It's about time cruiser brakes worked well. It always seemed rather rude to us that the manufacturers would put their least sophisticated systems on their heaviest motorcycles. Harley started the much-needed trend when it introduced four-piston calipers on its heavyweights in 1999. In our last comparison, the Brembo-equipped Victory out-stopped all the other big twins, but this year both the Mean Streak and Warrior have outdone both American companies.
The new Kawasaki, with its triple-piston dual discs up front and single disc out back, provides supreme feel and the shortest stopping distance. We love these brakes. The Warrior nearly matches the Mean Streak with its dual-action, twin-piston front and single-disc rear system and is followed by the Victory to round off the top three. The majority of the bikes drew adequate grades for braking performance, although the two Suzukis and the Drifter received more than one negative comment regarding vagueness of feel and dull response. Suzuki's LC gained an additional disc up front this year, bringing it up to spec with the rest of the big twins. Braking feel on the bike remains mediocre.
Most of us got along fine with the linked braking system on the VTX, which appropriates 30 percent of power from the dual front discs to the foot pedal while the remaining 70 percent of front brake action is independently controlled by the hand lever. While the system doesn't offer the dramatic feel of the Streak, Warrior or Victory, it steadily slows the weighty beast and may well be a safety benefit to those riders who over-favor the rear pedal.
So if you're going to shell out over 10 grand for a high-end cruiser you're going to expect a few bells and whistles, right? Certainly these bikes should offer a few extra goodies. Only some do. The FXDX, Mean Streak, Victory and Warrior are the only entries to offer tachometers, and the only ones with clocks are the Classic, Mean Streak, Road Star, Victory and Warrior. Kawasaki's Vulcan Classic is the only bike that offers decent bungee-cord hooks. The Victory features our staff's favorite instrument arrangement with an LED display that is controlled by two toggles on the backsides of each handlebar switch housing. Readings are available for electrical and engine condition, fuel quantity, odometer, trip meters and time. This LED panel, which is adjustable for brightness as well, is located within the headlight-mounted speedometer that also incorporates an analog tach. However, on the tour portion of our test more people voted in favor of the Mean Streak's arrangement, perhaps because the Victory system takes some getting used to. The Deuce was also a favorite in this category for its readability and classic, clean styling (even though it lacks a tach).
The Warrior received many compliments for its ultra-cool-looking gauge setup, which shines indigo blue at night. Engine rpm is displayed on a digital graph atop the headlight, while the analog speedo is incorporated into the handlebar riser. Most everyone found the gauges difficult to read during the day. The Road Star has a good-looking arrangement, but it's positioned on the tank and too low to read easily while you're on the road. The same is true of the Vulcan FI and 1500LC. All the bikes offer fuel gauges (a must for injected bikes that don't use reserve) except for the Suzuki 1400, which has always been the first big twin on these tests to run out of gas. (Its tank holds only 3.4 gallons.) On this trip, however, the Mean Streak and the Warrior both petered out at least once before the 1400 ran dry. It may have had something to do with the fact that all the fast bikes seemed to disappear each time the road opened up, while bikes like the Suzuki 1400, 1500LC, Road Star and FXDX consistently brought up the rear. Some bikes just aren't built to fly.
Fuel-capacities-vs.-mileage data placed both Harleys on top (as usual) with averaged ranges that exceed 200 miles. The only bikes that come close to these numbers are the VTX (39-mpg average and 207-mile range) and Victory (33-mpg average and 165-mile range).
Packing soft luggage on most of these bikes was a launch-souring chore. The new muscle bikes with their bobbed fenders add the challenge of keeping the saddlebags away from the wheels. The Drifter, obviously, was impossible to pack anything on since it has no rear seat. Many of these bikes also come with silly baguette-size passenger seats, which make it hard to balance even the smallest load. The worst bikes to pack on (aside from the Drifter) were the Warrior, Deuce, Intruder 1400, FXDX and Mean Streak, in that order. Bikes that more readily accepted luggage were the Vulcan FI, Road Star, Intruder 1500, V92C and Retro VTX. The Kawasaki Classic was by far the most amicable.
Aside from the Honda needing a lift home, we had only a couple of hassles on the road. The FXDX rattled off a filtercover, and the Mean Streak left an exhaust-system heat shield out in the desert. The Meanie also suffered reoccurring taillight failure--not only an inconvenience but a real safety issue. Replacing the rectifier was required to completely correct the problem. When you're switching bikes every 30-40 miles mirrors are adjusted constantly. Most survived this abuse, but the antiquated multi-thread stem-in systems on the Suzukis required a wrench more than once.
So what knowledge did we bring forth from the frigid desert--aside from the awareness that snot hurts when it gets frozen in your nostrils? We learned that big-twin cruisers are no longer one class of motorcycle, and that this test would require more than one winner.
Once the four-day scores were tallied, the staff spent another six weeks confirming the marks. Here's what we found. At the bottom of the heap, and no matter how we shook up the mix, was Suzuki's 1400 Intruder. Yes, it has a very appealing price tag of $8349, and for someone who's not too ambitious and doesn't care that his big twin feels like a toy, it may be a fine choice. For the price, it's a great platform for customizing, on that we all agree. However, we prefer most of the 800s and all of the 1100s available to the Suzuki 1400 for the same kind of cash. Our other least favorite was Harley's FXDX Dyna Glide Sport. It's really pretty fun in corners, but its unbalanced motor and generally unrefined demeanor made us cringe. Fourteen grand is too much to pay for a vibrator. (Strangely, this package works great in the T-Sport edition of the Dyna Glide, and makes us wonder whether our test unit wasn't a particularly bad specimen.)
With the release of its 800 Volusia, Suzuki has shown us it can make a great cruiser. Unfortunately, it's the company's only strong example to date. The 1500LC continues to put us off with its dull motor, unimpressive styling, sub-par detailing and generally lackluster feel despite its tempting price of $10,000. Perhaps Suzuki's new affiliation with Kawasaki will speed up delivery of some worthy cruisers. Honda's Retro VTX is too much of a good thing. The standard VTX rocks and would have pulled a much higher ranking than its obese counterpart (which also happened to go home in a truck, which cost it major points). Had the standard VTX, with its sexy looks and less overwhelmed, overloaded chassis, been included we believe it would have placed fifth in the overall standings. Kawasaki's Drifter 1500 is a nicely styled bike with beautiful details, if you're into that sort of thing. Most aren't. Its wallowing nature, lack of packing space, no passenger accommodations and few hot-ticket high points leave it in the seventh position.
The Yamaha Road Star and Victory's revamped V92C just about tied at mid-pack. The Victory was a real surprise to everyone who hadn't ridden one, and it nudged in above the Yamaha for its sheer dark-horse charm (despite its steep price of over $13,000). We were all impressed by its open-road strength and around-town civility. The bike just continues to improve each model year as Polaris rains upgrades on its big-twin-cruiser efforts. And people continue to feel fond of the Road Star. It has enormous visceral appeal and is appropriately priced at $11,000.
The top four? These bikes fall into different notches each time we bend the priorities. They are the most desirable big twins on the market today, and for different reasons. The Warrior earned very high marks in specific categories. When it came to rating power, handling, braking and appearance it scored all As and Bs (except for some Cs and Ds in the ground clearance and stability columns). The bike sucked in more everyday departments like comfort and practicality, though. It's like a gorgeous woman who looks good for a hot date, but doesn't cut it for coffee and the Sunday paper. Every time we look at this bike we're turned on...then we get a half-day down the road and want to turn around. And its quarter-mile time of 12.71 does make it the champion among stock big twins at the drag strip (just keep it away from those "little" V-Rods).
If classic styling were still the yardstick, and if overall balance and function were regarded more highly than a bike's power and handling, Kawasaki's Vulcan Classic FI would walk away from this competition the King. And it still deserves a crown. This bike physically suited more riders than any other, and almost everyone said they'd choose it first if they were headed for Omaha. It does everything well, if not one thing exceptionally well. It is the best classically styled big-twin cruiser for the price ($10,599). But if price weren't an issue almost every one of our testers would own a Softail Deuce ($16,555 and skyward). This bike had intense appeal across the board. It looks great without being over-the-top. It has nice, smooth power, beautiful finish quality and detail, handling that's right up there with the performance twins and that neat bad-boy stance that places your body in a posture that would make the Pope look cool. But not one of our testers would be willing to lay down that kind of cash for one.
Have you guessed the overall winner? It wasn't as straightforward for us--but the figures from our rating charts don't lie. Kawasaki's Mean Streak is toted as a muscle twin, but its motor isn't very brawny, especially compared to that of the V-Rod, VTX or Warrior. Its styling certainly screams of fast intent, but the bike is much more gentlemanly than its aggressive appearance portends. In every category the Mean Streak earned honor-roll grades, though. Like the Vulcan Classic FI, it does everything well, but unlike its more subtly styled stablemate, it does some things exceptionally well. Balance is the key to what makes the Mean Streak the overall winner here. It offers new-world excitement with a stimulating motor and inspiring yet predictable handling qualities, without giving up comfort and convenience. It looks hot, it's fun to ride, and it's affordable at $10,999.
So there you have it...or them. The Mean Streak is the best all-around big-twin cruiser 2002 has to offer. If you're not into the street-rod look, though, or want a bike that's more Sunday paper than seductress, the best big twin is the Vulcan Classic FI. Sky's the limit and passion rules? The tiara belongs to the Deuce. You stack 'em as you see 'em. The winner will be you.