Muscle Cruisers, Hyper Nakeds and other Seriously Silly Bikes that I desire.

  Recently I've been digging through the endless series of motorcycle listings on the book of faces market page looking for a little something new. It's not that I'm bored of my trusty Yamaha FZ1. It's just that there are so many great bikes out there that I want to try them all out. Actually it is the FZ1 that got me hooked onto this particular bike hunt. The idea of putting a true sport bike engine into a more comfortable chassis really appeals to me. I've found something in the FZ1 that I didn't know I needed until I first threw a leg over one. I understand that the newest crop of mid-size parallel twin bikes are technically all that you need. The throttle response, torque and horsepower coming from the 650cc to 900cc twins will provide a lively, stimulating ride that everyone can enjoy. Maybe that's the issue I have. I don't want a ride that everyone can enjoy. I want a ride that I have to earn. I want something that can scare me. Something that provides a bit extra. Something that I can grow into and feel accomplished when I finally achieve a level of personal performance in overcoming the challenges that the bike presents. The type of bikes that I feel can provide this type of experience are commonly known as Muscle Cruisers and Hyper Nakeds.

  If you have never heard of these types of bikes I'll give you an example of one of my favorites, the Yamaha VMAX. Either the first or second generation of these bikes represent the power or muscle cruiser segment.

1990 Yamaha VMAX (Image by Yamaha)

 With only 95hp coming from the 1200cc V-4 engine, you might be deceived in thinking this is a tame bike, especially when combined with its 580 lb weight. However when you combine it with 80lb-ft of torque, spindly front forks and dual piston caliper front brakes, you get something that needs a bit of respect. These were never great cornering bikes. They were straight line rockets that are perfect for the roads I now find myself riding here in Central Florida. The second generation bike got a huge makeover in 2009 adding another 100 lbs of bulk, but also another 100hp bringing the peak power to 197hp with an extra 42 more ft-lbs of torque to accelerate all that weight. The second generation is an all new design sharing mostly just the name with the first gen with very little parts carryover from the older bike.

  A good example of the hyper-naked segment would be a bike that I've only recently become aware of. Around these parts, the Hayabusa is king. Thanks to our endlessly flat and straight roads, you can throw a rock without hitting a lowered and stretched 'Busa rolling down the street usually with an eye blinding array of LED lights to highlight the custom paint job. Did you know that the 'Busa had a naked brother?

Suzuki GSX1300BK (B-King) (Photo by Web!ke News)

 

Coming in at 1340cc's pushing out 180hp and 100 ft-lbs of torque with a chassis weight of 507-ish lbs. the GSX1300BK is the very definition of a hyper-naked bike. Just take a big, honking sport bike engine and drop it into a naked frame and there you have it. For some reason I was confusing this bike with one of Suzuki's power cruisers, the Suzuki Boulevard M80. The B-King is more my style. This looks like it would be much more fun than the M80. Style wise I'm not a fan, but you can't see most of the bike from the saddle.

A much less well known bike that was not brought to the states, but is very much a part of this poorly defined segment of riding is the Yamaha MT-01. 

2005 Yamaha MT-01 (Image by Yamaha)

This bike is a mashup of the muscle cruiser and hyper naked segments. This time around Yamaha took one of its big cruiser V-Twin engines and put it into its own upright, sport frame. With 1640cc's in this 48 degree twin, you get something like 112 lb-ft of torque accelerating this 520 lb beast of a bike. On the horsepower side you get only about 90 ponies, but I'm guessing that top end speed isn't what this bike is about. I first saw these back in Japan and they still command a very decent price on the Japanese secondary market. I fell for its brutish good looks and the "don't give a crap" attitude that this bike gives off. I'll have to wait a while until I can import one. Aside from the prices and general lack of availability, I have to wait until the 25 year import limits are reached before I can bring one over. 

  Before I am accused of favoring the Japanese bikes, I'd like to recognize a couple of current bikes from the European market. Hailing from the UK is the Triumph Rocket 3 with a whopping 2500cc's and an equally impressive 165hp/163lb-ft of torque coming from the inline triple engine. The torque figure alone is enough to put this bike in the muscle bike category. I'd love to swing a leg over one of these.

  Coming in from Italy you have the Ducati Diavel V4. The Ducati website actually advertises it as a Muscle-cruiser. The Diavel V4 edition has a 1,158cc engine that comes from its sport bike line. 168hp and 92lb-ft push around Ducati's entry into this segment. I actually rode a V-twin version of the Diavel back in 2016. At the time I didn't appreciate the ergonomics as it was designed to be a cruiser. Since then Ducati has morphed the riding position into something I might find a bit more comfortable. The older model bike was compromised from the start, but as I said in my blog post it was fun and flickable when riding a curvy road. I imagine the newest version is even better with an additional 8 years of development.

  An American entry into the game is the 2024 Indian FTR. With a 1203cc V-Twin engine providing a lively 120hp and 82lb-ft of torque, I'm sure there is plenty of fun to be had rolling this 514lb bike down the road. The FTR comes in with 6 sub-models. I happen to like the FTR Sport in the Granite Gray/Blue color scheme. This reminds me of a thought I had the other day. I wish Polaris would bring back the Victory line of bikes, but make them a sport bike instead of a cruiser. Indian has been racing for a good few years now and they should have the ability to make an American sport bike. I'd love to see them procure the Motus intellectual property and bring back those lovely bikes under the Victory banner as well. A V-4 sport touring Victory properly improved with data from the Indian bagger racing team! Hell yeah!!

  Well now that I have dumped a bunch of facts and figures at you I encourage you to go out and see what else is out there. Some of these are hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. If you are like me with the heart of a 30 year old, but the joints of a 50 year old, you too might be encouraged to get a sporty bike, with decent ergonomics like the bikes from this segment. Powerful engines in an upright chassis that balance between sport and cruise could end up being your thing too. I hope you have learned something new and that you can get out and ride. Take it easy friends!

Mat