Yamaha V-Star 1100

Originally given birth in the form of the chain-drive XV1000RH in 1981, the series developed into a credible, if somewhat over-decorated, cruiser. It may not have topped the sales charts, but the Virago 1100 cruiser developed a dedicated following of riders who appreciated its user-friendly power, better than average handling for the class, and a fair degree of reliability.

Wander into 1998 and Yamaha has taken the V-Star replacement seriously enough to do a world launch of the model from Southern France. Picturesque as the countryside in that area is, it has little other than tight and very demanding roads that you would have thought was more suited to the launch of a small sports bike, or perhaps a supermotard replica.

A cruiser in this territory? Are you kidding? Next thing they'll be telling us the Pope's taken up rollerblades.

Company Y's reasoning was it had enough confidence in the bike to plonk it in the middle of a nest of curves and cut the scribes loose.

As it turns out, the confidence was well founded. I don't know what the lap record from Gourdon to Grasse is, but I can report it's in no real danger from anyone mounted on this bike. Having said that, I can think of a very long list of cruisers that I'd much rather not tackle the same roads on.

The V-Star steers very predictably, defying the heavily-raked looks, stops the way a cruiser should (and like all too many don't) and even has something resembling decent suspension.

Cornering clearance from the Dragstar-style frame is limited, but okay for this application. What makes it forgiveable is that the whole package is steady enough to dump a footpeg on the tarmac and leave it there right through the corner without fear of being pitched off.

The powerplant claims a very substantial 11.7kg-m of torque at just 2500rpm, which means it launches off idle with a great deal of authority. Short shifting through the five-speed gearbox is the way to go, with attempts at revving the bike out producing more noise than acceleration.

Performance is about what you'd expect of a big cruiser ­ rapid progress to 160kmh, and a more leisurely effort from there.

Design of the powerplant still owes a lot to the Virago, though pistons, sleeves, valve timing and starter clutch have come in for revision. The latter was named by Yamaha as a weak point in the previous engine.

The transmission and shaft work well together, with no intrusive rise-and-fall shaft reaction from the rear end. However there is some slop in the driveline, which was noticeable rather than annoying.

The only glitch in the plot was the seat padding, which a couple of riders complained tended to pack down after an hour-plus in the saddle.

Where the package has it over the Virago is the overall seating position. While the 'old' bike was cramped for tall folk, this one is just fine. Shorter folk will also be happy, as the seat height has dropped by a couple of centimetres ­ now you know where the cornering clearance went.

As you'd expect, there's a vast range of dress-up kit available for the bike from day one, including pillion backrest, extra lights and windscreen.