The Great Musclebike Brawl

Head Out On the Highway
As we said before, the mileage ranges on these bikes (some more than others) aren't conducive to long-distance riding, but a quick blast down the highway is another story. On all but the Hammer, merging into fast-moving traffic from a dead stop has never been easier than on these bikes, but the VMAX takes the cake. Magazines overuse the term mind-bending acceleration, but nothing can touch the VMAX. A lightweight bike like most liter-class sportbikes will wheelie under hard acceleration, but the 'MAX just scrolls through its gears and you'll hit the triple digits way before you intend to. It doesn't even matter if you short shift or rev it out, speed just sneaks up on you. The sound from the big 1679cc V-four is like an angry symphony that just keeps getting better up the rev range. Once at Interstate velocities the Star leaves its rider hanging out in the breeze with little wind protection for your splayed legs and upright body. One rider commented that the VMAX would probably get far better fuel economy if there were an overdrive gear, as all the cogs are pretty tightly spaced leaving the bike revving somewhat high on the freeway... but that might just encourage people to go way, way too fast. On longer stints or stuck in traffic, the riding position can get old as there is absolutely no place else to put your feet but the pegs.

Victory sounds the wimpiest out no the open road, with valve train noises overtaking the exhaust note as the primary soundtrack. For most it is comfortable to settle into the seat for a haul, and even poking along in traffic is doable on this more relaxed machine. Some taller riders complained of the bars being too close, but that's an easy fix on this bike. While not possessing the instant acceleration of the others, it's a capable, comfortable ride

Getting out on the open road lets the Muscle get into the meat of its powerband above 5000 rpm. It actually makes power very much like the VMAX, with a tame bottom end giving way to an eye-opening midrange and top-end, there's just way less of it to go around on the Harley. Up in the loftier rpm, the noises coming from the two-sided low-slung pipes just gets sweeter as well, sounding very much like a twin sportbike on tilt, with intake noises to match. The engine is super smooth at high rpm and encourages the rider to twist it a little harder. The relatively leaned-forward position was hotly debated for highway riding, but it did catch less wind than the more upright VMAX and Rocket III, while the tall gearing made for much-improved fuel economy on the open road.

The Rocket loses some of its luster on the open road. Not that it's slow by any means, but massive bottom-end torque has less to do with highway riding and at the top the power is only good, not overwhelming. Nevertheless, with its upgraded gel solo seat and flyscreen as well as a reasonable riding position, it was perhaps best for a long haul, aided by the best range (and biggest tank) of the group. Softly sprung, it soaked all that the California highway system could throw at us. The louder pipes of our tester only annoyed some of us after droning for an hour or so, while others still thrilled to the triple's music.

Lookin' for Adventure
Hitting some twisty backroads brought a whole new set of challenges for our MuscleHeads. While we knew the big Triumph might be a handful in the twisties, we weren't quite prepared for just how interesting it would get. Big weight and soft suspension plus massive torque and driveline lash to match makes for interesting times when the roads got tighter; and that wasn't all. Bumps will upset it's mid-corner trajectory via the wide rear tire's massive contact patch. After some scary and frustrating moments for some of us (with some serious tip-toeing around the corners), we figured out that despite its massive torque, the bike liked to be revved in the twisties. The shaft effect would keep the suspension wound-up tight, increasing ground clearance (the Rocket needs it), and keeping it from freewheeling. The only drawback with this method is that the rider needed to really be gentle on the throttle to not upset the chassis. Needless to say, it was the least fun at backroad riding.

Only slightly better was the Hammer S. It did fine tooling around the twisties at a relaxed pace, but not enough to be entertaining like the rest of these bikes. It has decent ground clearance, but marginal brakes (the rear was downright bad) cut down on the fun.

While it has the wide powerband typical of a twin, in this company you had to tapdance on the suspect shifter to keep it in the powerband. Handling and suspension worked fairly well though, it only got a little upset by mid-corner bumps, and on smoother surfaces the suspension worked well with the rest of the chassis.

Predictably, the VMAX and V-Rod were clear favorites in the mountains and canyons. The VMAX pilot, like whomever was riding the Rocket, needed to control his right wrist, only much less so. In tighter stuff, the smart rider would stick to the lower rpm ranges, using the easy-to-control bottom end to pull out of the corners, which also kept the shaft effect to a minimum. At higher rpm, not only is the shaft effect more, but the tire has a propensity to spin at the corner exits if you're too heavy on the throttle. If left at around-town (factory) spec, the suspension is only marginal in canyon riding, bouncing around a bit too much and getting easily upset by mid-corner unevenness. However, a few clicks on the easy to reach adjusters rectifies all this in a hurry and it will rail corners like the overweight sportbike that it is. The problem is that if you leave it this way, its handling everywhere else gets way too harsh, also like a sportbike. We only managed to get the ABS to kick in a couple times with some stupid late-braking maneuvers, but in both cases it kicks in and out quickly as needed, which is a sight better than the H-D's system which is a bit more intrusive, hanging on for a little longer before giving control back.

The most satisfying ride in the canyons was the Muscle. It has a good wide, flat seat for sporty riding allowing the rider to move around quite a bit and put his weigh wherever it'll do the most good. Despite mostly unadjustable suspension it's as at home leaned over as hopping around town, with a nice, low center of gravity that makes it fly around corners like on rails. Unlike the VMAX, the V-Rod encourages you to twist the throttle and get up into its midrange sweet spot, as it does nothing weird, bumpy corners or no

It's only the supertight stuff that the Muscle will struggle with as its tall gearing will have you clicking into first occasionally, or slipping into neutral inadvertently. It's said that good handling is easier to achieve with a slow bike, and while this one is not slow, compared to the VMAX just about everything is.

...Or whatever comes our way
If you're in the market for a top-end Musclebike, you couldn't be looking at a better time. Depending on who you are, the choices are very different and just as clear.

For outright performance Star's newly redesigned VMAX can't be touched. Like some of our readers of the Decemeber issue complained, it is truly just a heavyweight sportbike with an upright riding position. Ironically, it lacks in some of the superficial ways musclebikes are traditionally judged. Unlike the others, it has only a moderately-sized rear tire, a conventional (albeit titanium oxide-coated) fork, and produced nowhere remotely near Detroit. In a way, to carry the musclecar reference a step farther, it's like one of Carrol Shelby's 1970's creations; it might have started out as a musclebike, but it's so much more in its current form.

On top of all that, even from a company known for making good-looking cruisers, the VMAX has a finished look to it, with every part (with the exception of the generic horn) looking like it was designed and planned out, right down to the license plate bracket and the top motor mount.

Unfortunately, it's also sold out for 2009. A limited number of units were produced, and perhaps Star was concerned with how a gas-guzzling, expensive motorcycle would be received these days, but maybe next year it'll be a slightly easier find. For now your choices might be limited to the other three and machines like Suzuki's M109, which was unavailable at press time.

Of the rest, the V-Rod Muscle edges to the front, as the only knock against it by even its most serious detractors was ergonomics. It's got the looks, the power, and the feel. Wanna know if you're going to like Harley? Sit on it at your local dealer. It's even good for a slightly less aggressive/experienced rider, as it has that softer bottom end hit that builds as you twist (and twist) the throttle. Its predictable handling and solid chassis somehow negates the effect of the 240-section radial out back, and for someone just stepping up to this class, it's the way to go.

We, the testers, talked a lot about who these bikes were built for. Cruiser riders might like the Hammer or V-Rod for their familiarity, while sportbike riders might prefer the VMAX (or possibly the Harley), a touring bike guy would probably get off on the Rocket III. Already used to dealing with a heavy bike, they'd probably like the gigantic torque and overall overblown Texas-sized muscle of the thing. In some ways, there is no bike in this test more deserving of the title musclebike. It's like the Hemi 'Cuda of the shootout and fully worthy of its name.

The Hammer S is the oldest bike in this test and it shows. Back when it was introduced, a musclebike could get by on pure attitude. Now it feels less substantial than the others we've included here. They all have their niche and things they do well, while the Victory succeeds only as a good motorcycle. It does most things reasonably well, but it just doesn't have the "x-factor" the others do. The fact that it's more expensive doesn't help its case any either. The $17,499 base Hammer saves you a grand, but the cool wheels and paint were what we liked most about the 'S.