A cruiser bike is a moving piece of automotive art and engineering excellence. Compared to a sport bike, a touring bike or a dirt bike, cruisers are laid back, powerful confident machines that have both the grunt and looks that give them a powerful presence on the road.

Several bike manufacturers have their own versions of cruisers, each giving their own interpretation of this iconic bike type, but still holding the basics down - a low slung, muscular stanced bike with a strong power plant that can take its riders to their destinations both in good style and in good time.

This does not mean, however, that all cruisers are created equal, regardless of brand, there are several examples of these bikes that have faults or flaws that make them a difficult or problem laden ride, which in this article will show you why you should avoid these cruiser bikes like the plague.

15 Underpowered Attempt - 2017 Yamaha Bolt

2017 Bolt

The Yamaha Bolt in its entirety is not a bad bike. Well-thought-out design and good engineering combined to create a decent cruiser. This however does not take away the fact that the Bolt is underpowered, and it is one of the heaviest and slowest cruisers in Yamaha's catalog.

Related : 23 Motorcycles People Bought Even Though They're Not Good

14 Chopper Wannabe - 2010 Honda Fury

Honda Fury
via Ride Apart

One look at the Fury and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a custom chopper. This bike from Honda seemed to go against tradition of how cruisers are made by making the bike look like a chopper, giving it a shaft drive and poor handling.

13 Build Quality - 2018 Street Glide

Streetglide

For a solid looking bike, the Harley-Davidson Street Glide was plagued by a list of problems one would not expect for its price range and lineage. Clutch, brake, oil pumps and others that broke down made this cruiser a bruiser for its owners.

12 Misguided Attempt - 2001 BMW R1200C

BMW R1200c

BMW makes not just great cars but awesome bikes as well, with several of their sports and touring bikes gaining legendary status because of their performance and reliability. Sadly, the R1200 C is not one of them, because despite its great performance and solid build, purist riders don't feel like it's a true cruiser.

11 Ride Repair Repeat - 2001 Sportster

HD Sportster

As much as the Harley-Davidson brand have been the enduring icon of motorcycles, every now and again, one of their models blemishes their reputation. The Sportster during its lifetime had a long list of failures that it was not uncommon for their owner to have their bikes repaired in as many times as they were ridden.

Related: 12 Used Harley's Worth Every Penny (And 13 To Avoid At All Costs)

10 Mishmash  Motorcycle - Honda V45 Magna

Magna 45

Speed, handling, and build quality are what the V45 Magna have going for it. In terms of looks and aesthetics, this is not a winner. Honda set out with good intentions when they designed this bike, and the end result when using the previous parameters is a cruiser you can ride well, but won't get you excited when looking at it.

9 Twin Problems - 2004 Dyna Superglide

Dynasuperglide

In what was supposed to be the start of new, good things for Harley-Davidson, the 2004 Dyna Superglide was a disappointment. Having been equipped with a V-Twin engine, the successor to the vaunted evolution engine, the new power plant proved disastrous as successive and numerous breakdowns with the V-Twin exposed its weakness.

8 Searing Vision - Victory Vision

VVision

Avant Garde, cutting edge or outside the box thinking can be used to describe the Victory Vision's looks, however, popular opinion seems to indicate that this novel design was not accepted in the way its designers hoped for. Added to the cooling problems that the bike suffered, the cruiser was not on riders visions for long.

7 Doomed By Defects - CVO Roadking

Roadking

Harley-Davidson must have realized that their grand new bike, the CVO Roadking had problems when several crashes caused by a faulty clutch mechanism started to pile up. Sadly, despite new innovations design and cooling wise, this cruiser became another sore spot in Harley-Davidson's bike catalog.

6 Design Deficiencies - Road Glide Ultra

Road Glide Ultra
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While not a high point in their designs, the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra made up for it by its sheer bulk which while pleased some and alienated others. Complaints about its looks aside, build quality and cheap finishes on this cruiser further lowered its reputation among riders and owners alike.

5 Electric Errors - Electra Glide

Electra Glide

In an ironic twist on its name, the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide has electrical problems that have had owners sending this bike for more repairs than expected. Lighting, starter and other electrical components breaking down have made this bike another downhill slide for the brand.

4 Expensive Experiment - Honda Rune

Honda Rune

While the Goldwing is one of the most admired bikes by Honda, the Rune is on the opposite end. With a polarizing looks and questionable design choices, this powerful, yet heavy set bike never did have the appeal that its stable brethren had.

Related : 10 Things You Didn't Know About Harley Davidson

3 Clutch Crunch - Touring Ultra Classic

Harley Touring Ultra Classic

With even more crashes reported than its sibling CVO Roadking, the Touring Ultra Classic is another sad example of Harley's gone wrong. With a recall of thousands of bikes including this model for faulty clutches, this once highly anticipated cruiser has instead left a bad memory on its build as its legacy.

2 Identity Crisis - Honda DN

DN01

A sportbike with saddle bags. A super sport gone fat. The Honda DN confused buyers and riders as to what it really is. Despite a solid build and not to shabby appearance, Honda had difficulty convincing buyers of either the sport bike or cruiser affiliations to give this bike a ride.

1 Could Be Tougher - Ultra Classic

Ultraclassic

It is understandable that bikes suffer wear and tear, however, owners had a hard time understanding why their Ultra Classic had to go for repairs earlier than expected. It was discovered after numerous examples were repaired by their owners that basically, this bike had a  poorly built engine, necessitating its costly repairs down the line.

Next: 15 Reasons Why You Should Buy A Harley-Davidson