ART FRIEDMAN
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 210 lb.
Inseam: 32 in.
Yup, after all these years, the V-Max is still the best answer when somebody asks. "What's the fastest cruiser?" But it is certainly showing its age. Instead of trying to turn a air-cooled V-twin sow's ear into a high-speed silk purse, as was done with the Road Star turned Warrior, I wish that Yamaha had devoted the same sort of effort and talent into making the V-Max the modern Max.
About the Warrior: every time I look at it, I like it more, and every time I ride it, I like it less. I just cannot get that motorcycle to track around a corner the way I want it to. Lovely sound, but the fury is lacking. That's true of the Mean Streak as well. Nice bike, but a bit wimpy for this crowd. As for the V-Rod, the engine is great and it's nice and light. I just don't find anything else about the bike that appeals to me besides the finish. The lines of the VTX-C appeal to me, but with the biggest engine here it should come out swinging a bit harder. Honda needs to take a lesson from Harley and Yamaha and get the lead out. Knock off 150 pounds or so and this thing could feed the power-hungry. Now it's just a big bike that can't quite live up to its attitude.
Honda's Valkyrie is also a big bike, but somebody forgot to tell it. It zings through corners like a much smaller bike and launches you from a stop with all the authority of six 250cc cylinders. Any visual display of aggression emanates from the engine, but don't be fooled by its somewhat porky lines, the F6 is no road hawg. This bike does so much so well that it seems to rise to the top no matter what the contest.
The littlest bike here, the Magna is just the opposite of the VTX. It looks like the underdog, but bites hard when goaded. You have to spin it to get that performance, but I like a bike that takes some skill to extract all its performance. Because it's relatively small and light, it is the handiest of these seven. Like the V-Max and Valkyrie, the Magna would benefit from some modernization.
But dated or not, those three are my favorites. Picking one would depend on what other duties I had in mind. Traveling would point me toward the always-versatile Valkyrie. Straightforward street fighting would make the V-Max my choice. And if curvaceous roads were a major part of my plans or money was a sticking point, the Magna would be my choice. --Art Friedman
JAMIE ELVIDGE
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 135 lb.
Inseam: 34 in.
Enjoying a ride is much a state of mind as it is a physical occurrence. And although it is a combination, it can be more of one or the other at any given time. For example, when I'm on a journey, a weekend tour or even my long (seven-hour) commute home I find the peacefulness of the motion the best part. When I'm riding around town, out testing in the mountains or chasing my favorite roads on Sunday it's the visceral element of motorcycling that warms me up. You'd think being on a bike with good power would be more of a priority in the latter circumstance--the one where the effects of gravity and velocity play key roles. Yeah, but I also want a ton of power when the bike's taking me to Oklahoma on the Interstate. Actually, I want a ton of power when the bike's sitting in the garage.
So, what the hell am I getting at? Jamie's same old bottom line, I suppose. The bike should do more than one thing well (unless I get to own as many bikes as I want). I dig all of these power cruisers. They're all tremendously sexy, bold and fun to ride and almost all of them can be found the list of my top ten favorite cruisers. But if I had to choose one as my long-term ride, it would have to be both wickedly fast and incredibly comfortable. That would be the Valkyrie, of course. Each time I sit in the saddle I feel like I'm a hooligan, er, home again. --Jamie Elvidge
ANDREW CHERNEY
Height: 5 ft. 7 in.
Weight: 149 lb.
Inseam: 31 in.
It's heartening to see that even with all the supposed progress we've been subjected to in the 21st century, pure muscle can stir your adrenaline like nothing else. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the doddering old V-Max can still turn me on, or that the Valkyrie delivers boost at least on par with all these newcomers. With the exception of the V-Rod's awesome motor, and occasionally the Warrior's killer chassis, I'd take the old over the new in any streetfight (except for the Magna, that is--it seems to not have aged quite as gracefully). The Mean Streak, while comfortable, is just underpowered, and the VTX is akin to sending an aircraft carrier when a battleship would do. Don't get me wrong, I like the new breed pretty well; I just think they could stand a few more improvements on the originals. --Andy Cherney
SCORECARD
Cherney/Evidge/Friedman
V-Rod: 4.0 / 3.0 / 2.5
Magna: 2.0 / 4.0 / 4.0
Valkyrie: 3.5 / 4.5 / 4.5
VTX1800C: 3.0: / 4.0 / 3.0
Mean Streak: 3.0 / 4.0 / 3.5
V-Max: 3.0 / 4.0 / 4.0
Warrior: 3.0 / 3.0 / 3.0