it's easy to ride and easy on the eyes. I'd give it an A-. Read Full Review

No complaints!

I've had this bike since May '08. I am very pleased with it. I have put 13000 miles on it so far. And I just don't get tired of riding it.

I laid it down for the first time on Wednesday (The day before Thanksgiving) and the headlight got damaged $400 to replace the headlight casing and assembly (no...t including the headlight) I thought was extremely expensive, but being my fault, and the first penny I put in this bike aside from maintenance, I guess I can't complaint.
Bottom line, bike has lots of power, great stability, reliable starts, and lots of fun!
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Best Bike to Buy!

What could I not say about this bike!

The M50 is the best all around Bike you can get on the market. With the Bad Boy style and the technology of the street bikes the Guys and Gals and Suzuki have it going on!



With the gas prices high this past summer it was the best investment I made in years.... If you want to get a bike and have every dollar pay YOU back get a Suzuki M50! Read Full Review

A Great Step Up

I'm not the kind of guy that needs 1500 cc's between my legs to feel that I have a big enough bike beneath me. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of some smaller cruisers and don't make a habit of riding 2-up, so I enjoy the slightly smaller bikes.



I've pretty much lusted after the M50 since I set ...eyes upon a Charcoal and Yellow Special Edition in 2008. Problem was, I just couldn't justify buying the bike for the paint scheme alone, and my '07 Shadow VLX was doing an admirable job as my daily commute bike. But after sitting on an M50 in late 2009 and suddenly feeling very "connected" to it, I started making plans to own one. Therein lay Problem Two: convincing the wife that I HAD to upgrade to the M50.

I invested more time checking reviews of the bike than I'd invested in finding a qualified doctor to perform my vasectomy. More and more, the positives surrounding the M50 were hard to ignore. It took two years, but I finally set my foot down with the wife and said, "I'm buying an M50." Okay, this was after she said that I could actually go out and get one...

Yeah, yeah, maybe I could have devoted more time an effort at making a deal on an M90, or I could have followed through on the killer deal I had waiting for me on an '01 Road King. But coming from a background of smaller-displacement Shadows and Vulcans, the M50 was a logical step up.

I have not been disappointed; not one bit.

Forgive me as I make comparisons to my new M50 versus my former ride, the Shadow VLX...

I'm 5'11" and 177 lbs., and the ergos of the Suzuki fit me pretty well. It could use maybe a little more pull-back on the handlebar, and maybe be just a little narrower between the grips, but it's not at all uncomfortable. The seat offers nice support, and is a massive improvement over the saddle of my old VLX. I like the simple instrumentation, and the layout of the idiot lights on the tank don't make me feel like an idiot trying to read the things.

Fuel injection is a BIG plus. Starting the M50 on a cold morning means I'm off and riding in a tenth of the time that my carburated VLX required for warm up. Performance? I'll say that my old VLX wasn't as much of a slouch coming off the line as many people might think. But the M50 has twice the HP and only outweighs my old Shadow by 60 lbs, so power is there in spades. Cranking the Suzuki's throttle from 65 mph has the bike hitting 80 mph faster than a speeding ticket. The 5-speed tranny rolls easily through the gears, and the shaft drive feels smooth.

When I first got the bike, I expected to put in some time getting comfortable and confident with it. I was amazed at how quickly I became acclimated to the characteristics of the bike. This would be a good thing since I had an 80 mile trip from the dealer to home, and a good chunk of this would occur in commute traffic.

The M50 maneuvers better than I expected from a cruiser, making it easy to flick in and out of traffic. In slow-speed travel (you know, when you're rolling on the freeway slower than a bride will walk down the aisle to her waiting groom), the M50 is well balanced and not twitchy, with no need to drag your feet to feel at ease at a creeping crawl.

And that takes me to the subject of brakes. They're front disc/rear drum, and unlike the complaints of some other reviewers, I found they bring the bike to a halt without worry. Again, my first real foray with the Suzuki was in rather sudden spurts of stop-and-go traffic, and the M50's brakes were consistently solid enough that my pulse didn't end up in perpetual hyperdrive.

Fuel mileage on the M50 tends to average 45-48 mpg, even with regular runs of 75-plus on the freeways. Yeah, the mileage might improve if I'd slow down a bit, but the 819cc motor loves to run. So...

I really like what Suzuki has done with the M50, and it's been a great step up from my Shadow. Give me some time, and maybe I'll bring myself to upgrading to the M90 or (gasp!) an M109R.

But, in the meantime, I am a satisfied M50 owner and rider. Read Full Review

Newbe

Hallo. After riding behind my husband for a few years, 2 years ago I took my courage and learned how to ride motorcycles. When the time came to buy new bike, we were looking at Honda Shadow but I wasn't feeling it. As we were leaving the dealer's, my husband spotted Suzuki M50 and it felt perfect. I...'m enjoying it third season now and every year it seems to "fit" better and better. As for technical issues, there have been none. My husband owns 2007 Suzuki Boulevard m109r but always complaints about comfort of the ride. I never have such complaints! Love it! Read Full Review