Why a cruiser is the perfect commuter bike
“Wait what? That can’t be right.” I know. It might be an unexpected statement. And you might not see it yet. But forget the adventure / all road bikes for a sec. And let me explain why a cruiser is the perfect commuter bike. Especially if you are a bit wicked like I am.
When one decides to commute by bike, one often immediately starts to look at all road motorcycles or adventure bikes. Or a bigger sport touring motorbike. But please don’t rule out the cruisers. Not yet. Because a cruiser does a perfect job as a commuter bike.
Note: If you think I ride short distances to get to work and therefore think cruisers are awesome to commute with, then sorry, you are wrong. I ride at least 200 km almost every day to get to work and back home again. This contains lots of highway miles. Like 3/4 of it.
WHY A CRUISER IS THE PERFECT COMMUTER BIKE
A DIFFERENT VIEW
Yes, an all road motorcycle or adventure bike provides you lots of comfort. Probably more than a cruiser ever will. Well, let’s redefine ‘comfort’ for a second.
THE DEFINITION OF COMFORT
WHAT IS THAT EXACTLY?
If you think comfort means to sit upright on your motorcycle, protected from head wind by a big windshield and riding on a big ass tall motorbike, then yes. An all road motorcycle checks all the boxes in your perception of comfort.
But a cruiser does too. Sort of. -ish. But instead of a very upright position, you sit slightly slouched. But add mid controls to a cruiser and the seating position becomes sportier and more upright in an instant. And cruisers come with windshields and big front fairings as well. So hello, wind protection.
A CRUISER AS A COMMUTER BIKE
LOW BUT COMFY
They are lower in seat height. We can’t really change that. So you won’t be able to look ahead over the roofs of lower cars. But who needs to do so, when you could also look ahead alongside them.
That lower seat height is awesome for vertically challenged people – like myself – by the way. While I personally don’t shy away from tall and big motorcycles at all, I do appreciate to able to reach the ground every now and then.
COMFORT; WHY IT ISN'T EVERYTHING
A CRUISER AS THE PERFECT COMMUTER BIKE
Let me go on about comfort for a bit. I know it is high up the list of demands for a commuter list for most. And yes, it is very nice and luxurious to ride to work with comfort and without being ‘blown off the bike’. But how annoying is that wind, really?
I will make one bold statement: if I truly wanted comfort, I would commute by car.
Riding the motorbike to work is not all about comfort for me. I know most will disagree with me here. And that is fine. I get that. But hear me out.
For me, commuting by bike is about efficiency, cost reduction and pleasure.
First, getting to work by bike is way more efficient. Is takes less time to get there, since you can filter through traffic. Second, it costs less. They run more efficient on fuel and it costs way less to park the thing (in the Netherlands at least). And third, it is just way more fun.
Comfort – to me – is not in my top three reasons why I commute by motorbike. Did you make it all the way down here? Then continue reading why I explain why a cruiser is the perfect commuter bike.
WHY A CRUISER IS THE PERFECT COMMUTER BIKE
3 VERY VALID REASONS
Let’s go. I give you three very valid reasons why a cruiser is the perfect commuter bike.
Reason #1: they are steady and easy to ride
Where the chances of a slipping front wheel is still very present in wintertime when you ride an all road bike to work, the chances are slimmer when you ride a cruiser. Because you don’t ride it through turns that fast. And you ride wider lines, which gives you a bit more time in turns.
The ground clearance is less on cruisers. When I ride one, I constantly scrape floor boards, pegs or exhausts. So you adjust your riding style. You don’t necessarily have to ‘cruise’. But you do ride it through turns a bit slower. That doesn’t mean it’s less fun by the way. It feels way faster than it actually goes. Which is always a good thing, like everyone who rides pit bikes often will also know.
The good thing about cruisers is the insane amount of torque most have. So cruise through corners – which is great in wintertime or bad weather – and be gone in no time at traffic lights.
Reason #2: you will feel more relaxed while getting to work
Cruisers have a certain magic over them. I’m not sure what it is. It might be in the name.. But somehow, you just feel more relaxed while commuting on a cruiser.
Do you work lots of hours like I do? Often 6 to 7 days a week? Or do you have a stressful job? Then a bit more relaxation can be very welcome.
I am a true speed demon. And I will admit I almost always ride a significant amount of kilometers over the speed limit. I did the same with the cruiser, but somehow, you don’t go all crazy like you would do on a heavy all road bike like the KTM Super Adventure of a fast naked or sport bike.
Reason #3: you look extremely cool, even when getting to work
Yes, this one is subjective. But come on. You have to admit it. Get yourself a great looking cruiser and you look extremely cool when riding it to work.
I felt like such a bad ass when I rode a cruiser as a commuter bike. Instant “No one can touch me” vibes. Like “Let me be, I’m having the best time here”. Honestly, it’s just fun.
A factor that might have contributed to that vibe, is the fact you don’t see a lot of cruisers on the road when getting to work at the average ‘getting to work hours’. So you feel special. I always feel a bit special – a perk of being an idiot – but this time it was different. It feels ‘extra’.
It just has a certain ring to it. You could go for a certain insanely popular German motorbike. But mind that almost every motorcyclist that commutes by bike rides one to work these days. You could ignore that fact or course. I’d fully advice you to do so. But in case you do want to ride something special, then a cruiser certainly can fulfill that job.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST; WIND PROTECTION
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Still here? Thank you for bearing with me! I’ve got one more thing to add to why a cruiser is the perfect commuter bike. This one requires you to really be open minded. Not in the mood? Then just skip it and go straight to the conclusion.
But let me shed a different light on ‘wind protection’.
I know it is really comfy to be protected from head wind when riding a bike. I never really had that luxury when I commuted by sport bike for three years. Only when I tucked in behind the little screen. But I have also ridden to work and home again on a BMW R 1250 GS Adventure. So I know what that’s like too.
And it is really nice to be protected from the wind. But let me also tell you why I don’t mind it when I don’t have that luxury. Because let’s face it; not every cruiser has a windscreen. And why it might even be a good thing.
For example; you commute on a cruiser without front fairings and/or windscreen (same thing goes for naked bikes actually).
You know what I love about that? It requires you to activate your core. Do you easily get cold on the bike when riding long distances? Then this is a perfect trick to stay a bit warmer while riding.
I know this takes away from the general perception of ‘comfort’, we talked about earlier. But if you don’t mind a bit of ‘active riding’, then the lack of wind protection actually isn’t such a negative thing.
Last February, I rode an Indian Chief Dark Horse to work for a week. Rode 200+ kilometers, every day. With about 150 km of high way. And yes, it feels a bit like wrestling, when riding 120 km/h. But it wasn’t too bad. It even made me feel like I worked out for a bit. If you are a gym rat like me, then you know how lovely that feels.
CONCLUSION
I know it might not be your immediate choice. But I hope I’ve shed a different light on commuting by motorbike with this article. And maybe even convinced you why a cruiser is the perfect commuter bike, if you want something out of the ordinary.
Okay, maybe ‘convincing’ goes a bit too far. But I do want to encourage you to think outside the box every now and then.
So instead of going for an all road motorcycle or adventure bike as a commuter bike, consider the possibility of getting a cruiser too. They are highly underappreciated. Not just as a motorbike to commute with.
