Well I got the pleasure of joining in on a demo day yesterday for Victory Motorcycles. These bikes are focused on competeing with Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It shows greating in the styling of the bikes. I have ridden several Harleys in the past, as well as Buells, including the watercooled V-Rod, so I know the nuances and such of the Harley motors.
The first bike I tried was the 8-Ball Kingpin
Surprisingly these bikes feel very lightweight. They look huge, and heavy, but have loads of tourqe, run smoothly, and are easy to handle in tight areas as well as at high speeds. The suspension feels super smooth, the stearing was very quick and responsive. Never felt like the bike was going to do something I didn't want it to do. It had decent ground clearence, was able to get enough lean to be fun without scraping hard parts. The transmission shifts much like a harley on these bikes. Take a fair bit of force to change gears, and gives a loud clunk with each gear change. Clutchless upshifts were smooth though, and I never found myself missing any shifts with or without the clutch. The things I found lacking on the Kingpin would be comfort, clutchpull, and throttle response. My legs felt great, the seat was a bit odd fitting, making my butt go numb by the end of the 12 mile test ride. THe handlebar position felt awkward. It placed me not quite forward on the bike, but not in a nice relaxed leaned back or upright position. Found my shoulders to be a little sore after the short ride. The clutches on these bikes, much like some of the Harleys I have ridden, had a very stiff pull. Took a fair bit of force to disengage it and hold the lever in. This would be due in part to the stiffness of the clutch springs in order to handle the gobs of lowend torque these motors have. The throttle response reminded me alot of the FZ6. Fairly choppy and surging when rolling on or off the throttle completely. Not as smooth as the Harleys or Buells I have ridden. Overall, the bike looks great, motor is awesome to play with, but the comfort leaves a bit to be desired. A lotta mods would be in store for this one if I was to purchase it.
Next up on my list was the High-Ball
Engine and transmission felt the same as the Kingpin. Surprisingly this bike was very comfortable. It beat out the kingpin overall in my book. Same clutchpull, and throttle response as the Kingpin, but the higher handlebars allowed you to really relax your arms while riding. The seat was a little better, but would still need changing if I was to purchase this bike. He biggest flaw I found, was ground clearence. I ground the holy hell out of the left peg early on. Folded it up pretty good. On a good note though, the bike was never upset while I ground her down, and held a line just fine. Modulating the clutch on tight right hand turns was a little tough too, would deffinately be nearly unmanageable for people with shorter arms. Overall, a very nice, clean looking and riding bike, but it needs a bit more ground clearence for me .
Next on my list, is the Cross Roads
This bike was very appealing to the eye. The lines just flowed with it. Storage was pretty darn good as well in the saddlebags. Before sitting ont he bike and picking it up though, I was unsure if I would even be able to handle it with how big it looked. Boy was I wrong! It felt as light as my FZ6. Just as easy to turn and handle as the previous 2 bikes I road, but with alot more comfort. The handlebars felt perfect, and the seat felt like it was ready for 1000 mile days. Engine and transmission was alot smoother than the previous 2 bikes, including the throttle response. It felt very refined, and honestly, I fell in love with it lol. Electronic cruise control was odd, yet fun to play with, and worked really well. The only issue I had with the bike was wind protection. It would need a windscreen for any decent length trips at higher speeds. Ground clearence was very surprising. I never scraped the massive floorboards, yet leaned her pretty darn good in the turns, for a cruiser. Overall, I would buy this bike if I had the money.
Next up, we have the Hammer.
This particular model was fitted with an aftermarket Cobra exhaust. The pipes sounded oh so good on the bike. Not any loder at idle or cruising speeds, but when you opened it up, it growled with that nice v-twin roar. This bike was very comfortable. The seat, leg, and hand position was perfect for me. Felt completely natural on it, like it was made for me lol. Power delivery was awesome. This sumbitch was quick! Reminded me alot of the V-rod, jsut smoother, and faster. This bike ran the smoothest of the bunch, best throttle response, least vibrations (practically none!). You deffinately noticed the fat rear tire, making directions changes a bit slower than the other bikes. Overall, very fun bike, could ride the hell out of it, and smoke the piss out of sportbikes in a straight line lol.
Last, but deffinately, not even close, actually the opposite of the least, is the Cross Country
This bike was absolutely amazing to ride. Extremely comfortable, very fast, and even though it looks like it would hangle like a grey hound bus, it is very flickable, and manuverable. I dont know how Victory did it, but all of their bikes feel like they weigh maybe 400-500 lbs! This particular model had the radio and cruise control, as well as the massive floorboards that offered up several different leg positions. The seat was extremely nice. I wish the seats in my truck were that nice. Not once did I feel uneasy on this bike. Very smooth ride, and very responsive handling. Overall, this was an amazing bike. Harley deffinately has its work cut out for it on this one.
In conclusion, Victory Motorcycles don't get enough credit where it is due. These are some amazing bikes when you consider the purpose they are built for, and what they are competeing against. I really enjoyed them, and could deffinately see myself owning one.
The first bike I tried was the 8-Ball Kingpin
Surprisingly these bikes feel very lightweight. They look huge, and heavy, but have loads of tourqe, run smoothly, and are easy to handle in tight areas as well as at high speeds. The suspension feels super smooth, the stearing was very quick and responsive. Never felt like the bike was going to do something I didn't want it to do. It had decent ground clearence, was able to get enough lean to be fun without scraping hard parts. The transmission shifts much like a harley on these bikes. Take a fair bit of force to change gears, and gives a loud clunk with each gear change. Clutchless upshifts were smooth though, and I never found myself missing any shifts with or without the clutch. The things I found lacking on the Kingpin would be comfort, clutchpull, and throttle response. My legs felt great, the seat was a bit odd fitting, making my butt go numb by the end of the 12 mile test ride. THe handlebar position felt awkward. It placed me not quite forward on the bike, but not in a nice relaxed leaned back or upright position. Found my shoulders to be a little sore after the short ride. The clutches on these bikes, much like some of the Harleys I have ridden, had a very stiff pull. Took a fair bit of force to disengage it and hold the lever in. This would be due in part to the stiffness of the clutch springs in order to handle the gobs of lowend torque these motors have. The throttle response reminded me alot of the FZ6. Fairly choppy and surging when rolling on or off the throttle completely. Not as smooth as the Harleys or Buells I have ridden. Overall, the bike looks great, motor is awesome to play with, but the comfort leaves a bit to be desired. A lotta mods would be in store for this one if I was to purchase it.
Next up on my list was the High-Ball
Engine and transmission felt the same as the Kingpin. Surprisingly this bike was very comfortable. It beat out the kingpin overall in my book. Same clutchpull, and throttle response as the Kingpin, but the higher handlebars allowed you to really relax your arms while riding. The seat was a little better, but would still need changing if I was to purchase this bike. He biggest flaw I found, was ground clearence. I ground the holy hell out of the left peg early on. Folded it up pretty good. On a good note though, the bike was never upset while I ground her down, and held a line just fine. Modulating the clutch on tight right hand turns was a little tough too, would deffinately be nearly unmanageable for people with shorter arms. Overall, a very nice, clean looking and riding bike, but it needs a bit more ground clearence for me .
Next on my list, is the Cross Roads
This bike was very appealing to the eye. The lines just flowed with it. Storage was pretty darn good as well in the saddlebags. Before sitting ont he bike and picking it up though, I was unsure if I would even be able to handle it with how big it looked. Boy was I wrong! It felt as light as my FZ6. Just as easy to turn and handle as the previous 2 bikes I road, but with alot more comfort. The handlebars felt perfect, and the seat felt like it was ready for 1000 mile days. Engine and transmission was alot smoother than the previous 2 bikes, including the throttle response. It felt very refined, and honestly, I fell in love with it lol. Electronic cruise control was odd, yet fun to play with, and worked really well. The only issue I had with the bike was wind protection. It would need a windscreen for any decent length trips at higher speeds. Ground clearence was very surprising. I never scraped the massive floorboards, yet leaned her pretty darn good in the turns, for a cruiser. Overall, I would buy this bike if I had the money.
Next up, we have the Hammer.
This particular model was fitted with an aftermarket Cobra exhaust. The pipes sounded oh so good on the bike. Not any loder at idle or cruising speeds, but when you opened it up, it growled with that nice v-twin roar. This bike was very comfortable. The seat, leg, and hand position was perfect for me. Felt completely natural on it, like it was made for me lol. Power delivery was awesome. This sumbitch was quick! Reminded me alot of the V-rod, jsut smoother, and faster. This bike ran the smoothest of the bunch, best throttle response, least vibrations (practically none!). You deffinately noticed the fat rear tire, making directions changes a bit slower than the other bikes. Overall, very fun bike, could ride the hell out of it, and smoke the piss out of sportbikes in a straight line lol.
Last, but deffinately, not even close, actually the opposite of the least, is the Cross Country
This bike was absolutely amazing to ride. Extremely comfortable, very fast, and even though it looks like it would hangle like a grey hound bus, it is very flickable, and manuverable. I dont know how Victory did it, but all of their bikes feel like they weigh maybe 400-500 lbs! This particular model had the radio and cruise control, as well as the massive floorboards that offered up several different leg positions. The seat was extremely nice. I wish the seats in my truck were that nice. Not once did I feel uneasy on this bike. Very smooth ride, and very responsive handling. Overall, this was an amazing bike. Harley deffinately has its work cut out for it on this one.
In conclusion, Victory Motorcycles don't get enough credit where it is due. These are some amazing bikes when you consider the purpose they are built for, and what they are competeing against. I really enjoyed them, and could deffinately see myself owning one.