The Corporate Chopper Challenge

* Harley-Davidson Rocker
* Honda Fury
* Star Raider
* Victory Vegas

Shoot Out!
"Corporate rock still sucks" was an iconic bumper sticker in the 1980s, went on to become a punk anthem in the 1990s, and can now be roughly translated to bikes by changing the word "rock" for "chopper." Without a doubt, Honda has broken some seriously new ground with their release of the Fury, but there is ground that will never be broken by a major manufacturer, and that's a good thing. The leaders in the custom bike world should be guys who are actually customizing bikes, while the guys who sit down to three meetings a day and conduct focus groups lie floundering in their wake.

But that said, it's actually more shocking that nobody big and corporate has taken the plunge until now. Alternative manufacturers like Big Dog, Big Bear Choppers, Titan, American Ironhorse and others carved out a niche originally because Harley wasn't producing enough motorcycles to meet demand (some would apply this model to all cruiser manufacturers), but later found a second wind by simply producing bikes that nobody big would ever produce: choppers. Thanks to a multitude of TV shows, public awareness was at an all-time high, and still there were no corporate choppers. Until now.

People are touting the Honda as the first of its kind, but let's have a bit of perspective. The first baby steps in this direction were made by Harley-Davidson with a number of models, but most importantly with the Softail back in 1984. This blockbuster bike was what kickstarted the first wave of cruisers in the late 1980s. The Softail is far from a chopper, but it was easily the closest anyone had come to that point. The skinny look fell out of vogue in the 90s (replaced by the Fat Boy look still prevalent today) until Victory revived it with their Vegas in 2002. The Big Four were mostly out of the picture for a time with Suzuki's neglected Intruder finally biting the dust about the time that Star showed up with the Raider.

Both the Vegas and Raider show dashes of chopperism, the Vegas with its sculpted, swoopy tank and the Raider with a high neck and big rake. Honda took both of these elements and slapped them all together into one package that finally brings the entire package of chopperishness into a single bike. The Rocker? Well, as Harley's most customized Softail (though H-D prefers Rockertail), we thought it a good fit; but we maybe should have gone with the modern day equivalent of the bike that started it all, the Softail Custom. All in all, they all display the requisite beefy rear tire (to varying degrees) mated to a skinny front.

Despite their pedigrees as the vanguard of a coming flood of corporate choppers, they are all pretty different machines. The Vegas takes Victory's standard cruiser frame and air/oil-cooled 100 ci engine, mounts up a de rigueur 21" front hoop and a "skinny" (for this group) 180-section 18-inch doughnut out back. The Rocker takes Harley's familiar air-cooled Twin Cam 96 engine, a widened version of the Softail frame called the Rockertail, a chubby 240-by-18 rear tire, and breaks the mold with a skinny 19-inch front tire. Star's Raider combines the eminently practical with a style all its own; sporting the gigantic 113ci air-cooled common to the `Liners with a raked-out aluminum frame, a fattish 210-by-18 rear tire, and (as far as we know) the first use of a fat front 21-incher by a major manufacturer up front. The Fury, despite appearances, is a fairly sedate motorcycle with a moderately fat 200mm (by 18) tire out back, a conventional 21 up front, and slightly restyled 1312cc VTX mill (or 78ci to be consistent).

The Fury's big innovation is in the frame and how much of it is shown. That stretched-out neck is really only a little more out there than the others, it's mostly that beautifully sculpted tank riding the rails and accentuating the frame that really makes a statement. Further accentuating the tallboy look is a slammed seat height of only 26.7." In short, it looks huge from a distance, but it's actually a fairly normal sized bike (if a bit long). The other bikes are really not that far off in the tall neck sweepstakes. The Raider and Rocker cover up the gap from engine to frame with the tank, while the Vegas' air-cleaner fills that gap on the Victory. Enough about aesthetics; if this were a fashion show, the Fury would have won without leaving the garage.

Settling into the various cockpits was an adventure with some unexpected results. Both tall and short had issues with the Rocker. With an unsupportive seat, pegs too far and bars too close, it had all riders constantly holding themselves from sliding off the seat. With proprietary bars, it doesn't even have the option of changing it up easily. The Vegas (like all Victory cruisers) has fairly inset foot control levers which some riders really dislike having to reach for, and a bit of the H-D's problem of bars too close and pegs too far, but not as much, and at least there's a well-shaped (if squishy) seat to make up for it, along with easily exchanged bars. Those who like to squeeze the tank between their legs liked the size and shape of the Vegas tank. The Fury was a surprise, as we thought the stretched-out ergs would tweak the shorter riders, but between being able to flat-foot it at stops and widely-spaced pegs (making for a straight shot and easier reach from the saddle) they actually didn't mind. However, some did complain about the formless and mostly unsupportive seat. But all that said, the astronomically-named Star Raider won almost everyone's praises with a neutral standard handlebar, and natural feel. It's a bigger bike than the rest (to the tune of 50ish pounds) and it feels hefty, but not overly so.

Rollin' out through town the Raider immediately impresses with the biggest engine of the bunch and light handling, defying its fat-tire status. The thing is just fun to romp on the throttle with super-smooth delivery, and the only dual disc brakes in the group to bring it down from speed in a hurry. Suspension on the Star is similarly impressive delivering a very Cadillacesque ride in the mean streets, while shifting through the five-speed box is smooth and positive as it smacks into gear with a thump. The Raider's tank and mirrors shake like a dope fiend in rehab at some rpm, making viewing what's behind or the display somewhat vague. What wasn't vague was the kickstand, which is perhaps one of the easiest kickstands to find and use in all of motorcycling.