Cruisers, or mass-production, laid back, custom style bikes, are making something of a comeback. Along with the traditional, American Harleys and Indians there are now offerings from Triumph, BMW, most of the leading Japanese marques and even Ducati.

They are also more varied and appealing than ever, ranging from entry-level, novice-friendly, A2-licence compatible twins, which appeal for their low seats and easy manageability, right up to 160bhp+ hot rod brutes with the very latest in electronics and cycle parts, such as Ducati’s fearsome Diavel.

And, between those extremes, there is now also a myriad of variations, ranging from basic and budget priced singles, to sophisticated and potent V4s with, of course, a big choice of traditional parallel and V-twins in-between.

But what’s out there exactly? Which are the among the best and what do you get for you money? Here’s our round up of 10 of the best of 2025’s cruisers, in price ascending order, to help you decide…

Kawasaki Eliminator 500

451cc twin * 45bhp * 31.4ftlb * 177kg

Japanese giant Kawasaki has a long tradition in cruiser style bikes and its latest, the Eliminator 500 as introduced in 2024, not only revives one of its historic names but also provides a tempting alternative to one of the best sellers in the class. Honda introduced its CMX500 Rebel in 2017 as a cruiser variant of its already popular A2-specific CB/CBR500 family and it has proved a big hit for its combination of low seat ease, friendly performance and good value. Kawasaki’s new take on the same theme offers virtually identical performance and similar manageability but with a fresher, more convincing style and, currently, a £400 lower ticket price. An SE variant, meanwhile, adds metallic matt carbon paint, headlight cowl and fork gaiters for £400 more.

Royal Enfield 650 Shotgun

648cc twin * 46bhp * 39ftlb * 240kg

Indian owned historic British brand Royal Enfield has been on a roll in recent years with a series of ever more sophisticated and impressive lightweight but classic-inspired singles and twins. Its two new 650 retro roadster twins, the Interceptor and Continental GT, set the ball rolling in 2018 and was swiftly followed by its first cruiser, the Meteor 350 single in 2021. Two more cruisers, the twin-powered 650 Super Meteor and more hot rod Shotgun followed in 2023 and 2024 respectively. All offer authentic style, decent quality, in-keeping performance and exceptional value. The Shotgun is probably the most impressive and should have the suits at Triumph burning the midnight oil. But the Meteor 350, although only 20bhp, has a simple willingness that can only charm and at barely over £4000 is stonking value, too.

Honda Rebel 1100

1048cc twin * 86bhp * 72.3ftlb * 223kg

We couldn’t leave Honda’s cruiser offering, the Rebel, out completely – it’s too popular and significant for that. Following 2017’s Rebel 500, Honda followed it up in 2021 with a bigger version powered by a retuned version of the parallel twin engine in the Africa Twin adventure bike. The result, the CMX1100 Rebel, may lack the authentic American feel of a Harley or Indian and also the seductive heritage style of a Triumph or Royal Enfield, but it makes up for it by being an extremely practical, unfussy machine that’s both easy to get on with and has more performance than most. It’s also pretty good value. Better still, it also has the unique option of coming with Honda’s ‘DCT’ semi-automatic Dual Clutch Transmission plus there’s even a touring version with panniers and fairing, too!

Triumph Bobber

1200cc twin * 76bhp * 78.2ftlb * 238kg

Revived historic British brand Triumph hasn’t always got its cruiser offerings right: its 1990s Adventure was vulgar and crass and its 2009 Thunderbird 1600 family unsuccessful and short-lived, but it has been bang on the money with its latest ‘bobbers’. Based on the Bonneville 1200 retro roadster but with a lower, chopped down frame and balloon tyres, the Bobber (and its twin-seat sister bike, the Speedmaster) are an enticing blend of classic Brit’ and US ‘bobber’ while at the same time delivering lively performance and typically fine Triumph handling. If you like your low-slung cruiser to retain credible performance and not be too OTT ‘American’ you won’t be disappointed.

Indian Scout Classic

1250cc V-twin * 105bhp * 79.7ftlb * 243kg

After Harley-Davidson had most of the American cruiser market to itself for over 50 years, historic rival Indian (which originally foundered in 1953) was bought by industrial giant Polaris in 2011, relaunched with three all-new ‘big twins’ in 2013 and has been snapping at Harley’s heels ever since. Its most convincing model, however, has arguably been its ‘entry-level’ rival to Harley’s Sportster, the Scout first launched in 1133cc form in 2015 which is all at once accessible, affordable, entertaining, authentic and versatile. Thoroughly updated to 1250cc form for 2024 a variety of models are available including the Classic, Bobber, Sport Scout and more. Most are also cheaper than Harley’s current and less convincing Sportster 1250 S…

BMW R 12

1170cc boxer twin * 95bhp * 72ftlb * 227kg

German manufacturer BMW is another marque that’s recently been trying to take on Harley in the US, although, as it has been trying to rival H-D’s traditional V-twin with its own traditional boxer twin, which simply doesn’t suit the cruiser style so well (less room for your forward placed feet being one reason) it has so far been less successful. As a result, big dealer discounts remain available on bikes like BMW’s R18 and Transcontinental… Its new R 12, however, is more convincing – especially if you’re after more of a retro roadster with simply a taste of cruiser style. It’s based on the latest R 12 NineT heritage roadster but with a detuned engine and revised wheels/suspension to give a slightly lower seat. The result has most of the appeal and entertaining performance of the NineT but with a lower, easier seat and cheaper price.

Ducati Diavel V4

1158cc V4 * 166bhp * 93ftlb * 236kg

There are laid back, grunty, traditional cruisers – and then there is Ducati’s astonishing Diavel, a hot rod like only Europe’s leading superbike manufacturer could build with all the performance, handling and electronic sophistication that suggests. Simply: no cruiser is as exciting, dynamic and potent as the Diavel. And, with 166bhp from the latest V4 version, class-defying handling, equipment from the likes of Brembo and Ohlins with the price to match, I’m sure you’re starting to appreciate why. Which is perfect if you want superbike performance but cruiser comfort, road presence and attitude. If not, you’re probably better off saving your near £25K and plumping for a comparatively prehistoric Indian or Harley instead…

Harley-Davidson Street Glide

1917cc V-twin * 105bhp * 130ftlb * 367kg

We couldn’t conclude our cruiser round-up without including probably the most iconic cruiser brand of all – Harley-Davidson – and, when it comes to Harley, there’s one bike that in recent years has been more successful, popular and most recently significantly updated – the Street Glide. First introduced in 2006 as a chopped down version of the ElectraGlide (the idea being to blend ‘Glide bags and screen comfort with chopper style) the result quickly became so popular (especially in the US) that it launched a whole sub-culture and cruising category – baggers. Repeatedly updated since, the latest, introduced in 2024, has more performance, tech, handling and braking ability and comfort than ever and remains the definitive cruiser that needs no introduction. It does work better in California than Crawley, though…

Benda Chinchilla 500

476cc V-twin * 46.9bhp * 31ftlb * 215kg

We also couldn’t conclude any round up of the latest cruisers for 2024 without including two of the newest offerings from increasingly ambitious Chinese manufacturers. Imported into the UK by MotoGB, one of the latest (and oddest named) of these is the Benda Chinchilla 500. It’s so new we haven’t ridden it yet but on specification – and price – alone it’s worth including here. An all-new 500cc V-twin, the Chinchilla also boasts fairly authentic style obviously inspired by Harley-D’s latest Sportster, an A2-compliant 47bhp and inverted forks. Best of all, though, at an asking price of just £5299 it undercuts every other machine here by a sizeable margin. And, if you want more, Benda also offers the more hotrod styled ‘Napoleon Bob’ for £5699 and the wacky-looking LFC700 for £9499.

Morbidelli C10002V

997cc V-twin * 93.8bhp * 75.2ftlb * 262kg

And, speaking of ‘wacky looking’, the latest Chinese cruiser offerings simply don’t get any wackier than this, the new-for-2025 C10002V from Morbidelli. If you think you’ve heard of the Morbidelli name before, it’s no coincidence. Previously named MBP, this Chinese marque bought the historic Italian Morbidelli name in early 2024 and has now rebranded its bikes to suit. The C10002V is its boldest cruiser offering so far. It’s based on an all-new 997cc V-twin engine (which also features in Morbidelli’s T10002 adventure bike), has a hot rod style that reminds both of the Diavel and Harley’s Breakout yet costs, at a recently reduced £8499 (down from £9499) less than half the price of either. Again, we haven’t ridden it yet, but at that price (and spec) it’s definitely worth at least a test ride…