Touring Cruiser Motorcycles Compared: Harley Road King, Honda Valkyrie Tourer, Kawasaki Nomad

Move 'em out

With the preliminaries out of the way, we pointed ourselves east and opened the throttles. Our first day was devoted to getting as far from L.A. as possible and getting a feel for the bikes. The day's roads were virtually all fast four-laners.

Running 100 miles between gas stops, we had time to get well acquainted with the riding positions of our traveling trio. The Harley handlebar makes all but very long-armed riders lean forward slightly, but the others keep you upright. Long-stemmed Elvidge said the Harley gave her the most leg room; she ranked it and the Nomad tops, as did other long-inseamed testers. Shorter riders voted the Valkyrie's riding position, with its pegs set rearward and its wide bar, as their favorite. Those in the five-nine to five-eleven range favored the Nomad, which brings its floorboards back enough to let you get some weight on it without cramping your legs, which felt somewhat overextended on the Harley. None of our five riders took a strong dislike to the riding positions of any of the bikes, however.

The width and shape of the Valkyrie bar made it slightly awkward for most riders when making tight turns at low speeds. The other two bikes were the rides of choice during photo sessions, when we had to stop and turn around frequently on narrow roads.

Everyone preferred the Nomad rear-brake lever position to the Harley's, which was slightly awkward to reach quickly. Because the Honda has footpegs rather than boards, its pedal is easy to cover, but even its wide pegs don't offer anything like the foot-position flexibility of floorboards. Riders with small or arthritic hands appreciate the adjustable handlebar levers on the Nomad. Just push the lever forward and turn the adjusting-cam knob with your thumb to select one of five positions. This can pay significant dividends in clutch, and especially, brake control and permits you to reposition it when you change to heavier or lighter gloves.

Another element that immediately begs notice on a traveling motorcycle is vibration. Again, all three rate well in this regard. Rubber mounts isolate the rider from all but very low-frequency vibration on the Harley. The engine shakes, but most of the rest of the bike is insulated from it except at idle. We'd say it was a smooth machine but the other two are actually smoother.Kawasaki's counterbalancer system checks vibration before it can escape the engine. There is a mild shake at low rpm that vanishes as revs pick up a little. Thus you get the exhaust beat of a big V-twin without the destructive shaking. It feels silky on the highway.Honda's opposed six is naturally smooth and doesn't shake at any speed. The design could cause a torque reaction that would make the bike lean to one side when the engine was revved, but the designers eliminated that by spinning other components, such as the alternator, in the opposite direction.

Chill 'em out

We were up before dawn the next morning to catch the early light and get in some miles. With temperatures in the 30s overnight, the engines had to start from stone cold. It was no problem for the Valkyrie, which awakened immediately with nothing more than application of its handlebar-mounted choke lever. The V-twins were groggier. Both were reluctant to run initially; we had to play with the choke knobs and throttles for a few minutes before they would continue to run well enough to pull away. Once warm, the Nomad ran smoothly, but the Road King continued to surge and hesitate, particularly at low to moderate speeds, as long as the air was cold. This problem persisted even at higher (up to 4000 feet) altitudes. If we were buying a Road King and planned to use it in cold weather, the fuel injection (available only on the Classic version) would be mighty attractive.

Our morning ride led us along almost deserted two-lane roads, and we took the opportunity to compare the bikes' acceleration from highway speeds. With the most displacement and the most cylinders, the Valkyrie was the clear and unsurprising winner in any performance contest. It doesn't need much room between oncoming vehicles to zip past a truck. Whether we went through the gears or simply rolled open the throttles in top gear, the Valkyrie immediately showed the other two its taillight, which shortly thereafter disappeared from sight. We expected the Road King to pull smartly away from the Nomad, but the difference turned out to be relatively minor with the Harley just easing away. If a significantly heavier rider was on the Road King, its top-gear acceleration advantage was insignificant.

The Nomad and Valkyrie give slightly smoother throttle response than the Harley, which is noticeable most at in-town speeds. The Road King scores some points for its stirring exhaust sound, although the Valkyrie's quick-revving growl also raises some pulse rates. The Nomad sounds much like the Harley just a bit more muted. The rapid-fire cadence of the Honda makes some riders reach for a sixth gear on the highway because the engine sounds busy. Although it isn't spinning particularly quickly, the engine gives that impression.

Fill 'em up

On these remote roads, fuel mileage became an issue. With few gas stations to start with and some of them closing in the face of the EPA's requirement to replace their underground tanks, riders of some of the bikes were looking mighty nervous by the time we found a functioning fuel facility. Not the Harley rider, however. With five gallons in the tank and typical highway fuel consumption of 40 mpg, the Harley never needed reserve. The Honda, with 5.3 gallons at 34 mpg on the highway was second best, while the Nomad, with 4.8 gallons, consumed at the rate of 35 mpg, was the first (aside from the A.C.E.) to switch to reserve, usually before it had gone 120 miles since the last fill-up.

Since we often weren't sure how far we had to go to get to the next gas station, we made a point of getting the tanks as full as possible. This turned up some other issues. If you quit pumping gas into the Valkyrie the first time gas rises into the filler neck, you are short-changing yourself. If you are patient and take another minute or so to pump in small amounts and let them settle, the tank will take another three-quarters of a gallon. The Nomad filled right up smoothly, but carries a warning to avoid filling past the baffle plate in the neck. Doing so may flood the evaporative canister and make the engine quit. In our zeal to get all possible gas on board, we did overfill it a few times without any untoward consequences but we have seen it happen. In fact, that scenario or something like it plagued the Road King. Although it carries no warning, if filled even up to the plate in neck, the Road King would repeatedly die when it got back underway. Combined with the cold-weather missing, this affliction confounded us at first, but we eventually learned to leave a little air space in there or dump out a bit of fuel if the engine quit.

With those long legs between gas stations, we also got to know the saddles. Everybody rated the Nomad or Valkyrie the best place to plant yourself for a long ride, with the other second. Both bikes' saddles are flat, roomy, and endowed with enough padding of the proper density. Both also rise behind the rider for some additional support. The Harley seat, though not too bad, was unanimously scored last. Its slightly crowned shape was part of it, but the padding is also a bit too soft.

We didn't take passengers along on the trip, but those that we introduced to all three bikes in town preferred the Valkyrie for its backrest and generous saddle. The Nomad was second, winning points for its floorboards and saddle comfort. Passengers also rated the Harley saddle last because it was narrow, lacked a backrest and got uncomfortable quickly.

Show 'em off

On our third morning we saddled up and rode into Tombstone, which was a popular destination for cruisers that day. Several other Valkyries and A.C.E.s had moseyed into town and there were a couple of Harleys at the hitching post. But after we rode into town, folks were all hankering for a look at the Nomad. A few folks reckoned that it was the purtiest store-bought bike to ever roll past Boot Hill.

No doubt about it, the Nomad is set to stun. The big engine on the Valkyrie sometimes gets attention first, and there are still people who can't see farther than a Harley-Davidson logo. But when people stop and give each bike a long look, the Kawasaki gets the longest, most admiring looks from the most people. Everything works visually. The lines and proportions strike the right note. The details have been carefully attended to. Just look at the windshields of all three bikes. The Nomad brackets and supports are graceful, fully chromed and polished front and rear, with a Vulcan logo adorning the front. The back of the Valkyrie hardware -- the part the rider has to look at all day -- is not polished. Or consider fasteners. Kawasaki's wear chrome or covers. Many of Harley's nuts and bolts look like they belong on farm equipment. That wrinkle-finish paint is also getting old. People are rightfully surprised when you tell them that the Nomad is the least expensive of the threesome. Sure, both of the other bikes have nicely executed components -- the headlight nacelle treatments of both, though different, were frequently cited, the studded, embossed Harley saddle, the tapered mufflers of the Valkyrie -- but the overall levels of finish and design were generally considered tops on the Nomad.

Parking them and lining them up also invites comparisons of detail features. The fork-top instruments of the Valkyrie, though not as stylish as the others, ride close to your line of sight as do the warning lights in the headlight shell. We also like having a tachometer, which neither of the others offers. The tank-top speedos of the Harley and Kawasaki suit the style, but an illuminated warning light will probably escape your notice until you look at the speedometer, which involves taking your eyes off the road. Tank-top speedos also use space that would otherwise hold fuel. At least the Harley and Kawasaki speedos aren't as far rearward on the tank as Yamaha's speedos on the big Stars. Both bikes also give you a fuel gauge, which the Honda lacks.

You get self-canceling turn signals on both the Kawasaki and Harley. The H-D signal system also doubles as a four-way flasher; just push both buttons at once. We still prefer single-switch signal operation though. The Road King's ignition switch design and placement gets our vote in that department. Located just behind the speedometer atop the tank, it can be unlocked and the key removed, or you can turn it on and lock it so that it automatically locks when shut off. A hinged cover snaps over it to keep out dust and water. Honda's ignition switch location, just under the right rear corner of the tank, was our second choice, with the Nomad's, up under the left side of the steering head, last. Honda's handlebar lever choke operation is more convenient than the knobs on the other two. Harley's knob, in the middle of the engine's V, is more accessible than the Nomad's, which is just under the ignition switch on left. All three have separate fork locks.

Kawasaki's helmet locks, mounted on the saddlebag guard rails, were more convenient than the Valkyrie system, which uses a loop of braided steel cable that attaches to a hook under the seat, which must be unlocked to lock or unlock a helmet. However, with a longer cable, you can also lock a jacket to the bike too. The Road King has no helmet lock. It also lacks even the modest tool kits of the other two. This bit of stinginess by Harley is unfortunate because it is the bike most likely to benefit from a tool kit. None of the bikes' horns are worth much. The shape of Nomad mirrors (taller on the outer edges) prompted enthusiastic remarks from more than one rider.

The Road King is the only one with front and rear crash bars, which aren't likely to offer any actual protection in a real crash but might save a few pieces in a parking lot tip-over. Our Road King was also fitted with the optional wire-laced wheels in place of the standard cast hoops. We would avoid wire wheels on a touring bike because they require tube-type tires, which are more prone to blow out when punctured and are must more difficult to repair on the road than tubeless tires (which both the other bikes use). The Harley also has standard whitewall tires.