Comparison: Cruisers in India- Harley Davidson Breakout, Suzuki Intruder M1800, Triumph Thunderbird Storm and Honda VT1300CX

Recently, Harley-Davidson India has launched a new cruiser machine- Breakout in India to raise the level of competition. The new cruiser with 130Nm of torque output and a price tag of Rs. 16.28 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) competes with the Suzuki Intruder M1800, Triumph Thunderbird Storm and Honda VT1300CX. So, here is a quick comparison of these four machines-

 

 

 

 

Design, Style and features:

 

 

 

 

Harley Davidson Breakout: With the classic drag-bike attitude, meet the attention-grabbing performance cruiser- the 2015 H-D Breakout. Based on the low muscle profile, the bike gets a teardrop fuel tank with low seating arrangement. The H-D craftsmanship can be seen on the bike in its premium paint, graphics and logos. Apart from that, the iconic V-twin, ultra wide tyres and the drag style handlebar gives a sporty and masculine feel to it. Other style elements of the bike are riser-mounted speedo, slammed console, chopped fenders, gasser wheels, low centre mount plate and 3-in-1 stop/turn/tail lights. It also features Twin Cam 103 (1,690cc V-Twin) engine with 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission, HD Smart Security System, dual disc brakes with ABS assistance, balanced suspension and handling.

 

 

 

 

Suzuki Intruder M1800: The muscle cruiser machine- Suzuki Intruder M1800 comes with an aggressive styling. The bike comes with a rigid engineering, which makes it a strong contender in the competition. It gets all the design features of a classic cruiser along with a modern touch. The low seating profile, pull back handlebar and front mounted foot pegs provide a very comfortable riding posture. The 1,783cc V-Twin provides a power packed performance, while giving a style statement to the bike with a dual exhaust and chrome finish. The big bike runs on fat tyres and controlled by dual front and single rear disc brakes.

 

 

 

 

Triumph Thunderbird Storm: The unique cruiser with a thumping 1,699cc parallel-twin motor- Triumph Thunderbird Storm gets all the style features of a conventional cruiser machine except a V-twin. However, the performance of the bike is comparable to Suzuki Intruder, which is much higher than the other two machines in the competition. The bike features a unique twin-pod headlight arrangement, dual chrome exhausts, ergonomic seating posture, drag-style handlebar, dual front and single rear disc brakes with ABS assistance and fat tyres.

 

 

 

 

Honda VT1300CX (Fury): Also known as the Honda Fury, VT1300CX is a pure chopper style cruiser machine with big and lean front, while smaller and fat rear wheel. The bike has all the characteristics of a chopper including increased rake, low ground clearance, high mounted tank and handlebar, low seat, front mounted foot-pegs and a shiny 1,312cc V-twin with matte black touch. However, the bike ranks least in the performance, compared to the other three machines.

 

 

 

Engine and Transmission:

 

 

 

 

Chassis:

 

 

 

 

Price and Verdict:

 

 

 

 

Harley Davidson is the leader of the performance cruiser segment and the new 2015 Breakout is a great machine for the purpose. The bike gets all the features compared to the others in the segment, but gets medium points in the performance and also ranks top in the price chart. On the other side, the masculine Suzuki Intruder has the best performance among these machines with a competitive price tag. However, it lacks some features which are available in its rivals. With the most affordable price tag, all features and performance similar to the Intruder, Triumph Thunderbird Storm looks a better deal, but misses the V-twin engine configuration.