The Forgotten Iconic Cruiser That’s Still On Sale In 2025

History is littered with products that have faded away. Sometimes it is because they are bad products. More often, they’re just the right products that have the misfortune of being put on sale at the wrong time. Once in a while, though, a product comes along that defies time. It isn’t just the right product at the right time; it appeals to an audience no matter when it is on sale, and backs it up with good qualities.

Those qualities start out as great looks and performance, and as the years go by, switch to reliability, low cost of ownership, and great ease of maintenance. It helps if the looks also hold up against new trends. It isn’t often that such a product can keep sales going even with zero mechanical updates, but here is one such motorcycle that is just this. Here is the forgotten iconic cruiser that’s still on sale in 2025.

The Suzuki Boulevard C50 Is The Forgotten Iconic Cruiser That’s Still On Sale In 2025

Price: $9,299

Suzuki Cycles

Suzuki is known for a number of iconic motorcycles – Hayabusa, anyone? – including its fair share of cruisers. The Boulevard M109R’s performance outdoes some more expensive machinery two decades on from its launch, which keeps it in the spotlight. In its shadow stands the smaller Boulevard C50, which is a great product in its own right. It doesn’t share much with any other model in Suzuki’s range, and yet sells enough for the manufacturer to keep it on sale, despite it not getting any mechanical updates.

The Boulevard C50 has all the modern tech you need to have a good riding experience, like fuel injection, liquid cooling and shaft drive, without letting go of the traditional charm of an old-school cruiser. This strange combination of modern reliability and vintage vibes is what makes the Suzuki Boulevard C50 the forgotten iconic cruiser that’s still on sale in 2025.

Why We Picked The Suzuki Boulevard C50

• Has been the same for a very long time
• Doesn’t set the sales charts on fire
• Is still a good buy for a wide variety of riders
• Has reliability like you wouldn’t believe
• Final shaft drive makes it maintenance-free in between services
• The liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine is extremely flexible

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Engine

Appreciably Modern Engine And Fuss-Free Driveline

Suzuki Cycles

At the heart of the Boulevard C50 is one of the most reliable drivelines today: a 45-degree V-twin mill with liquid cooling despite its chromed and finned appearance. It runs a low compression ratio, fuel injection, and 4 valves per cylinder from an SOHC head. Peak power of 52 horsepower arrives at 6,000 RPM, while the peak 51 pound-feet arrives at a much lower 3,200 RPM, making this a very flexible engine. This is also what allows it to have a wide-ratio five-speed gearbox, with an especially tall fifth speed for highway cruising. Suzuki has chosen to give it a driveshaft, which makes it one of only two middleweight cruisers to opt for this type of final drive. The other cruiser is the Honda Shadow.

There is no by-wire throttle here, but Suzuki’s SDTV tech is present. This inserts a second set of computer-controlled throttles inline with the cable-operated ones that are opened by the twist grip. These secondary valves smoothen out the fueling and keep the idle speed up for cold starts.

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Engine Specifications

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Chassis

Traditional To A Fault

Suzuki

Where the engine is relatively modern, the chassis side of the Boulevard C50 shows its age. The double downtube steel frame isn’t a surprise; some modern cruisers also adopt it because of the potential for customization it offers. The hidden rear shock is a surprise, because a twin shock setup is usually more affordable, and it helps with a lower seat height as well.

If you compare the Boulevard C50’s seat height with competition like the Honda Shadow that use a twin rear shock setup, you’ll notice that the Boulevard C50 is higher. At the front, conventional forks with ‘beer can’ covers are present. The braking system consists of a front disc gripped by a two-piston floating caliper, and the rear has a drum brake. ABS is not available even as an option.

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Chassis Specs And Dimensions

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Features

Bare Bones By Today’s Standards

Suzuki

The Boulevard C50 hangs its hat on reliability, and it is a firm believer in the saying that “The more things there are, the more things there are to go wrong”. As such, it does not have anything impressive by today’s standards when it comes to features. The instrument cluster is tank-mounted, and is dominated by a large analog speedometer at the top. We do like the windshield wiper-like fuel gauge. At the very bottom is an LCD that offers information like the odometer reading and gear indicator. A touring-specific variant called the Boulevard C50T is also offered by Suzuki. For an extra $500, it offers a windshield, a passenger backrest, and saddlebags that make it more tour-friendly. However, it is mechanically identical to the standard Boulevard C50.

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Notable Features

• Hidden link-type rear monoshock
• Suzuki Dual Throttle Valves
• Final shaft drive
• Tank-mounted part-digital instrument cluster

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Competition

Old As Well As New Products

Kawasaki

The Boulevard C50 has possibly the most interesting mix of products as its competition. On the one hand, there are traditional cruisers like the Boulevard that have been around for just as long. The Shadow ($7,949) is the most popular one, and has recently been updated with a rear disc brake and ABS. It also delivers the best value because of its sub-$8,000 base price. Kawasaki’s traditional cruiser is the Vulcan 900, and this is the closest to the Boulevard in price and specifications, although unlike the Shadow and Boulevard, it prefers a belt final drive. There is also the Yamaha Bolt R-Spec, which uses an air-cooled engine and old Sportster-like design to great effect.

Harley-Davidson

The modern cruisers are an interesting mix: Harley-Davidson offers the Nightster, which is a great option, but it isn’t similar to the Boulevard. It has a high-revving liquid-cooled engine and a trellis frame, which gives it modern manners at the cost of traditional feel and charm. The Honda Rebel 1100 is similar, but it chooses to use a 270 degree parallel twin powerplant. It is also the only cruiser available with an automatic gearbox, though.

The Indian Scout Sixty Bobber sits somewhere between the Harley and the Suzuki by offering a liquid cooled V-twin engine in a double cradle frame, and a five speed gearbox. All three modern machines have ABS as standard. The Nightster adds traction control and cruise control as well. However, the Rebel 1100 has the most comprehensive feature set, offering cruise control and a 5-inch TFT color display for a little less money than the two American cruisers.

Suzuki Boulevard C50 Vs Rivals