Only regarding noise output :-)
Perhaps off the line but not otherwise, and absolutely not at higher speeds or if there is a any kind of curve in the road. I think the V-Max launches better, at least in my poorly skilled hands but then again, I find a C-14 difficult to launch hard (Easy Boys!) from a standing start. Judging by the 1/8 mile stats people have published of repeated runs on a drag strip, I am not the only one either 'cause the first couple of passes are usually pretty poor. The V-Max makes its power at a lower engine speed and has more 'grunt' but gets winded pretty quick.
I think the expectations have to be reasonable: if one starts to think of a C-14 as a 'snappy' or 'high performance' bike, he / she is bound to be disappointed because there are a lot of other bikes out that that will equal or surpass it. On the other hand, if one thinks of a C-14 as a heavy, pig of an old man's tourer, then its performance is not only surprising but really quite amazing.... and that is how I think of the bike. For a heavy beast of a sport tourer, it will not embarrass anyone riding one (other than being stranded next to a Mobil fuel pump when it won't start.... and Hardly riders are looking on) and will actually surprise, sometimes stunningly so, other bike riders as well as the person sitting on the thing.
One summer day, my wife and I were headed to the local bike shop. There is a very windy but very clean 2- lane road, speed limit 25 MPH (and places where that is too much- literally), on the way to the shop- it is perhaps 1 1/2 miles long. Anyway, coming off the main road to the stop light at this side road, we end up in the middle of a group of four sport bikes, all sitting at the red light. One 600cc and the other three were liter Yamaha R1's. Just before the light changed, my wife says in the intercom "Don't do it...." :-) I did not know what those four young bucks were going to do but I had a pretty good idea: sure 'nuff, when the light turned two of them launched pretty hard while the other two guys sort of sat there for a second. That was my opportunity to turn inside the last two and go after the first two. The first section of the road is gentle bends and that allowed me to put the smaller bike behind me. Now of course I could not take the R1 but then again, he could not put nearly as much distance between us as he thought he could, and he proved to be a relatively mild rider, probably new to bikes, and dumped most of his speed WAY early leading into the first very sharp turn..... if I did not have my wife on the back, I would have passed him right then :-) At any rate, after going around the curve limited by his speed, he was slow to accelerate out of the turn too and I think he was amazed to see me actually get closer for a second. When we got to the bike shop, both kids had to walk over and see what it was; I asked for extra credit because I had baggage AND saddlebags
. They were just pups and I think my gray hair further surprised them- anyway, the next thing I knew, two of the R1 riders were talking to a salesman about a C-14 they had on the floor.
With reasonable expectations, the C-14 is an outstanding performing bike..... as heavy, sport touring bikes go.
Brian
<snip>
The bike I wonder about is the V-Max. Will the big 1679cc Vmax out run a C14?
