The Great Musclebike Brawl

In many ways the musclebike class is just coming of age. You can tell this by both the huge variance in approach by the manufacturers, as well as the number of bikes starting to appear in the field. Back in the old days, you had big fast bikes like the Intruder 1400 and the Valkyrie, that had questionable aesthetic appeal, while Harley was content to sit back and watch with their 50 horsepower Evolution engine. Today, not only do you have Harley stepping up with some real muscle, you also have some very forward-looking machines with drop-dead styling from the other manufacturers coming with some big guns as well.

Sport cruisers have been popping up and disappearing intermittently for years, choking on their own contradictions. Musclebikes though, harken back to the old American tradition of muscle cars, which seems to strike a chord a little more with the populace. Ironically most of these bikes are on a par horsepower-wise with most of the muscle cars of the 60's and especially in the gas crunch of the 70's. So much of what defined those machines was based on attitude. Sure there were expensive special edition models with horsepower in the 300-400 range that sold in very small numbers, but most of the pony cars (and other big v8s from that era) had numbers in the 100s... just like most of these bikes.

But it seems some things stay the same. While each possessing their own brand of muscular good looks, the musclebikes have a wide spread in power, as well as a variety of configurations to achieve it. The two newest bikes (VMAX and V-Rod) have actually somewhat similar approaches. They both have Vee-shaped motors with pipes on both sides, they're both liquid-cooled, and they both make power in a similar fashion, the difference is that the VMAX does everything bigger. Twice as many cylinders, better braking, and way more power.

The other two couldn't be more different. The Triumph Rocket III is big and bold, with the biggest motor in motorcycling at 2300cc, and easily the heaviest weight in this test. With gawdawful amounts of bottom-end torque and respectable horsepower numbers as well, the big inline triple would probably make a good engine in a compact car, which is exactly what it resembles. The Victory Hammer S on the other hand hearkens back to a day, not too many years ago, when muscle was defined strictly on attitude alone. It's a beautiful head-turning machine that looks the part, but makes do with a motor that pumps out horsepower in the mere double digits.

As none of these bikes are even remotely suited to long rides in the countryside (the VMAX's range is 90 miles if you're lucky, but only counting on 70 would be a lot safer), we stuck to urban riding, as well as highway and entertaining back roads to round it out.

Get your Motor Runnin'
Blasting through city streets, they are all in their element to some extent or another. Perhaps the least at ease is the Muscle. Harley's newest V-Rod has a nice, low seat height (as does Victory's Hammer S), and pegs aren't too far forward, but it's the long, long reach to the bars that ruins it for most. One would-be tester got off it after his first ride and never wanted to mount it again. We dubbed it the "monkey position," though we hear Harley prefers "clamshell." Unfortunately, unlike the other bikes which are equipped with traditional tube-type handlebars, a little more surgery is required to straighten out the Muscle's ergos with its sculpted aluminum bars (integrated with no risers) also hiding most of the wiring. The throttle throw is a touch on the long side, for a bike that likes to be revved it takes a couple twists of the throttle to get to the stop, which irritated everyone.

The H-D has a tall first gear, which is exacerbated by a slightly soft bottom end. Luckily, the motor spins up quickly into its midrange and only gets better from there. Suspension is decent at low city speeds as is handling, both compromised slightly by the 240-section radial out back, and it's bit of work to hustle around the confines spaces of an urban setting. The optional ABS comes in handy on occasion, and is mostly not intrusive, though it's not as good as the system on the VMAX.

Depending who you are, the VMAX may or may not be an ideal mount for urban explorations. Shorter riders have a bit of a reach to the ground, though the seat height is only just over 30" it's very wide across the middle, and the mid-mounted footpegs get in the way at a stop as well. At low speeds it seems to have very heavy steering, but this clears up with a little speed. Though torquey at all rpm, it's very docile in its lower ranges, and if short shifted behaves itself very well. A sharp growl from the pipes starting at about 4000 rpm lets you know what's to come...and to back off if you're not ready for it.

For the more aggressive rider (who either knows all the cops or isn't afraid to run from them) it's a little slice of nirvana. The 'MAX will light up the rear tire at any speed, and, if you do it right, it'll even loft the front end at the same time...not that we'd condone that sort of thing. The dual six-piston brakes are spectacular, both on initial bite as well as progressive feel.

Victory's Hammer S is perhaps best at profiling in the city, playing the part of the sexy musclebike to a tee. No bike in the test got the looks this one did. For a small range of rider sizes it was easily the most comfortable as well. Our smallest rider (at 5''7) had trouble reaching the in-set shifter and brake levers, as the motor and tank spread his legs so that he had to curve them back around to reach the controls. The taller riders noticed the weird positioning, but it was less of an issue. The hard edges on the seat also dug a little on some riders when stopped at a light. Very tall riders (6'3" and up) reported feeling cramped and trapped in the Hammer's one-position seat

The Victory's 6-speed transmission was extremely clunky and imprecise; finding neutral was sometimes a dance that went on a little too long. Even Harley's legendary clunk had nothing on the Hammer one rider compared the transmission to the one on his old Moto Guzzi...ouch. The suspension is the weak point for the bumpy roads and dips of in-town riding, as the gigantic 250-section rear tire (widest in the test) has trouble changing directions rapidly. Power is adequate and satisfying, but is dwarfed by the others in a direct comparison. Lastly, the lack of any sort of keyed fork lock seems out of place for the most expensive bike in the test... even if you spring for a padlock the hasp is hard to reach on the left side of the neck

The in-town winner was the Triumph, but alas they cheated. The only bike available for this test had $1700 worth of Triumph's own accessories on it including performance mufflers, a small flyscreen fairing, a gel solo seat, and some chrome doo-dads. That said, the additions brought this most economical bike in the test up to the realm of the others and it still came out marginally less expensive than any other bike here. The mufflers made a huge difference, sounding almost exactly like the musclecars these bikes emulate with a throaty roar that was unmistakable. With reasonable pullback bars, and moderately forward-placed pegs, the big bike fit everyone pretty well. With easily the torquiest engine off the stop it was hugely entertaining as well. The Rocket III is softly sprung and that works for it well in the city, bouncing along down the worst streets. The big 'ol Rocket III is a bit of a handful at any speed due to its great weight, but seems most at ease going fast while straight, and tiptoeing through turns, like you'd do in urban settings.

The big triple's shaft drive causes it to jump upwards when you twist the throttle, so much so that you can blip your way down the street bouncing up and down like a kid's toy. Not everyone was thrilled with this characteristic, but it was big dumb fun. Solid brakes bring the huge bike down from speed quickly, and a decent transmission pitches in as well. The only drama with the Triumph is of the riders own doing.