10 Newer Motorcycles That Have Cruise Control

Cruise control won't make a journey any more exciting, but it can be a godsend during long highway jaunts where you'd otherwise have to keep your foot on the gas to maintain your speed the whole time. On a car, cruise control lets the driver rest their foot, settle into the chair, and enjoy the trip just that little bit more — and maybe save a little gas in the process, too. And until quite recently, the feature was mostly the domain of four-wheeled vehicles. 

However, over the past decade or so, and quite a few modern motorcycles have launched with cruise control from the factory. The complexity of these systems varies depending on the manufacturer, with some having simple electronic cruise control and others implementing radar-powered adaptive cruise control systems similar to those on modern cars and SUVs.

Aftermarket cruise control systems also exist, meaning that almost any bike can have the feature if you're willing to use third-party devices. However, here we're focusing on bikes that come with cruise control from the factory. From Ducati to BMW via the Japanese Big Four, here are 10 bikes that'll let you rest your wrist on long highway rides.

The Harley-Davidson's Sportster S is the newest member of the brand's long-lived Sportster family of bikes. Debuting in 2021, this is a thoroughly modern take on the style, with a modern engine and a bunch of electronic rider aids available — including cruise control, which has been available since launch.

Despite Harley-Davidson patenting a radar-based cruise control system for group riding in 2019, the Sportster S has conventional electronic cruise control without any adaptive features. Enabling cruise control on a Harley-Davidson bike like the Sportster S is a two-step job that involves turning on the cruise control system via a toggle switch before setting the desired speed using a separate two-way switch — and the same applies for almost all the non-adaptive systems we'll discuss here. Harley's cruise control works between 30 to 90 mph, which is more than adequate but not quite as wide-ranging as other manufacturers' cruise control implementations.

There's more to the Sportster S' electronics than cruise control, of course: riders also get a tire pressure monitoring system and full support for phone pairing via Bluetooth, making it as modern a bike as you'll probably get from Harley-Davidson. It's also one of the handful of motorcycles Harley has updated for 2025, with the most notable change likely being increased rear-wheel travel, addressing one of the biggest criticisms the original Sportster S faced on its debut.

Kawasaki's Ninja 1000SX is probably one of the more obvious candidates for electronic cruise control, given that it's the company's take on a touring version of its famous Ninja motorcycles. The Ninja 1000SX is one of the firm's Sport bikes, which differ from Supersport bikes such as the Ninja ZX-14R in that they offer more creature comforts and long-distance capabilities — one of which is, of course, electronic cruise control.

The Ninja 1000SX has been around under various guises for over two decades, debuting in 2011 as the Ninja 1000, an enclosed version of the Z1000 naked bike. But it wasn't until 2020 that cruise control came to the touring Ninja alongside the addition of built-in riding modes — Sport, Road, Rain, and a custom Rider setting — and a contactless quick shifter. As with the Sportster S, the Ninja 1000SX has a conventional electronic cruise control system that engages when enabled and requires the rider to set the desired speed — with 1 mph adjustments to dial it in if necessary.

On the Ninja 1000SX, cruise control requires the bike to be in third gear or higher, and also doesn't engage at "excessively low" revs (as per the manual) — although the company hasn't specified how low that is exactly. The speed range starts at 19 mph — great for low-speed cruising — and tops out at 89 mph. It's not as fast as some other bikes here, but we think that's more than enough for most cases.

We'll stick to Japanese bikes for a moment and move on to Yamaha and its MT-09 naked bike, likely best known in popular culture for appearing in a chase scene from "John Wick 3." Not that a movie appearance is all the 890cc bike has going for it, though: we consider it one of Yamaha's best-ever bikes, with its versatile combination of naked bike styling and sport bike performance making it something of a do-anything motorcycle — provided you're staying on the tarmac, of course.

Debuting in 2014 as the FZ-09 in the U.S., the MT-09 — Yamaha dropped the FZ branding in 2017 — was a hit with journalists from the get-go, seemingly doing well enough for Yamaha to wait seven years before its first major update, which came in 2021. This update brought a larger engine, a new frame, and a suite of new electronics, but no cruise control. At least, not on the basic MT-09: the higher-specced MT-09 SP, launched that same year, had the feature as standard.

Those who didn't want to pay an extra $1,000 for the SP had to wait until Yamaha introduced the 2024 Yamaha MT-09. The updated naked bike features a suite of notable upgrades, including a new look and acoustic amplifier grilles. But the most pertinent update was the non-adaptive cruise control system, which engages at a minimum of 25 mph in third gear or higher.

The Multistrada V4 family of bikes is the darling of the Italian motorcycle manufacturer's range, sitting pretty at the top of its sales charts ahead of the Ducati Scrambler 800 and Monster motorcycles. One of the many models the company offers is the V4 S, which is the all-rounder of the family, although probably not the most exciting one. For that, you'll probably have to turn to the Multistrada RS, which surprised us with its on-track prowess late last year. But that's a different bike for a different list; let's stick to the more reasonable V4 S this time around.

Like all of its siblings, the V4 S sports front- and rear-mounted radar, which allows the motorcycle to have an adaptive cruise control system. This system is a cut above the standard electronic implementations featured on most of the other bikes here and operates similarly to the adaptive cruise control you get on modern cars — see, for example, Subaru's Eyesight. Ducati's adaptive cruise control detects vehicles in front of the bike and adjusts the motorcycle's speed to maintain a consistent gap. The system works at speeds between 8 to 100 mph and offers four selectable preset distances, with a forward collision warning system also present just in case.

Fancy cruise control doesn't come cheap, though: the base model Multistrada V4 starts at $20,000, while the V4 S will set you back more than $28,000. That's a lot of money, but you do get a lot of bike in return.

Adaptive cruise control has been a fixture on cars and SUVs for a while, but it's taken quite a while for the tech to filter down to two-wheelers. Ducati's Multistrada V4 bikes are some of the most notable implementations of such tech, but they're not the only ones out there. The KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo is a big and burly adventure bike with heaps of power — 173 hp, to be exact — supported by quite a lot of cutting-edge tech. And, yes, that includes adaptive cruise control, enabled by the same Bosch radar technology Ducati implemented on its Multistrada V4 bikes. 

KTM's system is one of the most advanced out there, offering three modes — Sport, Comfort, and Group Ride — that determine the cruise control's reaction speeds, while five preset distances let riders choose a distance they're comfortable with maintaining. 

Riders who prefer a bit more hands-on control can instead enable a system KTM calls Distance Assist, which leaves speed control up to the rider but assists them in sticking to a preset distance behind the vehicle in front. The radar also enables a warning system that shows an alert when the bike gets too close to the car in front. Finally, the automated manual transmission (AMT) on the 1390 Super Adventure S also lets riders use a Stop & Go feature that automatically slows down and stops the bike if the car in front stops — and then start moving again, all without rider intervention.

Most of the motorcycles we've discussed thus far — and will discuss after this — have been aimed at long-distance riding, whether touring or cruising. After all, cruise control is perfect for the more sedate rides, where you just want to soak in the scenery and chew up the miles. The Aprillia RS 660 offers something a little bit different.

If you know bikes, you'll probably associate Aprilia with ultra-high-performance sports motorcycles such as the Ducati-rivaling Aprilia RSV4 Factory. So cruise control likely isn't the first feature that comes to mind when you think of one of the Italian company's products, but it's one of the handful of rider aids that Aprilia has managed to squeeze into its excellent 660cc sports bike — alongside more expected features such as traction control, wheelie control, and an electronic quick shift feature.

As you may expect, though, Aprilia hasn't opted to go too high-tech with the RS 660's cruise control. The system is only available in the bike's Road and Navi modes, and it doesn't have any adaptive functionality, instead relying on the rider to set the speed they want. It's not totally dumb, of course — the feature will turn itself off when necessary, such as when the rider applies the brakes, engages the clutch, or when the bike encounters a climb or steep descent. Aprilia's cruise control only works in third gear and up, although the company doesn't explicitly mention the minimum and maximum speeds.

If one type of motorcycle seems purpose-built for cruise control, it's the cruiser. With their laid-back riding positions, somewhat more comfortable ride, and general focus on style over outright performance, cruiser bikes seem like the perfect choice for those rides when you want to just flick on the cruise control and glide along without a care in the world. It makes a lot of sense, then, that Honda decided to equip its big-boy cruiser, the Rebel 1100, with cruise control.

The Honda Rebel 1100's cruise control is a basic electronic version, with none of the fancy self-adjustment afforded by the Ducati Multistrada V4 S' radars. Just ride at your preferred speed — within the system's limitations, of course; more on these in just a bit — and enable the cruise control, and you're good to go. The Rebel 1100 offers the usual micro-adjustment toggles for the speed, but you can also accelerate once cruise control is enabled by twisting the throttle and then setting a new speed.

Honda's cruise control works with the manual and DCT-equipped versions of the Rebel 1100, with riders able to engage it at speeds between 30 and 100 mph. The only notable difference between the two implementations is the gear range within which the cruise control works: Manual Rebel 1100s need to be in fourth to sixth gear for cruise control to work, while the DCT versions can engage cruise control starting in third.

Speaking of cruisers, let's turn to one from a brand that's not normally associated with the style: The ultra-aggressive cruiser Ducati calls the XDiavel. It's one of two Diavel-branded bikes under the Ducati umbrella, sharing some DNA with the similarly-named Diavel, although the two are more different than they are alike, especially when it comes to their riding positions — the XDiavel has a feet-forward posture like a traditional cruiser, whereas Diavel riders sit more upright.

The XDiavel has had cruise control as standard since it debuted in 2016, with the tech available alongside other electronic gadgets including ABS, anti-wheelie control, riding modes, and launch control. Ducati opted to keep it simple with the XDiavel's cruise control, going with a standard electronic system akin to that on most of the bikes we've discussed so far. Ducati's system works between 30 and 125 mph, starting from second gear upward.

The XDiavel has more than enough grunt to cruise at those higher speeds, too, especially now that the 2025 model sports Ducati's Granturismo V4 engine. This new member of the Ducati engine family makes engine makes 168 hp and 93 lb-ft of torque and is quite a remarkable engine, impressing us greatly when we reviewed the 2023 Ducati Diavel V4.

We've discussed cruise control-equipped Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki bikes, and so we may as well complete our tour of the Japanese Big Four by discussing one of Suzuki's offerings, the flagship touring motorcycle it calls the V-Strom 1050DE Adventure. The V-Strom 1050DE is the newest member of Suzuki's long-running V-Strom series of motorcycles, debuting in 2023 as a replacement for the V-Strom 1050XT.

Suzuki introduced a series of wholesale changes to the 1050DE to make it a more off-road-capable adventure bike than its predecessor. Changes included a new gravel mode, an updated chassis, increased wheel travel, better suspension, more ground clearance, a stronger frame, and altered gear ratios in the transmission, to name a few. These changes elevated the 1050DE to a whole new level, earning it a place as one of the coolest adventure motorcycles money can buy right now.

As a thoroughly modern bike, the V-Strom 1050DE — like its predecessor — sports a suite of rider aids that Suzuki calls the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (SIRS). SIRS provides all the usual electronic assistance you'd expect from such a system, such as multiple drive modes, a quick shifter, traction control, and anti-lock braking. But it also includes a cruise control system that works in as low as second gear, provided the revs are between 2,000 to 7,000 rpm. It also has a more conventional 30 to 100 mph range in higher gears, and the combination makes for a claimed minimum speed of around 15 mph, one of the lowest on this list.

Let's round off our list of motorcycles with another example of a motorcycle with a radar-guided adaptive cruise control system: the BMW R 1250 RT. The 1250 RT may be the smallest-displacement touring bike in BMW's arsenal, but it's still impressively equipped, especially when it comes to electronic niceties like cruise control.

As standard, the R 1250 RT comes with what BMW calls Dynamic Cruise Control, a slightly fancier version of the electronic cruise control featured on most of the other bikes on our list. BMW's cruise control works in a wider range than most others, with the manual stating a range between 9 to 137 mph, but that's not the only area where BMW's improved over its rivals. Dynamic Cruise Control can also maintain speed when going downhill via engine braking. If that's not enough, the bike's computer can also engage the integral brake to keep the bike from accelerating on a downward slope.

But that's not all: riders who want to be on the cutting edge of motorcycle cruise control tech can opt for the optional adaptive cruise control system (which BMW calls Active Cruise Control). Like other radar-guided systems, riders can choose a preset distance they wish to stay at and the bike will then manage its speed — between 19 to 99 mph — to maintain that gap. With only three presets and no extra functions, it's not quite as full-featured as KTM's but still a significant cut above most other bikes' cruise control.