5 Japanese Muscle Cruisers That Embarrass Modern V-Twins

In 1983, Honda sold a cruiser for about four thousand dollars that ran the quarter mile in right around eleven seconds. Here are five Japanese muscle cruisers that still make plenty of modern V-twins work to keep up, from the slowest to the one that started the whole fight.

Which one would you park in your garage, and which one did I leave out? Tell me in the comments, I read them.

CHAPTERS
0:00 The 1983 cruiser that still stings
1:21 #5 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Mean Streak
2:55 #4 Suzuki Madura 1200
4:48 #3 Honda Magna 750
6:36 #2 Yamaha V-Max 1200
9:01 #1 Honda V65 Magna
10:57 3 quick checks before you buy one
11:20 Final thoughts and what’s next

THE FIVE BIKES AT A GLANCE
Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Mean Streak, 2002 to 2003, about 64 hp at the rear wheel (Cycle World)
Suzuki Madura 1200, 1985 to 1986, 117 hp claimed
Honda Magna 750, 1994 to 2003, about 78 to 83 hp at the rear wheel
Yamaha V-Max 1200, 1985 to 2007, 145 hp claimed
Honda V65 Magna, 1983 to 1986, 116 hp claimed

A quick note on the numbers: “claimed” means the factory’s figure, and “rear wheel” means a magazine put it on a dyno. Test results shift a little from one magazine to the next, so I use ranges where they disagree.

SOURCES
Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Rider magazine, Cycle News, and the April 1, 1983 White House memorandum on heavyweight motorcycle imports.

COMING NEXT ON IRON TORQ
5 Comfortable Used Bikes That Prevent Back Pain On Long Rides

If you like old Japanese iron broken down with real numbers, subscribe to Iron Torq. Every number in these videos gets checked before it goes out.

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