IF cruising is about turning heads, then Victory has hit the jackpot. This white-framed Vegas Jackpot with its dazzling paintwork, ultra-fat rear tyre and abundance of chrome almost causes road accidents everywhere it goes as it diverts the attention of drivers and pedestrians. Victory is a 13-year-old American competitor to Harley-Davidson and has been in Australia for three years with dealers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Mackay.
VALUE
The Vegas Jackpot is more expensive than its non-metric (Japanese) cruiser competitors, the Harley-Davidson Softail Blackline ($27,995) and Triumph Thunderbird Storm ($22,990), both of which come standard with ABS. But you pay extra for two-tone paint on the Harley and the level of detail here is closer to Harley CVO quality rather than the standard models.
TECHNOLOGY
The Victory also has the bragging rights on engine capacity with a 103 (1737cc) twin compared with the Storm's 1699cc and Harley's 1584cc. However, the Storm tops the torque charts with 156Nm, just 3Nm more than the Jackpot, while the Harley has 117Nm. Harley doesn't issue official power figures, but the Jackpot and Storm are level on 72kW.
All come with six-speed transmissions with belt drive. The Jackpot's instrument display features a decent-sized LED screen that features a gear indicator and toggles between speedo, trip meter and tacho. A gear indicator and tacho are no longer considered heresy on an American cruiser as Harley Softails also have these features.
DESIGN
While many cruisers are going for the grunge look, this Victory is clearly going for the bling title with its deep chrome, white frame and wild paintwork. That white frame is a real standout, but surely vulnerable to stone chips. Also, the brake pedal is painted white and could quickly chip or discolour from wear. There is a darker red and black combination available with more varieties to come in the 2012 models.
The engine is very tidy with all plumbing carefully hidden away, although the handlebar cabling is a little messy. Having the ignition on the side in the chromed air cleaner cover is needlessly "old school" and could scratch the chrome if you have anything dangling off your key ring. The use of a separate steering lock on the front fork is also inconvenient. Build quality is superb, right down to the fine details such as the use of quality nuts and bolts.
RIDING
Thankfully Victory last year upgraded the clunky gearbox. It's much smoother now and is married to a relatively light clutch. The cogs have positive engagement with an easy-to-find neutral and no false "angel gears".
The big air-cooled engine likes revs more than the Harley or Triumph but doesn't feel uncomfortable or rough when plodding along in peak-hour traffic. Here it develops a fair bit of heat under the seat and at the traffic lights the right-side exhaust scorches your ankle.
Most of our test ride was charging through the hills and I was surprised with the Victory's economy. Official figures are 5.5 litres per 100km giving it an effective range of almost 300km, but on our test ruin we achieved a startling 4.6L/100km.
This test bike came with a legal aftermarket slash-cut exhaust with a slight bend that looks much nicer than the straight silencers. The sound is a deep burble at idle and a full-grown mating call at top revs. Where the Victory excels is in the handling and clearance. It is sprung and damped heavier than the Triumph or Harley and will only scrape the pegs with a decent lean. It also doesn't dig in or wallow if you hit a mid-corner bump. But with that 250mm wide, low-profile rear tyre, it obviously needs a lot of counter-steering effort to lean into corners and hold its line. Ease up on the bars and it stands straight back up again.
The skinny 21-inch front wheel looks very old school, but it tends to track on parallel grooves in the road surface. Rear brakes are much stronger than the single front disc. Riding position is comfortable although the arms stretch out a fair way and highway speeds create a windsock effect. It comes with rear pegs and is registered as a dual-seater, but unless your pillion is a size-zero model most of their bottom is going to be sitting on the rear fender, scratching that stunning paintwork.
VERDICT
This is a good handling, powerful cruiser with the looks to turn heads.
VICTORY VEGAS JACKPOT
Price: $29,995
Warranty: 2-year/unlimited km
Service: 8000km
Engine: 1731cc air-cooled V-twin, 72kW/153Nm
Fuel: 17litres
Transmission: 6-speed, belt drive
Dimensions: 2435mm (L), 1684mm (WB), 653mm (Seat), 135mm (Clearance)
Dry weight: 294kg
Suspension: telescopic 43mm fork, mono-tube gas rear shock
Brakes: 300mm discs
Tyres: 90/90 21 (front), 250/40R18 (rear)
Economy: 5.5L/100km.
RIVALS
- Harley-Davidson FXS Blackline $27,995
- Triumph Thunderbird Storm $22,990.
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