Faults:

Bought my M50 2 weeks ago after test riding various cruisers. Due to back injuries, have given up on cars, hurts my back too much getting in and out of cars.

I chose the M50 over the C50 because of the mags (no spokes coming loose), and I preferred the dash in the conventional position on the handle bars (I didn't want to keep looking down at the tank to see what speed I'm doing), the styling looked nice, and it came in a nice orange colour, so I don't look like everybody else.

On the downside, when I climbed on the bike, the seat felt very different compared to the test bike; I don't know why, it felt very narrow in the front, and short from back to front, unless you like sitting on a slope. I am a pretty average guy; 1.8m and 100kg. I tried an "Airhawk" and didn't like the feeling, and it did nothing to help relieve the discomfort. I went to Custom Motorcycle Seats and spoke to Bill, he was a bit skeptical as to whether he could help me, but eventually lengthened and widened the front of the seat; it now feels like a M90, MUCH BETTER.

The exhaust is very quiet, which is great if there were no cars or trucks on the road, so I had the exhaust opened up enough to be noticed by other road users, but not loud enough to attract attention from the cops. Lost power on the top end, and have booked the bike in for dyno tuning. Might have to fit a Power Commander, but the mechanics think they should be able to solve it without the added expense.

General Comments:

I have owned bikes most of my life, and this is the most fun bike I have owned.

Excellent value for money.

The finish is great.

Handling is predictable and effortless.

The power is adequate for the task that it is designed for. I took a ride this weekend with a couple of guys, a Mean Streak and a Harley that cost 30k, and the guy had spent a further 20k on bits and pieces, both lovely bikes. At the end of the ride, they were both impressed that I was able to keep up with them in the winding mountain roads, especially since I had my daughter on the back. When overtaking, I had to choose the opportunities carefully, and obviously used the gearbox a lot more than they had to, which I didn't mind since the box is so smooth. They could obviously have left me behind if they wanted to, but they said that they drove their normal speeds.

I like the big tyres, added peace of mind with all the pot holes due to recent floods in Qld.

Economy is great. I use half the fuel the Mean Streak does.

The bike is just the right size to cruise around doing daily chores and taking rides on the weekends.

Not too heavy, easy enough to handle despite my back problems.

Love fuel injection; beats carburettors any day.

Shaft drive YES, no chains and sprockets.

The only downside is that at highway speeds the motor revs fairly high. One guy suggested changing the differential internals with a C90 to bring the revs down. My mechanic said he could do it, but that it would cost $3000 and then the added pressure does the big ends in. So I will keep to the speed limits and slightly above, which is a very good thing in the long run.

Faults:

Nothing to date, it is too new.

General Comments:

A very comfortable and stable bike. It has a great riding position, and getting used to the forward pegs was the only issue, and that didn't last long. The seat is taking a little getting used to, as the base of the spine can get a little sore if I don't make myself sit upright.

The handling is great, and the responsive motor is a pleasure to work with. I have read that a number of people are not happy with the exhaust sound, but as most of my serious riding is long distances (I go away a lot over weekends), I am happy with the sound and volume.

The lack of gear carrying capacity is a small problem, but I am working on getting after market saddle bags and supports, as well as using a throw over bag on the back seat. This will just take some practice and careful thinking.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

I have previously owned/ridden a Suzuki RGV250, a Suzuki 400 Bandit, a CBR125R and a BMW R80. I recently dumped the 400 Bandit due to long running Carb issues (but seriously it's an '89 model, so I was doing pretty good) and picked up an M50.

Despite my misgivings, having never ridden a cruiser before, the M50 handles much better than it has any right to. It is stable at low and high speeds and in corners and under braking.

The finish and build quality are immaculate.

I find the engine to be responsive, nice and torquey, not much shaft interference when slowing or engine braking, and the fueling is perfect.

I have some issues with my height and the position of the handle bars, but the bar position is more comfortable than everything I've ridden bar the BMW and the seat is also on par with the Beemer. Which when you think about the price premium on the Beemer, is saying a lot. Of course I'm going to just roll the handlebars back and fix that problem anyway.

And of course the only other issue with the M50, as highlighted in most magazine reviews, is the rear drum brake. But them's the breaks; when you get so much for your money there's going to be one or two little niggles.

The day I rode it home from the dealership I had two blokes in a ute honking at me and shouting through the window to find out what type of bike it was - I pulled up next to them in traffic and told them; the driver (a Harley Sportster owner) said he'd never seen one before but was going to go test ride one that weekend. :)