Harley-Davidson, Victory - Bikes Tested

Harley-Davidson Road King Custom MSRP: $16,400 Caretaker: Kay Measurements: 5'4" / 29" inseam Odometer: 6469 Miles to Date: 472

As the new associate editor at Motorcycle Cruiser, I had to show gumption right out of the gate on my choice of a long-term bike. Tech editor Zimmerman had plucked a tourer, and editor Cherney went for a street rod; hence, my 2007 Harley-Davidson Road King Custom. H-D calls it a tourer, but the styling screams "boulevard blaster" with clean fenders, a chrome wind deflector and a lowered seat and rear end (compared with the standard King). New for 2007 is the Twin Cam 96 (1584cc) air-cooled, rubber-mounted 45-degree V-twin engine. Torque and power are bumped up over last year's Twin Cam 88, with a new transmission re-geared for the larger engine, and a sixth overdrive gear added.

So what could be cooler than tooling around on a bright-yellow Road King Custom? Not much, if you have a decent handlebar. The King's "beach bar" bend should be banished; it puts my wrists in an unnatural, uncomfortable position and detracts from an otherwise very enjoyable motorcycle. Steering is remarkably light once rolling, and the new engine moves regardless of which of the broadly spaced gears you're in, with overdrive best coming into play once you hit 65.

But speed is beside the point on this cruiser. The Custom is all about style and comfort (handlebar notwithstanding). The seat is fantastic at cushioning, though it could be taller at the rear-I keep nearly sliding off on hard starts! The forward-set foot controls and floorboards best fit riders in the 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-3 range. For us inseam-challenged types, the rear foot brake pedal is a bit of a reach. Also, a wider toe-shifter pedal would be nice, as well as a longer foot tab on the sidestand.

The pearl-yellow sheen of our test bike is gorgeous, and the special chrome tank console is a beautiful piece of work too. The leather-covered hard saddlebags are nice, but they'd be even more useful if they locked.

I hope to cover many more miles, especially after ditching the beach bar.

Victory Kingpin Tour MSRP: $16,999 Caretaker: Zimmerman Measurements: 5'10" / 32" inseam Odometer: 1392 Miles to Date: 150

Between the vagaries of magazine scheduling and uncooperative weather, there's not a whole lot to tell you about my new long-term Victory Kingpin Tour. The short story is that the bike didn't arrive here in Connecticut until about two days before a storm system blew in with a vengeance. Since the prospect of wrestling a large motorcycle over wet, slimy roads is less than appealing, discretion overcame valor, and the Kingpin, for the most part, has stayed put. Fortunately, I did manage to get in a couple of short rides, where I found there's an awful lot to like about the Silver Streak and not much to whine about. Since the technical 411 was covered in the April issue, and since my current opinions of the KPT jibe with Cherney's, there's not much point in rehashing things just yet. For what it's worth, though, I found out that the Kingpin starts and runs just fine in 20-degree temperatures (a point I think our L.A.-based editor overlooked in his write-up).

If you can't ride, you can prepare, so I've come up with some big plans for the King. The most ambitious one is to experiment with a DOT-legal aftermarket pipe from Hacker, along with a tuning package from Lloydz Motor Workz, the acknowledged experts when it comes to hot rod Victorys. Hopefully, we'll be able to realize some serious horsepower-not that this baby needs a lot more-while remaining within both the spirit and the letter of the law.