M-50 prospect & questions

[High Revs 17]

Hi everyone, I've been on two wheels for over a decade and I'm thinking about moving from the sportbike scene and picking up a cruiser. However I'd still like to have the confidence to hit the twisties with a bit of fun if & when I do come across them, and out of all the cruisers in it's price range that I've looked at the M-50 seems to be the most "sport" oriented model out there. It's wider front tire, inverted forks and Suzuki's tuned intake system all seem to be bonuses to start with.

If I am to pick this bike up I have some mods in mind such as, sport rated tires, gold valves with heavier oil for the forks, possible rear coilover upgrade, steel line & HH pads on the front brake, lower bars on the triple tree, velocity stacks, custom PC map, ram air intake charger, and a 2-into-1 exhaust for starters at least till I get a closer look at it. I'm going to see if I can arrange a test ride in the Spring as well.


That said I have some questions:

Do the forward controls offer enough ground clearance when pushing the bike over a bit hard in the turns?

Are the front end and chassis stable enough during transitions in the twisties?

Is the front brake responsive enough during emergency braking?

Is the transmission smooth and accurate in it's operation?

How is it's fuel range?

With the throttle applied does the bike feel well balanced through the turns with the drive shaft?

Any standard maintenance issues?

What's your overall opinion on this bike?


Thanks for taking the time to answer these important questions, they'll really aid in my decision.

[Wrider]

Heya bud, to the forum!
As for the M-50...
I used to own a Volusia, which is the carbed version of the C-50, but same frame, same tire sizes, shaft drive as well, same pegs and engine, so the M-50 is just the upgraded version.

The forward controls are alright for ground clearance, but you might want to get further forward controls because they do scrape rather easily. (Roundabouts were spark-fests for me-an aggressive rider).

I can't talk about the front end because I had conventional forks, but as far as the rake and trails feels, it's great.

I'd definitely say upgrade the front brake pads and possibly rotor if you're going to be stopping hard, especially repeatedly. It will lock up the front wheel, even at 50 MPH, but feels kinda wooden.

Transmission is very smooth and accurate in it. The only problem I had was a false neutral between 4th and 5th sometimes, but no one else had that and I bought it used, so it might have been an issue with just my bike.

Fuel range for an aggressive rider like me was about 190-200 miles with the 5 gallon tank, an average of 38 MPG, that's the bike, saddlebags, a 300 lb guy on it, and throttle constantly pretty wide open.

Throttle applied through the turns is no problem. It has a very slight tendency to stand up when the throttle is whacked open, but otherwise you don't even notice the difference.

No real standard maintenance issues I'm aware of. The carbs of the earlier models needed to be jetted to perform well, but with the FI it's a simple matter of a PCIII.

I loved the bike, and the M-50 is just the upgraded version.

To put my riding into perspective, I scraped the feeler pegs down halfway before I sold the bike after 3800 miles. I also had smaller chicken strips than most of the guys I hung out with, including sportbikes, who I would regularly pass through the twisties.

Me? Aggressive? Never...

Oh, and my bike was stock except I added saddlebags, a windshield, and rejetted the carb. Other than that bone stock.

You'll also find a lot of info over on VolusiaRiders.com. It's a great resource for Boulevard and Volusia owners.
Wrider