The Suzuki Boulevard is nearly 20 years old. In 2006, it graced our world. At least, that’s what the press releases would have you believe. In truth, the Boulevard conquered it. The 2000s were a very different time. People had something called “money”, a concept seemingly ever more far-fetched the further we plunge into the future. People had a love for life, climate change and the insignificant changes that were possible didn’t dominate every political decision, and motorcycles were selling by the truckload.
With a love of life came a need to live to the maximum. Every two years, the Japanese manufacturers would release a new superbike, each one more extraordinary than the last. The idea was to push performance as far as it could stretch, taking the next step into the unknown void of what is possible by whatever means. It was a cutthroat market where the latest big numbers win.
In the midst of this ruthless onslaught on progression came the Boulevard, Suzuki’s shot at the Japanese’s newfound run at the American market. And it fit the period perfectly. Its looks were bold, daring, rugged and full of malice – it wanted to murder you long before you climbed aboard it. The motor was 1786cc, split between a narrow V of just 54º and was cooled using liquids, something that was still a foreign concept to the Americans. It pushed 123hp, which is alright, but the main headline was its 160Nm of torque. It became somewhat of a cult status in South Africa, so much so that merely saying “I ride a Boulevard” told something of a life story to those listening.
Time passed, and the world changed. People became less daring to the point where they were happy to phone the police because their neighbour was walking their dog during the COVID outbreak. Bikers got older and developed different bone-soothing demands. The world cried “foul” after a few hot summers and demanded that engineers stop trying to get better performance from their motors and legislated it in such a way that they instead spent their entire time trying to meet ridiculous emission standards that would make a minute difference to the weather, if at all…. The 2000s were better.
One thing didn’t change, though – the Suzuki Boulevard. It is still exactly the same as it was in 2006, and that is truly the best news we’ve ever heard. To sit on, it is unashamedly huge. The tank is wide, so you sit in a feet-up cruiser position with your legs essentially spread-eagled. The motor idles with a moderate thrum but not quite enough to shake the earth, unless you’re the average Boulevard owner, in which case, you’ve fitted a set of wide megaphones that cause earthquakes for 20km in every direction.
It weighs 347kg, which for any motorcycle is a lot; however, I wouldn’t mention its weight in front of it, otherwise… it’s been nice knowing you. Luckily, it’s a low-slung motorcycle with a seat height of just 705mm, so it’s easy enough to keep the weight under control without going permanently horizontal. Normally, we would say “click” it into first gear, but the Boulevard goes in with more of a “CLUNK” at which point you release the clutch, open the throttle, and all hell breaks loose.
Most cruisers these days focus more on midrange torque, whereby it performs best in the middle of the rev range, and therefore, it doesn’t matter where you change gear. Many don’t even bother fitting a rev-counter because it’s pointless. On the Boulevard, the main dash cluster is on the enormous tank, meaning the rider needs to avert their eyes from the road to look at it. Except the rev-counter, which is placed in the more traditional position above the handlebars, because this bike is from the 2000s and revs damn well matter. It starts well from the bottom of the rev-range, pulling admirably, but instead of giving up at about half-revs, the Boulevard keeps getting better and better, pulling harder and harder. At 5,000 rpm, it hits something equivalent to a “power band”, whereupon it rocketships up to the limiter at 8,000rpm. You then change to second.
Modern gearboxes are light and seamless, moving from one gear to the next without the very slightest of clicks. Most do so without the need for a clutch. Some very modern bikes do it without any input from the rider. The Boulevard is not like these motorcycles – you move the giant gear lever up to grab second, and inside the motor, a massive piece of metal disconnects from one massive piece of metal and inserts itself into another massive piece of metal. There is nothing more manly in modern existence.
The brakes work, but without ABS, so if you were to pull them too hard on a slippery road, you would crash. So just don’t do that. There’s also no traction control, cruise control, combined braking, TFT, connectivity, rider modes or any of that nanny-pansy garbage. You’re riding a motorcycle, not hosting a LAN party.
The Boulevard hasn’t changed in 20 years, possibly because no one would dare suggest to it that it needs upgrades. It is a direct portal to the good days of hardiness. It is manliness manifested in metal. If you are the sort of person who told on your neighbours for not wearing a mask, who shouted at people for not using a paper straw, who thinks comedy is offensive and demands that everything comes with a litany of warning stickers, then the Boulevard is not only the wrong bike for you, but it will devour you in one growling bite and spit out your spindly bones.
Frankly, the Boulevard is brilliant and brilliant in a way I fear we as humanity have forgotten. And, sadly, it’s coming to an end. After 20 years, Suzuki has stopped all manufacturing of the Boulevard. What is currently in stock in Suzuki dealers is all that is left, forever. Please go buy one. It starts at R238,000.00 which is not bad considering similar bikes (as if such a thing actually exists) are now well north of R300,000. You will never get another chance.
Séan spent most of the time riding the Boulevard…. unsurprisingly:
I never really got this bike when it first came out. It didn’t try to mimic the American bruiser-cruiser look like some of the other Japanese contenders. Even the engine note was different, smoother, more balanced, less character-filled… or so I thought.
Then I rode one – Properly! – And it blew my socks off.
My first serious ride on a Boulevard 1800 was a complete revelation. It launched off the line with arm-stretching force and just kept going… comfortably into triple digits and beyond. Rock solid at speed, and somehow glided through long sweepers without ever feeling twitchy or unsettled. It felt really planted, really fast, in fact – brutally fast, especially for a cruiser.
I found my new favourite game: pulling up at traffic lights next to 1000cc superbikes and challenging them to a drag. Light goes green, and I’d leave them standing. My favourite memory of this is pulling up next to a guy on a tricked-out Gixxer 1000. He smirked, clearly amused by my foolishness, but decided to play along. I thrashed him. At the next set of lights, he got a lot more serious, full launch position, throttle pinned, his front wheel clawed sky-high while I rolled away like a supercharged V8 with nos, or so it felt. The next couple of robots were pretty much the same and eventually at one point, he shouted across, “WTF is that thing?!”
Fast forward a few years, and we’ve tested plenty of VZR1800s, usually as part of cruiser shootouts, and every time I’ve tried to wangle the most saddle time. In my humble opinion, it’s possibly the fastest of the big muscle bikes. It handles better too. That low-slung centre of gravity, the chunky 18” wheels, and a super-low 705mm seat height make it an absolute weapon off the line and a surprise package in the twisties. Dial it back, and you can relax into the buttery-smooth V-Twin thrum, grinning at the cheeky overrun on gear changes while you devour miles of open road.
So when Suzuki SA told us the VZR1800 was being discontinued, my heart sank through my boots. No more Boulevards? Suzuki SA managed to snag a final shipment of brand-new VZR1800s, your last chance to grab a future classic that’s already one of SA’s hottest sellers.
Needless to say, when they offered us a fresh one for a few weeks, I was at their office in minutes. The tank barely had a litre of fuel for the initial start up, the tyres still had their nubs. “Take it easy,” they said. “New tyres, new motor.” YES, YES, YES!!! just give me the flippen key!
Riding this beast through the mountains feels like straddling a heat-seeking missile. It’s massive, powerful, and unapologetic. You don’t ride it, you ride with it, like it is a living thing. The 347kg mass? That’s not weight; that’s presence. You feel invincible.
Don’t dilly-dally, these are seriously the last of the last, you miss this opportunity to buy a brand new VZR 1800, and that’s it! No More!
