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Hit the open road with ’07’s best cruiser bikes

Sport bikes are great fun — for about 30 minutes at a time. But if your idea of a nice ride means hitting the wide open road for hours, or even days, on end, then you’ll want something a bit more civilized and easier on your tailbone.

You also might want something with more storage space than the usual tiny under-seat glove box with only enough room for a candy bar and some loose change.

If that’s the case, you’ll want to check out these long-haul beauties. They’re just the ticket for an all-day — or all-week — ride. Here is a look at five of the best cruisers of 2007, for the budget-conscious, the power-hungry and the cross-country trekker.

The budget-conscious

• Honda VTX 1300R/S. The VTX 1800 is a heavy favorite among cruisers, but with a starting price of nearly $13,000, it’s sometimes hard to translate desire for the bike into actually owning the bike. So Honda has brought out a more affordable version of the VTX for the new model year, the 1300. It has the same custom cruiser styling as the VTX 1800, along with cast or spoke wheels, five-speed transmission, shaft drive and a 52-degree water-cooled 1,312cc V-twin engine. But unlike the VTX 1800, it’s priced at less than $10,000.

Like its bigger brother, this bike is designed for comfortable touring, with a 27-inch seat height and a forgiving suspension that offers 5.1 inches of front fork travel. The dual-shock rear features five-position preload adjustment and nearly 4 inches of total travel to accommodate one- or two-up riding.

Also like the VTX 1800, the 1300 comes decked out in chrome, including cylinder head covers, air box and crankcase covers, clutch cover and headlight. It comes standard with a 4.8-gallon tank and a high-output multi-reflector halogen headlight. Available accessories include custom windscreens, rubber or chrome heated handgrips, chrome light bar, leather saddlebags, a leather tank belt, backrest and passenger grab rails. Billet aluminum trim pieces are available, too. The ’07 VTX1300R/S is available in metallic blue, dark red metallic, titanium and black.

Suggested retail: $9,599.

The power-hungry

• Suzuki Boulevard M109R Limited Edition. There are cruisers — and then there are power cruisers such as the M109R. Armed with a massive 1783cc water-cooled, dual overhead cam V-twin engine, this bike is the most powerful cruiser Suzuki has offered to the public.

The M109R’s fuel-injected power plant features 10.5:1 compression, dual-spark-plug combustion chambers, 112mm forged pistons riding on chrome molly rods, dry sump lubrication, dual-intake air box and twin 56 mm throttle bodies. Exhaust pulses punch the air through a “two-into-one-into-two” stainless steel exhaust system with an internal butterfly valve that adjusts back pressure to achieve torque and power through the operating range. The driveline is a five-speed with shaft drive.

Since this bike is built to be comfortable for the long haul, it features high-capacity radial-mounted four-piston brakes, inverted, cartridge-style forks up front and a preload-adjustable rear mono-shock. Seat height is 27.6 inches. On the ground, look for beefy spiral spoke 18-inch rims mounting a 240/40R Dunlop tire out back, the widest rear tire Suzuki has ever fitted to any street bike.

Adding to the bike’s good looks are model-specific racing stripes, LED taillight lenses, specially textured seat and a “checkerboard background” gauge package. The M109R’s streamlined headlight houses a multireflector H4 halogen headlight, and there’s a 5.1-gallon tank that lets you ride for hours. Dual trip meters, a handlebar-mounted digital tachometer and fuel gauge are all standard.

Suggested retail: $12,999.

• Harley-Davidson VRSCDX Night Rod Special. The Dark Lord of Harleys, this special edition of the sleek and low V-Rod swaps chrome and polish for matte black and menace. A fuel-injected, 120-horsepower version of Harley’s 1130cc, liquid-cooled Revolution V-twin powers the beast and delivers impressive performance. The Night Rod is capable of 11-second quarter-mile runs, as quick as many full-on sport bikes. Front forks feature a steep 36-degree, chopper-style rake, while the view from the rear is defined by a huge, 240-mm-wide rear tire. The frame, wheels, tank and cowling — even the brake calipers and lines — are all finished in dress black, with thin-line orange pinstripes for accent. The flowing exhaust pipes are a work of art. Nothing else on the road looks like this bike — or runs like it. The only downside to the V-Rod is its hefty price tag. But no one ever said being top dog was cheap.

Suggested retail: $16,495.

The cross-country trekker

• Moto Guzzi Norge 1200. Long-distance comfort for two riders and their gear is what the Norge is all about. Yet it’s also an easy-to-handle bike in close-in city riding, thanks to a fairly short wheelbase and surprisingly reasonable weight. Weighing in at just 542 pounds, it’s light for a full-size touring bike.

Enhancing its road-trip capabilities are integrated hard bags, excellent wind protection courtesy of a large windscreen and fairings (with both leg and mud guards), a large 6-gallon fuel tank, standard anti-lock brakes and an available GPS unit with Bluetooth wireless built into the instrument cluster. The Norge also features a high-output alternator to power rider accessories such as heated suits and gloves.

The Norge is powered by the traditional Guzzi engine, an air-cooled 90-degree V-twin (in this case offering 95 horsepower) working through a six-speed gearbox and shaft drive.

It’s available in just one color — silver. The Norge isn’t cheap, but it is well-equipped and distinctive. If you’re looking for a cross-country machine with different-drummer looks and attitude that can handle all four seasons, you’ll want to check this one out.

Suggested retail: $14,990.

• Yamaha Stratoliner S. The “S,” as Yamaha likes to say, stands for “shiny,” and the company’s not exaggerating.

The Stratoliner is the pinnacle of Yamaha’s Star line of big cruisers, with the heart of the matter being a thunderous 1854cc, 48-degree V-twin engine delivering pavement-rippling torque — 123.7 foot-pounds — and class-leading acceleration and roll-on performance. The huge fuel-injected twin is air-cooled and features self-adjusting hydraulic lifters for minimal maintenance.

A hydraulic-assist clutch makes shifting the five-speed transmission easier. Belt drive is standard.

This is a big machine, weighing in at almost 800 pounds. But the weight — and a suspension set up for excellent damping and “soft touch” rebound control — provide superb over-the-road smoothness. Highway manners are further enhanced with floorboards mounted on rubber inserts to isolate engine vibration, a two-piece “heel or toe” shifter and quick-detach passenger backrest and windscreen. Design highlights include a cast aluminum suspension swing arm, “neo-streamliner” fork shrouds, “grandfather clock” speedometer, seamless teardrop tank with no visible welds and highly polished 12-spoke aluminum mag rims.

Suggested retail: $16,580.

Eric Peters is an automotive columnist who has covered the auto industry since 1992. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, among other publications.