This is a weird time for cruisers. The two hot commodities right now are baggers and mid-displacement bikes, and we've been doing lots of bagger tests lately, but it's not like we can do it every issue. So we went casting about in the middle class.

To narrow it down, we went looking for bikes we haven't tested in awhile and came up with Kawasaki's Vulcan 900 Custom. To go with that, we went looking for other skinnies...skinny front tire bikes, that is. We were hoping to get Suzuki's revamped Boulevard M50 as "the new kid," but Suzuki's 2010 bikes never materialized on this side of the Pacific. A scheduling conflict also prevented us from snagging Triumph's 865cc Speedmaster (though we included info on it at the end of this article for reference). After that, we realized that the Vulcan Custom was in a class of one, unless you drop down in dollars and displacement to Honda's Spirit. So, we di d what any drunk frat pledge would do at 2A.M...we lowered our standards. Chubby was okay, just so long as we didn't stray into obese "Classic" territory.

Our other two contestants are Star's V Star 950 and Harley-Davidson's Sportster 883 Low. The last time we saw her, the Sporty was getting hammered in our "Baby Bagger Comparison" (April '09), so we were hoping this time (with the lack of 200+ pound riders and luggage) she'd fare better. The winner of that test was none other than the V Star 950 Touring, but here, it appears in street guise. Star calls the 950 a New Classic with low-profile tires and slightly abbreviated fenders, and it splits the difference between a true classic and a muscle cruiser like the Sportster or the absent M50.

Despite not swinging the same sort of lead as a true "Classic", the 950 is still the heaviest in this test, although onwly by a pound or two. She is definitely more chunky than fat, with sleek lines and a low, stretched look. Like other, less-svelte classics, the V Star 950 has floorboards (complete with heel-toe shifter) and wide beach bars. The Star also brings a very finished look, with a painted headlight shell that matches the sheet metal (yes, it's actual metal), and contrasting black/polished wheels. There are a few warts though, with clutter near the foot controls and a kickstand mount that looks like an afterthought.

Long a mainstay of the cruiser landscape, the "custom" style bike is now a rarity in the midsize arena, even while new models (Raider, Wide Glide) come out in larger displacements. So the Vulcan 900 is well-positioned to score anyone who lusts for this style of bike at the middleweight level. The most anorexic of these skinny bikes (sporting a super-narrow 80/90-21 tire up front), the Vulcan sports a stylish chrome front wheel to show it off. The shape it cuts isn't as unique or well-finished as the Star's (or the Sportster's), but it plays the role well with a radiator tucked in between beefy frame rails and a simple drag bar controlling the sparse front end. Out back it swings a big 180-section rear tire under an arched fender that seems to float a little high... but at least it's got suspension travel.

The Sportster 883 Low is well-suited to its name. Unlike the Vulcan, which has a gap of air between the rear fender and tire, the 883 almost hides the rim beneath the fender. It sits so low, you need to watch your speed on bumps and driveways, or risk bouncing the frame off the ground. Sitting squarely between the other two in terms of skinny, it sports a traditional mid-sized 19-inch front tire, though it's chunkier than either of the other two bikes. The Sportster's lines are immediately recognizable, from the triangular tank immortalized on so many old-school custom choppers, down to the spare bodywork, giving the impression of a beefy powertrain barely surrounded by wheels and a place to sit. That place to sit can only carry one, unless you add a rear seat and pegs.
By Billy Bartels