The 'Tweener Twins: 1100 and 1200cc V-Twin Motorcycles Compared

Wedged between the top-of-the-line big twins and the 800-to-900cc machines, which are perceived (probably unfairly) as inadequate for serious riders, there is a middle ground inhabited by twins displacing 1100 to 1200cc. Savvy riders know that the bikes in this range offer the performance and function of a big twin at a much less shocking price.

The class has been around since 1985, when Yamaha hogged out its Virago 1000 engine to create the 1063cc Virago 1100 and gain a displacement edge on the Harley 998cc Sportster 1000. However, Yamaha didn't get the displacement niche all to itself because that year Honda also rolled out its first Shadow 1100, which sister magazine Motorcyclist was comfortable calling "a big-displacement V." Back then, 1099cc was plenty of displacement. Only Harley's then-new 1340cc Evolution engine (available in an expansive range of three cruiser models plus the Electra Glide tourer) was a bigger V-twin.

Though Kawasaki and Suzuki bypassed the 1100 to 1200cc class in favor of bigger V-twins introduced in 1987, the rest of the players have kept the class active for almost two decades. Harley launched its Sportster 1100, based on the new Evolution design, in 1986 and bumped it to 1203cc in 1988. The basic 1200 with relatively minor changes remains in Harley's 2003 line, which over time has expanded to also include the Sportster 1200 Custom and Sportster 1200 Sport, armed with a hopped-up engine and a slightly tweaked chassis. More recently, Harley rearranged everyone's thinking with the 1130cc V-Rod, the firm's first completely new model in over four decades. Honda also made a series of revisions and derivative models based on its 1100 V-twin, though for 2003 only two models, the Spirit and Sabre, are left. The ACE, Aero and Shadow Tourer are not in the '03 line. The popular supposition is that the new VTX 1300 is the first of a series that will shoulder the 1100s aside. Yamaha's Viragos were discarded in favor of the V-Star 1100 series, new bikes that use the same basic engine layout in an entirely new chassis with contemporary styling. There are three V-Star 1100 models for 2003, all of which use the same engine and basic chassis.

Others also joined this in-between cruiser class. In 1988, Moto Guzzi introduced its first 1100cc California model, which like other Guzzis used an across-the frame V-twin. In 2002, Guzzi offered five variants on a single engine/chassis combination in the California line. Most recently, BMW joined the fray with its 1200 cruiser in 1998. For 2002, the same basic engine and running gear was available in three different trim variations, and has been fitted to a full-dress touring variant for 2003.

With 16 different models of these 1000 to 1200cc twins, it obviously wasn't going to be practical to gather them all for a test. Fortunately, we didn't need to. Instead we narrowed it down to just one of each basic engine-chassis combination. That meant that the BMW Phoenix could fill in for all five R1200C variants. Harley's Sportster 1200 Custom and basic Sportster 1200 use the same basic running gear, so we just signed up for a Custom, which was joined by the Sportster 1200 Sport with its unique engine and sporting-oriented frame and running gear and, of course, the completely different V-Rod. Both the remaining Honda 1100s, which have different gearing and chassis geometry, joined the herd. Guzzi's California EV was selected to represent its clan, and the Custom rendition of the V-Star 1100 family carried the Yamaha flag. That left us with a more manageable eight bikes. However, as we were preparing to depart on our test ride, we discovered that the Guzzi's fuel cap would not unlock, which meant that it stayed behind and dropped the count to seven times eleven.

Cruise Control

We spent a leisurely three days cruising the 1100s around some of Southern California's more scenic roads and towns. Our ride spirited us north up Pacific Coast Highway toward Santa Barbara with a side trip through the Santa Monica Mountains, then took us inland to Ojai and Santa Paula to time-travel at the nicely restored train station and the Santa Paula Airport, where we sidled up next to a couple of biplanes for photos and peered into the old hangar where Steve McQueen used to keep his bike collection, sometimes even sleeping with it. The roads ranged from freeway, to open highway, to uncrowded back roads, to meandering ribbons of asphalt spilling across mountainsides, to scenic main streets in little towns away from the beaten path and back to city streets. We stopped and enjoyed unexpected waterfalls that somehow manage to keep running despite California's prolonged drought, and we sweltered while video crews from the Speed Channel asked us to make "just one more run" past their cameras for a piece on "Motorcyclist TV." Of course, the bikes also saw daily duty, running us to work or out for a relaxing evening or weekend rides. By the time our core testing crew was done, each of us had a pretty solid idea of which bikes were our favorites.

A motorcycle introduces itself the first time you walk up to it and fire it up for the first ride. Its willingness to start and respond to throttle gives a sense of the engine's personality, and as you settle into the saddle, you get your first impression of how it will fit you. The Sportsters come to life a bit reluctantly, demanding choke unless warm, then shaking and spitting for a bit until warm. By contrast, the V-Rod lights when the starter is punched and, thanks to fuel injection, idles immediately and smoothly. The BMW is also injected but often requires a bit of cranking before it catches. When it does, the bike wants to lean to the right slightly in response to the engine torque reaction. The Yamaha usually starts without choke unless it is a cold morning and is ready to go immediately. Both Hondas usually want some choke but warm pretty quickly.

The ergonomics and riding positions start to separate these machines. The V-Rod, resplendent in its anodized alloy bodywork, with its radically foot-forward and slightly leaned-back rider posture represents one extreme The Sportster Sport is the other end of the class, both in terms of style and its slightly sporty statement. The Sport's rough-hewn purebred American style greets the rider with its pegs somewhat rearward, a low and narrow handlebar and a canted-forward riding position over the small fuel tank. The BMW Phoenix catches the eye with its unusual suspension and frame arrangement, the absence of a swingarm on the left and a unique black and yellow paint scheme. It offers its rider a wide, low-rise bar, a broad solo saddle backed up by an unusual luggage carrier behind it, and footpegs kept somewhat rearward by its projecting cylinders. In keeping with its broad, comfortable style--emphasized by full fenders and a fat tank with the speedo atop it---the V-Star Classic has forward-set floorboards and a broad saddle along with a wide, medium-rise handlebar for a position that emphasizes comfort. The older Shadow Spirit is a bit of a blast from the past with its chopperesque brief fenders, forward footpegs, a high, buckhorn-style bar and a wide scooped two-piece saddle backed up by the only passenger backrest in the group. The Shadow Sabre also wears its pegs forward, but the bar is lower and flatter, the fenders deeper and the saddle narrower and one piece. Ergonomically, the Sportster Custom comes back closest to the V-Rod, with the footpegs well forward, narrow bar on risers, and a seat that is narrower than any but the V-Rod's.

As you get into traffic, you get a feel for the drivelines. Our V-Rod, an early 2002 model, shifts somewhat stiffly, a trait which has reportedly been corrected on later production machines. The BMW clutch can be abrupt and creates some clanking in the drivetrain, thanks to an abundance of lash, significantly more than the rest of the bikes, even the others--Hondas and Yamaha--that also have shaft final drive. The BMW also resisted finding neutral sometimes, a trait shared by the Sportsters when they were hot. The only bike of the seven with floorboards, the Yamaha Classic, has heel-toe shifting. Those shaft systems also produce some jacking, lifting the rear ends when power is applied and dropping them when they are closed, but again it's most noticeable on the BMW. All seven are pleasant to drive away from lights, whether it's a full-throttle dash to get the jump in traffic or a slow, smooth departure aimed at keeping a passenger comfortable.

Traffic also tests steering ease. None of these seven is a handful to herd around at low speeds, but the BMW requires the least muscle at the handlebar, thanks to its modest overall weight, low-effort steering geometry and its wide handlebar. The Yamaha's wide bar also makes steering light. Harley's Sport has more responsive steering geometry than its sibling, and the light weight of the V-Rod also makes it more manageable than its radical rake might suggest. However, if you are squeezing between lanes of traffic, the 32.3-inch wide BMW handlebar and the extra four inches of mirror projecting beyond that, make the BMW your last choice. The V-Star is slightly better, though still not as handy in tight spaces as the Sportster Sport or V-Rod, both narrow bikes with narrow handlebars.

If there is a uniform weakness here, it is suspension compliance, and it shows up quickly on bumpy Los Angeles surface streets. No matter which of these machines you're piloting, a solid, sharp-edged bump means you are going to get jolted uncomfortably. In general, the problem stems from limited travel and too-soft rates. Different bikes have different shortcomings. With their shock preloads stiffened, all three Harleys do better on moderate bumps, which come through harder on the BMW and Yamaha. In particular, small sharp bumps overwhelm the BMW's rear suspension. The Hondas, especially the Spirit, are the most comfortable over a wide range of bumps, though they, like the rest, are not up to large sharp bumps.