2008 Suzuki Boulevard S50 review from United States of America

After a year I had to replace front brake pads. This was the only repair to date and the bike was ridden hard.

I love this bike. It makes riding fun. It did take me awhile to get used to the extra vibration and the seat, but after the first 1000 miles I was pretty used to it.

I wouldn't recommended it for hauling a passenger or extended trips on the Interstate highways, but for the occasional trip it is fine.

The only big down side I have found is that it is a hard bike to do repairs on yourself. It seems that you have to remove the seat and the tank to do much of anything. Even replacing the plugs are a pain because of the limited clearance. I imagine this is because it is a small frame (compared to a Harley at least), and Suzuki must have used a mobile home designer to figure out how to put everything into such a compact space.

The best part about the bike is it looks like a custom cruiser, but handles like a sport bike. Poker runs and weekend bike events are the perfect environment for this bike. It handles the twisties better than any bike I have ever owned. You can just jump on it and go. Well almost, it has carburetors and not fuel injected, so you do need to choke it and let it warm up even if it's warm out.

I have had it a bit over 100 MPH, but the stability starts to go down fast at about 80 MPH so I wouldn't recommend those speeds for long periods.

After a year of riding this bike and about 6000 miles on it, the only thing I have had to do aside from oil and filter changes and lubes is to replace the plugs. I just wanted to carry an extra set with me so I bought a set of Iridium Plugs and use the old ones as spares in my tool kit. I also had to replace the front brake pads after about 5000 miles. (yes that does take that squeal away.)

The bottom line is that the bike is fun to ride, has little problems and performs great.