Victory promised new models...
Victory promised new models on the scale of the Vegas every year for the next few years. We will see round 2 on August 1.
June brought the first new-model announcements of 2004 models as well as some first rides on already announced models. The following summarizes what we know, what we anticipates, and when we will get official information on 2004 motorcycles.
Yamaha had its dealer meeting on June 4 and showedff its new Road Star series, which have 1670cc engines. We also saw some updates to other models. Our first impressions of the Road Star 1700 may be read in the Road Tests section of this site, and it's also the cover test for the August issue of Motorcycle Cruiser, which went on sale in July. Yamaha's other 2004 cruisers are discussed elswhere in this section.
We have now had our long-awaited first ride on the Valkyrie Rune, and a full test of the bike is on its way in the October issue of Motorcycle Cruiser magazine. Honda's VTX1300C has also come into our clutches, and a printed test is also forthcoming. Honda will show its full 2004 line in mid-September. Speculation on what we might see can be read here.
Victory has shown its new bikes and photos and info are here. The first ride of its two new bikes will happen in August.
Suzuki will unveil its bikes on September 12. It has told us to expect a new cruiser model. Kawasaki will make also make September announcements, and you will see and read about them here as soon as we can tell you. We expect the Vulcan 1600 engine to appear in additional Kawasaki models in 2004, though that has not been confirmed by Kawasaki. There is also speculation on a 2000cc model in this story.
Harley, which did not introduce any new models in 2003, has shown its dealers (but not the press) its new bikes, Initial details are here. We will have full details in late August.