Road Trip Trinity

The Long View
It may be a wizened old clich, but comfort is still absolutely key for long-distance touring. Given our rather passionate relationship with the Nomad over the years (we've ridden numerous versions across the continent, several times), we were surprised when it landed in second place in the lounge department. Kawasaki's redesigned seat is still comfortable, but the rear portion's curve can push up against longer-legged riders. The Nomad's handlebar also sports a nice bend with well-positioned grips-but without the annoying knee-trapping. Our small-sized test passenger found the Kawasaki's pillion extremely roomy, citing perhaps a bit too much room front to back. Fortunately those sizable grab rails offer security, though they can look a bit awkward out there on their own, cluttering up the clean lines of the rest of the Vulcan. There's no such complaint with the Vision-its pilot accommodations as well as the pillion department are plenty spacious, though some testers opined that the rider section was narrow and tended to lock your butt in place. Still, there was plenty of room to move your legs.

Seats aren't the bike components that make or break the ride, though. The instrument clusters are also vital to our riding experiences. The Kawasaki ran a close second in the information delivery department with a wide range of modes available on the LCD dash readout. And our Nomad sported the Premium Audio System, which comes with AM/FM/WB radio with controller and antenna, and includes a Rider Entertainment Headset with options to add CB radio, XM radio, communication headsets and passenger headsets.

The Road King has updated its dash too, though it's still difficult to read at speed. It now offers an LCD odometer with a clock as well as a mileage countdown function. Ours came equipped with an optional cruise control that was universally appreciated (though it had small controls that were sometimes hard to actuate). The speedometers of the Harley and Kawasaki were in perfect sync with each other, with the odometers matching exactly at almost every gas stop. No one can compete with the Vision's sleek array, though, a full-boat display of colors and shapes, with standard AM/FM/MP3 capability and options for satellite radio and a CD player. Cruise control is found on the right side of the handlebar. The Vision's mirrors, however, come up lacking, being set too close to the body of the bike.

We Got the Power
While the components of the baggers that make them touring mounts are important, we know you're also concerned about the usual performance-related stuff. This class of bikes currently offers three twins, a triple and a V-4 for engine configurations-as assembled here. The Vision brings the most ponies, with 1731cc and, as tested on our DynoJet dynamometer, 76.9 hp. The Road King follows behind in displacement with the Twin Cam 1584cc mill, with the Nomad's 1552cc nipping at its heels. Bookending our base test bikes are Triumph's Rocket III Touring, the biggest bagger in the land, and Star's Tour Deluxe bringing up the rear with 1294cc. The performance, however, doesn't stick to this order.

While bumping the Nomad's displacement a few years back, Kawasaki made sure the engine kept that trademark smoothness. The improved powerplant is torquier in the bottom end and midrange, but oddly, it doesn't feel as immediately responsive to throttle inputs as the others. But that info is deceiving-we were quite surprised when the Nomad handily walked away with the top-gear roll-on races from 60 mph, even with the heaviest rider aboard. This held true from 60 to 80 mph, until the Victory kicked in its sixth gear and started reeling in the Nomad. Initially the clutch engagement was smooth and the transmission snicked seamlessly, but over the miles (particularly in traffic) the clutch began to develop some of the grabbiness that has plagued other 1600 Vulcans we've tested. But overall the Nomad's 1600 engine with its oversquare bore and stroke is surprisingly punchy and pleasantly accessible.

Given how much we've liked the Twin Cam engines since Harley introduced them, we don't understand the Road King's lackluster performance. Have the other bikes gotten that much better? Regardless, when it came to passing slow-moving traffic on two-lane highways, we always felt like we had to time roll-ons to allow the bike to build up speed. The sixth gear didn't really kick in until well past 65 mph. On the plus side, the fuel injection is glitch-free, allowing the rider to modulate the throttle without fear of hiccups in a variety of conditions. The transmission shifts solidly. As expected, the throttle and clutch controls on the Road King are the stiffest of the bunch, but it's no big deal. Long-distance riders will appreciate that cruise control can be ordered as a factory accessory, and our test bike had it. The FLHR, as is typical of other Twin Cam engines we've tested, delivered the best average gas mileage here at 37.7 mpg.

Handle This
Despite the fact that these are big, heavy bikes, you can hustle them around corners pretty well. The Road King, which has the most immediate steering response (and the shortest wheelbase), never feels completely settled in turns. Ramp up the speed and things can get really unnerving. In high-speed sweepers the Harley's flex-iness can upset the chassis-and that can lead to some oscillations. The suspenders do their best to cope with this flex, and for the most part they do. Only sharp-edged bumps tend to upset things. On the plus side, the Harley has more cornering clearance than any of us expected.

While not as immediately responsive as the Road King, the Nomad isn't afraid to go around some corners and feels quite stable when tracking through. 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 pilots plenty of leverage to muscle the bike in when necessary. And if you have to change lines midcorner it's no problem. The suspension feels a bit off, though, with a firm fork and soft rear. It might be a good idea to bump up the air pressure in the shocks a couple of pounds to improve things the next time we head out. Even though it ranks 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.

There's no question the Vision is a long, heavy bike, and it was the one everyone tried to avoid riding in town or on tight technical sections of road. Even with a cast aluminum frame this bike weighs nearly 100 pounds more than the Harley, and the weight makes itself felt except when you're rolling in a straight line. No surprise, then, that our testers just wanted the Vision for long stretches of freeway when they could lean back and crank the tunes.

One area in which most baggers need improvement is in braking. Luckily all the bikes here proved up to the task, though some were better equipped than others and all required a fairly high level of effort. The Kawasaki's four-piston calipers and dual discs did the job well, though the Harley's upgraded dual Brembo units with ABS simply could not be beat in straight-line stopping situations. And the Victory offers a more traditional split braking system, which comes on strong (with some effort required), although we would have preferred to see an ABS option too. Luckily the Victory steps up with a comfortable amount of cornering clearance.

In the End
Every now and then on our tours, one clear winner moves ahead of the pack and garners a consensus amongst the testers. In this trio that's exactly what happened-the Nomad won unanimously, and by a fair margin. True, the winner of this comparison is determined pretty much by what your definition of a touring cruiser is. If you're more concerned with how the bike performs out on the road (and luxuries like cruise control and an easily removable windshield don't matter), the Nomad is the bike for you. It's the most well-rounded of the three. If you value things like cruise control, ABS (optional) and a big-brand heritage, then the Harley's your bike. And if you want to travel in high style and posh comfort on a truly modern motorcycle, look no further than the Vision.