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We welcome your comments and criticisms. Send them to Motorcycle Cruiser, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515, or cruiser@sorc.com. All materials sent to the editors will become the property of Motorcycle Cruiser and cannot be returned.

Muscle Love And
Muscle Hate
Great issue, especially the "Musclebike Brawl." You guys do these comparos just about better than anyone, with tons of real-world info-great job to all of you!

Now, a suggestion: Do an after-test of the 4 bikes the way 90% of these owners will use actually them, with 'stage 1' set-ups on them (exhaust upgrade, high-flow air filter, and a dyno-tuned custom EFI map). I have a V-Rod, and I have friends with Victories, Triumphs, V-Maxes, Big Twin H-Ds, etc, and they all run better with a different exhaust system installed, a K&N air filter, and the EFI custom-tuned by a good dyno guy. The stage 1 makes stock bikes run better and smoother, with more power and torque, and sometimes they even run cooler and get better gas mileage, along with dropping 10+ pounds! Aside from the reasonable cost involved, it's a no-brainer for a new stock bike, and I'm sure your readers would love to see what improvements could be made (on the dyno graph as well as other factors) before and after the stage 1 upgrade.
Mitchell Lang
Wheaton, IL

Mitchell, we plan on doing quite a bit more aftermarket performance testing on our long term bikes, but probably not a full-on aftermarket hopped-up showdown. For one thing most of the manufacturers would have nothing to do with it (for legal and emissions reasons), for another it would be hard to pick which aftermarket setup for each bike, and unfair to everyone we didn't pick. -BB

I just got done reading your May issue and must say I am very disappointed in your musclebike test. It's nice to know that if you sponsor the first 7 pages of the magazine (Harley), your bike will be picked as the best. I don't know who runs your dynos or 1/4 tests. The stock Victory 100ci runs 78hp at the wheel and I have taking my bike with pipes and a K&N filter down the track at 11.1 at 116mph. Don't get me wrong, I'm not biased cause I currently ride a Victory (no, of course not-BB). I have ridden every thing from dirtbikes to crotch rockets to the Harleys. I will keep up with my buddies on their sportbikes in the twisties on my Victory. And the VMAX is not really a cruiser, it's a sportbike with a stretched frame. If you want to see real test go on to YouTube and type in Victory vs. Harley and try to find a Harley that beats a Victory. I'm currently looking at a graph that shows how much it cost to make a Harley have equal power and torque as a Victory and you would have to spend over $6000 and the time in the shop to be EQUAL to the Victory. Thanks for wasting my time and money on this worthless test!!!!
Sam D.
Benton City, WA

I ride a 2005 Rocket III and live in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. I have toured Nova Scotia, ridden all over Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and New York State all most exclusively on back country roads (that's where the scenery is!). I have to say if your test riders think that a Rocket III is best suited for long straight roads then they're doing it wrong!! This bike is an amazing balance of cruiser and sport bike.
Ben Edenfield
Saranac Lake, NY

P.S. The mileage they got was also consistent with "fun" riding. I have gotten as low as 19 and as high as 49MPG.

In Defense Of Hooligans
I was a bit taken aback by a reader scolding Motorcycle Cruiser for publishing a photo of a model in a half helmet smoking a tire. Is the scourge of creeping political-correctness coming to motorcycling?

Motorcycling is, and always has been, an embodiment of freedom, particularly freedom of choice. I own a full-face, a three-quarter and a half helmet, and I select one each day, depending on many factors. Some days I choose to ride aggressively, most days not. Thanks in part to publications like this one, I am well aware of the relative risks of each choice I make and make my choices accordingly. But the key point here is-I never make my choices to fit someone else's notion of what I should wear or how I should ride, nor would I ever expect anyone else to do so.

I don't mean to sound too dramatic, but riding is one of the last bastions where the very-American balance between liberty and personal responsibility still exists and still encourages choices-let's not ruin that.
Mark
Durham, CT

P.S. Besides, she looked hot!