Tested 22 bikes in 4 days

May be a record for me at the annual Americade rally. Here goes...

Harley Street Glide Special: had this particular bike for 4 hours (Harley was the only one who did this) and found it to be great everywhere (as a cruiser/tourer) except for that slammed rear end. Harley takes out about 2 inches on those rear air shocks (to get a better stance I guess) and the remaining 2.5 inches of travel is simply insufficient. As their best selling bike, and considering the gear and passengers I see on these things, I can’t believe no-one seems to mind. I bottomed it out several times on my ride, with nothing in the bags and without a passenger! A major flaw on an otherwise excellent tour/cruise bike.

Harley Ultra Limited: wanted to try the twin cooled engine and the “boombox” entertainment/GPS unit. Didn’t notice any real change with the engine, felt just as hot as Harley engines usually feel (and it was a scorcher on Friday). But the boombox is the class of the industry IMO, if you’re in to that sort of thing. Bike just flat works too.

Harley Sportster 72: haven’t ridden a sporty in forever but it was fun as hell. Way more refined than before, but still a sportster. The 1200 engine needed some mods to extract any real power but the “72”, with its chopped rear, 21 inch front hoop and narrow min-apes felt like nothing else. It seemed as narrow as my mountainbike, but I had it to about 90mph on the interstate and it was rock solid. The arms and foot forward riding position wanted to blow me off the bike, but the rawness of the whole thing left me with a big smile on my face.

Harley V-Rod Muscle: had a real love hate thing. Loved the engine, real muscle with holy-shit roll on power. It has a lot less power than a modern V-Max, but somehow it feels more powerful. But it’s that floppy front end that ruins everything for me. If Harley could put this engine in something that handles, then I’m in!

Honda Valkyrie: was really looking forward to riding this, but came away disappointed. Seemed like a slower handler than the actual Gold Wing, even though it’s 150 pounds lighter. Competent of course, but not exciting. Although it looks like a muscle bike, it’s anything but (having ridden a V-Rod earlier in the day). I wished they would have hopped up the Gold Wing engine, it would have changed the bike for me. Seat was a plank too.

Honda Gold Wing: still amazing to ride, but it’s really showing its age. The huge buttons everywhere reminds me of my old tape-deck, and still with a manual screen? For 30 grand? The amazing smoothness of that engine masks the need for a 6th speed, though I’m not sure I’d ever get used to all the whining and whirring noises. Otherwise, I’m fairly certain they’ll be a future generation in my future, albeit close to retirement future.

Honda VFR800: felt smaller but very similar to the last version, which is never a bad thing. Tiny steps in evolution everywhere, but the engine does feels noticeably more linear than before. Actually, the near perfect power delivery makes the new traction control a useless feature, especially considering it still has no beans for a bike of its type. Still a very refined piece and tons of fun Looks very nice in the flesh too.

Honda CTX1300: I wasn’t expecting much considering they really neutered the ST1300 engine, but it felt great! Though they seemed to remove the little character that the ST engine had, the whole bike had this cohesive feel to it (handling, riding position, engine all well matched). It certainly got a fair amount of attention from the rally goers.

Indian Chief Vintage: made my Road King feel tiny. I could turn the Harley within the width of a parking space, but it feels like I’d need three spaces for the Indian. But even at speed I know these bikes aren’t made to turn, but this bike is just so anti-flick! They had an original Chief there that looked like it could fit in the new Chief’s saddlebag. Great torque, stable as anything on the interstate, but the engine was making all sorts of weird “nuts and bolt in a bag” noises bouncing off the screen. Some odd details, and rough finishes too. Lovely to look at though.

Indian Cheiftan: handled way better than the Chief, I think its wheelbase was about 3 inches shorter which transformed the bike. Still not as good a handler as a modern Harley tourer chassis in my opinion. But still, although a better handler than the Chief, all of the appeal in the looks department is gone with this one, to me.

Kawasaki ZX14R: the power is intoxicating – that part was expected, but the perfect fuelling and refinement isn’t. Much more comfy ergos than the ‘Busa, but still too sporty for regular daily use, for me. Not a bike that loves to change direction mid line, but that first flick is surprisingly quick and it’s stable as anything. I’d love to have one, if insurance wasn’t 4x higher than my VFR12.

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic: Great around town, real gutless on the highway. Otherwise very competent as an entry level classic cruiser. And to me it’s the right size for this type of bike, once those wheelbases grow beyond 64 inches everything seems to go to shit.

Kawasaki Concourse: always wondering how they could turn such an amazing engine from the ZX14 into something that seems so dull and uninspired. Otherwise despite several reviews to the contrary I find that it handles quite well, though I’ve always noticed some slack in the drivetrain. Real comfy too.

Kawasaki Voyager 1700: didn’t feel more powerful than my similarly sized Harley, but supposedly is. Top two speeds geared way too high. Awful sound system, though I never tested a sound system on a bike that was worthwhile. Interesting that the front fork uppers were already rusting – not a good sign. Otherwise fine for what it is.

Kawasaki 650R Ninja: was a nice surprise – tons of fun, kept up nicely in the sportbike ride that I was in. The parallel twin was fun to rev and listen to. Riding position was great. My vote for best all round bike on a budget.

Kawasaki Ninja 1000: started off as a “I love this thing” bike, with real sportbike handling with comfort. But then my throttle hand went numb from the vibes on a ride that lasted <30 minutes! And the engine seems sportbike high-strung without sportbike power. Actually sounded stressed on the highway in top gear, though it clearly wasn’t. Very different bike vs. my VFR12.

Kawasaki ZX-10R: was just wow, does everything the moment I think of it. Somehow feels much more “alive” than its competitors, while still feeling as idiot proof as most of today’s litre bikes. Think it’s time to replace my old CBR…

Victory Vision: that massive fairing flat out works, maybe the best I’ve experienced (the RT1200 was my prev. fav). Great handler too for this class of bike. But I’ve never liked the sound, look or feel of the “freedom” v-twin, which ruins it for me. Otherwise I actually dig the looks.

Yamaha FZ-09: was my favorite of the show. Like a Ducati Monster, it disappears beneath you, but has way more beans than a 696 (which it also undercuts in price). And even though it weights nearly as much as my old CBR929, it feels like its only 300 pounds. And outside of a snatchy throttle, the engine was an absolute thrill with a great sound and practically no flywheel effect. The slanted seat really pinned me against the tank though, which was its only ergonomic flaw. But especially at its price, it’s the only bike at the show that has me really considering a purchase.

Yamaha Super Tenure ES: Well, it has three suspension settings (hard, standard and soft) which could all be adjusted on the fly, but they should re-label them soft, really soft and 57 caddy. It was no surprise Yamaha didn’t have it run with the sportier bikes, instead it was lined up with the cruisers. Otherwise, lower than expected seat height (at 5’10 I could get both feet flat down) and certainly as comfy as anything. Engine was interesting too, had a nice character, more anyways than a BMW twin. Ugly as sin though, and still couldn’t see myself riding something this big over anything serious off-road.

Yamaha Bolt: a Jap Sportster that’s dynamically better in every way, but emotionally misses the mark for me. Wider than it should be too.

Suzuki Hayabusa: this was my first ride on a gen 2 and I was surprised how little it changed in feel from the ’99 I last rode. Huge metal tank that vibes quite a bit at certain rev ranges, and a riding position as uncomfortable as my CBR. Unlike Yamaha and Kawasaki, Suzuki didn’t have a separate sportbike ride so I never got the chance to pin it or really push it….which is sad really…

Can-Am Spyder RS: of course, it’s not a motorcycle, but I had real fun on it, which I wasn’t expecting. My demo unit had an Akrapovic exhaust that actually sounded really neat, esp. when
downshifting. The feeling of being pushed off the seat in corners actually forced me to not just steer, but really get into it. I’d take one of these over the increasingly popular (thanks to aging demographics) rear wheeled trikes any day.

 

Thanks for the report :thumb:
So what is your final thought? Which bike win your review?

 

Thanks! Not sure what your riding experience is but reviews from everyday riders (not moto-journalist) is always refreshing.

 

Agreed, half the fun was listening to the other riders who were also doing the demos.

Been riding over 20 years, mostly sportbikes, trackdays and the like, but started adding touring types bikes once I hit my 40's. Won't be swapping or adding to my VFR12, a DRZ400, a CBR929 and a Road King Classic - atleast in 2014.

 

I'd suggest anyone to try the FX-09 - it's so much of everything for so little. But the sportster "72" also left an impression, such a raw experience in a time when MOTORcycles are almost too refined.

 

I'm amazed that you were able to test Hondas. I've never found anyplace that has Honda demos including Daytona Bike Week. Looks like I might have to work AMERICADE into my plans for next year. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

The record is 32 bikes in two days. Unfortunately, this was stricken from the Guiness book because the rider was smoking crank and playing a ukulele at the same time.