Let me make it clear right up front that I am not someone who is drawn to the cruiser segment of the motorcycle market. Give me a sport-tourer, a dual-sport, or a standard and I'll be very happy, thank you.
That said, I may have found the cruiser I would choose if I had to have one: the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic SE.
Test riding the Vulcan 900 Classic LT recently at Arizona Bike Week, I found it had the typical V-twin oomph--or lack of oomph as the case may be--with middling acceleration that got better with each upshift. That's one of the things I don't like about cruisers; I prefer a high-revving engine. On the other hand, it was very low. So low, in fact, that the first time I put my feet down they touched the pavement well before I expected them to. I'm used to taller bikes and it was pretty nice to be so close to the ground and so stable.
There are floorboards, and that means the feet are a bit forward, though not a lot, as is the case with many cruisers I've ridden. Meanwhile, there was no forward lean at all to the grips, which I like a lot. That means I can ride in an upright, vertical position, and that means a lot more comfort for my back. In my book this is big.
The seat is not plush but it is broad and would be good for long days riding. The windshield is a bit high for me and I would want to replace it or cut it down. The mirrors are good. The standard bags are decent if a bit small.
What I wondered after riding the LT and noting my lack of enthusiasm for the windshield and bags is whether it would make more sense to get the Vulcan 900 Classic SE and then add my own bags, windshield, and sissy bar. They're the exact same bike, but the LT has the tour package added. A quick check on prices convinced me it would. The MSRP on the LT is $9,399 while the list on the SE is only $8,199. That's $1,200 that could be spent on the extra gear that better fits my desires. And when I looked at the prices on the standard bags and windshield they did not come close to totaling $1,200.
I know a lot of cruiser riders would want something bigger, such as the Vulcan 1700 Classic LT, and that would be appropriate for many of them. Many of them are considerably bigger than me. For my size, this 900 would be the way to go. And as I made note to myself immediately after climbing off, "This might well be the non-cruiser guy's cruiser of choice. I really kind of liked it. Who knows, maybe some day."
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