Menus
- The big heart cruiser
- Discovery
- In the saddle
- Contact
- In the city
- Highway
- Departmental
- Comfort
- Braking
- Convenient
- Consumption
- Conclusion
The big heart cruiser
The
VN 2000 is the surprise of the 2003 Mondial du Deux-Roues with a
suddenly reach 2000 cm3 for the big custom / cruiser
from the Hamamatsu firm. If the VN 1600 appeared in 2001 was already
a big caliber, the VN 2000 deploys the superlatives: bigger
serial v-twin never built, just 18 mkg of torque
3,000 revs, 103 horsepower, 340 dry kilos, 2535 wheelbase
mm, oversized tires of 200/60 without neglecting the technology
with electronic injection, an automatic decompressor
at start-up, four-valve cylinder heads and cooling
liquid ! Suddenly, the 17,299 euros of the model seem almost
reasonable !
Discovery
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The VN 1600 already won in height, width and length.
The VN 2000 pushes the boundaries even further. The prominent front headlight
looks like a heavy machine gun, the saddle is similar to
an ottoman, the rear tire is wider than some car tires
with 200mm of width, the central motor seems to overflow
part and the front radiator is similar in size to that of your
bathroom !
For the rest, the VN retains some similarities with its little sister
1600: speedometer, tank cap, contact, neiman on the column
steering, no passenger handle but passenger strap…
Custom requires, the chrome shines two thousand lights under the sun.
In the saddle
Once in the saddle, the first difficulty is to
stand the motorcycle upright and raise the side stand. The
footrests take on their importance here to support while
we pull at the same time on the handlebars to raise the 373 kilos
all full facts. Because the VN 2000 leans particularly on its
lateral, and suddenly, raising it is a physical exercise in itself.
A
once the motorcycle is raised, the feet touch flat to
the pilot of 1.70m. The position is familiarly custom: arm
wide apart, back straight, feet far forward.
We find the digital counter of the VN 1600 graduated up to
220 km / h, traditional and old, including a digital zone for the gauge
gasoline, the totalizer, the partial trip and the clock.
The rectangular mirrors are easily adjusted and
offer a sufficient field of vision.
Contact
Impulse
on the starter, the V-Twin snorts with a growl
deep. And we can then remove the ignition key so as not to damage
the chrome of the headlight.
Clutch, passage of the first with the tip of the foot, starting…
the first meter is carried out in equilibrium and the motorcycle
is then launched. From 5 km / h, we completely forget
the weight and the bike is perfectly stable. We can then skip the second
toe or heel and swallow the road. While the first
can only be pulled up to 60 km / h, the second is to be carried out with pleasure
up to 110 km / h until the fifth which can go titillating
the 200 km / h.
In the city
Start-up,
traffic jams, stops and restarts are not really
a time of pleasure. The width of the motorcycle does not really facilitate
the passage between the lines of cars (forbidden by the code of course).
But as soon as it rolls, the torque and the ease
driving are disconcerting.
The first roundabouts approached too quickly remind us that
the VN does not drive quite like a roadster and asks
a minimum of anticipation and tact. In any state of
cause, it is here very easy to scrape the steps feet
at each roundabout, as long as one arrives too quickly. This is not
not annoying and even gives a certain euphoria to do
touch the monster at regular intervals.
Highway
Exit
from Paris, the VN 2000 takes its turns to investigate with power
who pulls – and pulls hard – on the arms. Forget customs at
quiet strength, and welcome to a world of custom that grows and
strong !
Then, if the custom willingly sets off at high speeds
largely prohibited by the highway code, it is the biker who releases
the right hand to maintain a reasonable pace of 130-140
km / h.
And yet, the VN is surprisingly rigorous and stable
even at unauthorized speeds.
Departmental
The
small roads follow one another here with pleasure. Limited ground clearance
does not really allow arson, but the impressions are elsewhere
when a slight push on the handlebars allows
the VN to lean from turn to turn.
And the sensations are there from the first laps, what
whether the "virtual" speed is in the absence of tachometer.
Comfort
The "pilot" or rather driver saddle is wide, well
padded and comfortable. It gets a bit more complicated on the side
passenger who is here treated in a sandbag. Firm suspensions
make you feel the irregularities of the road. He … not
so do not hesitate to play on the settings extremely simple
shock absorbers.
Braking
The torque of the VN is so important that you really have to seize it
brakes and do not hesitate to use the rear brake
trying to touch the front pedal to stop the machine
launched at sustained speed. In the end, it slows down hard and
safely but requires a minimum of anticipation.
You can’t stop a 340 kilo monster like a young girl
160 kilos (dry) and at this game, the brakes are revealed
largely up to the task.
Convenient
Not
passenger handle, no space under the seat except for the
tool kit, no place to put a U and the counter placed
on the tank prevents any tank bag.
It is still possible to secure side bags, especially in
considering the low position of the two exhaust tubes.
If you need to push your motorcycle regularly
in your gently sloping garage like I do, get ready
to suffer, unless you are a fan of the halls
bodybuilding. If on the flat we do not imagine the 340 kilos, they are there
well there as soon as the road climbs a little. And when it is necessary
to step back, it becomes an art. Come to think of it, a
reverse would have been welcome.
Consumption
The VN 2000 consumes more than its little sister and swallows quickly
the 21 liters of its tank. The first of five bars
of the fuel gauge drops after 60 km, and the second at
after 110 kilometers, ultimately allowing a range of 250
km at best.
Conclusion
The
VN 2000 is the final culmination of an arms race for the
V-Twin. As much as the VN 1600 is still drivable in town, the VN 2000
needs space and great roads to enjoy all of them
the qualities. Otherwise its weight and limited maneuverability
will turn your dream of power into a nightmare.
Once put on the rails of major roads and not limited
for urban use, it will really reveal
its charms, its unmatched driving character and a
driving pleasure like no other.
This bike has clearly been cut for tall
roads in the United States and it will find its place more difficult
Europe, unless you seduce a biker, first of all by his presence
and its dreamy figures then in contact with its engine.
Strong points
- motor
- behviour
- aesthetic
Weak points
- maneuverability
- price
Competitors: Triumph Rocket III, Yamaha XV Warrior
1700
Datasheet
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