Suzuki C109R Review - Page 2

Suzuki C109R Review - Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 By Trevor Hedge Massive 49mm Showa forks combine with a high-tensile double cradle steel frame and a reasonably well controlled rear end to deliver quite impressive handling. That poise and agility is all the more surprising owing to the huge 240mm rear tyre. Such wide rubber almost always leads to slow and ponderous handling but somehow Suzuki found the sweet spot and the C109R rolls from side to side with minimal resistance. In fact, much to my surprise, I managed to use every last one of those 240mm during a delightful strop through the tight bends of Lake Eildon National Park and felt comfortable doing so. So if the C109R handles that well what was my gripe about the C109R in tight terrain? It comes back to that huge engine and the enormous 52mm throttle bodies that feed it. Getting on and off the throttle between tight corners was not as enjoyable as it should have been. Even trying to be as smooth as possible with my inputs didn’t seem to help that cause. I resorted to trying to keep a steady throttle and riding the rear brake a little to help control the rpm. The C109R certainly has the grunt to pull out of any corner, so it wasn’t a huge hindrance but it did make exploiting the capable chassis all the more difficult to exploit. Ground clearance is surprisingly good and if you use some body language to help keep the undercarriage off the deck the C109R can make for a pleasant dance partner through your favourite set of bends. Get real angry with the C109R and go for a run through the mountains in attack mode alternating between second and third gear and that excellent 400km touring range comes back to a little more than half that. Make those huge pistons slide their 112mm forgings 90.5mm up and down Suzuki’s trademark electrochemically treated bore liners to the tune of 6000rpm, which it does quite happily I must add, and the economy goes from good to bad in an instant. Helping to slow the momentum of the hefty 357kg C109R is a braking system that links both front and rear retarders together. Each 290mm disc up front is clamped by three-piston calipers that link to the 275mm disc and two-piston caliper at the rear. Squeeze the adjustable for reach front brake lever and only two of the three pistons in each front caliper operate. Depress the rear brake pedal and the rear brake activates and also utilises a single piston in each front caliper for extra stopping power. It’s a good system and barely perceptible in the way it goes about its business. It’s somewhat surprising that Suzuki have not incorporated ABS into the package. No doubt this was part of an effort to try and keep costs down. At under $19,000 Suzuki is delivering plenty of cruiser for the money in comparison to other machines on the market. Still, ABS would have been nice. The seat is well padded and long which allows riders of all shapes and sizes to find the right spot for long distance comfort. Around town generous lock to lock steering makes tight manoeuvring a cinch and the mirrors are brilliant. Suzuki have even done a reasonable job of keeping engine heat away from the rider and even lots of stop-start traffic on hot days won’t roast your thighs. All in all the C109R is a great package that any cruiser enthusiast would be well advised to check out if in the market for a new mount. An awesome engine matched to great handling and ergonomics certainly puts the C109R near the top of the cruiser heap, and that’s before the value part of the equation is taken into account. Overall though I do think Yamaha's Roadliner S is a better package but at a cost, the Yamaha is more than 5 grand more expensive than the Suzuki.  Continue to page 3

Suzuki C109R Review - Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3

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