2011 Victory Motorcycles - First Ride

Dang, what a ride. At one point, I came swooping over a rise and around a corner there in western Colorado on a swank new Cory Ness Victory Cross Country at a pretty good clip, right into the teeth of a hailstorm—in spite of the fact that the sun was shining brightly upon waving fields of grass and wildflowers, and just as the parts of me not covered by my excellent new Aerostich Falstaff jacket were drying out from the previous monsoon. Verily I say unto you, Colorado really is God’s country, whichever God you prefer—with His (or Her) work on constant rotating display and not many things man-made to spoil the view. Thunder, lightning, rushing San Miguel River (or is this the Dolores?), buttes, bluffs, hawks, aspen groves, suicide chipmunks, clean asphalt… And if I might have preferred to be on some sort of crotch rocket 10 years ago, I was hard-pressed this day to think of a thing I’d rather be riding than this here big, stable, fast, hail-or-high-water Victory.

About one minute later, the hail stopped, Colorado 141 dropped back down along the river (busily carving an excellent Grand Canyon in miniature, minus the minivans), the pavement dried, and my Cross Country commenced another giant slalom between the long grass and cottonwoods lining the bank and the red canyon walls. Heeled over not quite onto its floorboards in fifth gear and honoring the speed limit mainly in the breach, the CC was as solid as a battleship and as responsive as a really good modern motorcycle. Taking time to air up the rear shocks with the correct preload makes a big difference: With 22 psi in there and not much gear in the bags, the Cross Country can be whipped along at a surprising pace. They tell me you can also just roll along and enjoy the scenery.

Though we liked our 2010 Cross Country testbike (CW, August), we weren't so crazy about its whiny, semi-uncooperative gearbox. But whine no more: For 2011, Victory has completely overhauled its six-speed overdrive transmission—complete with new engine cases—and produced a motorcycle that shifts as well as it does everything else. Along with tighter tolerances and bigger, stronger gears comes a raft of benefits: a 66-percent reduction in driveline lash, a new Neutral Assist (which positively puts the bike in neutral when you toe the lever upward from first gear below 5 mph), a stretching-out of recommended oil-change intervals to 5000 miles and, last but not least, a reduction in drivetrain noise that allows Victory cruisers to emit a bit more exhaust noise. A little more rumble than before is nice, and the new six-speed goes in all the 2011 bikes across the board.

Every new Victory gets a 106-inch Freedom V-Twin, too. The Cross bikes (Cross Roads and Cross Country) and Visions use the Stage 1 version, with claimed output of 92 hp and 109 ft.-lb. of torque. All cruiser models—Vegases, Hammers and Kingpins—get a new Stage 2 Version said to crank out 97 horses and 113 ft.-lb. And though I am not a fan of loud pipes, these new ones are just enough louder to be music to my ears.

Lock and Ride Trunk.

Victory's engineers are also proud of their new Lock & Ride Trunk for the Cross bikes (retrofittable to 2010 models). It is sweet indeed for those who refuse to travel light and/or don't want their significant others falling off the back. The front of the trunk comes with a padded passenger backrest and dual audio speakers, and when you click the thing into place (in seconds, without tools), plugging in one cord gives you four-channel sound, a big trunk taillight and an accessory power outlet. (Every 2011 Cross Country and Cross Roads comes with a spare lock cylinder for trunk use, so the ignition key fits everything.) When the trunk is on the bike, a locking pin inserted through one of the saddlebags keeps it from being borrowed—which is a good thing because, at $1749, it is not inexpensive.

Victory Motorcycles Vision 8-Ball

As part of its new CORE Custom deal for the Cross Roads, a buyer can pick out a bare-bones bike at the dealer, in Crimson or Black, and have it outfitted on-site in hard or soft saddlebags (the soft ones are also new for 2011), forged or tubular steel highway bars, and can add a medium windshield and trunk for one low, low price. Okay, not that low, but Victory does pride itself on undercutting that other maker of American touring motorcycles. Cross Roads bikes start at $14,999, Cross Countrys (with standard fairing, stereo and cruise control) start at $17,999.

Elsewhere in the touring line, the Vision now comes standard with ABS, the Stage 1 106-inch engine, tubular handlebars and other detail changes—and starts at $23,199. Or, go whole anti-hog with the Arlen Ness Victory Vision for quite a few dollars more.

As for me, give me the Vision 8-Ball in funereal black, lower to the ground, more firmly sprung than the other Visions and trunkless, for a mere $17,999. For 2011, this one also gets the Stage 1 motor and passenger footpegs instead of floorboards, for enhanced coolosity.

CRUISERS

All the cruisers get new instrumentation with more info—and nearly all the cruisers now have blacked-out brake calipers, triple clamps, etc. A new sidestand hook is easier to find with your foot, and most importantly, all the cruisers get the Stage 2 106-inch engine and bigger exhaust openings to allow it to more fully exfoliate spent hydrocarbons and sound waves.

Victory Motorcycles Vegas Jackpot, Pearl White/Black Lucky Lady.

Not content to squeeze design ideas out of Arlen and Cory Ness, Victory has now recruited the grandchild: Zach Ness' first effort is a Victory Vegas 8-Ball in Black suede, with Zach-designed graphics and a full complement of Ness-cessories including billet wheels, etc. The popular Vegas Jackpot is back in either a Pearl White and Black "Lucky Lady" graphics package, Black and Indy Red or Solid Black.

I had never been on a Hammer before and was slightly amazed at how enjoyable it is to ride in spite of its 250mm-section rear tire—a little heavy-steering but loads of fun in the curves just the same, with reasonable cornering clearance and strong brakes. Don't forget the new transmission: A bike with this much torque that doesn't mind shifting gears is a big plus. The musclecar-inspired Hammer S gets Suede Black and Red two-tone paint and blacked-out components. Nice. If people keep building cruisers like these, I may get on board. Wait, I think I already am. What's that? $18,499? Why not go Henry Ford, then? The basic black Hammer 8-Ball sells for a mere $14,499.

How about a Solid Crimson or a Pearl White and Sandstone Metallic Kingpin? Starting at $14,999 (8-Ball for $12,999). Vegas? Solid Crimson or Imperial Blue and Pearl White starting at $14,499, or 8-Ball for $2K less.

Victory Motorcycles Kingpin, Pearl/Sand.

Pardon me if I've left out anything important; there were lots of roads and information to digest in just a couple of days. The Colorado cloudbursts weren't the only refreshing things; it was also invigorating to be riding around with Victory's Vice President of Motorcycles and former motocross champ, Mark Blackwell, as well as a bunch of Victory engineers and designers. While some of its competitors seem to hunker and withdraw, Victory is "on the gas," in Blackwell's words, and looking for a strong drive out of the economic doldrums when the economy improves. The new transmission in all the Victorys for 2011 is a big step toward parity, and maybe these bikes achieve it and a little more. With Polaris' engineering expertise and Blackwell's extensive off-road racing background, could a dirtbike or two be the logical next direction for Victory? Blackwell discourages that idea for the simple reason that dirtbike sales are in an even worse place than street motorcycles have been over the last few years.

"Why not something completely different? Why not some kind of motorcycle that's never been done?" asks Blackwell.

Umm, yeah. Why not? There are interesting things going on in Polaris snowmobiles with low-emission fuel-injected two-strokes, and have been for awhile. Who knows what they might come up with up there in Medina?

Listen to a CW Radio Mark Blackwell interview from 2009 here:

http://podcasting.cycleworld.com/2009/CW_032109.MP3