Big Baggers: 2008 Honda VTX1800T

Every group of bikes has one all-rounder that generates few complaints, irritates least and earns the sober respect of our test riders for its thorough engineering and general competence in all things. And in this group that bike was the Honda.

Its big, uncannily smooth, three-valve 1795cc V-Twin—with 101.8 peak ft.-lb. of torque on tap at 3250 rpm—proved both docile around town and effortlessly quick on the highway, with spot-on fuel-injection and multiple driveline dampers to calm the savage thumping beast. With strong, linear acceleration from all engine speeds, it posted the third-quickest quarter-mile times, topped only slightly by the Suzuki and Kawasaki. It even outran the 2.3-liter Triumph in 0–60, quarter-mile and top-speed testing.

In typical Honda fashion, brakes, clutch and shifter were all refined to the point of invisibility, and wind flow over the large windshield produced only a moderate amount of buffeting. (At one of our gas stops, Don Canet climbed off the somewhat windy Star and said, "The bike with the least buffeting wins this comparison!")

The Honda's seat was also...not too bad. Not great, but not too bad. All the cruiser-style bikes in this comparison suffer from one basic problem: Their big, cushy catcher's mitt seats don't allow you to move around. Your feet are far forward, your knees are splayed and all your weight is right on your tailbone. You are stuck in what photographer Jeff Allen called a "butt-numbing cavern" for the duration. The only relief is to stop for Gatorade. And maybe a Butterfinger, and one of those purple Sno-Cones...anything to stand up for a few more minutes.

But the Honda's seat is not the worst, and the handlebars, floorboards and seat height struck a happy medium for most of our crew.Handling was also a plus for the big Honda. Straight-line stability was perhaps the best and most planted of all eight bikes, and it stayed on course, as Paul Dean remarked, "as though steered by some sophisticated guidance device." A good platform for scenery-gazing, in other words. This stability made turn-in just a bit heavy, but the bike took a set in corners and reacted to bumps and pavement waves with minimal upset for such a large, heavy machine. Suspension compliance was good, and the Honda hid its weight well.

Several of our group picked the Honda as the best overall, or as the bike they would be most likely to jump on for a transcontinental odyssey. Others found it just a bit too refined and blandly competent to be entertaining over that distance.