Harley-Davidson Street Glide vs. Victory Cross Country vs. Star Stratoliner Deluxe - Comparison Test

It’s a marriage made in heaven—or, actually, in a boardroom somewhere, under the flickering fluorescent lights of a product-planning meeting. But no matter how it happens, mating a solid, stable, big-inch V-Twin with a few select pieces of touring gear—a set of hard saddlebags, floorboards rather than footpegs and a handlebar-mounted half-fairing fitted with some form of audio entertainment—can produce a fun and effective over-the-road traveler. Such bikes, commonly called “baggers,” aren’t intended for the getting-away-from-it-all-by-taking-it-all-with-you crowd that craves full-dress, big-rig tourers; but for a weekend two-up outing, a week-long solo journey or even daily commutes, baggers are useful, laid-back, versatile rides.

Though the three you see here follow that basic formula, each goes about it in a different way. Harley-Davidson’s FLHX Street Glide is built on the company’s FL touring platform that was completely redesigned last year, while the new-for-2010 Star Stratoliner Deluxe is based entirely on Yamaha’s aluminum-chassised Stratoliner/Roadliner cruisers. Victory’s new bagger is a hybrid, built on an aluminum-framed cruiser platform designed just for this Cross Country and its sister model, the Cross Roads.

Despite their origins, these three often are more alike than different. All have air-cooled, fuel-injected V-Twin engines, the smallest being the Harley’s 1584cc, 45-degree pushrod motor. The biggest, the Star’s 1854cc, 48-degree Vee, also uses pushrods but breathes through four valves per cylinder. Slotting in between is the Victory’s 1731cc, sohc, four-valve, 50-degree V-Twin.

“Glide” is an appropriate name for the FLHX, which rolls down the highway smoothly, quietly, almost effortlessly. Clever saddlebag hinge system prevents the lids from ever accidentally popping open, even if inadvertently left unlatched.

To no one’s surprise, the largest engine has the most stonk. As seen in the accompanying specs, the Star not only bangs out the most horsepower and torque, it spanks the others in every form of acceleration. The Victory has almost as much peak hp and only 11 fewer ft.-lb., but the Yamaha’s torque apexes way down at 2200 rpm and remains above 100 ft.-lb. from 1600 to 4400 rpm; the Cross Country’s torque barely nudges 100 ft.-lb. and only does so between 4200 and 4400. The Harley, with its cubic-inch deficit, never gets close to those numbers.

Out on the road, those numerical discrepancies shrink in significance. All three bikes pull away from a dead stop smartly, cruise effortlessly and climb grades without struggles, even with their spacious hard saddlebags stuffed full. Making quick passes with the six-speed H-D does require a downshift or two more often, and even the bigger-motored Victory must sometimes be clicked down from its overdrive sixth in those situations. The five-speed Star uses its wide, fat torque curve to zip quickly around slower traffic with just a twist of the throttle.

In engine character, as well, the Yamaha rules. From the deep, soulful boom of its exhaust to the ever-present throb of its power pulses channeled through the grips and seat, the Star’s engine is the epitome of a big, narrow-angle V-Twin. That contrasts with the Street Glide’s engine, which is delightfully smooth but so muted that it’s sometimes hard to believe you’re riding one of the V-Twins that made Milwaukee famous. Splitting the difference is the Victory, which hammers like a big V-Twin, but with a comparatively flat, featureless exhaust note.

At cruising speeds, the Harley is arguably the smoothest, the result of its rubber engine mounting. The other baggers have solid-mounted, counterbalanced engines that buzz just a skosh when thrumming along at road speeds. The H-D and Star shift more smoothly and quietly than the Victory, which also emits a lot of gear noise in all six speeds except for its direct-drive fifth.

While perusing the specifications, you probably noticed that these are very big, long, heavy motorcycles. The Star is only about a gallon of gas short of 800 pounds, with a wheelbase that practically puts it in the chopper class. The Victory is 21 pounds lighter and an inch-and-a-half shorter, the H-D 23 pounds lighter and some three inches less long. When you’re pushing them around the garage, chugging through a parking lot or making a tight U-turn, the Victory and Yamaha feel huge and ponderous, while the Harley seems small and agile by comparison. Even though it’s not that much lighter than the others, the Street Glide belies its mass by being far more compact and having a lower center of gravity.

Though mostly an original design, the swoopy Cross Country was clearly influenced by the Vision, Victory’s big-rig touring model. Instead of being just chromed tubes, the contoured “crash bars” are the most stylish ever seen.

Despite their weight, the H-D and Victory have a generous load capacity. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for both is 1360 lb., which leaves a full-tank Harley (807 lb.) with 553 lb. of carrying capacity and the topped-up Victory (809 lb.) able to handle 551 lb. of cargo. The Star, though, the heaviest of the trio at 821 lb. full of unleaded, only has a 1213-lb. GVWR, allowing it just 392 lb. for rider, passenger and loaded bags. You do the math.

Once you’re out on the road and moving along with traffic, all three hide their weight deceptively well. They’re stable enough in a straight line not to stray off course even when the operator is gawking at the scenery, yet they’re willing to change direction without undue pressure on the grips. Even when pushed hard on twisty backroads, they comport themselves admirably. The Victory and Harley have exceptional cornering clearance for bikes of this genre, with the Yamaha several degrees of lean behind.

It was in comfort, convenience and entertainment where these baggers began to distinguish themselves from one another—and where the Victory muddied the waters. Our Cross Country arrived loaded with more than $4500 worth of options, including a heated, thicker seat, heated grips, a taller windscreen, fork-mounted wind deflectors, nylon wind-blockers on the engine guards, a passenger backrest with luggage rack, a Garmin GPS receiver and more—none of which we requested. To make our test of showroom-stock baggers as fair as possible, we reinstalled the OE windscreen, removed the wind deflectors and blockers, and ignored the effects of the GPS and heated grips; we had to retain the accessory seat, though, because we had no stock replacement.

So, while the Victory as tested had the best ride, we had to discount that result to a certain extent because of the non-stock seat. The Street Glide was the second-most comfy, despite having just 2 inches of rear-wheel travel. And though the Star had ride qualities almost rivaling those of the Victory, it ranked third in comfort for causing its riders to squirm around on the seat sooner than on the others. The Victory’s wind protection was equal to that of the H-D, though the buffeting at higher speeds was considerable on all three, especially the Yamaha. The short windscreens on these bikes may be stylish, but all three would benefit greatly from taller shields.

Ergonomically, these baggers all prop the rider bolt-upright, knees bent at less than 90 degrees. Their handlebars range from the H-D’s rather conventional and natural shape to unnecessarily wide bends on the Star and Victory that force short-armed riders into a spread-eagle position.

The Stratoliner has the most inspirational, satisfying engine of the trio, with big-time torque and impressive acceleration backing up its sweet-sounding exhaust and visceral feel. Despite its considerable mass, the Deluxe handles and maneuvers with remarkable agility.

In the entertainment department, the Star again comes up short. The H-D and Victory both have excellent sound systems (AM/FM stereo, plus a CD player on the Street Glide), but not the Yamaha. Its fairing is fitted with speakers, but a plug and a mount for an iPod (not included) are the only concessions to on-the-road musical diversion. Plus, the ignition lock is located on top of the headlight nacelle deep inside the fairing, forcing you to fish around blindly in a dark, narrow hole just to insert the key.

Even the Deluxe’s large saddlebags drew complaints. They’re slightly less capacious than the Victory’s bags though a bit bigger than the Harley’s, but the lids are so flimsy that they leak water and dust—not a problem on the other bikes.

This is just one of several reasons the Stratoliner Deluxe finishes last here. Its thunderous engine is inspiring and its brakes are brick-wall stoppers; but the elements that transform it from a cruiser into a bagger seem cheap and incomplete, more like a home-grown adaptation than an integrated, purpose-built production model.

Not so the Victory, which was designed as a bagger from the get-go. But did it have to be so large, so long, so top-heavy? It’s a very nice, very capable motorcycle, but its enormity, clunky gearbox and sub-par brakes relegated it to second place. Even when we temporarily ignored the fact that the Victory had an aftermarket seat and gave it credit for having the best ride, no one still felt it deserved first place. Close, but no stogie.

Leaving the Street Glide as the winner. Even though weight-wise, it’s in the same ballpark as the others, you’d never guess as much when cruising it down the road. It’s the size it is because that’s the size it needs to be, no more, no less. Everything works smoothly, easily and efficiently, because they are pieces that have evolved and been proven, some of them for decades. The Street Glide isn’t just the dominant bagger here; it’s indisputable evidence that Harley-Davidson has been doing this a long, long time.