Middleweight?
That's the question I had in my mind at the press introduction for the new Boulevard M90 that Suzuki calls a middleweight performance cruiser. With a 90 cubic-inch (1462cc) V-Twin and 723 pounds of claimed wet weight, it's hard to accept as a "middleweight" anything. But Suzuki (and its customers, speaking through focus groups) needed something in a muscle cruiser (hence the "M" moniker) to fit between the 805cc M50 and 1783cc M109R.
The M90's 52-degree motor has the same 96mm by 101mm bore-and-stroke figures as the classic-styled C90 model, but it's actually a whole new design. The engine's designer, Kenta Suzuki (no relation) usually works on sportbikes, and his stamp is evident with liquid cooling, four-valve heads, forged aluminum slipper pistons and other high-performance traits. Heavy flywheels, offset crankpins and torque-heavy low-end tuning make sure the rider knows he's on a cruiser.
The chassis is similarly unique. The bodywork is smooth and flowing, with a strong family resemblance to its M109R big brother. Like the 109, it also gets a fat back end, terminating in a widest-in-class 200mm rear radial. The front end gets dual 290mm brake discs, paired with two-piston sliding-pin calipers. The 43mm inverted fork is a cartridge unit (albeit non-adjustable), and the concealed rear shock works through a linkage. Like every Boulevard model (except the old Savage, aka the S40) the M90 gets the shaft, literally, at least in terms of final drive.
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