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.

The XV535 boasts an air-cooled 75 degree V-twin counter-balanced package, with slightly extended rake-out on the forks, and a single speedo with lights for the rest. The handlebars come back and bend down comfortably. The riding position is upright, maybe exactly upright, as there's no slouching involved. The neighbors probably won't hear you drive their dreams away at 3:AM unless you decide they will.

Topping the firm's 2005 announcements is the Hammer, a 1634cc, six-speed power cruiser. Responding to the trend towards ever-bigger V-twins, Victory bored out is four-valve 1507cc overhead-cam 50-degree V-twin—already the performance king among mid-teen V-twins—by 4mm to 101mm, creating an engine which could cruise at a lower rpm and still provide no-downshift passing power.

The most obvious difference, of course, is the N's unique fenders, which really set its style. The rear fender includes a pair of flush-mounted horizontal LED taillights, a first for any full-production Honda cruiser. It also has its own saddle. The 1800N shares the basic staggered dual-muffler design of the R and S, but N version's mufflers have straight-cut ends with five-bolt caps. Other unique details on the N are cut-out rear fender rails, shock covers that are ribbed for your pleasure, a low-rise handlebar mounted on a riser, and decal logos on the tank rather than badges.

Take five motorcycles. All but one are V-Twins (10 years ago an endangered species, now one of the dominant motorcycle engines). All sized from 1100 to 1500cc, all weighing 550 or more. All with four or five gears, none with seat heights above 29 inches. They're painted different colors, but if you think that we can't tell them apart by anything other than the paint -- well, you're pleasantly wrong. How different can they be? That's the question non-cruiser aficionados always ask, and it's usually answered one way "If you have to ask, you don't understand."

Yamaha took a unique approach to designing the V-Star. The company's customer surveys showed that the major reasons for purchasing a middleweight cruiser were styling, rider comfort, handling, reliability, and value. Each of these requirements were directly addressed in the design process. Yamaha's stylists didn't have to look any further than the Royal Star's exemplary looks, fit, and finish. And the V-Star received generous applications of style from the Royal Star's palette. Rider comfort issues were addressed by giving the V-Star a full-sized riding position for people on the six-foot side of the spectrum, while not raising the bar so high as to eliminate the shorter inseamed folks. Handling comes from the V-Star's good suspension, competent brakes, and likable engine. Basing the V-Star on the proven 10-year-old Virago 535 insures the requisite reliability.

The surprise with the new Yamaha Road Star isn't that its engine has been updated and enlarged to 1670cc using components from the Warrior. We expected that. The surprises are how much more solid that extra 68cc makes the engine feel and the other changes Yamaha made to the [motorcycle] and some it didn't make.

The Rocket III produces more peak torque than two of almost any other production motorcycles combined. To be precise, a whopping 147ft.lb torque at 2,500 rpm, with 90% delivered at a mere 1,800 rpm. This stunning triple digit number means, two-up, it will accelerate (claimed) faster than just about anything else on two wheels. Pulling 1.2g in the process.