I've owned a lot of bikes over the years but the Boulevard is the best one I have ever owned. It holds a very special place in my heart and is without a doubt the one I have made the most amount of memories in.
I had two of these C90T motorcycles. 1998 and 2008. Rode them across country with my wife, and enjoyed them greatly. The ride was great, the seats were great, and cross country cruising was nice. I am 5'-6" and could touch the ground. The C90T felt like a 750cc motorcycle by weight because the gas tank is located under the seat, which moves the center of gravity down. Really easy to handle. I took them both up to 95 a couple of times and they were really stable. Some told me that at idle they couldn't even hear the engine. The was my Harley buddies. The closest to Harley was like a Fat Boy, or Heritage. I have a 2003 Harley Heritage now, but wish I had my C90T back though. It was just better riding.
220 miles is wildly optimistic. It's more like 120 to 140 because of the small tank capacity. I don't really mind because on a long trip stopping every couple hours is not a bad idea on a bike.
Indeed, 220 is way off.. From experience with my 2007 model (solo riding), some 175 miles (280 km) was the max distance I made on a full tank with the fuel indicator already blinking. With a passenger it's around 150 miles.
I enjoyed this video. The number of gears has little to do with highway riding. I used to have a 97 model Kawasaki 1500 Vulcan that was just a four speed. However the 4th gear was so tall that you almost felt like you were lugging the bike unless you waited until 70 to shift into forth. Once in forth, you could cruise at 90 or even 100 all day long. On the other hand my Honda VTX 1300 has 5 gears but the 5th gear on it isn't near as tall as the 4th on the Vulcan. The VTX doesn't like cruising much over 75. You probably just aren't used to cruisers but it might be the case that a 6th taller gear on the Suzi would give a little better gas millage.
Having had one for 12 years, I loved and preferred - and still do - the short gears of the VL800 / C50 - you just kick in the 5th at around 50 kmph (30+ mph) and you still have enough power up until 130 kmph (80 mph). Ideal for city & countryside cruising, but also sufficient enough for highway rides. In comparison, the VL1500 / C90 is IMHO not really that suitable for the city, as I find myself constantly shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th there (3rd being probably the best fitting). Now, the 5th gear (which I kick in around 90 kmph / 55 mph) is quite strong and the bike can rather easily go over 160 kmph (100 mph). So I think the only benefit of 6th gear would indeed be increased mileage when riding highways at 140+ kmph (85+ mph) speeds. Standard cruising on 5th at around 110 kmph (slightly below 70 mph) does that job very fine already.
The C90(T) is a very fine cruising bike, however it has a minor design flaw in its charging system, due to the placement of the regular diode regulator/rectifier on the left bottom side, where there's low air intake for cooling it. My bike left me stranded last week as the battery was drained due to charging system not working properly. Now I'll be doing some troubleshooting (cables? stator? something else?), but I already decided on replacing the OG R/R with a mosfet one, which is definitely a superior option to go with.
@buffalodebill7986 My stator went out as well. I went ahead and upgraded to a Rick's high output stator and the Cycle Electric series rectifier/regulator. Combined with the "Mod 3" wiring upgrade, that addresses all the factory shortcomings.
@@jordanblair5410 Uhh, OK, let me elaborate a bit - I investigated the issue and in the end, I found out, that the problem (THE CULPRIT, to say so) was a fried connector between stator and RR, by Suzuki's design located underneath the seat, where it was prone to both mechanical and heat damage. Indeed, two wires were stripped off of insulation, began to short out intermittently, which in the end caused both to fry and tear off from the connector. It needs to be said, that both the stator and RR were in perfect condition, though testing them - via exactly those wires, which were easily accessible without removing the fake tank & the seat - gave indications of either or both of them failing. Yeah, in the end the issue could have been fixed by just replacing a 5 EUR connector. But I didn't like the placement of the connector and the fact the troubleshooting required me to dismantle "half the bike".. More on that further down below. Anyway, I replaced both stator and RR anyway. Living in the EU, I searched for (web-)shops closer to me (geographically), as I wanted a swifter and cheaper delivery, compared to what I would get if I ordered these in some of the US shops (RMStator, Rick's, etc..). So: - due to all the positive feedback found on the web on this particular 3rd party stator, I went for the RMStator-made one, but sold here by their partner: www.tmf-racing.net/Generator-Stator-for-Suzuki-Boulevard-C90-VL-1500-05-09-2101-10F10-32101-10F11 - looking at the specs (aka needs) of the bike and comparing them to specs of various RRs, I chose a product by a Hungarian company SOLVART - I liked that it was (and still is) a much cheaper option than the other alternatives I could find: www.rectifier.eu/regulator-rectifier Note, that I also connected both together directly, bypassing the original wire (leading to underneath the seat), so now the mine-made stator-RR connector is placed comfortably and easily behind the left covers. I also put heat (up to 300 deg Celsius) and tear (carbon fibre tape) insulation around all wires, just to make sure I won't experience some "cheap" failure again. Now.. The bike runs fine since I did this. While putting it together, the stator gave me a minimum of ~60V AC (when idle) and a max of slightly above 80V AC (with medium gas (*)). The RR provided (at both idle and some gas) a stable 14,5-14,6V DC output. I made a brief video testing all that shortly before bike re-assembly, and though I used a very crappy & unprecise measuring device (a USB-charger one, but really reeking of cheapness), it can be seen, that the output was CONSTANT regardless of gas given (14,2-14,3V DC). Check it out here, if you'd like: th-cam.com/users/shorts5xuunu14pJc?feature=share (*) the higher RPMs in this video are that, what I meant by "medium gas" (above) Today I'm using a better plug-in USB-charger, which gives me the option of observing the output of RR at any time - the one I have is similar to this one: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005817541751.html As the car charger is connected directly to the battery, I can see the voltage at that point - and nowadays, it displays 13,2-13,3V DC when everything's OFF and 14,6-14,8V DC when the engine's running, and that regardless of RPMs. I could actually keep an eye on this semi-constantly during my and my GF's summer bike trip to AT - SI - HR (some 2,5k km) and I was getting the same output all the time. BTW at one point, I charged both mine and her phone at the same time - mine was used for navigation, hers was idle, both reported quick-charing - and I still got the same 14,8-ish voltages. I can state, that I was able to fully charge either of the two phones (from close to dead to full battery) within approx. 2 hours. LbnL one more observation - now I can touch the cover (where the RR is) with my bare hand, most of the time even let it lay it on there - and not get "burnt". And I could do that even after driving some long(-er) distances in quite hot weather - the cover got WARM to VERY WARM, but never got HOT. This, in general, indicates to me, that this particular MOSFET RR delivered on its another promise as well - the temperature (measured by some cheap made-in-PRC laser device) was most of the time at 45 to 50 deg Celsius (note, that the test method of mine was performing some 15-20 measurements and then averaging both the realistic and all of the results). Hope the above helps 🙂 Ride hard & ride safe.
93 gas? That's a low compression engine in that thing; in the area of 8:1. Putting 93 gas in it is turning money into noise. I also chuckled when you said "has an electric starter"... that isn't exactly a feature anymore. :)
If you are not into this style of bike, you should not be doing a review on it, especially if you have not got all the facts or are gettin the facts wrong. Also constantly having to excuse yourself for mistakes or failures does not give us the sense of a capable person here, that we should be able to believe. And that is exactly the reason why I don't do this sort of thing! Go back to Streetfighters and leave the Cruisers for those that know them. Consequently, this was of no help to me.
What do you think of this Suzuki Boulevard C90T and would you want to see more videos with this bike in the future?
Think it's a nice bike to take it easy with. Good vid. Keep your knees in the breeze. J.B.
I love it .I have a 08 and getting started finally this spring. Had for about 3yrs and I am excited to get going.
I've owned a lot of bikes over the years but the Boulevard is the best one I have ever owned. It holds a very special place in my heart and is without a doubt the one I have made the most amount of memories in.
I had two of these C90T motorcycles. 1998 and 2008. Rode them across country with my wife, and enjoyed them greatly. The ride was great, the seats were great, and cross country cruising was nice. I am 5'-6" and could touch the ground. The C90T felt like a 750cc motorcycle by weight because the gas tank is located under the seat, which moves the center of gravity down. Really easy to handle. I took them both up to 95 a couple of times and they were really stable. Some told me that at idle they couldn't even hear the engine. The was my Harley buddies. The closest to Harley was like a Fat Boy, or Heritage. I have a 2003 Harley Heritage now, but wish I had my C90T back though. It was just better riding.
220 miles is wildly optimistic. It's more like 120 to 140 because of the small tank capacity. I don't really mind because on a long trip stopping every couple hours is not a bad idea on a bike.
This is very true, found this out after driving this bike more. The official range is definitely an overestimate!
Indeed, 220 is way off.. From experience with my 2007 model (solo riding), some 175 miles (280 km) was the max distance I made on a full tank with the fuel indicator already blinking. With a passenger it's around 150 miles.
@mrkanobe That generation C90 is 3.7 gallons. That's fairly small for its size. Most competitors hold 5 gallons or more.
I enjoyed this video. The number of gears has little to do with highway riding. I used to have a 97 model Kawasaki 1500 Vulcan that was just a four speed. However the 4th gear was so tall that you almost felt like you were lugging the bike unless you waited until 70 to shift into forth. Once in forth, you could cruise at 90 or even 100 all day long. On the other hand my Honda VTX 1300 has 5 gears but the 5th gear on it isn't near as tall as the 4th on the Vulcan. The VTX doesn't like cruising much over 75. You probably just aren't used to cruisers but it might be the case that a 6th taller gear on the Suzi would give a little better gas millage.
Having had one for 12 years, I loved and preferred - and still do - the short gears of the VL800 / C50 - you just kick in the 5th at around 50 kmph (30+ mph) and you still have enough power up until 130 kmph (80 mph). Ideal for city & countryside cruising, but also sufficient enough for highway rides. In comparison, the VL1500 / C90 is IMHO not really that suitable for the city, as I find myself constantly shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th there (3rd being probably the best fitting). Now, the 5th gear (which I kick in around 90 kmph / 55 mph) is quite strong and the bike can rather easily go over 160 kmph (100 mph). So I think the only benefit of 6th gear would indeed be increased mileage when riding highways at 140+ kmph (85+ mph) speeds. Standard cruising on 5th at around 110 kmph (slightly below 70 mph) does that job very fine already.
As an owner of C90 i would say - nice review , and nice bike ;)
Mine runs on 89 octane gas,not 93.And heard it was 67hp not 61.
The C90(T) is a very fine cruising bike, however it has a minor design flaw in its charging system, due to the placement of the regular diode regulator/rectifier on the left bottom side, where there's low air intake for cooling it. My bike left me stranded last week as the battery was drained due to charging system not working properly. Now I'll be doing some troubleshooting (cables? stator? something else?), but I already decided on replacing the OG R/R with a mosfet one, which is definitely a superior option to go with.
@buffalodebill7986 My stator went out as well. I went ahead and upgraded to a Rick's high output stator and the Cycle Electric series rectifier/regulator. Combined with the "Mod 3" wiring upgrade, that addresses all the factory shortcomings.
What RR did you get and how has it been working for you?
@@jordanblair5410 Uhh, OK, let me elaborate a bit - I investigated the issue and in the end, I found out, that the problem (THE CULPRIT, to say so) was a fried connector between stator and RR, by Suzuki's design located underneath the seat, where it was prone to both mechanical and heat damage. Indeed, two wires were stripped off of insulation, began to short out intermittently, which in the end caused both to fry and tear off from the connector.
It needs to be said, that both the stator and RR were in perfect condition, though testing them - via exactly those wires, which were easily accessible without removing the fake tank & the seat - gave indications of either or both of them failing. Yeah, in the end the issue could have been fixed by just replacing a 5 EUR connector.
But I didn't like the placement of the connector and the fact the troubleshooting required me to dismantle "half the bike".. More on that further down below. Anyway, I replaced both stator and RR anyway.
Living in the EU, I searched for (web-)shops closer to me (geographically), as I wanted a swifter and cheaper delivery, compared to what I would get if I ordered these in some of the US shops (RMStator, Rick's, etc..). So:
- due to all the positive feedback found on the web on this particular 3rd party stator, I went for the RMStator-made one, but sold here by their partner:
www.tmf-racing.net/Generator-Stator-for-Suzuki-Boulevard-C90-VL-1500-05-09-2101-10F10-32101-10F11
- looking at the specs (aka needs) of the bike and comparing them to specs of various RRs, I chose a product by a Hungarian company SOLVART - I liked that it was (and still is) a much cheaper option than the other alternatives I could find:
www.rectifier.eu/regulator-rectifier
Note, that I also connected both together directly, bypassing the original wire (leading to underneath the seat), so now the mine-made stator-RR connector is placed comfortably and easily behind the left covers. I also put heat (up to 300 deg Celsius) and tear (carbon fibre tape) insulation around all wires, just to make sure I won't experience some "cheap" failure again.
Now..
The bike runs fine since I did this. While putting it together, the stator gave me a minimum of ~60V AC (when idle) and a max of slightly above 80V AC (with medium gas (*)). The RR provided (at both idle and some gas) a stable 14,5-14,6V DC output.
I made a brief video testing all that shortly before bike re-assembly, and though I used a very crappy & unprecise measuring device (a USB-charger one, but really reeking of cheapness), it can be seen, that the output was CONSTANT regardless of gas given (14,2-14,3V DC). Check it out here, if you'd like:
th-cam.com/users/shorts5xuunu14pJc?feature=share
(*) the higher RPMs in this video are that, what I meant by "medium gas" (above)
Today I'm using a better plug-in USB-charger, which gives me the option of observing the output of RR at any time - the one I have is similar to this one:
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005817541751.html
As the car charger is connected directly to the battery, I can see the voltage at that point - and nowadays, it displays 13,2-13,3V DC when everything's OFF and 14,6-14,8V DC when the engine's running, and that regardless of RPMs. I could actually keep an eye on this semi-constantly during my and my GF's summer bike trip to AT - SI - HR (some 2,5k km) and I was getting the same output all the time. BTW at one point, I charged both mine and her phone at the same time - mine was used for navigation, hers was idle, both reported quick-charing - and I still got the same 14,8-ish voltages. I can state, that I was able to fully charge either of the two phones (from close to dead to full battery) within approx. 2 hours.
LbnL one more observation - now I can touch the cover (where the RR is) with my bare hand, most of the time even let it lay it on there - and not get "burnt". And I could do that even after driving some long(-er) distances in quite hot weather - the cover got WARM to VERY WARM, but never got HOT. This, in general, indicates to me, that this particular MOSFET RR delivered on its another promise as well - the temperature (measured by some cheap made-in-PRC laser device) was most of the time at 45 to 50 deg Celsius (note, that the test method of mine was performing some 15-20 measurements and then averaging both the realistic and all of the results).
Hope the above helps 🙂
Ride hard & ride safe.
yo is this an Air cooled bike? what I've seen is it is air and oil? please explain if you know anything about it.
I've got one, it's air and oil cooled. I run Amsoil synthetic and it's never had an overheating issue, even in 100 degree stop and go traffic.
Its a liquid cooling system. Not air
What batwing fairing is on this bike?
93 gas? That's a low compression engine in that thing; in the area of 8:1. Putting 93 gas in it is turning money into noise. I also chuckled when you said "has an electric starter"... that isn't exactly a feature anymore. :)
I run 87 in mine. Did premium once when it was only thing available-made no difference.
Have you ever done valve clearance adjustment? I'm about to buy one
I think the valves are hydraulic on this bike so never need adjusting.
@briggsfartblender788 Correct. I checked the clearance anyway and everything was in spec.
A bat wing on a Boulevard looks so out of place.
If you are not into this style of bike, you should not be doing a review on it, especially if you have not got all the facts or are gettin the facts wrong. Also constantly having to excuse yourself for mistakes or failures does not give us the sense of a capable person here, that we should be able to believe. And that is exactly the reason why I don't do this sort of thing!
Go back to Streetfighters and leave the Cruisers for those that know them.
Consequently, this was of no help to me.