We welcome your comments and criticisms. Send them to Motorcycle Cruiser, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515. All materials sent to the editors will become the property of Motorcycle Cruiser magazine and cannot be returned.
Just finished the April 2007 issue and was blown away by the Victory Vision Touring bike. I currently ride a modified 2003 FLTRI H-D Road Glide and was very satisfied with it. Until lust took over, that is-I have to have the Vision. Will they have a custom-order program for it? How much is it going to cost me? I can really empathize with John Morris in Exhaust Notes
Bryan Harnett
Port Moody, BC
Hang tight, Harnett-we'll be getting a ride on the new Vision sometime this June, and you can bet we'll give you the whole sordid story. -Ed.
What's with the VTX1800T in the April issue? That ain't no stinking tourer. Leather bags and a windshield-I could make that transformation in my garage in under an hour. I'd like to move those pipes to one on each side, get some big hard bags and make me a tourer in the tradition of the Shadow Tourer and the Valkyrie Tourer. Come on, guys, if you're not going to bring back the Valkyrie, make a "real" VTX Tourer. I'll buy one, promise.
Roy, read this issue's bagger comparison test to find out how we feel about the topic. -Ed.
In the April issue of Cruiser, you mentioned that the storage capacity of Victory's Touring Cruiser was better than that of the new Kingpin. What's the exact capacity of the TC, and what's the space differential between the two bikes?
What we meant to say is that the TC's saddlebags held more-Victory reps say the storage capacity of the Touring Cruiser (2006 was the final model year) was about seven gallons per bag, while the Kingpin Tour holds just under five gallons per bag. Of course, the Tour's topcase adds another 12 gallons... -Ed.
The Bonnie's Out Of The Bag
I would like to thank Mark Zimmerman for his bit on the Triumph Bonneville in last issue's "Buying Used: Commuter Specials." I have a 2001 Bonneville identical to the one in the picture, and it has had 12,000 trouble free, enjoyable miles. It's a dependable, fun bike to ride and seems to be a well-kept secret in motorcycle publications.
I believe the one very important detail being left out of road tests is available lean angle. I'm a former sport rider who now (due to post-injury complications) must ride a feet-forward cruiser, but still has an addiction to lean angles while cornering. I now ride a 2003 Mean Streak. I bought the Streak because of its great handling, but Kawasaki failed to give it adequate cornering clearance to make full use of its capabilities. No magazines I know of include lean-angle measurements in their road tests, which I feel is even more critical on cruisers.
So you've polished up your brand-new go-fast, looking-good motorcycle and drive it to the local watering hole. You spot an attractive gal who just happens to like shiny things that go fast. She asks you for a ride to the submarine races at Pucker-Up Lake. Then it dawns on you that your passenger seat is the size of a donut hole, with the comfort of an I-beam. The ones to blame are the guys at Motorcycle Cruiser magazine, for not including information about passenger comfort and safety in their test reports. To keep the population of future motorcyclists from declining faster than tank-mounted kneepads, I suggest you guys give some consideration to the passenger side of cruising. Al Gore blames global warming for our demise; I blame Cruiser magazine.
Guilty as charged. We'll try to straighten up and fly right about the "accommodations" part, but it's just as much the rider's responsibility to chat up a potential passenger about what's expected of him/her during the ride. Find a comprehensive refresher course on our Web site at: www.motorcyclecruiser. com/streetsurvival/motorcycle_passenger/. -Ed.
I read the February 2007 Exhaust Notes with a tear in my eye and a fire in my soul. I ride a 1997 Wing with all the bells and whistles, and it whimpers every time I go in the garage, begging for that hunk of highway to roar down. Last January my knees gave out, and after three surgeries and a year of crutches, I am looking forward to that first ride with almost sadistic glee. Jerry Smith reminded me that in spite of the weakness of the flesh, the spiritual feeling when you finally get out on the road again makes a motorcycle guy or gal who they are. To all you not-so-young bikers who have had to take a break to repair the old chassis, don't forget the feeling. Time heals wounds, and that first ride after recovery will be the best ever.
Dept. of Correx: In our last issue, we listed Honda's VTX1800T Tourer as having four valves per cylinder, when in reality it has three.