Honda VT1300 (2010)

The engine is the same fuel-injected, 1312cc, SOHC, 52-degree V-twin with two spark plugs and three valves per cylinder: two in take, one exhaust. Liquid-cooled, it hides its radiator between the aforementioned down tubes, the upper coolant hose concealed beneath the forward valve cover. Spent gases exit via a double-barrel shotgun exhaust, while motive power makes its way to the rear tire via a five-speed gearbox and shaft drive.

The differences are in the details. The Sabre is essentially a Fury with a drag bar and a 170mm-wide rear tire instead of a 200. The Stateline substitutes a 17-inch front wheel for the Fury's 21-inch pizza-cutter. And the Interstate adds a windshield, saddlebags and floorboards. Honda's Combined Braking System with ABS is a $1000 option on the first two but strangely not on the third; apparently the marketing department was adamant about keeping the price below $13,000.

The U.S. press was invited to sample the VT1300 line in Temecula Valley Wine Country northeast of San Diego, just as the wildflowers were blooming in April. Because the Interstate is the most significantly different model, I'll focus on it here.