Quick Ride
Quick Ride
TITAN PHOENIX A bargain for the billet bunch
IN THE OXYMORONIC WORLD of production customs, having “$20,000” and “moderately priced” in the same sentence isn’t altogether wacko. After all, adding performance, custom paint and billet parts to a stock Harley can easily push the price of ownership past $30K.
Titan’s Phoenix ZRM is a bargain, then? In a twisted way, yes. The engine is less dressed in shiny bits, and buyers get solid paint schemes (versus the Premium line’s full-custom opportunities). Otherwise, the mechanical package is fundamentally the same. In fact, Titan says some of the engineering lessons it learned from the “clean-sheet” Phoenix helped improve its top-dollar high line, too.
Hard to argue. This is a wellsorted custom-better than some Titans past, and better than many of the other Harley clones around whose handlebars we’ve wrapped fingerless gloves.
You still face the usual longand-low cruiser compromises: inadequate ground clearance, high-effort steering and an intense propensity for tipping into corners at low speeds. The way the components work together, though, plus simple things like clutch feel, engine response and shifting, are all pretty well figured out.
Still, this is a gruff riding experience, one that might best be described as “burly.” It isn’t as easy to manage as, say, a HarleyDavidson Softail Deuce, which will run circles around a Phoenix when the going gets twisty.
But if you’re already looking at a Titan, that probably won’t matter. You’ll likely just want to kick back on the ultra-low 25.5inch-high seat and lope soothingly along in fifth gear as the 97-cubic-inch S&S powerplant slices off big ol’ slabs of meaty, prime-rib-grade torque.
While tall gearing and rubber engine mounts stop evil vibration from invading your rhythmic, internal-combustion meditation, engine character still makes its way through. And how. Even before you give the throttle a whack, the exhaust note lets you know this thing’s got motor. Response is immediate and authoritative. Just 1800 rpm brings 80 foot-pounds of torque, with the 98.4-ft.-lb. peak coming at 3250 rpm. Ponies are trotted out in a steady, dip-free curve, achieving a rear-wheel max of 77 horsepower at 5250 rpm.
You’ll want to concentrate on engine performance, because suspension action leaves a bit to be desired. The Works Performance shocks are stiff (bikes built after April are equipped with Progressive dampers), while the proprietary 45mm inverted fork is very soft. If the pavement expresses itself aggressively, the suspension’s imbalance confuses the chassis. Still, the ZRM is certainly composed enough for Cool Duty.
That said, if your level of entry into the motorcycle market is five bucks shy of $21K, the Phoenix says “well-sorted custom” without sounding like an oxymoron. -Mark Hoyer
