Big, brawny cruisers tell a lot of the story of American motorcycles, and they state their case loud and clear. There is no mistaking the roar of an 1800cc engine and the assault it makes on the eardrums of anyone in the vicinity. For riders, the best part is you don’t have to decide between cruising in style or burning rubber anymore. With many modern cruisers, you can do both.

10. Victory 8 Ball

0-60: 3.88 seconds

Using 110 pound-feet of torque and 105 horsepower, Victory’s Vegas 8-Ball can sprint to 60 in under four seconds. For a Victory cruiser, it weighs in on the light side at 638 pounds dry. In terms of image, riders love the look of the classic V-twin and the sound of the high-displacement engine. It’s old-school muscle and style at its best. Motorcycle News clocked its best run to 60 at 3.88 seconds.

9. Indian Chief

0-60: 3.81 seconds

The Indian Chief makes it easy on riders. First, it delivers all the classic style you expect from the brand. Second, it delivers on performance in a big way. Using 100 horsepower and 72 pound-feet of torque, it can run from a stop to 60 in less than four seconds. You can make a quarter mile in 12 seconds and hit a top speed of 125 miles per hour on the Scout. 

8. Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide

0-60: 3.7 seconds

To gauge the power of the Harley CVO Road Glide Custom Anniversary Edition, Cycle World pitted the beast against a Honda Gold Wing F6B Deluxe in an intriguing contest. For its part, the Harley CVO Road Glide was able to use its 110 pound-feet of torque and 91 horsepower to blast from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. While it wasn’t faster than the Gold Wing, it was good enough to crack the top 10 among cruisers.

7. Suzuki Boulevard M109R B.O.S.S.

0-60: 3.65 seconds

Suzuki’s Boulevard M109R B.O.S.S. is one of the true beasts of the open road. If you are a fan of blacked-out style, you would say it looks the part as well. B.O.S.S. produces a maximum of 97 pound-feet of torque and 105 horsepower from its 1793cc engine, giving it the goods to hit 60 in 3.65 seconds. The 2014 model weighs in at 764 pounds at the curb.

6. Victory Octane

0-60: 3.6 seconds

At 548 pounds wet, Victory Octane was the lightest bike the brand ever made. It was also the quickest of the Victory lineup, with its 1179 cc engine providing 76 pound-feet of torque. Critics of the Octane said it borrowed too much of its corporate cousin, Indian Chief Scout, but no one complained about acceleration. Octane made the run to 60 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds.

5. Harley-Davidson V-Rod

0-60: 3.59 seconds

A 2001 model of the Harley-Davidson VRSC V-Rod was clocked by Motorcycle News, hitting 60 miles per hour in 3.59 seconds. The latest model has upgraded its torque from 72 to 83 pound-feet. Meanwhile, weight has jumped to 666 pounds at the curb. The V-Rod Muscle is right behind this model, with sprints to 60 taking just 3.73 seconds.

4. Honda Gold Wing Valkyrie

0-60: 3.41 seconds

Honda’s monstrous Gold Wing squared off against the H-D Road Glide Custom in Cycle World tests and won the sprint to 60 with a time of 3.3 seconds. It matches the best time posted by any Gold Wing model. Packing an engine of 1832cc capable of 110 pound-feet of torque and 104 horsepower, the Valkyrie is ready to match nearly any cruiser on the road.

3. Triumph Rocket Roadster

0-60: 3.3 seconds

With 148 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque to power a wet weight of 809 pounds, it is easy to see why this Triumph bike is called the Rocket. It houses the world’s biggest production motorcycle engine (an imposing 2249cc) and can power from a stop to 60 miles per hour in 3.3 seconds. The 2010 model ran the quarter-mile in 11.48 seconds.

2. Ducati Diavel

0-60: 2.8 seconds

There may be some questions about a “performance cruiser” like the Ducati Diavel joining the pack here, but most outlets count it in the segment. This bike is pure acceleration, hitting 60 miles per hour in 2.80 seconds in runs confirmed by Motorcycle News. Powering the Diavel is the 1198cc engine, while the bike’s wet weight is just 557 pounds. Top speed is 157 miles per hour.

1. Yamaha Star VMAX

0-60: 2.5 seconds

Cycle World ran the Star VMax against the Triumph Rocket in order to see which muscle cruiser could run to 60 miles per hour fastest. That test pegged the VMax on the mark in 2.5 seconds, which made it the fastest bike that still makes for good long-range riding. It houses a 1679cc engine capable of 179 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. Weighing in at 695 pounds, it can match the Diavel on pound-for-pound power.

On that note, rider weights and skills are always going to factor into the bike with the fastest acceleration times. All things equal, the Star VMax is likely to outperform any classic cruiser. If the Diavel is included as an open cruiser, it will always be a horse race between these powerhouse accelerators, and the Ducati has the edge in runs to 100 miles per hour and for quarter-mile sprints.

Note: The original version of this article was written by Eric Schaal. It has since been edited and revised by MotorBiscuit Staff Writer, Peter Corn.