When it comes to styling, things follow our now-familiar progression. The Suzuki is at best an acquired taste. At worst it's an amalgam of ideas that never fully jelled. It does convey its light weight by virtue of all of the open space around that single-cylinder engine as well as its obvious narrowness, with the 26-inch handlebar skinnier than on any other cruiser and most sportbikes, too. Also skinny is the narrow and very tall front end. The tank-mounted gauge provides a minimum of information: speedometer, odometer and the usual indicator lights. There's no tripmeter, so you better remember the mileage at your last fill-up to avoid being stranded. There are hazard and passing-light switches, but they don't compensate for the toy horn. Suzuki did do a nice job of routing most of the wiring out of sight, though.
The Star is, well, not bad at all in the style department. It has that typical Japanese "custom" cruiser styling: modestly raked fork, small front fender and a slight flip on the end of the rear fender. The 31-inch handlebars are slightly pulled back and comfortable. The candy red and tribal flames paint on our test bike was excellent in quality. Staggered dual exhaust pipes give a big-bike look, but the "mixing bowl" air-cleaner cover belies the V Star's budget status, as does the unfinished look of the swingarm on the left side. The gauges one-up the S40, throwing a useful tripmeter into the mix. There are no hazard or passing-light switches on the Star, and its horn is average. Also, the front of the engine has a tangle of hoses and wires.
While the Star is conventional in appearance, the Hyosung is "back to the near future." The main inspiration is clearly Harley-Davidson's V-Rod, with the stretched tank and elongated upper frame, inverted front forks, radiator shroud, belt shroud (albeit plastic) and gauge positioned on the center of the handlebar. The borrowing didn't stop there either, with a 2-into-1 exhaust system that looks straight off a Star Warrior. Well, perhaps they are second cousins-the Avitar sports cast, three-spoke wheels and more pulled-back bars than the V-Rod. Throw in a liberal sprinkling of chrome and plastic and it's a love-it-or-leave-it combination. Paint quality varies, with a gorgeous tank but fender graphics that have no clear coat. The Avitar is firmly in the 21st century with a vacuum fluorescent display gauge showing speed, time, coolant temperature and fuel level, as well as the odometer or either of the two tripmeters, plus all the standard indicator lights. There are four brightness levels, but we found that even on the highest setting the indicator lights were somewhat dim in direct sunlight. Like the others, the GV650 would benefit from a horn replacement. The bodywork hides almost all the wiring, although there is a tangle behind the headlight shell.
There's only one way to describe the riding position of the S40: compact. Even our 5-foot-4-inch tester felt that the seat-bar-pegs relationship made the Boulevard feel like a scooter, especially with the narrow handlebars. The seat is firm but comfortable, though not well suited to extended travel. The passenger seat is also OK for a few miles but no farther. Even the shortest rider can firmly plant both feet on the ground when astride the S40. The light weight of the bike is confidence-inspiring to the novice rider as well as lending the bike excellent agility on the road. But under 10 mph those short, high-rise bars and the skinny 19-inch front wheel combine to make one of the floppiest front ends we've experienced. With that single cylinder buzzing away at freeway speeds, you won't be passing too many exits before wanting to make your own. Still, it's a champ when it comes to commuting.