Because of my size, I had been skeptical about the pulling power of its 500cc motor. Most $ales people had tried to steer me to the 750 or 800. I'm glad I stuck with the "little" Vulcan. Lighter, cheaper, easier to manuever and - believe me - PLENTY of punch even with a 200-pounder aboard!

Pulling away from the first red light on my way home, I was immediately impressed by the effortless acceleration available with this [motorcycle] in 1st and 2nd gears. It has the same water-cooled inline twin powerplant as the Ninja 500 sportbike, although tuned more for cruising.

Honda doesn't build $27,000 "custom" motorcycles. Honda doesn't create a design study, stay strictly loyal to that design, and work "backwards" towards a production machine. Of course, all of this was true before the Rune. Now, it's not necessarily true. The Rune proves Honda can work this way.

Manufacturing motorcycles (or cars -- another thing Honda does) isn't entirely about making money on products that sell in large numbers (although, Honda is pretty good at that part, too). Part of it is about building a brand image.

The Savage does not feel as refined as some of the v-twins available out there, but to me that's part of it's appeal. There is a pronounced flywheel effect that gives the [Suzuki] an unmistakable charm (as a friend on the 'net recently put it, "you can actually *feel* the pull of each power stroke when taking a slow turn in third gear, and then just gradually roll on the power"). And there is a level of omnipresent vibration at all revs (not annoying, except perhaps on high-mileage excursions) that reminds you you're sitting on a motorcycle.

Now for 2004, Kawasaki has bumped up the performance and made an excellent motorcycle even better. The liquid-cooled, four valves per cylinder, 50-degree V-Twin motor has been bored out from 1470cc to 1552cc, and the cam's lift and valve timing were also revised to help the motor breathe. Digital fuel injection provides excellent engine response, with no surging or hiccups, because two different systems are used according to engine load, and are monitored by a faster electronic Engine Control Unit. Fuel is fed through larger 40mm dual throttle bodies, while 4 nozzles at the tip of each injector help to atomize the fuel more efficiently. Dual spark plugs cut detonation for added durability. By using rubber engine mounts, no-maintenance hydraulic valve lash adjusters, and a gear-driven engine balancer, the single-pin crankshaft engine runs smoothly without annoying vibrations, yet still retains the character of a V-Twin powerplant. And for good measure, new valve covers, and polished cooling fins make the engine look better as well.

Mechanically, the [Savage] is rock solid. One cylinder, one carb and belt drive mean there is very little maintenance that needs to be done.

It's not great on a full-on freeway because I pushed that thing as hard as it would go and it topped out at 88 mph. It feels a little stressed at pretty much any speed above 65 mph. However, that's not what this little nutjob is for. On normal roads, the prodigious torque provided by the soup can-sized cylinder can pull-away from pretty much anything with more than three wheels.

The Shadow Spirit will likely appeal to serious riders looking for solid transportation and the occasional blast on weekends, as well as confident beginners looking to get their hands around a peppy ride. Low saddle height, manageable power characteristics and friendly handling make this [motorcycle] a breeze to ride...

Several months ago, the rumor mill started to rumble about a 2000cc v-twin cruiser on its way from Kawasaki for 2004. The rumors were almost right, but the engine was even larger. Displacing 2053cc (125.3 cubic inches), the 2004 Vulcan 2000 has the largest capacity v-twin engine ever put into production by a major manufacturer. With 141 foot pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm and 116 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, the Vulcan 2000 out powers many small automobiles. It is also carefully designed to be smooth and usable in the delivery of that power.

Taking part in our $6K test is the capable quartet comprised of the Honda Shadow Spirit 750, the Harley Davidson Sportster 883, the Kawasaki Vulcan 800, and the Suzuki Marauder 800. While some more recent cruisers are built to achieve the chunky look of the 1930s and ‘40s, this foursome goes back to the late-‘60s for inspiration, exploring the classic chopper look with a raked out fork and a larger-diameter front wheel (except for the Suzuki’s 16-incher.