Today, we have a wide selection of cruiser motorcycles at our disposal. Ranging from cheap and cheerful Chinese bikes all the way up to high-end American twins. Right in the middle, we have a host of Japanese alternatives, all offering great value. In the past, these bikes were just more affordable alternatives to the established American crowd, but today, some of these bikes are even better than their American and European rivals.
New Metric Cruisers Are More Than Just Cheap Knock-Offs
Yamaha
All the way through the 80s and 90s, the Japanese manufacturers flooded the market with all sorts of chrome-clad metric cruisers. The vast majority of which were nothing but cheap knock-offs, with designs that all seemed to have the same source. But, every so often, they also got it right with bikes like the Yamaha V-Max (pictured) and Honda Magna. Over the years, they learned how to stand on their own two feet, and have since come out with their own designs.
2026 CFMoto 450CL-C headlamp design close-up shotCFMoto
The Chinese manufacturers have also stepped in to fill the “cheap and cheerful” void, with Japanese manufacturers now favoring a more value-oriented approach. While power-cruisers like the VMax and Magna have long since gone by the wayside, there are several new metric bikes to choose from, all offering great value to the right buyer. The bike in question isn’t just a great metric alternative, though. In most respects, it actually beats its American counterparts at their own game.
The Honda Rebel 1100 DCT Offers Incredible Value
MSRP: $10,399
Honda Powersports
One of the most striking features of the Rebel 1100 DCT is its build quality. While there are several motorcycles in this space that might offer longer features lists or V-twin engines, the Rebel is just a superior quality product. Everything you touch just feels as though it was built to last, which is sadly not a given these days. It also has one other competitive advantage: an automatic transmission. While this kind of thing certainly won’t appeal to everyone, those who buy one of these bikes rarely look back.
A Reworked Parallel-Twin Powerhouse With Impressive Tractability
Power: 87 Horsepower
Honda
We all know that the Unicam engine is capable of producing 100 horsepower, but in an effort to get the torque to come in earlier, the Rebel gets a different tune. On paper, sacrificing 10 pound-feet of torque in an effort to simply make it available earlier in the rev range may not seem worth it. But it gives the crossplane parallel-twin the same kind of punch usually associated with larger displacement V-twins, and this off-the-mark speed is certainly something that will appeal to traditional cruiser fans. With the bike in this slightly more mild state of tune, long-term reliability won’t ever be an issue… not that it was ever a problem in the first place.
A One-Of-A-Kind Cruiser Riding Experience
Honda Powersports
The fact that Honda is able to offer this bike with an automatic transmission most certainly gives it a competitive edge. It is currently the only automatic cruiser on the market, and while the same traditional cruiser fans may balk at the idea of owning one (there is still a manual option for them), there is clearly a market for automatic motorcycles of all shapes and sizes. In the past, anyone looking for an automatic motorcycle was actually simply forced to buy a scooter, but Honda has completely changed the game in this respect.
The Rebel 1100 DCT Has All The Necessary Tech
Honda Powersports
In the past, the Rebel was relatively sparsely equipped, but a recent refresh has certainly changed that. You get ABS, traction control, ride modes, and a big TFT dash which does disrupt the otherwise clean, minimalist cruiser lines. In an effort to maintain those lines, Honda has done precisely what most of the other brands also do, and left off the passenger seat. While this is not unusual, we still feel that it is something that should never be considered optional.
The chassis and suspension are fairly basic, but the bike is light for a cruiser, tipping the scales at 518 pounds. This, combined with the fact that it has a seat height of just under 28 inches, makes it a fairly competent city commuter. It is also perfectly comfortable enough for long highway rides, and the fact that it has an automatic transmission will certainly take the stress out of both the commute and long highway rides.
Class-Leading Ease Of Use
By far the biggest selling point of the Rebel is how easy it is to ride. While we wouldn’t recommend a bike like this to a beginner, it is a fantastic bike to step up to. With Honda recently adding an E-Clutch to the Rebel 300, anyone interested in eventually upgrading to this has the ideal starting point. You also get the kind of peace of mind which is hard to put a dollar value on, because even if something does eventually go wrong, Honda’s dealer network is so extensive that there will almost certainly be one nearby.
All this to say that it is a really easy bike to live with, no matter the use case. But its biggest strength can also be perceived as a weakness. It most certainly feels a bit like a V-twin, all crossplane parallel-twins do, but in the same breath, it just lacks the accompanying theater you get with a legitimate V-twin. Just like several other Japanese motorcycles competing in other segments, it can feel a little appliance-like. The fact that it has an automatic will only serve to exacerbate this.
A female rider accelerating the 2026 Honda Rebel 1100 along an urban road, front third-quarter viewHonda Powersports / Valnet
For some, this lack of character will be a dealbreaker, but for others the value prospect is just too hard to pass up. Objectively speaking, this is one of the best cruisers currently on the market. It offers so much more than any of the other bikes competing in this class, but it simply won’t be for everyone. It really is one of those bikes that you need to take for a test ride before you buy it. Some will love it so much that they buy it on the spot, and others will be left wondering what all the fuss was about.
Source: Honda Powersports
