GIANT TEST: CRO OZ ER S

New BMW R18 v Triumph Rocket 3 GT v H-DL ow Riders

Tassels and leather riding chaps? Shut up. ‘Cruiser’ might conjure images of Yamaha Viragos and clip-on ponytails, but here in 2021 the cruiser is cool again. We’re talking on-trend styling with premium-quality engineering, all-singing rider aids and brand desirability. And performance that’s perfect for cluttered camera-infested roads: how does twice the torque of a headcase BMW S1000RR grab you? Harley-davidson have been perfecting big style, big grunt motorcycles for the last 300 years, and the Low Rider S is 1868cc of longstroke V-twin thunder with more than a dash of 1970s XLCR1000 groove. But The Motor Company no longer have it all their own way. BMW have created the largest boxer engine ever and are clearly after H-D buyers with the gloriously retro R18, while the vast triple in Triumph’s high-tech Rocket 3 GT has the largest displacement and greatest torque of any series production bike. Fifties-style thrum, seventies-style rumble or modern wail? Feet forward and let’s go…