2010 Victory Cross Roads and Cross Country - First Look

Not to sound too dramatic, but Victory has, over its decade-long existence, shown some courage with its designs. And while the company does traffic in essentially traditional American cruiser forms, it also has made some bold technological and styling moves, most recently the forward-thinking Vision touring machines.

To this list add the new Cross Roads and Cross Country baggers that utilize traditional American touring silhouettes but with crisp, modern styling and definitely non-traditional construction. In the same spirit as the innovative Vision full-rig tourers and the more recent CORE concept bike, the Cross baggers have hollow, sand-cast aluminum frames that do more than just hold the bikes together. How so? Just like on the Vision, the frame is the airbox, with the inlet on the top of the backbone and under the conventional, 5.8-gallon fuel tank. Not just fuel capacity is large, either, as the locking saddlebags hold about 10 gallons of cargo each, which Victory points out is greater than select competing bikes from Yamaha and Harley-Davidson. Claimed dry weights (745 pounds for the copbike-screened Cross Roads and 765 pounds for the fairing-equipped Cross Country) are about on par with those of the competition, although Victory's Vision-sourced, air/oil-cooled four-valve-per-cylinder, 106-cubic-inch (1737cc) 50-degree V-Twin offers a stated 92 horsepower and 109 foot-pounds of torque, which should give these bikes lively acceleration. The six-speed gearbox features an overdrive top gear. Closed-loop EFI—with dual 45mm throttle bodies—uses oxygen sensors in the hydroformed twin exhaust system to continuously tune the air-fuel mixture.

Comfort was a major focus, with a low, 26.3-inch seat height and ultra-long floorboards with adjustable foot controls—plus easily adjustable handlebars—to help tune the riding position to taste. The Cross Country's handlebar-mounted fairing was extensively wind-tunnel tested (accessory screens both higher and lower are available), and mounted within is a standard AM/FM (and iPod/GPS/XM-ready) stereo system. Instruments include an analog speedo, tachometer and digital fuel gauge, in addition to a multi-function display with readouts for gear position, clock, a trip computer, odometer, two tripmeters and fuel-economy data.

The Cross Roads' copbike windshield is adjustable for height and also is easily removable, dispensing with the Country's stereo and tachometer (latter is available as an accessory). Both bikes feature an inverted cartridge fork and an air-adjustable rear shock so that they can be tuned for load. Brakes are 300mm floating discs all around. Accessories for both bikes include heated grips and seats, rider and passenger backrests, Garmin GPS, a reverse gear and more. Quarter-turn fasteners on saddlebag interiors allow for easy removal. Locking, hinged lids can be opened with one hand. Visit the photo gallery for views of available custom-style paint schemes, CAD drawings of the frame and engine, as well as a few early styling/concept sketches.

A first ride on these 2010-model baggers is still a way off, with December dealer availability (price is as yet unannounced). But the Vision touring machines offer a superb riding experience with excellent handling, top-level ride quality and class-leading comfort, so there is little reason to suspect Victory hasn’t accomplished the same with the Cross Roads and Cross Country baggers, just in a more traditional-looking package.