Last week we brought you CMG’s definitive, authoritative test of three randomly-chosen cruisers, in which we confessed our complete lack of comprehension as to why people like you buy these things. Following are the personal preferences of the four people involved after riding the Harley-Davidson Sportster, Honda Magna, and Suzuki Marauder.
One fine summers day it suddenly dawned on me that it would be just a dandy idea to do a road test of some of the larger cruisers (Fat Bastards as I like to call them) that have appeared on our ever tasty bike menu recently. Let’s see … we have the Honda Valkyrie, the Yamaha Royal Star and the ever present Harley Road King. Cool, that should do it.
I guess we just don’t get it. The cruiser thing, we mean. We admit that after a couple of weeks with an interesting selection of cruisers, we still haven’t more than a vague effing clue what the attraction is. Having said that, however, we’ll still be more than pleased to pass on our opinions.
Scooters, basic motorised two wheeled transportation at nearly its simplest form, are completely ignored here in capitalist Amerika, which is funny because they’re everywhere in many other congested cities around the globe.
My first impression of the Bandit 1200, shortly after I picked it up at Suzuki Canada, was just how torquey the motor is. While doing a couple laps of the parking lot to familiarise myself with the bike, the front wheel would readily jump up a couple inches with just the slightest provocation.
The Bullet pushes a meagre 24 bhp (18 for the 350), but it’s a torquey little bike with that one cylinder. The shifter is stiff and sluggish, and it’s not always evident the gear has taken until you release the clutch. I keep reminding myself it improves with use.
I think I have a new favourite BMW, even considering my aging body and the mildly sporty riding position.
When BMW offers the press a chance to ride their bikes, it’s best to take care not to get trampled in the rush.