Leather Bagger Showdown - Soft Bags Deluxe

Second choice would be the Kawasaki. I wish it didn't have an overdrive that seemed useless unless you were doing 80mph+. Shifting makes me cringe every time; it "clunks" hard into gear and is not smooth. It does fairly well in the canyons because it likes to lean into turns. On a windy day this bike will go everywhere and the windscreen causes some turbulence. I feel a little crunched on this bike, too.

The Star is my third choice is because of its poor handling at high speeds. The front end starts to shake around 50mph and gets worse as you go. Still, it's an extremely comfortable bike with lots of leg room and many ways to reposition yourself. The windscreen is very effective. The engine and suspension are incredibly smooth, though I hit the rev limiter way too often. It does not have a lot of ground clearance but has a great turning radius and is easy to maneuver. I would recommend this bike to an experienced rider who is more interested in Sunday cruises than going out mad-dogging.

I feel detached from this machine; it feels loose and unstable at highway speeds. Aesthetically, it was appealing, and at low speeds and in the canyons it was relatively enjoyable. But every time it was my turn to ride it, I wished I was on another bike.

On the other hand I felt right at home on the Triumph; completely attached, and as one with the machine. I liked the transmission and there was continuous power throughout the gears. The bike came with ABS, so there's no comparison with the other bikes in stopping power.

I like the Kawi as well, but not as much as the Triumph. Both were similarly styled, and the paint on the Vulcan was really nice, but the Thunderbird looks better overall to me. The Vulcan handled very nice for my style of riding, dropping into the corners with ease and control while being stable at high speeds. One downside was that the windshield acts like a sail in windy conditions, so you have to loosen up and let the wind move you around a little.

My picks were easy: the Thunderbird was way in front, with the Vulcan second and the Star bringing up the rear.

While the Star and Vulcan are very close, I'll play the contrarian and pick the Silverado. It seems like a bike just made for cruising. Yanking the bars around and going hard on the gas and brakes give it fits, but the Star is made for a more relaxed pace, and I like the reward of the ride it gives a smooth rider as it flows corner to corner on a windy road, occasionally scraping a floorboard as a reminder to take it easy. It loves to be short-shifted with a torquey motor that pulls hard off of the bottom, encouraging you to just ease it through the corners. It does true cruising very well.

The Vulcan is a more modern-feeling machine that can take a little more aggression, just nowhere as well as the Thunderbird. It's by no means a bad bike, but it seems to have an identity crisis. The tall gearing doesn't go with the motor, while the steering is precise, but requires a steady hand on the sensitive tiller. Overall it's a lot of work to ride for not much reward. Kudos to Kawasaki for bringing it in for such a nice price though.