A few bikes drew complaints about suspension quality. The ride of the Fat Boy was most likely to be dissed, because its ride was the harshest on all bumps. However, big bumps also provoked comments about the Vulcan 88, Intruder 1400 and V92C. The Drifter, which has air suspension at the rear, and the Yamaha were what most riders would pick to ride on a bumpy road.
One bike gave us a rash of problems during our travels. The Fat Boy vibrated both of its front engine mount bolts out before the bike had 1000 miles on its odometer. It also loosened a rear turn signal and shed a nut that holds a front turn signal and mirror. And this is a bike that doesn't even include a tool kit. The V92C lost a fastener in its shift linkage, requiring a temporary roadside repair. It also annoyed some riders with a whistling noise that may have been an exhaust manifold leak. We found some seepage around the FXDX primary cover. The heat shield for the Vulcan 88's left side header turned up MIA. By comparison, we put more than 4000 miles on the Drifter, without a trace of trouble and less than a quart of oil.
The Road Star allows you to exploit its comfort with the longest range of any bike here. Although all the Harleys got better fuel mileage, the Yamaha has the largest fuel tank at 5.3 gallons. Both it and the FXDX will take you more than 200 miles on a tank of gas. But if you do it in one sitting, it's likely you'll be significantly more comfortable on the Yamaha.
The Dynas shared the new twin-cam...
The Dynas shared the new twin-cam mill with the FL models in '99.
Burn-Out Boulevard
None of these big twins qualify as a musclebike, but a few of them proved to be more powerful than the rest, and one was noticeably slower. Out on the road, the Intruder 1400, thanks to its efficient six-valve engine and lower gearing, pulled away quickly from the others when we were simply grabbing a handful of throttle in top gear to pass slower traffic. Although the smaller Intruder hesitated slightly sometimes when the air was cold, it still punched past the others. Its closest competition, came from the FXDX, which confirms how potent Harley's new Twin Cam twin is. The Intruder retained a visible edge mostly because of gearing. The Vulcan 88 was close behind the FXDX.
At the dragstrip, the FXDX proved quicker than the Intruder 1400, which barely edged the Vulcan 88. The Fat Boy lived up to its name and lagged behind in most races, although it was able to best the Classic at the dragstrip -- at least on its first run. It faded quickly as it got warm, while the Classic acted as though it could run 14.7s all day, displaying the advantage of liquid cooling. The rest of the bikes were led by the Victory and all ran within two-tenths of a second.
In 1999, the Fat Boy still...
In 1999, the Fat Boy still had the old, slow, hard-shaking Evo engine.
Something worth noting here is weight definitely matters. Take two riders with a 50-pound weight differential and put the lighter rider on a slower bike and it might suddenly start beating a faster bike with the heavy rider aboard. Although the same rider rode all 10 bikes at the dragstrip, we could clearly see the difference in relative performance when we traded bikes out on the road. If your bike seems slow, a diet might be the answer.
All the bikes shifted dependably, though the Victory was the noisiest about it. We are told that tolerances have recently been tightened up and future V92s will shift more quietly. The four-speed transmission in the Vulcan 88 sounds kind of quaint, but no one complained about it. In fact, some riders didn't realize it had only four speeds.
The V92C clutch engages somewhat abruptly, though it is still better than the Suzuki 1500's, which in turn is somewhat improved compared with previous 1500 LCs we have ridden. This bike's clutch did not engage with such a nasty snap during high-rpm launches, though there is plenty of room for improvement.
As a retro model, the very...
As a retro model, the very custom FXR2 uses the Evolution engine.
The fuel-injection systems of the Drifter and Victory mean these bikes start easily hot or cold and idle immediately. The fuel injection and other changes have also improved the power and mileage of the Vulcan 1500-based engine compared with the single-carb version in the Classic, though it still doesn't match the twin-carb Vulcan 88 ancestor. Weight may be an issue here, however, since the Drifter is almost 100 pounds heavier than the Vulcan 88. The Drifter pulls harder off the bottom than the other two Vulcans, though the Road Star is the champion in this regard. Suzuki's 1400 seems to be weakest just off idle. The Victory felt flatter than our last test V92C, when the throttle was opened at low rpm.
The Long and Winding Road
With its steep steering head and generally quick steering geometry, most riders favored the FXDX when the roads turned twisty. The sporty Harley also has the most cornering clearance. However, not all felt as happy with the way the FXDX responded to steering inputs, preferring the slower response that comes with more conventional cruiser steering geometry. The Victory, Yamaha and Classic also garnered votes for best handling. Most riders rated them highly in this regard, though with their floorboards they have significantly less cornering clearance than the FXDX. The Intruder 1400 was criticized for somewhat unstable cornering manners by several riders, and the 1500 LC also lost points because of its heft. "Slushy suspension" was the complaint leveled at the Vulcan 88. However, the Fat Boy occupied the bottom positions of most riders' handling ratings.
Small riders preferred the FXDX, Intruder 1400, FXR2 and Victory when they had to manhandle them at low speeds. Those with short legs and less upper-body mass tended to be daunted by the king-size Intruder 1500, the heavy Drifter and perhaps the Road Star and Vulcan Classic.
Out on the highway, the Drifter was the most stable, thanks to its Nomad-style steering geometry with loads of trail, though the Road Star and Victory were almost as unruffled. Riders consistently rated the Road Star's brakes as the best of the bunch for power and control. Many said they were in a class by themselves. Kawasaki's Classic and Drifter got generally high marks as well, with the Victory and Suzuki 1500 close behind. The FXR2 and Fat Boy tallied uniformly low scores for their single-disc front brakes, and the Fat Boy had the most awkward rear brake pedal position. The FXDX rear brake was also a bit too sensitive for some riders. The easily adjustable handlebar levers of the Classic, Drifter and the big Intruder were welcome.