The cruiser that leads the segment in V-Twin performance

When you talk about high-performance V-twin cruisers, you’re ultimately going to be talking about American bike makers. Indian, Harley-Davidson, Buell and Arch: these are the names that come to mind, with the first two leading the leaderboard with the most number of V-twin cruisers. Sure, Japanese and European motorcycle makers have dabbled in the V-twin world, but they’ve all politely waved the white flag and focused their efforts elsewhere. That means if you want maximum V-twin performance, you have to go American. Without further ado, here’s the cruiser that leads the segment in V-twin performance.

The Buell Super Cruiser leads the V-Twin performance segment

Power: 175 HP

Are you expecting a Harley or Indian? Well, the motorcycle here comes from the new kid on the block: Buell. We’re talking about the 2025 Super Cruiser that promises 175 horsepower. That is not only the highest in the American cruiser segment, but also comparable to the European big boys such as Triumph Rocket 3 and Ducati Diavel V4. To make things even sweeter, you get nearly 100 pound-feet of torque, again on par with the aforementioned European rivals.

Suzuki

The best for you is the Suzuki M109R. It has a gigantic V-twin, with almost 130 hp. And you’ll pay well under $20,000 for that kind of performance. We won’t talk about it much though as this is essentially a 15 year old motorcycle that is still for sale today without any modifications. As much as we love Suzuki, this is just an extremely dated package overall.

Bow

Next comes the Arch KRGT-1. It’s not your usual cruiser bike, but at the end of the day it’s a cruiser. And a mighty one at that. You get a huge 2,032cc V-twin engine here, from the specialists at S&S Cycles. The result is about 95 horsepower and 115 pound-feet at the rear wheel. The latter is what you need to keep in mind, as that equates to more than 110 horsepower and 125 pound-feet at the crank.

Harley Davidson

Then you have the two popular names. The first is the Harley-Davidson Sportster S. Like the Buell, it has a liquid-cooled V-twin engine, which prioritizes peak power over torque. So you get 121 horsepower and 93 pound-feet. That’s pretty impressive by Harley-Davidson standards, but it’s still more than 50 horsepower less than the Super Cruiser. Indian, meanwhile, is further away. The most powerful cruiser is the 101 Scout with the liquid-cooled SpeedPlus 1250 engine. That’s good for 111 horsepower and 82 pound-feet.

The Super Cruiser has a sports bike-derived 1,190cc V-twin engine

But retuned for better low-end Oomph

Buell motorcycle

You know the Super Cruiser numbers, but it’s time to dive deeper. The Super Cruiser’s V-twin engine comes from the Hammerhead 1190 and actually comes from Rotax. This is a 1,190cc liquid-cooled mill with a 72-degree angle that fires with a compression ratio of 13.4:1. That’s quite high for a cruiser (we usually see them well under 11:1).

But this provides a power of 175 hp. All that power is sent to the steering wheel via a six-speed gearbox, driven by a chain. This is a 520 Z-ring chain, with a 16-tooth front sprocket and a 44-tooth rear sprocket. A slipper clutch helps you downshift aggressively.

Buell Super Cruiser Engine Specifications

FOX suspension and sporty aluminum wheels form the basis of the Super Cruiser

Chassis: steel tube

Buell motorcycle

The engine is housed in an all-new tubular chassis, built in collaboration with Roland Sands, a leader in the custom bike industry. This is cut from steel and is connected to a double-sided aluminum swingarm. Adding a sporty touch to the package is a set of 17-inch cast aluminum wheels – a rarity in today’s modern cruisers. These hoops house dual 320mm calipers at the front and a 220mm disc at the rear.

While this should be enough for this 485-pound cruiser, we’re disappointed that Buell didn’t keep its own perimeter disk here (it was present on the early prototypes). Finally, the bicycle maker called in FOX specialists for the suspension. You get USD forks up front and a single linkless shock at the rear. Add to that the sporty ergonomics, and you can lean the Super Cruiser into some pretty serious lean angles. In case you’re curious, the ergonomics include a one-piece saddle, high midfoot pegs and sporty tubular handlebars.

Buell Super Cruiser underpinnings and dimensions

A competitive suggested retail price makes the Buell Super Cruiser an affordable option

Starting MSRP: $25,900

Finally, let’s talk about the price. Buell has priced the Super Cruiser at $25,900, which puts it right in the heat zone of the power cruiser segment. The MSRP is $905 higher than the Triumph Rocket 3 Storm, while the Ducati Diavel V4 sits $2,095 above the Buell. However, this is after the latest round of price updates by Ducati, as the previous price of the Diavel was only $800 more expensive than the Super Cruiser.

In terms of homegrown competition, the Buell can be considered a competitor to the Harley-Davidson Breakout and Low Rider S. Both are cheaper, but the latter in particular sits a whopping $5,901 below the Super Cruiser. So you certainly pay a lot of money for that screaming 175 hp engine. What you also need to know is that Buell has yet to start delivering its cruiser. So if you want something right away, you’re better off with something else.

Buell Super Cruiser Rivals

• Harley Davidson Breakout 117

• Harley Davidson Low Rider S

• Ducati diavel v4

• Triumph Rocket 3 Storm