To maintain a low squat, the Custom's dual rear shocks travel only 2.4 inches. 'Course, there's sweet detailing: The 1200 Custom has black powdercoated engine cases and cylinders, broken up with polished cylinder fins and chrome cases.
The new motors still get the standard Sportster layout, with air-cooling and similar bore and stroke, but-hallelujah-all 2007 Sportys are fuel injected, and the engine now spins up to around 6000 rpm. There are some situations-about 4500 rpm and higher-when the vibrations still come through, but you have to be going pretty fast to feel any impact. Throttle response is linear, though our short test ride revealed some snatchiness in on/off throttle transitions. The clutch required effort to pull, but engaged predictably (with a distinct clunk in first gear).
The broad power spread starts at about 2000 rpm and extends almost to redline, so our Custom ran almost as fast to 60 mph as the VTX and the V Star. The 1200s are smooth at normal highway speeds, and the Custom lets you sit almost straight-legged (depending on your inseam), with feet forward, though short riders found the footpegs to be a stretch. The saddle is on the hard side, and you get limited fore and aft movement, which didn't please our 6-foot rider. The bike felt tall, light and narrow, and most similar to the S83 in its stance.
The biggest drawback of the Custom was limited rear suspension travel; big bumps connected hard. The 1200 Custom tracked stably in corners, though all riders felt the minimal travel to be nearly intolerable on potholed, urban stints. Also, the single front disc provided just adequate stopping power. The Custom is about on par with the others with its limited ground clearance. In our time on the Sportster, we managed to pull out a 48.8-mpg average fuel consumption, but that was almost all freeway miles.
Solid detailing and finishes make the Sportster a bit more handsome than its metric counterparts, according to our cruiser critics. It's a lot of bike positioned at the sub-$10,000 price point, and an easy entry to owning a Harley-something short-hop riders might find appealing. If they can't stand the ergos on the Custom, the Roadster's a much better bet.-A.C.
Even with dual discs and four-piston calipers, the Star's front brake still needs a good squeeze for results. | 
Who's got the biggest disc of 'em all? Honda's 336mm front rotor is huge, but it's only got a single twin-piston caliper squeezing it. | 
The Suzuki's single front brake disc works better in conjunction with the rear disc, so learn to use both for emergency stops. |