

Alongside cruiser bike’s relaxed riding position, ample torque, and conduciveness to touring, their quintessentially American aesthetics play a large role in distinguishing the genre from other styles of bike and represent a major selling point for throngs of bikers.

US-based motorcycle companies would not only employ these designs throughout the mid-1900s but said designs would also go on to serve as much of the visual inspiration for the lion’s share of production motorcycles that were subsequently released-a trend that remains to this day and one that has afforded American-made motorcycles their own highly-distinctive appearance. The main genres of motorcycles would evolve as well, and from the 1940s through 1960s, different regions would begin cementing their own respective styles and interpretations of bikes, including the US, with its golden-era big-bore V-Twin age, thanks to models from manufacturers like Crocker, Indian, Excelsior, and Harley-Davidson. Photo: Indian ChallengerĪs the motorcycle came into being, the industry evolved at a rapid rate, giving way to increasingly sophisticated and high-performance two-wheeled offerings. In addition to counting down our picks for the latest and greatest available offerings in the sector, we’ll also be exploring what to look for and consider when shopping, along with a brief dive into the history of the cruiser genre and what qualities and factors make them unique. So, with this in mind, we’ve rolled back the last few years of model releases in this space to deliver this guide on the best cruiser motorcycles. In a bid to cater to the US and Canada’s cruiser-centric customer base, major manufacturers have pored an enormous amount of resources into the development, manufacturing, and marketing of their respective cruiser bike lineups.Īnd while this has resulted in a buyer’s market that’s been flooded with increasingly capable and competitively-priced two-wheeled wares, the sheer number of available makes and models in the cruiser space can make shopping for a ride in the segment rather daunting. Drawing ample inspiration from US-built motorcycles of yesteryear, cruisers have long been the most popular and best-selling bike style on North American shores-the world’s largest motorcycle market.
