5 Cheap Harley-Davidson Cruiser Alternatives For Bikers On A Budget – Jalopnik

When it comes hitting the open highway, there isn’t any match for the combination of energy, management, and luxury supplied by Harley-Davidson. At least, that is what Harley-Davidson desires you to imagine, and it is received the cinematic product placement to show it. While it is true, HD is without doubt one of the most well-known names within the bike recreation, it isn’t the one participant for these in search of a smooth cruiser. These days, most corporations have their very own line of bikes to compete with the choices of Harley-Davidson, and a few of these opponents can actually give HD a run for its cash.

Speaking of cash, a very good bike would not essentially need to require you to empty your complete checking account. They say “it pays to buy the best,” however when you’re a savvy shopper and you understand the place to look, you’ll find a motorbike for a good value. With that in thoughts, listed here are 5 low-cost Harley-Davidson cruiser alternate options for bikers on a funds. Each of those bikes carries a price ticket of underneath $10,000, which is properly under the pricier customary set by Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson is a cornerstone of Americana, because of films like “Easy Rider” and the mythic standing of the limitless American freeway and the liberty it represents. The firm is probably not as standard because it was throughout its heyday – which has led to Harley-Davidson dealerships shutting down throughout the nation – however when the typical particular person thinks of bikes, particularly choppers and cruisers, they usually instantly affiliate them with the Bar and Shield.

However, that is not at all times the case. The 2024 Yamaha Bolt R-Spec is a cruiser from Japanese firm Yamaha. While the corporate is usually related to smaller, zippier bikes, it has been making cruisers for the reason that Eighties, and Yamaha nonetheless builds cruisers right this moment. The Bolt R-Spec has a fairly compact body for a cruiser, making it an amazing bike for newcomers to the bike scene. A smaller body is healthier for brand new bikers, and leaping straight to an outsized mammoth is a simple mistake for rookie riders to make.

Pricewise, the 2025 Yamaha Bolt R-Spec launched with an MSRP of simply $8,999, which is a superb value for a starter bike. Does its engine roar like a righteous beast the best way an HD Sportster does? No. In reality, when you push the throttle to its limits, you might really feel the body rattle a bit greater than you’d most likely like. But at roughly half the worth of a Sportster (which is able to set you again $15,999 to begin), you are still getting an incredible worth in your cash.

Honda’s line of Shadow bikes is not a cash-grab try and carve out a slice of the Harley-Davidson buyer base. The Shadow is a line of bikes that dates again to the early Eighties, when the primary model of the Honda Shadow launched the world over. That traditional bike was a far cry from right this moment’s model of the Shadow, a motorbike with over 40 years of historical past behind it.

The 2025 Honda Shadow Phantom carries a base MSRP of $8,699. For that value, you are getting a 745cc, liquid-cooled, V-twin engine, which is greater than sufficient to get you the place you are going. Is it as highly effective as a Harley-Davidson Sportster’s short-stroke Revolution Max 975T engine with a 975cc motor and 121 horsepower? Nope. But Honda has to save cash someplace, proper?

When it involves driving quick, driving exhausting, and looking out good whereas doing it, Harley-Davidson often is the most well-known possibility. However, it isn’t the one title within the recreation, whether or not you are in search of a standard two-wheeler or a stable three-wheeled Harley various. The Honda Shadow is proof of that, particularly while you take its modest value into consideration. You needn’t spend Harley-Davidson cash so as to have a high quality biking expertise.

The Kawasaki Vulcan S begins from $7,649. That’s a fairly nice value, however you are most likely going to need to get the premium model with ABS (anti-lock brake system), which boosts the beginning value to $8,149. If you have loved the luxurious of a very good ABS, it is exhausting to return. It’s additionally tough to name ABS an “optional extra,” since it is so important. It feels extra like a solution to faux just like the Vulcan S is technically $500 cheaper than it truly is, since who’s gonna skip the ABS? 

This bike boasts a 649cc liquid-cooled dual-cylinder engine that may produce a stable 60 horsepower. Sure, that pales subsequent to the 121 horsepower of a Harley Sportster, nevertheless it’s greater than sufficient to get you transferring in model. Speaking of fashion, it is price mentioning that this can be a fairly beautiful bike that feels each fashionable and fashionably old fashioned. If you are in search of extra choices, there’s additionally the Vulcan S Cafe variant, which options some beauty variations, together with a two-tone paint job, fancy sport striping, and a windshield for a smoother and barely extra aerodynamic trip.

If you are in search of absolutely the least expensive bike on this record, you have discovered it. The Honda Rebel 500 begins at simply $6,799, and for that value, you are getting numerous bang in your buck, together with a 471cc, liquid-cooled, gasoline injected engine, an anti-lock braking system, and a six-speed guide transmission. You do not get a lot in the best way of bells and whistles, however the Honda Rebel just isn’t a luxurious merchandise. It’s a workhorse of a motorbike. It’s the form of bike you’re taking a summer season job to purchase so you possibly can blow that two-star city and take the freeway right down to the large metropolis the place you possibly can present the world what you have at all times identified: that you simply’re sure for greatness.

Okay, romantic fantasizing apart, the Honda Rebel is a superb place to begin your bike journey. It’s low-cost, however it’ll get you the place you need to go. When it comes to purchasing a model new cruiser, it is exhausting to beat the Rebel’s value. In the top, the Honda Rebel is an honest bike, nevertheless it’s much more impactful as a logo of freedom — they are saying “freedom isn’t free,” however how a lot does it value? According to Honda, it prices $6,799 or so.

Suzuki is greatest identified for road bikes just like the GSX-8R and the GSX-S1000GT+, which appears like one thing an anime hero would drive earlier than trying a kind of candy Akira slides. But the corporate has additionally diversified its portfolio so as to courtroom audiences who may need one thing completely different — one thing like, say, a Harley-Davidson, however cheaper.

The 2025 Suzuki Boulevard C50 might look a bit generic when stacked up in opposition to any variety of Harley-Davidson cruisers, however don’t fret — there’s greater than sufficient chrome and outsized exhaust pipes to make you look actually cool on Instagram. More importantly, the C50 supplies a clean trip, because of its 805cc fuel-injected twin-V engine. It additionally boasts the Auto Fast Idle System (AFIS), which takes coolant temperature under consideration and adjusts throttle-valve opening accordingly when cold-starting the engine.

This bike will set you again $9,299 when you get one new, which is not precisely chump change, nevertheless it’s method cheaper than any comparable Harley-Davidson cruiser, and newbie bikes are supposed to hold a modest price ticket. If you need to get the place you might want to go in model however with out spending HD cash, the Suzuki Boulevard C50 simply might transform your weapon of selection.