Great American Road Bike - The Big Bang With Bags Theory

Road Trip!
Harley-Davidson FLSTC
Heritage Softail Classic
Honda VTX1800T
Star Stratoliner
Suzuki Boulevard C109RT
Victory Kingpin Tour

It is probably the most traditional and all-American class of motorcycles. We hear them referred to by all sorts of names: leather baggers, touring cruisers, casual American tourers, soft-core tourers, traditional touring bikes, basic baggers, highway cruisers, long-haul cruisers and more.

Whatever you call them, the age-old formula is the same: Take a big streetbike and equip it for the open road with leather saddlebags and basic wind protection. By the 1930s saddlebags were commonplace on big American motorcycles (the concept was a carryover from horse riders). They have changed little in concept and only slightly in technology. These days they are rigidly mounted to the motorcycle, so they can't swing into the rear tire like throw-over bags might, and their construction has generally become more rigid. In fact some of the bags here are actually hard bags traditionalized with leather covers.

Basic motorcycle windshields have been around as long as some form of clear plastic has existed that could be propped up on the front of the motorcycle, often with a leather or canvas skirt. Before that, riders rigged up canvas contraptions to cut the cold on frosty rides. The windshields we see today have their roots in the '30s and were familiar by the '40s.

The attraction of this basic bagger arrangement is obvious. The windshield provides a modicum of protection from wind, weather, bugs and debris. Saddlebags allow you to easily tote a few belongings inside with the same sort of weather protection. Neither component adds enough bulk to significantly alter the bike's handling, and even the aerodynamic effects seem minor.

Once upon a time this stuff was added by the rider or dealer, but nowadays dozens of cruiser models roll out of factories already equipped with this simple formula. For our roundup the call went out for the biggest leather-bagged cruiser in each company's stable. Although Kawasaki simply did not have a Vulcan 2000 LT available for us, the other major cruiser builders handed over the five motorcycles you see here.

They reveal quite a diversity in execution of the leather-bag maxi-cruiser. Base MSRPs vary from $14,899 for the Honda VTX1800T to $18,399 for the Victory Kingpin Tour.

Although the big Kawasaki isn't in the picture, the displacement of these five ranges from the Harley FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic's 1584cc to the 1845cc of the Yamaha Star Stratoliner. The wheelbases start at the Harley's 64.4 inches and extend up to the Suzuki Boulevard C109RT's 69.1 inches. Those bikes also represent the extremes in weight as the lightest (757 pounds wet) and heaviest (887 pounds wet) motorcycles here.

The saddlebags range from the basic box style of the VTX1800T and C109RT to the leather-covered hard bags of the Stratoliner. The FLSTC leather bags have a more elaborate shape. The Kingpin Tour combines smallish box-style bags with a leather-covered trunk/backrest. The other bikes have straightforward passenger backrests. On the windshield front the Victory has the smallest, simplest design. At the other end of the scale, the Suzuki comes with a comparatively elaborate setup with separate lower components alongside the fork legs.

When we met for breakfast on the first day, riders got to size up the five bikes. Some were seeing the new Suzuki for the first time, but no one was impressed with the big Boulevard's styling. Whether it was the somewhat bulbous lines, an obvious bottom seam on the tank or the lack of remarkable details, everyone rated its looks as below average for cruisers in this price range. Some also thought the western-style conchos-and-studs motif of the bags and seating clashed with the modern look of the rest of the motorcycle. Its supersize style did impress some, however. The Heritage Softail Classic and VTX1800T, although different from each other, are more typical of what we expect for motorcycles of this cost and mission. Riders viewed them as a bit plain and unremarkable, perhaps because they are so familiar. The Kingpin Tour and Stratoliner, on the other hand, really turned heads. Both bring original, eye-pleasing lines, though a few disappointing details kept either from getting top-tier ratings. For example, the dangling handlebar wiring of the Victory and the ugly evaporative-emissions plumbing of the Star drew criticism. The Stratoliner/Roadliner series has more attention to detail in styling than any other bike around, although not everyone was impressed by the careful shaping of almost every visible component.