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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 20, 2006 - 27 Suzuki Boulevard M 109R By Rob Beintema SPECIAL Auto EVERYTHING There's a scene I remember from the movie Parenthood. A stressed-out Steve Martin is near his wit's end, desperate to regain a grasp on life spinning out of control when Grandma pipes up out of nowhere, saying "Some people like the merry-go-round. But it just goes round and round. I like the roller coaster." Steve Martin's character doesn't get the analogy right away but I like the way it sums up two different approaches to life. On the one hand, the desire for control, comfort, security and predictability. Or, on the other hand, the ability to just let go and embrace all of the emotions of life's highs and lows. Merry-gorounds or roller coasters. Well, if you're the roller coaster type, I've got a bike for you. The M109R, a factory-custom cruiser that's the hottest motorcycle in Suzuki's Boulevard lineup. Just one look tells the story - the fattest rear wheel ever used on a Suzuki, the big, almost1800 cc V-Twin engine, the low-slung, customlike drag styling. I asked Ian McInstray, Suzuki's product guy, to decipher the name for me as we looked the bike over. "Well, we use `C' for Classic, `T' for Touring and, in this case," he said, "the `M' is definitely for Muscle." The `109' part is easy. It signifies engine displacement - 109 cubic inches or 1783 cc. Which, I realize, is not the largest engine in the current round of the big bike displacement wars. "But these are the largest pistons ever made on a factory-built bike or car," McInstray adds. "And the `R'?'" I asked. "How about `ridiculously' fast," he suggested. Actually it probably stands for `Race' because this so-called cruiser has a strong across-the-lineup kinship to another `R', the championship-winning GSX-R sport bike. The M109R copies cues in both styling and dynamic stop-and-go performance from the superbike, harnessing race-inspired technology to blend with the grunt of big displacement torque. "Speaking of which, and getting back to that piston thingy, you must mean piston width. Why the over-sized bore over stroke?" I asked. "Does it provide more immediate torque, does it . . ." "Just drive it," he grinned. So I did. And, frankly, I didn't much like it at first. "Maybe that `R' stands for `ridiculous' seating position," I thought as I stretched into the Jesse James-style, almost fetal position - pegs high, feet forward, back bent and arms stretched out. Sort of the same panicky pose you're put into when somebody first tells you that learning how to waterski is a really fun idea. And, like that first time waterskiing, when the brain yells `Go!' all you can do is wobble off from the start and hang on for dear life. Because that's what I was doing. From the moment the `chuffachuffa' of the big pistons locomoting lazily up and down at idle revved up into the baritone bellow that began blasting through the twin pipes. Every little twitch of the stiff chassis over the bumps seemed to be blipping the nervous throttle into instant, even more frenetic response while I fought to drag my ass back up the bike. "Ye gods, what a way to follow up a civilized scooter test ride," I thought, blaring and bouncing down the highway, jacket ballooning open as velocity and the gusting headwinds of an approaching storm tried to beat the living *&% out of me. Another movie quote came to mind, this time courtesy of Clint Eastwood. "A man's got to know his limitations." Maybe I had met mine. But then, eventually, I found the rythym. You know, that Zen-like oneness when the feet find the pegs automatically, when bike and brain are in sync, when the power and performance respond exactly as anticipated. You get the fell, the balance. And you just ride. Limitations? What limitations? I was blowing away everything on the road. The M109R is a treat. Not for everybody. Not even for me. But it blends the best of sport bike high anxiety energy and laid back cruiser imaging into a performance package that can really walk the talk. It's fast. Maybe furious. But as far as roller coaster rides go, it's definitely fun. Suzuki Boulevard M109R at a glance... Engine: Type 4-Stroke, Liquid-cooled, 2Cylinder, DOHC 4-Valves Displacement: 1,783cc, 109 cubic inch Bore/Stroke: 112.0 mm x 90.5 mm Fuel System: Fuel Injection, 56 mm Throttle Bodies Transmission: 5-Speed Constant Mesh Rake/Trail: 32 Degrees/130 mm Seat Height: 700 mm (27.6 in) Wheelbase: 1,715 mm (67.5 in) Dry Weight: 315 kg (692 lbs) Front Tire: 130/70R18M/C 63V Rear Tire: 240/40R18M/C 79V Fuel Capacity: 19.0 Liters (4.18 Imp. Gal.) Colours: Black, Silver, Blue Website: suzuki.ca MSRP: $17,999 OF KVILLEne OA i ERST SUP BRAND NEW 20 06 rio's Full L RE! Onta O ARA ND VIT GRA UZUKI S ip dif Limited sl ferential, electronic stab ol, full ility contr time 4 W D and mu ch more. OR for 72 0@8.4% w $10,00 ht and admin ig eg: borro Financing license, taxes, fre plicable. us where ap ices are pl taxes extra B $2,730.52. Pr min. fee an kly. CO license, ad e $81.83 bi-wee *Freight, yments ar months, pa fee. $ * 4997 1 0% $ 9,995 1 * FROM e Purchas g Financin up to 48 months Sorry, No Rainchecks. While Quantities Last. of Oakville 2219 Wyecroft Road, Oakville 905-469-2429 · Toll Free 1-866-229-3897 fax 905-469-4562 www.suzukioakville.com