2011 World Cruiser Shootout [Video]

Harley-Davidson Super Glide Custom vs. Honda Sabre vs. Moto Guzzi California vs. Triumph Thunderbird

By Pete Brissette and Staff, Oct. 13, 2011, Photography by Alfonse Palaima, Video by Adam Wood

Page 6

Conclusion

We set out on this cruiser adventure to see what the motoworld thinks a cruiser is supposed to look, feel, sound and act like, using the mother of all cruisers, a Harley, as our measuring stick. To our delight what we discovered was how much we enjoyed the diversity of cruiser interpretation.

We couldn’t deny the practicality or raw engine power of some of the brands represented in this shootout, but having the original gangsta, the Harley, gave us the feeling like we were tied to undeniable motorcycling history, as well as trend-setting traits and character. For my taste, I can work around its shortcomings of poor lean angle clearance or limited rear suspension travel, but I needn’t do anything to help the Super Glide Custom retain what will likely be a solid resale value.

Kevin and Tom were charmed by the peculiar Moto Guzzi and its days-gone-by design that can still keep pace with today’s machines in this class. And as we read on the previous page, Troy’s performance-driven heart found the Triumph’s modern cruiser platform most appealing. Certainly the Thunderbird suffers a bloated waistline, and its footpegs touch down all too easily. But then again, most large-displacement cruisers contend with these ills.

Faves aside, an objective perspective says the Thunderbird emerges as the motorcycle that best encapsulates what makes up a cruiser while keeping to a minimum negatives stemming from basic cruiser design edicts. The Triumph brings to the table grin-inducing power, a prominent big-bike appearance and chassis performance to back it all up. Finally, it does all of this, including supply ABS, with an MSRP that screams, “Best deal here!”

Tom sums up the big British cruiser in a single but poignant thought: “The T-Bird oozes its own brand of personality equal in significance to any Harley.”

By the Numbers
	2011 Moto Guzzi California Black Eagle	2012 Harley-Davidson Super Glide Custom	2011 Honda Sabre	2011 Triumph Thunderbird
Engine Type	90-degree air-cooled pushrod V-Twin	45-degree air-cooled pushrod V-Twin	52-degree liquid-cooled SOHC V-Twin	Liquid-cooled, DOHC, parallel-Twin
Displacement	1064cc	1584cc	1312cc	1597cc
Bore x Stroke	92 x 80mm	95.3 x 111.3mm	89.5 x 104.3mm	103.8 x 94.3mm
Compression	9.8:1	9.2:1	9.2:1
Frame	Steel tube	Steel tube	Steel tube	Steel tube
Front Suspension	45mm fork	49mm fork	41mm fork	47mm fork
Rear Suspension	Twin coil over spring shocks w/preload & rebound	Twin coil over spring shocks w/preload	Single hidden shock	Dual Showa coil over spring shocks w/preload
Rake, Trail, Wheelbase	29.0°, 4.5 inches, 61.4 inches	29.0°, 4.6 inches, 64.2 inches	33.0°, 4.5 inches, 70.0 inches	32.0°, 5.9 inches, 63.5 inches
Front/Rear Wheels	18" chrome spoke/17" chrome spoke	19" chrome spoke/17" chrome spoke	21" cast aluminum/15" cast aluminum	19" cast aluminum/17" cast aluminum
Tires	110/90 x 18 Front, 140/70 x 17 Rear	100/90 x 19 Front, 160/70 x 17 Rear	90/90 x 21 Front, 170/80 x 15 Rear	120/70 x 19 Front, 200/50 x 17 Rear
Front Brakes	Dual Brembo 4-piston calipers w/320mm disc	Single 4-piston caliper and single disc	Single 2-piston caliper w/336mm disc	Dual 4-piston calipers w/310mm disc
Rear Brakes	Single Brembo 2-piston caliper w/282mm disc	Single 2-piston caliper and single dis	Single 1-piston caliper w/296mm disc	Single 2-piston caliper w/310mm disc
Seat Height	30.7 inches	26.5 inches	26.9 inches	27.5 inches
Curb Weight	590 lbs	679 lbs	659 lbs	746 lbs