Harley-Davidson Road King, Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1600, And Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe - Hard Cases

The Nomad was the most popular bike whenever the roads got twisty. Although it steers slower than either of the other bikes, the wide bar gives the rider ample leverage to muscle the bike when necessary. Changing lines midcorner happens easily. The suspension feels slightly mismatched front and rear, with a firm fork and soft rear. We suspect bumping up the air pressure in the shocks a couple of pounds would improve things, but we neglected to pack a mini-pump for the tour. While ranking in the middle in terms of ground clearance, the Nomad's stiff chassis and predictable steering make this the bike to beat in the mountains.

One area in which all the bikes could use a little improvement is in braking. While each bagger is capable of being hauled down from speed relatively quickly, they all require a fairly high level of effort. Both the Kawasaki and the Yamaha should have four-piston calipers up front instead of the single-action two-piston units. These are not price-point, entry-level cruisers. Surely the manufacturers can afford this relatively minor expense to improve the capabilities of their motorcycles. (In fact, the Yamaha has a four-piston caliper for the rear brake.) Since the Harley has four-piston calipers, perhaps changing the master cylinder or pad compound would improve its braking performance. As they stand, the brakes on these bikes are merely OK when you're carrying a load downhill at elevated speeds.

Summary Report
Often on our tours one clear winner moves ahead of the pack and garners a consensus amongst the testers. In this trio, we weren't so lucky. Don't worry, we're not going to weasel and say there was no winner. Rather, the winner of the baggers comparison is determined by what your definition of a touring cruiser entails. If you're so concerned with how the bike performs out on the road that you're willing to forgo luxuries such as cruise control and an easily removable windshield, the Nomad is the bike for you. It's stylish and the most well rounded bike of the three. If you value the little luxuries such as cruise control, quick release components and a supremely comfortable seat, enough to trade some performance-namely cornering and stopping-the Royal Star Tour Deluxe is the winner. The Road King, sadly, comes up short in too many categories to even be close to the others in the final standing. In the end, the beauty of the current generation of hard baggers is that they're all competent motorcycles that can be used for more than just interstate travel. Besides, with a thoughtful application of aftermarket and factory accessories, these bikes can be further refined to perform the way you think a touring cruiser should.

Riding Positions
I tend to prefer more elemental touring and shy away from bells and whistles. So normally the Nomad would be, without question, the cruiser I'd take on a tour. I've ridden one cross-country and on multiple trips up and down the Left Coast, so I have a comfortable relationship with the Nomad. However, the Tour Deluxe threw a monkey wrench into my normally easy choice. Yes, the bike feels bigger and has more gadgets. Ironically, one of the luxury features really appeals to my elemental side. The ability to remove the windshield and backrest in seconds is a huge selling point for this bike. And then there's the cruise control. On long rides, my throttle hand lets the mph climb the longer I'm on the road, leading to more tickets late in the day than in the morning. Setting the cruise to a reasonable speed is a wonderful feature. These two are almost enough to lead me away from the Nomad, but not quite. Since my tours follow primarily meandering roads, I'll select my favorite based on out-and-out handling. However, if I were taking the interstate across the continent-or even just over a few state lines-I might just give in to the siren song of cruise control.-Evans Brasfield

Brasfield is currently writing the book How to Modify Your Cruiser Motorcycle for release this fall. Find out more at www.cruiserprojects.com.

Surprises all around this time, my friends. Mostly because the Nomad didn't win this test hands down, but also because, of three well-heeled and firmly established manufacturers, only Yamaha figured out these bikes absolutely need cruise control. Um, hello, they're for touring. Anyone listening?

OK, now that I've vented, I can also tell you that the Royal Star Tour Deluxe wasn't the clear winner for me just because of that one feature. It was, after all, bulky, occasionally sluggish and saddled with those heinous air intakes sprouting from the floorboards. No design awards for those, guys. But it worked, and with its slew of convertible accoutrements it was capable of switching personalities more easily than Sybil right out of the box. The Nomad's still a favorite ride, and would be my choice for any twisty road, but that's just not enough anymore for the long haul. And I'd be a fool to say no to the Road King around town, but out on the open road, its age and limitations are starting to show.-Andrew Cherney

As equipped, the Nomad is my favorite for its overall looks and ergonomics. Yamaha's Royal Star is second, but I don't like some of the styling and comfort features. I find the Road King (my favorite going in) to be the biggest disappointment. Its riding position is uncomfortable and its power lean. Strangely, however, I would not actually buy the Nomad for two significant reasons. One, the windshield and backrest are not easily detachable. To me, this makes it more a touring bike, not really a cruiser-a cruiser I would take to The Rock Store on Sunday, anyway. Also, the Nomad does not have cruise control, and I understand it is not available from the manufacturer. This is a real negative for a long-distance rider. I bring up these two issues because they are not easily or practically corrected by a buyer.

I might look more seriously at the Yamaha, as its deficiencies seem more correctable than the Kawasaki's, but in the end it's the Road King (my least favorite at the end of our ride) that offers the real-world advantage of being the most easily customized. Cruise control is available and the windshield and backrest are detachable. Riding comfort can be fixed with different bars/seat. Power is only a factory Stage 2 kit away. Plus, it does fit in best at The Rock Store.-Greg Brenner