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Mainstream Choppers Shootout

74K views 473 replies 35 participants last post by  sarnali2 
#1 ·
Original Article:
Mainstream Choppers Shootout

Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article Mainstream Choppers Shootout in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.
 
#3 ·
Tho the bikes ain't my cuppa' Joe, I enjoyed the article. Enough-so, I read the entire thing (somesing I normelly do not do mit "Kruzer Artikles").
 
#5 ·
I guess whatever flips your switch is about all I can say. They're neat looking factory bikes though way too flash for me. Now let me get my nose in the air at the appropriate angle and say you don't buy a chopper you build it. Anyone can buy a bike and add or remove parts to make some kind of statement, the more rad you go the more chopped or bobbed the bike is and the more personal it is to you, you don't just f*ckin' go "buy a chopper"

Like I said, these are cool looking factory bikes but they're no more choppers than that OCC sh*t on TV
 
#10 ·
True dat! Build what you ride, don't buy it. Especially when two of them are trying too hard to look like the third one. Hopefully, this whole scene will soon be a bad memory, and the copycats can go out of business, the idiots with too much money will find another hobby, and the Japanese can go back to copying themselves full time. It's time for something new, and these ain't it.
 
#13 ·
The Yam is just to ugly to compete in this group. Yeah, yeah, better performance, less money, blah blah blah. IMO, people who are considering a $20,000 Harley are not going to even consider buying the Raider. The Victory might get a look, but I don't think performance is the motivating factor in this purchasing decision. It's styling and cool factor, and the Yam lost big in both of those categories. If you compare the Raider to H-D and Victory products with similar prices (which is more realistic anyway, since people generally shop based on how much they can afford to spend), you might end up comparing the Raider to the standard Vegas and the Harley Superglide (I would have said Softail Standard but it has been discontinued). I don't think that would have changed the results of this shootout (since the Raider won on performance), but it would have eliminated price as the primary factor.

Let's talk about looks. Why is the Raider ugly? Let me count the reasons why. First, looking at the front, why did they use a headlight with ugly mounting brackets on the sides of it? Look at any custom cruiser and they will have a headlight with less obvious mounts. Then there's the big gap between the fuel tank and the steering head. Looks like some amateur hack and reweld job was done on the frame. The fuel tank doesn't look like it was custom designed for this bike. For the next eyesore, take a look at the rear fender strut. What's up with the weird angles? I read the part about them going for the "gothic" look, but this thing is just ugly. The seat angles are nearly as bad. And the exhaust, although it does provide the angles that Yam was looking for, just doesn't flow well. That's the problem with this bike. The photo MO posted of the bike looking down on it from behind doesn't look too bad, but the flow of the bike, looking at the side view, it just looks broken. JMHO.
 
#15 ·
The Hawley looks way cool. The Vic looks like something conjured up from a wholesale thrift shop, with that screwy desk lamp headlight shell. And the Yamaha looks like, err... a Yamaha.
 
#17 ·
One thing I mentioned during the test is that all of these bikes worked way better than they should considering the geometry, etc. The front ends were a little heavy, but other than that, they rode like normal motorcycles. I was impressed with all of them.
 
#21 ·
harley looks best tho...

Happy that Yammy Co makes that motor and wins the grunt contest easily...wish to hell they would do the same in the Silly Open Class Sportbike Needless Oodles of Power Realm, pant, drool, wheez, pant.
Nice article, read it all, even watched some video to figure out what in the hallowed heck the Raider looks like, since ad photos make it look awful.
 
#22 ·
They are all nice enough bikes if you are into cruisers. The HD and Yamaha are actually better buys than the Victory if you buy new. This is because the Yamaha is much cheaper. The HD is expensive as usual, but when you factor in the resale values the HD won't depreciate as ruinously as the Yamaha or the Victory. This makes the Victory the worst of both worlds... high cost & ruinous depreciation.

That's too bad because I like the Victories a lot and they are on the top of the list of motorcycles I will likely never buy. Their quality is much better than HDs IMHO. Too bad they don't hold value.

So, if I finally give in to my wife's preferences and go for a big twin it'll likely be a used Victory. You can get 'em cheap with low miles and they aren't Japanese... critical for owning a REAL cruiser.
 
#26 ·
Sorry, dude...



...doesn't follow. Just because a vehicle isn't an investment doesn't mean you shouldn't use careful spending habits. I buy bikes because I love them. I try to consider future value because I want to have enough $ to buy more... and more... speaking of which I only have 5 now. Now that my daughter's gradyated I'll probably be looking for an addition around January when the prices are rock bottom. It'd be nice to have a new scoot for our tour to Valley of the Gods this spring.
 
#28 ·
This is what I have been boring everybody silly about

All these years I have been complaining about the lame-azz power of the HD. Everybody is like what gibberish is that idiot talking about again. Now its right there, first page: the dyno chart. Raider has 42% more torq. More torq at the idle than HD at any revs. Craploads more. End of story. Read no more.

Why it is that HD ignores the substance? What kind of MBA's are running the company for chrissakes. Sure there are lots of brand-revering idiots out there who wouldn't recognize a dyno chart even if it bit their leg - but still. 61 RWHP?

- cruiz-euro
 
#29 ·
All these years I have been complaining about the lame-azz power of the HD. Everybody is like what gibberish is that idiot talking about again. Now its right there, first page: the dyno chart. Raider has 42% more torq. More torq at the idle than HD at any revs. Craploads more. End of story. Read no more.

Why it is that HD ignores the substance? What kind of MBA's are running the company for chrissakes. Sure there are lots of brand-revering idiots out there who wouldn't recognize a dyno chart even if it bit their leg - but still. 61 RWHP?

- cruiz-euro
The kind of MBA's who are making killer profits. That's what businesses are for. They sell to their particular public.

What's this constant whining about HP? Not everybody cares that much. Different people have different needs and desires. It's called a difference of opinion. Neither one is right, just different.

Chill.
 
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