2002 Big Twin Motorcycles Compared

Once in a while, we Southern Californians are reminded what winter really means. Our sissy grins get frozen right on our faces, and the only sign of life is the panicked darting of our eyes. That's when we pull over and fall into a shuddering pile on the side of the road--our pampered bodies completely unable to cope. Our four-day Big-Twins test was just that sort of ordeal--freezing temperatures, wind, rain, hail and even a little snow thrust us into the reality many Americans deal with each time they open their garage doors in the winter. Our guest tester from Rhode Island just laughed.

The bikes, of course, were hot--11 of the most coveted large-displacement V-twins on the planet gathered for a competition of such considerable proportion no other magazine has dared take it on. The last time we rounded up the V-twins was in August 2000, and the list was remarkably different. Yamaha's Road Star took the cake then, but new entries were in the oven. For our 2002 test, we chose Harley-Davidson's FXDX Dyna Glide Sport ($13,995-$14,745) and Softail Deuce ($16,555-$17,840)--two bikes from decidedly different molds, although both epitomize the current performance trend. We included Honda's Retro VTX 1800 ($12,999-$13,499) since it's a new release for '02, and Kawasaki's Vulcan 1500 Classic FI ($10,599), Drifter ($11,799) and Mean Streak ($10,999). Suzuki's Intruder 1400 ($8349) and 1500LC ($9999) made the list, as well as Victory's V92C ($13,699-$14,299) with its revitalized motor and Yamaha's Road Star 1600 ($10,999-$11,199) and new, performance-oriented 1670cc Road Star Warrior ($11,999). The rules were simple: The bikes had to be V-twin powered and over 1200cc. (Therefore the 1100cc Harley V-Rod was excluded.)

Our test riders were as diverse as the bikes. We specifically chose people of various proportions so we could glean commentary that would cover a large spectrum of ergonomic potentials. Our smallest rider, Blaine Birchfield of Cobra Engineering was 5'5" and 175 lbs. Our largest tester, reader Paul Barry of Rhode Island, was 6'5" and 290 lbs. The rest of us ranged in between, from skinny to plump, short to tall. We were associate editor Andrew Cherney (5'7"/149 lbs), editor Jamie Elvidge (5'10"/135 lbs), Rhonda Hoffman of Planet Cruiser (5'8"/won't say), Doug Meyer from Muzzy (5'10"/182 lbs), beloved groupie Paul Posey of Georgia (5'10"/195 lbs) and Greg White, producer of our television show Motorcyclist on Speed Channel (6'3"/205 lbs). We had also invited reps from some of the manufacturers included in the test. We wouldn't be able to use their potentially biased ranking of the bikes, but we were able to milk their expertise and, in trade, offer a healthy chunk of comparative fodder to assist in future cruiser development. The OEM reps who were able to wriggle away from their desks for four days were Steve Rice of Kawasaki (5'11"/185 lbs), George Harmon of Honda (6'2"/180 lbs), and Brad "Barn-Burner" Banister of Yamaha (5'10"/170 lbs).

We used Death Valley, California, about 200 miles from our offices in Los Angeles, as a base camp. Situated well below sea level, it's usually the hottest place in the Western Hemisphere. It was 28 degrees F. the night we arrived. We bit our numb lips, however, and proceeded to make forays into the mountainous areas surrounding the fascinating Valley over the next few days. What we found (besides a serious ache for a hot bath each night) was that the world of big-twin cruisers had changed dramatically since our last comparison. It's a whole new ballgame, and not one that can be decided on a single playing field.

SKIN DEEP

Of course, our decision to recommend a cruiser is never based on styling alone, but it is a key factor. These bikes are designed for visual enticement, and all our contestants have pageant appeal right off the showroom floor. The first thing that made us realize this wasn't going to be our usual Big-Twins test, however, was how varied they looked when they were all rounded up in one pen--or in this case, the Denny's parking lot. Obviously, it's the addition of the performance cruisers that changes the herd so profoundly. Now you must choose between traditional and more aggressive, modern lines.

Honda's new-for-2002 Retro-version VTX 1800 is hard to miss--like a Budweiser Clydesdale at the Kentucky Derby. Not many of us thought this was a wise styling move since the bike is already so damn long and those gigantic valanced fenders only exaggerate the heft. People who like this look will also be drawn to the Indian-style appeal of Kawasaki's Drifter 1500. But all agreed the VTX is visually over the top, and the Drifter remains the king of the retro look. The Suzuki 1400 has its own retro thing going without trying. It's simply a design that's so old it's become classic. Some of us remain very fond of the bike's chopperesque attitude, though, and the clean way the chassis frames the motor as well as the fine job Suzuki has done hiding unsightly elements. Love it or hate it, the 1400 remains a conversation piece.

Then you have the classic cruisers--the bikes that embrace mid-20th century style, yet are finished and equipped to modern expectations. This category loosely includes Harley's FXDX, Kawasaki's Vulcan Classic FI, Suzuki's 1500LC, Yamaha's Road Star and Victory's V92C. The Classic walked away with inarguable honors here. Most liked the look of the Road Star--and especially its uniquely styled powerplant--yet all felt it would require a lot of aftermarket attention to look as nice as the Classic. The Victory garnered the widest swing in the style ratings. We think the motor looks better with the more curvaceous cans, but some still think it's visually bland. We do feel the bike's overall finish quality is finally on par with the metrics, even if some parts--like that Swiss cheese wedge for an ignition housing--are a bit gawky. The Harley FXDX with that flat black drive train and exhaust was more appealing to look at than it was to ride, but it still placed as ninth runner-up in the beauty contest. The Suzuki 1500LC was once again dog piled with more insults than praise despite its new wheel finish and more stylish turn signals. (Yeah, we know there are owners out there who think it's the cat's meow.)

The three street-rod styled bikes in the parade won a lot of praise for forceful styling and inventive visual features. Overall, the Warrior oozed more curbside sex appeal than the Mean Streak or Deuce, and everyone concluded it was the best-looking of the bunch.

Like people, bikes can be thought beautiful for many different reasons. It's all about what's important in the eye of the beholder, right? And you certainly don't need us to tell you whether a bike looks good to you. It either does or it doesn't.

The three street-rod styled bikes in the parade won a lot of praise for forceful styling and inventive visual features. Overall, the Warrior oozed more curbside sex appeal than the Mean Streak or Deuce, and everyone concluded it was the best-looking of the bunch.

Like people, bikes can be thought beautiful for many different reasons. It's all about what's important in the eye of the beholder, right? And you certainly don't need us to tell you whether a bike looks good to you. It either does or it doesn't.

THE COMFORT ZONE

In ranking the important features of a motorcycle, we follow these rules. Foremost, the bike needs to be comfortable or you won't want to ride it. When we rate comfort we look at riding position; handlebar, footrest and seat position and relations; functionality of controls; vibration and overall ride. Each participant in our Big-Twins comparison was asked to rank the bikes on all of these points separately and finally give each model an overall comfort score. Admittedly, this can be a subjective thing. What you'll find here are the averaged opinions--the bikes that do well by the widest variety of riders as well as some key points that may affect people of particular body types.

More of our riders were comfortable on the Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 FI than on any of the other bikes. Short or tall, none complained of being either cramped or stretched. It rated highest for general positioning, smoothness and long-range comfort. It's a Cadillac among cruisers and will offer a cozy, compliant ride whether you're going cross-town or cross-country. Kawasaki's Mean Streak was the next favorite for its overall comfort, followed by Harley's Deuce, although our larger riders found themselves a bit cramped by the H-D foot controls. The Road Star offered a comfortable seating position for just about everyone but emits noticeable vibration that put a few people off.

Our larger, longer riders really appreciated the space available on the VTX and 1500 Intruder, and the Suzuki offers a complaint ride. However, anyone under 5'10" felt both these bikes required too much of a stretch to be comfortable or instill confidence, and most everyone of every size felt the bar on the VTX was too wide. The LC also took top honor for the best stock seat, followed by the Road Star and the Classic FI. The Victory V92C offers one of the best riding positions in the group, but several people were annoyed by the bike's harsh suspension; it works well when you're riding the bike in fast corners, but really beats you up when you're just plugging along in normal situations.

The real losers in the accommodations department were the Suzuki 1400, which cramps even average-sized people, and the FXDX, which offers a decent ergonomic setup but transmits so much vibration you just want to shake the thing back and say "Knock it off!" Kawasaki's Drifter is comfy for short, low-speed rides, but the lack of passenger seat and pegs on the '02 edition limited people so much they simply didn't want to get on it for long stints. The Yamaha Warrior provided the least comfortable seating position with its exaggerated clamshell effect and huge engine accessories. The high desert winds only it made it worse, and when it was your turn to ride the thing all you could do was whimper.

As an interesting side note we found two different camps in the footpeg-vs.-floorboard department. Riders with bigger feet and longer legs tended to feel "trapped" by floorboards, which come standard on the Classic FI, Drifter, LC, Road Star, V92C and VTX Retro. Conversely, those with smaller feet and/or shorter legs found floorboards generally more desirable than footpegs.