Top Ten Bikes 2003: Episode 7 - Cruisers - video Dailymotion

Men and Motors

In this new series of Top Ten Bikes, presented by Louise Brady, we look at the best bikes around in the biking world as voted for by our Men & Motors panel.  Today we take a look at the top ten Cruisers bikes of 2003. Which one will hit the number one spot?  Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you never miss a video!  ------------------ Enjoyed this video? Don't forget to LIKE and SHARE the video and get involved with our community by leaving a COMMENT below the video!   Check out what else our channel has to offer and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Men & Motors for more classic car and motorbike content! Why not? It is free after all!  Our website: http://menandmotors.com/  ---- Social Media ----  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menandmotors/ Instagram: @menandmotorstv Twitter: @menandmotorstv  If you have any questions, e-mail us at talk@menandmotors.com  © Men and Motors - One Media iP 2023

Transcript

00:00 Hello there, I'm Ruth Brady and welcome to Top 10 Bikes 2003. We've brought together

00:20 a group of biking experts who through their voting will allow you to gain an insight into

00:26 the best bikes of 2003. This week we're looking at cruisers. Now here is the coveted award

00:33 that is presented to the manufacturer of this week's number one machine. The question is

00:38 which bike will it be? Here we are at the start of another fun-filled countdown so let's

00:44 take a look at the bike in 10th position. Watch out, the Indians are coming. Well that's

00:50 the Indian Dakota 4. This huge bike takes 10th position in our top 10 cruisers. The

00:57 Dakota is the ultimate in power cruisers. Picking one of these babies up means ordering

01:03 your own made to measure bike and will cost you over 20 grand so you better start saving

01:09 now. The engine is based on a Volvo engine and is an inline 4 so there's an interesting

01:14 torque reaction to keep riding interesting. The Indian is comfy in an old-fashioned kind

01:20 of way. Nothing like a large single saddle and footboards for all day comfort. For a

01:26 big heavy bike, 325 kilos to be precise, it's pretty easy to manoeuvre. Feet up, u-turns,

01:33 no problem. The engine is 1845cc and produces 74bhp for lazy cruising. The engine is clamped

01:43 into the frame so vibration can be noticed but not in an intrusive way. The Indian has

01:49 a distinctive sound of its own. Vintage days gone by. Now the brakes are a bit vintage

01:55 too. A single disc on the front and a drum on the back. It makes stopping this big boy

02:01 quite challenging. Indian Dakota 4. Yeah, what a funny thing that is. It's got a Swedish

02:07 engine and it's built in Scotland and it's a dead American badge but actually it does

02:13 look pretty cool I must say. As an ownership proposition, I don't know, I couldn't say

02:17 on that. There's so few of them and where you get one from and things. Jury's out on

02:23 that I think. With Indian it'll be interesting to see where they go with this because it's

02:27 a brand, it's something from the past that used to really, really mean something and

02:31 used to compete with Harley head to head so what it means in 2003 I don't know but it'll

02:37 be interesting to see where it ends up. Well, it's a big bike and I think far too huge for

02:42 UK roads. Even in the States it's going to have problems matching up to the name Harley

02:46 Davidson and that's why it sits at number 10 in our cruiser chart. So our combined scores

02:53 for each category of street cred, build quality, performance, comfort and value give the Indian

02:59 Dakota 4 a total score of 64% putting it firmly into 10th place in the chart. Kawasaki ambling

03:08 that number 9 with the VN 1500 Mean Street. The Mean Street's engine is loosely based

03:15 on the 1470 which is used in the Drifter. The Mean Street is what you might call a performance

03:21 cruiser. The fuel injection system boosts performance as does the increased valve size

03:26 and improved valve timing. You can rev the motor freely and enjoy its responsive nature.

03:32 If you fancy an alternative to a sports bike but with that laid back cruiser styling then

03:37 the Mean Street is worth a try. Its suspension is sportier than most cruisers and it has

03:43 superb brakes. The six parts up front are taken straight from the ZRX 12. Ground clearance

03:50 is reasonable too so this is a cruiser that you can have a bit of a thrash on. The Kawasaki

03:56 VN 1500 looks the part. In fact it looks very much like going to a non-biker, your archetypal

04:03 Harley Davidson. It goes well enough, good engine, not ideal by any stretch of the imagination.

04:12 The good thing about the Kawasaki cruisers is that you really get a lot of metal for

04:17 your money. They're generally a good grand or so under the price of the competitive Japanese

04:24 cruisers on the market and the Mean Street is no exception. So you're getting a tonne

04:29 of metal for your money, more metal than the Humber Bridge for the price of a second hand

04:34 Fiesta which if you're a bike and you're into cruisers you can't really sniff at. Well I

04:39 think there's very little mean about the VN 1500. It's overly large, it's trying to be

04:45 American and it's failed miserably. So our panel's tallied scores for each category gives

04:52 the Kawasaki VN 1500 Mean Street a total score of 68%, placing it 9th in our top 10

04:59 chart. Bowling us over at number 8 is the BMW R 1200C. If 007 rides one then it's got

05:08 to be good, right? Well it's certainly different. The BMW is the sort of bike to sit back, relax

05:15 and enjoy. It has classic, if somewhat different, good looks but with all the mod cons you could

05:21 desire. The infallible boxer engine has limitless power and bubbles away in a relaxed rhythm.

05:29 The riding position is comfortable and yes, you've guessed it, relaxed. In fact this bike

05:34 is so laid back it's almost unconscious. With the unique BMW telelever front suspension

05:41 and rear monolever swinging arm, the ride is going to be as smooth as Mr Bond himself.

05:47 The R 1200, like all good BMWs, is a shaft drive so no nasty chain to oil on long journeys.

05:55 This bike has been built to glide from horizon to horizon with the minimum of fuss. Yeah,

06:01 it's original. It gets away from that generic cruiser look that just goes everywhere and

06:06 gets a bit dull. You can do stuff with it. You can go touring and all the rest. BMW dealers

06:10 are good but it's a bit of an acquired taste. The suspension's hard and it's a bit soft

06:16 the engine but yeah, okay. The BMW 1200C, it works okay but it's just a bit of an oddball.

06:22 It's some kind of weird German cruiser meets Harley kind of nostalgia and it's just a bit

06:28 of a slug. This is probably the coolest BMW to date. It's got style, it's got presence

06:35 and even with a slightly dodgy suspension it bounces around those corners. I will say

06:40 it's a bit pricey. So in eighth place in our chart is the BMW R 1200C with a total score

06:47 of 70% from the combined scores of each category. Coasting into the number seven spot is our

06:54 very own Triumph Bonneville America. Now Triumph is one of the oldest names in motorcycling.

07:01 The first Triumph was built in Coventry back in 1902. The Bonney was the fire blade of

07:07 its time back in the 50s and 60s. The air-cooled inline twin produces 65bhp and a top speed

07:14 of 110 miles an hour. The distinctive Triumph sounds as pleasing as ever and the torque

07:21 is ample for a relaxed and effortless ride. The America has a different firing order which

07:27 gives the engine a lumpier feel which suits low revs and cruising. Its offbeat sound is

07:34 unique and it sounds great once it's worked its way through the slash-cut exhaust. Fitted

07:40 with wide forks, pull back bars, feet forward riding position and the low seat, the Triumph

07:46 Bonneville America is the perfection itself. Now the Triumph Bonneville America, curious

07:53 thing, it looks the part but then so does Jordan. Doesn't necessarily mean that it's

07:57 going to be any good. It's comfortable, in fact it's probably comfortable enough you're

08:02 going to doze off on it but that twin engine hasn't got a desperate amount of punch and

08:08 it's not going to do your street credibility any good whatsoever. The Triumph Bonneville

08:12 America built specifically for the American market, it goes down an absolute storm over

08:16 there. It's Triumph's biggest selling bike. Well Triumph once again have listened to the

08:20 cries of their customers and come up with a model which looks just like the old Bonney.

08:25 The Americans go mad for it and so should us Brits. So our panels combined scores for

08:31 each of those categories give the British Triumph Bonneville America a total score of

08:36 71% that places it 7th in our top 10 cruiser chart. Roaring into the number 6 spot is Harley's

08:44 baby cruiser the 883 Roadster. The 883 is the smallest Harley on the market and for

08:50 around the 5 grand mark you can own one. It's very much the entry level hog and if you're

08:56 on the petite side then it's the perfect Harley for you. It's the low seat height and size

09:01 that's always made it popular with the ladies. The Sportster first came into existence back

09:07 in 1957. The British bikes that were being imported to America were beating the Harleys

09:13 so not to be outdone Harley went back to the drawing board. The outcome was the Evolution

09:18 engine with overhead cams and a complete change for the Harley. The Sportster handles surprisingly

09:25 well and cornering is a joy. The 883 engine has oodles of torque and pulls well from low

09:31 down. Having it rigidly mounted to the frame means that you do feel everything that the

09:37 engine is doing. Your feet and hands will be numb from the vibration but with only a

09:42 12.5 litre tank you won't be on board for all that long anyway. I'm sorry that is just

09:48 a dreadful bike. It vibrates, it doesn't handle, it's dreadfully slow and it's cheap which

09:55 is actually a bad thing because it gets people buying them and then they think I don't want

09:59 this anymore. If you sort of actually say to anybody in the street that you can actually

10:04 buy a Harley Davidson for under 5 grand they'd probably laugh at you but you can with the

10:09 883 Sportster. Yes you're getting the very basic model in the Harley range but still

10:15 for under 5 grand I don't think you can really complain with the amount of metal you're getting.

10:19 Well I think it's a nicely priced entry level hog and with those 0-4 rubber engine mounts

10:24 it's just what this bike's been waiting for. So a quick tot up of the combined scores for

10:29 each category give the Harley 883 Roadster a total of 73% putting it firmly in 6th place

10:37 in our chart. Well that's it for the first half of the show but make sure you join us

10:41 again in part 2 to find out which bike is crowned king of the cruisers. See you in a

10:48 mo.

10:49 Hello there I'm Louise Brady and welcome back to Top 10 Bikes. In this week's show we're

10:57 looking at cruisers but before we continue with our rundown let's have a quick reminder

11:01 of the chart so far.

11:03 At number 10 it's the huge Indian Dakota. At 9 we find Kawasaki's not so mean VM1500

11:11 mainstream. At number 8 it's the James Bond favourite the BMW R1200C. At 7 it's Triumph's

11:19 Bonneville America. Nearly there but not quite. Number 6 marks the Harley Davidson's first

11:25 entry with the 883 Roadster.

11:30 So in at number 5 we've Honda's VTX 1800 a bike that's as much for looking at as it

11:35 is for riding. Now the VTX is a custom cruiser with its swept back bars and chrome everything.

11:41 The engine is an immense 1795cc pumping out 95bhp but more impressively torque is an astounding

11:50 115ft/lb which explains the way this bike rides. Power is available at any time just

11:57 crack open that throttle and you're off like a bullet. Those power ports are thumping through

12:01 the frame and up through your body you literally feel like this bike's heart is beating. Ultimately

12:08 this bike won't appeal to everyone especially when you consider the price but if you want

12:13 a bike that will give you loads of fun at the same time as getting you noticed then

12:17 you should give this one a look.

12:20 Although the VTX handles quite well and the engine's got oodles of torque more than you'll

12:24 ever need you do end up finding that the ground clearance which on cruisers anyway is sort

12:31 of marginal is even more marginal so you end up even parking it into a car parking spot

12:35 in Asda and you end up scraping 15 quid's worth of metal away. So it all ends up becoming

12:41 about as cool as a backfiring Capri. It's disappointing in a lot of ways the low speed

12:47 handling is not very good it drops into the corners and the power delivery is very sharp

12:53 and you try and do a U-turn on that and you will end up underneath it, it's a bit scary.

13:00 But it works and that will go on for years, that will go on for centuries that bike.

13:04 The Honda VTX 1800 is another, it's interesting that the Japanese have decided to build these

13:09 so called quasar performance cruisers and the Honda obviously it's well built, well

13:15 put together and it goes extremely well.

13:17 I can sum up the Honda VTX 1800 with one word really, shame.

13:23 This is Honda's further launch into the heavyweight cruiser market and this bike has enough power

13:27 to uproot trees. The problem is it's still not far enough away from trying to be a Harley.

13:34 So totting up those scores for each category of street cred, build quality, performance,

13:39 comfort and value give the VTX 1800 a total score of 74% putting it firmly halfway in

13:47 5th place of our chart.

13:50 In at 4 our second Harley of the day, the Harley Davidson FXD Dyna Superglide. Harley

13:56 Davidson's are synonymous with cruisers and the Dyna Superglide is a lot of people's

14:01 first introduction to their range of big bikes.

14:04 It features Harley's new twin cam engine with a 1449cc V-twin lump putting out a mere

14:10 67bhp. But it's not just the power that these bikes are all about. Looks are very

14:17 50s, those timeless classic lines will never go out of date but do make the bike look older

14:22 than it really is.

14:24 Of course you get all that kudos that comes with being a Harley rider and you'll never

14:28 be short of friends no matter where you end up.

14:31 One of the best Harleys I'd say. Certainly makes you stand out in the crowd a bit more

14:35 than the standard sportsster.

14:37 If you like that sort of thing, it's fantastic. Great engine, runs out of puff very quickly

14:43 but then that's not what cruising is really about.

14:47 Well it's a big bike and it should shell out big power but this cruiser boasts torque

14:51 figures and not bhp which makes it not too much to handle for your first big cruiser.

14:57 It's got a low seat height and it's a good looking machine.

15:00 So our picky panels combined scores for each category give the Harley Dynasuperglide a

15:06 total score of 76% placing it 4th in our top 10 cruiser chart.

15:12 In at number 3 is the Yamaha XV 1700 Roadstar Warrior.

15:17 Yamaha's Roadstar Warrior is another one of those bikes that was built for the American

15:22 market but after it was unveiled at the Munich show the public demand was such that it was

15:27 bought to the UK.

15:29 The power comes from a huge 1670cc air cooled V-twin engine pumping out its huge power through

15:36 a 5 speed box.

15:38 Final drive is a Harley-esque belt which will allow this bike to provide hours of endless

15:43 low maintenance fun.

15:45 The chassis is all aluminium featuring 41mm upside down forks, alloy wheels and twin discs

15:51 at the front which provide great stopping power with plenty of feel.

15:55 Oh the Warrior, I love that bike.

15:58 I'm very very impressed with it.

16:00 It's the first performance cruiser of that group and it really is a performance cruiser.

16:07 Some of them don't really do much except look like they ought to.

16:11 This one does perform, it's got R1 brakes and the engine's good.

16:16 Really nice bike.

16:17 Yamaha too with their Warrior have built something slightly mad that is in cruiser form but with

16:23 a massive cubic capacity.

16:26 Well a lot better looking than the Honda and Kawasaki offerings, this big Yam is a definite

16:31 alternative to the Harley.

16:33 And all that chrome, let's face it, it's going to please those born again bikers no end.

16:39 And looking at the total, the Yamaha Roadstar Warrior scored 79% by our panel of experts

16:45 putting it firmly in third place in our cruiser chart.

16:49 Strolling in at number two, the bike with the wow factor, the Harley Davidson V-Rod.

16:55 The Harley V-Rod is a work of art.

16:57 If Van Gogh had been a welder instead of a painter, the V-Rod would have been his sunflowers.

17:03 It's metal sculptured into more than a motorcycle.

17:07 It's touchable beauty, the V-Rod is the fastest hog on the road.

17:12 This is due to the engine which is a development of the VR-1000 Superbike engine.

17:17 For years Harley have been churning out new models that looked a lot like the old models.

17:22 Not this time though, this is a whole new bike from the wheels up.

17:26 As Harley put it, the V-Rod was born on the track and raised on the street, so it's one

17:30 mean mother.

17:32 The anodised aluminium bodywork is lighter and as sturdy as steel and unique to the bike

17:37 world.

17:38 It runs like a locomotive, looks like a dream.

17:42 It's the only bike I've ever ridden which car drivers pull up next to you, wind the

17:47 window down and ask you about it.

17:49 It attracts attention like nothing else.

17:52 Ride this through central London, it's going to get you lots of admiring glances, it's

17:55 going to get you looked at.

17:57 If Elvis still lives, and I've got some reports that he's actually working in a chip shop

18:02 somewhere in Grimsby, he has got a Harley Davidson V-Rod outside.

18:05 Absolutely stunning looking bike in titanium silver.

18:08 The engine's derived from the VR-1000 racer bike from a good few years ago.

18:13 It didn't really make it the race bike but thankfully the engine found a home in the

18:17 V-Rod.

18:18 115 brake horsepower, the brakes are better than your standard Harley Fair as well.

18:24 It goes round corners with a little bit of scraping but it's just got an amazing amount

18:28 of street presence.

18:30 Absolutely stunning bike, fantastic.

18:32 Many Harley fans don't agree on this bike.

18:34 Personally I think it's a superb piece of craftsmanship and given the choice it's the

18:39 only HD I'd have in my garage.

18:42 So adding up the scores for each category of street cred, build quality, performance,

18:47 comfort and value give the Harley Davidson V-Rod a total score of 82%, putting it firmly

18:54 into second place in the chart.

18:56 Before we reveal which cruiser the Men and Motors panel of experts voted number one,

19:01 let's run down the charts so far.

19:04 At number 10, the chunky Indian Dakota.

19:07 Sitting at 9, Kawasaki's VN 1500 Mean Street.

19:11 And at number 8, it's the BMW 1200C.

19:16 In at 7, the rocker's favourite, the triumphed Bonneville America with the baby of the bunch,

19:21 the Harley Davidson 883 sitting at number 6.

19:26 And at 5, the curvaceous Honda VTX 1800.

19:30 And another Harley Davidson at number 4, it's the Dyna Superglide.

19:35 Number 3, the regal Yamaha XV 1700 Roadstar Warrior.

19:41 And at number 2, the arty Harley Davidson V-Rod.

19:45 Well I won't keep you guessing anymore, let's reveal the number one cruiser of 2003.

19:52 So the number one spot goes to the Honda Valkyrie F6C.

19:58 The Valkyrie has the same engine as the Megatourer Goldwing in its 1500cc capacity.

20:04 Most people would think that a 1500cc flat six engine would be more at home in a car

20:09 than in a bike.

20:10 Well, they couldn't be more wrong.

20:13 The silky smooth power delivery and lazy low down torque made ideal for this type of bike.

20:19 Not to mention it sounds fabulous and goes like stink.

20:24 There is nothing else like this bike out there.

20:26 And the closest thing you will find is the early naked Goldwing, the GL 1100.

20:32 Not really a purist's cruiser if you like.

20:37 Lots of grunt but probably not what I'd be looking at if I was looking for a cruiser.

20:41 It's not a Harley so you've kind of got to get over the lack of kudos that you get from

20:46 the Honda badge.

20:47 But that massive flat six engine that you're getting from the Goldwing of old is just absolutely

20:52 stupendous.

20:53 Get a couple of slash cut megaphone exhausts on it and just go and have fun.

20:57 Oh the Valkyrie, yeah that's another bike with a great engine.

21:00 It sounds like a Porsche 911 when you open it up.

21:03 It's just really incongruous and that makes me laugh.

21:05 It's very big, very fast and it's made by Honda so it works as well.

21:11 Yeah, good bike.

21:12 The Honda Valkyrie again is a really special bike.

21:14 Six cylinders of complete and utter madness.

21:17 Only Honda could build a bike like that and actually make it stick.

21:20 So congratulations to Honda.

21:21 This Valkyrie is an absolute hoot of a motorcycle and has a style all on its own.

21:27 That enormous six cylinder engine is perfectly smooth and gives you so much power when you

21:32 open that throttle it's ridiculous.

21:35 It's just a shame Honda don't import it into the UK anymore.

21:38 Right, I'd just like to thank Men and Motors for this award for the Valkyrie.

21:42 This really vindicates the decision we made in Honda UK because we weren't sure whether

21:46 to import the bike or not.

21:48 But the crews of Buying Public have bought it in their droves and it's proved to be a

21:51 success so thank you very much.

21:53 Well the combined scores for each category gave the Honda Valkyrie a whopping total score

21:58 of 85%.

22:01 Well there you have it.

22:02 Thanks for joining me here on Top 10 Bikes.

22:04 We'll catch you again next week with another sizzling Top 10 Bikes.

22:08 See you then.

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22:38 (thunder)

Top Ten Bikes 2003: Episode 7 - Cruisers

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