Victory's V92TC (left) and Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Nomad lead the way, followed by the Harley-Davidson Road King and BMW R1200C Montana. That's not the way they finished, however. Photography by Jim Brown.
Some of us are drawn to them for their looks--that wide-flanked grace that's not fully duplicated in any other kind of motorcycle. Others choose them for their simple practicality--the ability to conveniently haul daily necessities on the commute in comfort and style. For others, these bikes are the epitome of the long-distance runner, offering touring comfort, carrying capacity and classic style without the wretched excess that seems to get shoveled onto full-dress touring machines. The classic bagger is a uniquely American style of motorcycle, one that can be traced back to the 1950s. Windshields were already common on big road bikes of the day, but in the middle of the last century, hard fiberglass saddlebags began to replace the traditional leather or canvas bags that had previously been fitted to haul gear. Then as now, the attraction of hard bags were that they could be locked to keep out sticky fingers, sealed to keep out dust and weather, and painted to complement the bike they were fitted to.
In the 1970s, full-dress touring machines elbowed the basic bagger out of the picture. Bikes with trunks, full fairings, and a ton of gadgetry, like audio systems and cruise controls, got all the attention for a couple of decades. Then in the mid 1990s, Harley revived the simple hard bagger with the Road King. Its success presumably inspired similar bikes from Harley's competitors. Those bikes have had an uneven record. Yamaha's bagger model of the Royal Star is gone with the rest of the Royal Star line, and the hard-bag versions of Honda's Valkyrie and Shadow 1100 are not in its 2002 line-up either. However, Kawasaki's Nomad, the first of its variations on the Vulcan 1500 Classic, is still in going strong and has enjoyed a series of upgrades since its introduction. BMW continues to offer bagger renditions of its R1200C cruisers as well. For 2002, Victory has introduced a bagger model of its own, built on the brand's latest chassis layout and powered by the pumped-up version of its 1500.
With the landscape shifting so significantly in this popular class, it seemed like time to rediscover which bike was the best of the Baggers. Of course, we saw an opportunity to hit the road for a few days and claim we were working, even if it was the dead of winter.
Gotta Ride
Whatever your reason for buying them, a comparison test has to focus on how they function. That means weighing how they perform when traveling or simply toting your lunch and briefcase to work every day. And we will tell you right up front, that in this case there were no glaring laggards. There were a few surprises as we took this foursome romping around the southwest, however.
BMW R1200CM Montana: $15,990, 608 pounds (with a full 4.5 gallons of fuel), 1170cc, 5 speeds, shaft final drive, 65.0-inch wheelbase, 29.3-inch seat height.
The make-or-break issue for a serious traveling machine is comfort. If a seat is a pain in the ass, the riding position is uncomfortable, or vibration grinds at you, you get uncomfortable and fatigued. The ride stops being fun and might even get dangerous if you are too tired out. We went in with some clear expectations. We knew the Road King and Nomad were great travelers, and they were as we remembered them. We had never traveled on a Victory TC, but we had ridden back and forth across the continent on an early V92C, which offered a great saddle and riding position but a harsh ride. We expected the added room of the TC to make it even better and hoped that the ride was improved as Victory has promised, though last issue's V92C left us doubtful. We were frankly leery of the BMW, since the last R1200C we had all ridden had a saddle, riding position and windshield that left us all creating excuses why someone else should ride it.
The Harley and Kawasaki were as we remembered them. The Road King fits most builds comfortably. We can never find a handlebar position that everyone likes with the stock bar, but most riders can find a handle angle that suits them, if not the next rider. The floorboards offer some flexibility. The pretty studded saddle is a little soft, especially for larger riders, but smaller riders never seem to complain. The ride is slightly harsher and vibration a bit more apparent (especially if you tough the engine) than we'd wish for, but not enough that anyone issues a real complaint. Most riders noted that the rear suspension now passes over bumps more fluidly, but rapped the fork for a less compliant performance. The windshield is a good height and shape for average and tall riders. The ability to quickly remove it for local riding (just pull two clips back and lift it off) is a great feature. Passengers echo similar comments about seat, rider and vibration as the front-seaters, and some find the riding position a bit cramped.
With an uncanny absence of vibration created by the combination of counterbalancing and rubber mounting, a riding position that immediately suits almost everyone, a saddle that rivals a good aftermarket item, and effective suspension, the Nomad gets high marks from virtually everyone who rides it a long distance. The only common complaint regards some buffeting caused by the height-adjustable windshield when it's set so you can see over it. Shorter riders who cranked it up so they had to look through it reported smoother air, but also complained that the vision degradation under many circumstances (when the shield was wet or dirty or if they were looking near the edges where there was some distortion) caused a different sort of discomfort. Passengers rated the Nomad as acceptable on extended rides, but wished for a backrest.
Harley-Davidson FLHRI Road King: $15,790, 763 pounds (with a full 5.0 gallons of fuel), 1450cc, 5 speeds, belt final drive, 63.5-inch wheelbase, 30.7-inch seat height.
Surprises started when we settled into the Victory's saddle and discovered that it was unexpectedly hard and narrow, a far cry from the V92C seat we were so fond of. However, the frame's extra length is also apparent in the seat's significant roominess, and more leg room than the other three baggers. We were pleasantly surprised that the harsh ride from the from the plain V92C's rear suspension has been smoothed out substantially on this machine. When you are riding solo, it is still somewhat taut, but with a passenger and luggage, it is just right. Unfortunately, the front suspension hasn't been similarly tamed, and road irregularities come through quite forcefully, slapping your hands on sharper bumps. The TC also drew milder complaints about vibration, which is apparent at highway speeds and gets to some riders as the day wears on, though most rated it as noticeable but not irritating. However, all of our riders bitched about the tall windshield. Though it parts the air effectively, and the "lowers" keep wind off your legs even better than the Nomad's, the fact that you couldn't see over it becomes an issue as soon as the first bug, raindrop of bit of dust hits it hear you line of vision. We believe that windshields you can't see over are a serious safety issue and a source of fatigue, and we caution anyone who plans to take a long ride with one. One area that received top marks was the back seat, where the vast expanse of upholstery, a backrest, and a pleasing position drew undiluted praise. The TC has more front-to-rear room on its passenger saddle than any other cruiser, which passengers heartily commended. A little vibration or slightly stiff padding paled in the face of this unprecedented spaciousness and flexibility. The one complaint from passengers, echoed by riders, was that in stop-and-go traffic engine heat became oppressive, making the side-panel area almost painfully hot.
The BMW is a great example of what a few simple changes can do. Where the last BMW bagger we brought on a comparison tortured our glutes, the Montana's saddle was wide and well padded, a happy parking place for your butt for hours on end. Combined with the new handlebar, the seat molds a riding position that received universally high marks, losing points only from tall riders for slightly limited leg room. The limitations of footpegs as opposed to the other bikes' floorboards were also noted. BMW's unique suspension does a generally good job smoothing the ride as well, though not quite to the standard of the Nomad. The last BMW windshield we tried was tall and thin, serving more to block vision than wind. This one is short and wide. Even our altitude-challenged riders could see over it, and if it lets a little air over to blow past your helmet, its width thoroughly blocks any blast to your torso. Passengers had liked the last bike's riding position, though they didn't love its seat. This seat got positive comments from those who used it, which were bolstered by the adjustable backrest. They also liked the BMW's reduced dive under braking, which moderated the awkwardness of hard stops for them. However, both passengers and riders complained mildly about the Montana's vibration level, which was the only buzz that actually intruded from any of these bikes. Of moderate magnitude, the vibration's frequency is increased by the BMW's comparatively short gearing. At highway speeds, it blurs the mirrors and reaches you through all contact points except the seat. Despite this, the BMW was a welcome surprise, and we all regard it as a bike that we could now tour on without suffering.
Pack It In
So all four bikes passed the blazing saddles test, but there is more to a successful tourer than creature comfort. Perhaps most importantly, you need to be able to bring your stuff. Even if it you buy one of these primarily as an around-town ride, you presumably want to be able to toss your daily gear bag, briefcase, or purse into a saddlebag. And if you and your sweetie are planning to see Alaska and camp out, you'll need to tote a substantial quantity of gear.
In terms of sheer volume, the Nomad and the V92TC saddlebags offer the most volume. The Montana's bags are significantly smaller. "You'd be hard-pressed to fit more than a weekend's worth of stuff in its diminutive bags," observed one tester. Though they look large, the Road King's bags lose some volume to indentations for the rear suspension, making them less capacious that the Kawasaki or Victory items. The TC doesn't need to make room for shocks, since the rear suspension is in the frame, and the Nomad accommodates its air shocks without major concessions from the bags. As a result, the Nomad and TC have the preferred bags when you have a lot of gear. These were also the only two that accepted the briefcase that we often tote with a laptop computer and related gear. All of the bags have fairly low load limits, which sound pretty arbitrary--10 to 15 pounds per side--and have the feeling of CYA legalese. Too much weight certainly will cause handling problems and can overload and overheat the rear tire, but these limits appear a bit excessive and limit what you can take if you observe them. (But don't expect us to say that you shouldn't obey them. We have corporate lawyers too.)
Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Nomad FI: $12,999, 776 pounds (with a full 5.0 gallons of fuel), 1470cc, 5 speeds, shaft final drive, 65.6-inch wheelbase, 28.3-inch seat height.
Picking a favorite big bag seemed to come down to whether you preferred the side-opening bags of the Kawasaki or the conventional top-opening design of the Victory (as well as the other two). The latter seemed to win a slight majority. Opening the Kawasaki's bags on the road risks having something tumble out, especially on the downhill left-side bag, though you can pack, open and access them to minimize this problem. On the other hand, when you want something that's on the bottom, it is much easier to get at with the Nomad's panniers, which also offer a larger opening. The debate also involved whether you prefer the always-locked-when-closed bags on the Nomad, which require you to fish out the key for every access, or the lockable-when-you-want-to system of the others. Most riders preferred the option of locking. The best-bag title would have likely gone to the Victory with little debate if not for the fact that its left bag top fit loosely. We didn't hit any rain, but that loose lid on the TC and the BMW bags were the only ones to admit any water in our hose test.
One of the advantages of the Kawasaki's side-opening bags becomes apparent when you decide to strap a long bag or other large item across the rear seat. An item that projects past the sides of the seat blocks the lids of the top-opening bags, though the hingeless design of the Road King luggage may allow you to sidestep this problem.
When you do start lashing gear to the back seat, you may find another reason the appreciate the backrests of the BMW and Victory, which provide anchor points for bungee hooks and also a solid stop to prevent your bag from sliding off the seat. That backrest combines with the pretty grab rail running around the Montana passenger seat to offer the best selection of bungee hook points, but the fender rails and saddlebag guards of the Harley and Kawasaki also provide plenty of options. You have to be a bit more creative when strapping gear to the Victory, which has no rail and no guard bars in front of the saddlebags.
A 12 Beats Three 15s
Once you have your worldly possessions and a friend wedged on your bike, you'll probably begin thinking about power. Once again, there are no dogs in this foursome. We knew from previous comparisons that the Road King will pull away from the Nomad when you open the throttles in top gear on the highway. And Victory was crowing that its powered-up engine would now dust off the Harley Twin Cam. So when we paired off to see where the muscle was, we matched the TC against the Road King and the Nomad against the little BMW 1200. The Victory backed up its maker's claims, slipping away from the Road King in every acceleration test we devised. In our top-gear contests, the Victory always ended up a few lengths in front of the Harley, whether we started down at 35 mph or at 70, whether uphill or down, and even if a heavier rider was on the Victory. At the lower speeds, the Harley could hang with the Victory for a moment or two, but as it built rpm, the Victory asserted itself and began to leave.
Victory V92TC Deluxe: $15,599, 771 pounds (with a full 5.0 gallons of fuel), 1507cc, 5 speeds, belt final drive, 65.5-inch wheelbase, 28.3-inch seat height.
But there was a much bigger difference between the Nomad and the BMW. The BMW 1200 flat ran away from the 1500. So we paired the BMW against the Harley, which also got left behind. So the smallest-displacement machine ended up in face-off with the largest and again emerged victorious. The underdog ruled the day because of its weight and low top gear, which gave it significantly more rpm at highway speeds. The BMW's top-gear acceleration advantage was restated at the dragstrip, where starting from a measured 50 mph in top gear, it accelerated to 75.8 mph after 200 yards. The V92TC reached 73.1 mph, the Harley 71.9 mph, and the Nomad 70.0 mph.
Ironically, the BMW also demonstrated the effect of gearing from the other side during standing-start quarter-mile trials at the dragstrip. Though its top gear is short, the R1200's first gear is quite tall, making it somewhat slow off the line. As a result, the BMW's 14.04-second, 92.3-mph quickest run was bested not only by the Victory, at 13.52 seconds and 94.2 mph, but also by the Harley, with 13.92 seconds and 92.2 mph. With 14.59 seconds and 88.1 mph, the Kawasaki brought up the rear in sprints as in other power contests. However, even though it is recognized as the slowest, no one ever says that the Kawasaki is too slow or that it leaves them wanting for more acceleration out on the road. Sure, more power is always nice, but the Nomad has enough for most purposes.
There is more to a good power train than plenty of power, of course. On a bike built for traveling, fuel economy can be as important as power, or even more so out on some of the empty roads out here in the west where you can go over 100 miles between gas stations. All of these bikes want premium fuel, but the Harley gets the most miles out of each gallon and can go 200 miles or more between fill-ups. The Kawasaki, on the other hand, often made its rider nervous by 130 miles as he contemplated that unblinking low-fuel light.
These bikes do a pretty good job of delivering power with a minimum of drama. With fuel injection all around, they start from cold and idle readily without choke adjustments or careful throttle manipulation. They carburet evenly at all altitudes and don't get cranky when hot. Throttle response is linear all around. The three big V-twins have more flywheel effect than the BMW, which is good or bad depending on the preferences of the rider. More flywheel effect means you need to match engine speed more carefully during shifts, but it makes it easier to get off the line too and helps the engine chug along at minimal rpm without lugging or lurching.
The BMW's tall first gear requires better clutch mastery when you are trying to get away from a stop in a hurry, and its clutch engages slightly more abruptly than the others. Like the Kawasaki, the Beemer requires a lighter pull to disengage than the American bikes. All four bikes shift positively. Some riders prefer the footpeg-type single shift lever of the BMW, where others favor the heel-and-toe shifting of the bikes with floorboards. Victory has addressed the problem of loud gearboxes or its early bikes and has made a significant improvement. It's still loud, but you no longer startle pedestrians when you shift it. There is a significant amount of lash in the BMW drivetrain, which is evident if you roll on and off the throttle abruptly and it lurches as that play is taken up. Finding neutral is easy enough on all of these machines, but especially so with the Kawasaki, which automatically stops in neutral when you upshift from first at a stop.
Handle This
One of the challenges with such big bikes, especially once you get them loaded up, is getting them to stop and change direction. Once again, there are no big disappointments in this group, although the Nomad's brakes are just slightly off the power levels of the others. The V92C seemed to require the most pressure to get to max stopping. Riders with small hands complained that it was tough to get a firm grip on the front brake lever. Everyone remarked that the Victory's rear brake lever was slightly awkward to cover and apply. The weight of the V92C (771 pounds wet) was also apparent in hard stops.
The BMW had strong controllable brakes. But what really stands out here is the BMW's anti-lock braking, which becomes a lot more than a cool gimmick when you have to panic-stop on a sandy, wet or greasy surface. Even on a road with great traction, ABS can make a life-saving difference when a car pulls out too close to avoid hitting. On other bikes even an expert rider will probably over-brake, lock up the front wheel, and crash, thereby assuring that he hits the car. With anti-lock, you are more likely to remain on your wheels, continue braking right until impact and thereby collide at a lower speed. In addition, staying upright means that you might fly over a hood or low roof instead of sliding into the door. Another benefit of ABS is that it allows you to practice maximum-performance braking without the risk of locking up and falling. If you brake too hard, the ABS cycles.
The BMW has another braking benefit in its Telelever front suspension design, which reduces dive under braking. This means greater stability and also reduces the force with which a passenger is thrown against the rider, both of which are significant issues in a panic stop.
These four bikes are more like real cruisers than more lavishly equipped touring models such as the Harley Electra Glide and Yamaha Venture, but they lack those bikes' trunks and audio systems. Some of us find that the road makes its own music.
What is most surprising about these bikes is how nimble and responsive they actually are. The lightweight BMW (608 pounds wet) turns with the most immediacy of this group, but both the Nomad 776 pounds) and Road King (763 pounds) respond to steering as if they were smaller, lighter motorcycles. The V92C feels more like a bike of its size and weight might be expected to. It is the slowest to change direction and generally feels just a bit more reluctant to turn. At low speeds, it weight is also more evident than the others, especially when lifting it off the sidestand, which leans it over farther than any of the other three. Its length and slow steering suggest that it should be very stable, but the V92TC wallows a bit in fast corners with gentle pavement irregularities, and its harsh front-end made it a bit tentative in turns with stutter bumps or sharp-edged irregularities. The Kawasaki was the most stable under a wide range of conditions, though when heavily loaded it will wallow just a bit when cornering fast. The BMW got a bit loose in fast corners occasionally, but not enough to upset anybody. We were startled at how unsettled the Harley was in slow corners with small, sharp bumps. Past Road Kings haven't become such uneasy riders in these sections, so we attribute this to the new rear shock settings, which we otherwise thought were an improvement.
If you like to lean way over, the Victory permits the greatest change of attitude before something begins to drag. The BMW matches it in right-handers, but has the least clearance in left-handers, when the sidestand starts scratching loudly with little lean. The Harley leans slightly deeper than the Nomad before dragging its floorboards.
We had no real complaints about straight-line stability on any of the baggers. The BMW wiggled in rain grooves, most likely due to its tires, but none of the others had troubles with rain grooves, side winds or tracking in a straight line.
Sweat the Small Stuff
We found a variety of small details to comment about on these bikes. Everyone talks about the instruments, of course. All those functions in the Victory's LCD window always get a thumbs-up, and occasionally help the miles go by on a long ride. However, more than one rider felt that the window was too small and the display hard to read. This is likely to be an issue especially for older riders. The most vital features of the LCD are the clock, an essential item if you use the bike for commuting, and the fuel gauge, both of which you also get with the Nomad. However, the Victory is the only bike here with a tachometer, which we appreciated on the V92C and missed the most on the BMW, which needs accurate shifting. The Harley speedometer was the most accurate--within one mph at 50--while the BMW's was the most optimistic, about 4 mph off at that speed. The BMW and Victory instruments are up where they are easiest to take it at a glance and where the warning lights are most likely to catch your eye before it's too late.
Our list of annoying minor stuff is topped by the BMW's turn signal switch system. We fail to understand why BMW needs three buttons to do what most others accomplish with one switch and Harley does with a slightly more reasonable two buttons. Harley's unwillingness to supply even a simple toolkit oozes skinflintedness. The BMW's combined ignition and fork lock is convenient, both for the rider and the thief who only has to slide-hammer a single point, as opposed to two separate locks on the other three. The Kawasaki ignition lock, under the left front of the tank, is the least convenient. We like the Harley tank-top location and the dashboard positioning of the BMW's ignition lock. We also like the Harley's design that enables you to remove the key once the ignition is unlocked.
Being lazy, we prefer cast wheels for their easy cleaning, but if you have to have wire wheels, they should be like the BMW's, which offer the security of tubeless tires. Tube-type tires such as on the V92TC tend to blowout when punctured, which can get way too exciting for our tastes. We appreciate that the Harley's oil can be checked on the sidestand; using a sight window to check oil on a bike that only has a sidestand but must be held upright for the check is just asking for trouble. Harley's sidestand itself also deserves some praise, because it won't retract and dump the bike if the bike gets pushed forward while leaning on it. We like spotlights for their style and their ability to help traffic judge your distance, especially at night. Having running lights in the front turn signals is a close second-best way to get some of the same benefits, but the BMW doesn't even offer them.
In terms of appearance. several items got repeated compliments, including the shapes of the Nomad's bags, the rear turn signals inset in the saddlebag lids in the V92TC, and the blacked-out studs on the Road King's saddle. The interesting, elegant use of textures on the BMW's metal parts also impressed many. The same compliment was paid to the Nomad to a lesser degree. Many riders were impressed at how much Victory has improved its finishes, especially on the engine, and the brighter colors also drew kudos. However, the Kawasaki's elegant black-and-red paint scheme and tasteful ivory of the BMW were the top-rated paint schemes. There are also some ugly touches, like the excessive stickers plastered all over the Nomad. The messy "KLEEN" sticker now blemishing the side covers joins eye-catching warning stickers on the bags and fuel tank as immediate targets of a hair dryer or heat gun the moment we got one home. "That saddlebag guard must be really important," said one wag of the Nomad, "because it says so twice." The "1500" sticker on the Nomad chrome airbox cover would also be peeled away if it was ours. We also wish that Kawasaki did a better job of routing the wiring around the engine, especially on the right front down tube. Victory also has some eye-catching wiring issues, especially around the handlebar. Some of the crude-looking fasteners on the Road King also seem out of place on a motorcycle priced at this level. The BMW is generally blemish-free.
We didn't find any quality-control issues on the Kawasaki, but the BMW shed its left grip when the set screw that retains it backed out. The Montana has a nice tool kit, but there was no allen wrench in the required size to reinstall the grip. The most glaring QC problem on the four bikes was the Harley's right muffler, which blued large sections along its front half. We are told that the mufflers were revised this year, and this may be a teething problem. It would certainly be a warranty issue. The loose saddlebag lid on the Victory should likewise be adjusted or replaced under warranty in our view. The V92C also had a blue section on a header pipe under the engine, but we wouldn't expect Victory to remedy this under warranty. We believe that it is simply inherent in the design and is not nearly as obtrusive as the Harley's muffler bluing. The rusted fasteners on the V92TC's windshield are also a gray area.
No Wrong Choice
If you already have your heart set on one of these baggers, we didnt find anything in our travels to make us warn you off any one of them. Go buy the one that scratches your itch. However, if you are reading this test to help you make a choice, we are happy to do that too.
Overall, our last choice is the Victory V92TC, but it might top our list if most of traveling was going to be done with a passenger, if we couldn't bear the sound of metal dragging in corners or we just liked that extra power. The things that dragged it down were mostly minor, and some, like the dangerously tall windshield, the hard seat, and loose saddlebag lid could be easily remedied. Smoothing out the front end's compliance would be harder, but probably no harder than getting one of the other 1500s up its power level. No one here would bat an eye (though we might take a hacksaw to the windshield) if assigned to ride a V92TC across the country tomorrow.
Our top choice, and that of all but one of the riders who put down miles on all four, is the Kawasaki Nomad FI. We suspect that its somewhat limited range or the fact that it makes less power than the others will eliminate it from some shopping lists. However, all who rode it for any distance exclaimed at its comfort. It is also one of those bikes that feels immediately familiar and right to almost everyone who climbs on it and rides. The Nomad's ability to comfortably run up a lot of miles is complimented by commodious luggage. And its 2002 paint scheme enhances what are arguably the prettiest lines of all the baggers. And there is the matter of price. Even the rider who picked the Road King as his favorite said he would never actually buy one when confronted with a Nomad for over $3000 less. The Kawasaki is unquestionably the bagger for bargain hunters.
Falling into the rather tight space between the Kawasaki and the Victory are the BMW Montana and the Harley Road King. These two are probably the ones mostly likely to be chosen emotionally. The BMW should whet the appetites of buyers who eat to a different beat, but won't get a second thought from those who order what everyone else gets. But we think many of its differences are real assets. Anti-lock brakes top the list, but the front suspension is worthwhile as well. Combined with the excellent finish, those features ably justify the highest MSRP here. It also fits shorter riders quite neatly, and half our testers picked it as their second choice. With less vibration and more luggage capacity, the Montana could have walked off with the whole thing.
For those who believe that the only votes that count are those that are cast with your wallet, the Harley Road King is the winner. It sells more than all the rest of these bikes put together, and it is literally the prototype bagger. Besides any attraction of the Harley nameplate, it can claim functional advantages like the quick-detach windshield, commendable range, and a huge accessory selection from all quarters. It isn't the best in any other general category, but it wasn't the worst either. We are always pleased when one shows up in our test fleet.
So, in the end, we may have done nothing more for readers than confirm their existing preferences, but we got to spend several days and many miles reacquainting ourselves with one of our favorite classes in cruising. Even when had to come into the office, we always had a great way to carry our briefcases.
Additional motorcycle road tests and comparisons are available at the Road Tests section of MotorcycleCruiser.com.