Baggers: BMW Montana, Harley Road King, Kawasaki Nomad, Victory 92TC Touring Motorcycles Comparison

Some of us are drawn to them for their looks--that wide-flanked grace that's not fully duplicated in any other kind of motorcycle. Others choose them for their simple practicality--the ability to conveniently haul daily necessities on the commute in comfort and style. For others, these bikes are the epitome of the long-distance runner, offering touring comfort, carrying capacity and classic style without the wretched excess that seems to get shoveled onto full-dress touring machines. The classic bagger is a uniquely American style of motorcycle, one that can be traced back to the 1950s. Windshields were already common on big road bikes of the day, but in the middle of the last century, hard fiberglass saddlebags began to replace the traditional leather or canvas bags that had previously been fitted to haul gear. Then as now, the attraction of hard bags were that they could be locked to keep out sticky fingers, sealed to keep out dust and weather, and painted to complement the bike they were fitted to.

In the 1970s, full-dress touring machines elbowed the basic bagger out of the picture. Bikes with trunks, full fairings, and a ton of gadgetry, like audio systems and cruise controls, got all the attention for a couple of decades. Then in the mid 1990s, Harley revived the simple hard bagger with the Road King. Its success presumably inspired similar bikes from Harley's competitors. Those bikes have had an uneven record. Yamaha's bagger model of the Royal Star is gone with the rest of the Royal Star line, and the hard-bag versions of Honda's Valkyrie and Shadow 1100 are not in its 2002 line-up either. However, Kawasaki's Nomad, the first of its variations on the Vulcan 1500 Classic, is still in going strong and has enjoyed a series of upgrades since its introduction. BMW continues to offer bagger renditions of its R1200C cruisers as well. For 2002, Victory has introduced a bagger model of its own, built on the brand's latest chassis layout and powered by the pumped-up version of its 1500.

With the landscape shifting so significantly in this popular class, it seemed like time to rediscover which bike was the best of the Baggers. Of course, we saw an opportunity to hit the road for a few days and claim we were working, even if it was the dead of winter.

Gotta Ride

Whatever your reason for buying them, a comparison test has to focus on how they function. That means weighing how they perform when traveling or simply toting your lunch and briefcase to work every day. And we will tell you right up front, that in this case there were no glaring laggards. There were a few surprises as we took this foursome romping around the southwest, however.

The make-or-break issue for a serious traveling machine is comfort. If a seat is a pain in the ass, the riding position is uncomfortable, or vibration grinds at you, you get uncomfortable and fatigued. The ride stops being fun and might even get dangerous if you are too tired out. We went in with some clear expectations. We knew the Road King and Nomad were great travelers, and they were as we remembered them. We had never traveled on a Victory TC, but we had ridden back and forth across the continent on an early V92C, which offered a great saddle and riding position but a harsh ride. We expected the added room of the TC to make it even better and hoped that the ride was improved as Victory has promised, though last issue's V92C left us doubtful. We were frankly leery of the BMW, since the last R1200C we had all ridden had a saddle, riding position and windshield that left us all creating excuses why someone else should ride it.

The Harley and Kawasaki were as we remembered them. The Road King fits most builds comfortably. We can never find a handlebar position that everyone likes with the stock bar, but most riders can find a handle angle that suits them, if not the next rider. The floorboards offer some flexibility. The pretty studded saddle is a little soft, especially for larger riders, but smaller riders never seem to complain. The ride is slightly harsher and vibration a bit more apparent (especially if you tough the engine) than we'd wish for, but not enough that anyone issues a real complaint. Most riders noted that the rear suspension now passes over bumps more fluidly, but rapped the fork for a less compliant performance. The windshield is a good height and shape for average and tall riders. The ability to quickly remove it for local riding (just pull two clips back and lift it off) is a great feature. Passengers echo similar comments about seat, rider and vibration as the front-seaters, and some find the riding position a bit cramped.

With an uncanny absence of vibration created by the combination of counterbalancing and rubber mounting, a riding position that immediately suits almost everyone, a saddle that rivals a good aftermarket item, and effective suspension, the Nomad gets high marks from virtually everyone who rides it a long distance. The only common complaint regards some buffeting caused by the height-adjustable windshield when it's set so you can see over it. Shorter riders who cranked it up so they had to look through it reported smoother air, but also complained that the vision degradation under many circumstances (when the shield was wet or dirty or if they were looking near the edges where there was some distortion) caused a different sort of discomfort. Passengers rated the Nomad as acceptable on extended rides, but wished for a backrest.

Surprises started when we settled into the Victory's saddle and discovered that it was unexpectedly hard and narrow, a far cry from the V92C seat we were so fond of. However, the frame's extra length is also apparent in the seat's significant roominess, and more leg room than the other three baggers. We were pleasantly surprised that the harsh ride from the from the plain V92C's rear suspension has been smoothed out substantially on this machine. When you are riding solo, it is still somewhat taut, but with a passenger and luggage, it is just right. Unfortunately, the front suspension hasn't been similarly tamed, and road irregularities come through quite forcefully, slapping your hands on sharper bumps. The TC also drew milder complaints about vibration, which is apparent at highway speeds and gets to some riders as the day wears on, though most rated it as noticeable but not irritating. However, all of our riders bitched about the tall windshield. Though it parts the air effectively, and the "lowers" keep wind off your legs even better than the Nomad's, the fact that you couldn't see over it becomes an issue as soon as the first bug, raindrop of bit of dust hits it hear you line of vision. We believe that windshields you can't see over are a serious safety issue and a source of fatigue, and we caution anyone who plans to take a long ride with one. One area that received top marks was the back seat, where the vast expanse of upholstery, a backrest, and a pleasing position drew undiluted praise. The TC has more front-to-rear room on its passenger saddle than any other cruiser, which passengers heartily commended. A little vibration or slightly stiff padding paled in the face of this unprecedented spaciousness and flexibility. The one complaint from passengers, echoed by riders, was that in stop-and-go traffic engine heat became oppressive, making the side-panel area almost painfully hot.

The BMW is a great example of what a few simple changes can do. Where the last BMW bagger we brought on a comparison tortured our glutes, the Montana's saddle was wide and well padded, a happy parking place for your butt for hours on end. Combined with the new handlebar, the seat molds a riding position that received universally high marks, losing points only from tall riders for slightly limited leg room. The limitations of footpegs as opposed to the other bikes' floorboards were also noted. BMW's unique suspension does a generally good job smoothing the ride as well, though not quite to the standard of the Nomad. The last BMW windshield we tried was tall and thin, serving more to block vision than wind. This one is short and wide. Even our altitude-challenged riders could see over it, and if it lets a little air over to blow past your helmet, its width thoroughly blocks any blast to your torso. Passengers had liked the last bike's riding position, though they didn't love its seat. This seat got positive comments from those who used it, which were bolstered by the adjustable backrest. They also liked the BMW's reduced dive under braking, which moderated the awkwardness of hard stops for them. However, both passengers and riders complained mildly about the Montana's vibration level, which was the only buzz that actually intruded from any of these bikes. Of moderate magnitude, the vibration's frequency is increased by the BMW's comparatively short gearing. At highway speeds, it blurs the mirrors and reaches you through all contact points except the seat. Despite this, the BMW was a welcome surprise, and we all regard it as a bike that we could now tour on without suffering.

Pack It In

So all four bikes passed the blazing saddles test, but there is more to a successful tourer than creature comfort. Perhaps most importantly, you need to be able to bring your stuff. Even if it you buy one of these primarily as an around-town ride, you presumably want to be able to toss your daily gear bag, briefcase, or purse into a saddlebag. And if you and your sweetie are planning to see Alaska and camp out, you'll need to tote a substantial quantity of gear.

In terms of sheer volume, the Nomad and the V92TC saddlebags offer the most volume. The Montana's bags are significantly smaller. "You'd be hard-pressed to fit more than a weekend's worth of stuff in its diminutive bags," observed one tester. Though they look large, the Road King's bags lose some volume to indentations for the rear suspension, making them less capacious that the Kawasaki or Victory items. The TC doesn't need to make room for shocks, since the rear suspension is in the frame, and the Nomad accommodates its air shocks without major concessions from the bags. As a result, the Nomad and TC have the preferred bags when you have a lot of gear. These were also the only two that accepted the briefcase that we often tote with a laptop computer and related gear. All of the bags have fairly low load limits, which sound pretty arbitrary--10 to 15 pounds per side--and have the feeling of CYA legalese. Too much weight certainly will cause handling problems and can overload and overheat the rear tire, but these limits appear a bit excessive and limit what you can take if you observe them. (But don't expect us to say that you shouldn't obey them. We have corporate lawyers too.)

Picking a favorite big bag seemed to come down to whether you preferred the side-opening bags of the Kawasaki or the conventional top-opening design of the Victory (as well as the other two). The latter seemed to win a slight majority. Opening the Kawasaki's bags on the road risks having something tumble out, especially on the downhill left-side bag, though you can pack, open and access them to minimize this problem. On the other hand, when you want something that's on the bottom, it is much easier to get at with the Nomad's panniers, which also offer a larger opening. The debate also involved whether you prefer the always-locked-when-closed bags on the Nomad, which require you to fish out the key for every access, or the lockable-when-you-want-to system of the others. Most riders preferred the option of locking. The best-bag title would have likely gone to the Victory with little debate if not for the fact that its left bag top fit loosely. We didn't hit any rain, but that loose lid on the TC and the BMW bags were the only ones to admit any water in our hose test.

One of the advantages of the Kawasaki's side-opening bags becomes apparent when you decide to strap a long bag or other large item across the rear seat. An item that projects past the sides of the seat blocks the lids of the top-opening bags, though the hingeless design of the Road King luggage may allow you to sidestep this problem.

When you do start lashing gear to the back seat, you may find another reason the appreciate the backrests of the BMW and Victory, which provide anchor points for bungee hooks and also a solid stop to prevent your bag from sliding off the seat. That backrest combines with the pretty grab rail running around the Montana passenger seat to offer the best selection of bungee hook points, but the fender rails and saddlebag guards of the Harley and Kawasaki also provide plenty of options. You have to be a bit more creative when strapping gear to the Victory, which has no rail and no guard bars in front of the saddlebags.