From Victory of Mesa
by Kirk Johnson

April 2006

Price as tested $13,999.00
Base Price of Victory Vegas 8-Ball $13,399.00

About the Bike

Victory’s parent company is Polaris. In the 1990s Polaris introduced the new American motorcycle, the Victory Motorcycle. The powerful Victory Cruiser was introduced in Planet Hollywood at the Mall of America in 1997. They have continued to expand the line of motorcycle and continue to grow in market share percentage. After riding the Victory Vegas Jackpot I now understand why they have been so successful.

The Victory Vegas 8-Ball that I test drove was upgraded with the Arlen Ness Slingshots Exhaust system. It had a single seat configuration, but it can be upgrade for a passenger. And as noted in the name, 8-Ball, the bike was completely done in triple black. From frame to tank, fenders, engine and even the exhaust there was nothing but black and some chrome. Some people think this is the only color a bike is supposed to be. Well, it looks great.

It has a fuel-injected, counterbalanced, torque-laden 100/6 Freedom V-Twin power plant. The engine has 4-valves per cylinder with an overhead cam. On the power side the 100 cu. inch V-Twin is frame mounted, counterbalanced and is coupled to a five-speed transmission. It’s air and oil cooled and features a silent chain-driven oil pump to reduce engine noise. It produces 104 ft-lbs of torque and 86 horsepower. According to the charts and feel of the performance from the test ride the torque of the engine peaks out about 2,500 PRM. The seat height is 26.5” and dry weight of the Vegas 8-Ball comes in at 620 pounds and has a 4.5-gallon fuel tank. Here is a complete list of all of the specs.

Not being very familiar with the Victory line of motorcycles, I was impressed with some of the nice little surprises that I found as I looked over the motorcycle. For the braking the Jackpot was equipped with a 300 mm floating rotor with a 4-piston caliper from Brembo on the front and a 2-piston Brembo caliper on the rear. Also, Victory has taken the extra step to assist the owner with a single tool for adjusting the handlebars, belt-tension and removing and replacing the optional windscreen and or bags. It has a very accessible oil filter and that same tool will remove the oil drain plug and can be used to access the headlight and signal lights. What more could you ask for?

If you would like a little more color in your ride and a six-speed transmission, you can upgrade to the Vegas model for about $2,500. This is a lot of bike for under 14K

Test Ride

Considering this is like the entry level Victory or the Sportster of the Victory line, I was impressed. You get a 100-ci engine, Brembo brakes and many of the features that are on the high end Victory motorcycles for under 14K. Now, that is a lot of bike. How does it ride?

After climbing into the pilot’s seat I notice that the layout of the instruments were very nicely laid out with turn indicators, oil and fuel lights and a nice sized analog speed indicator with a digital odometer. Missing was a tach. Later, I found out you have the option of putting a tach on any of the bikes for about $200.00. I would recommend that on any bike.

After firing up the 100-inch mill I spent about 15 – 20 minutes cruising around Mesa to play in traffic and warm up the engine. It doesn’t get much easier then this. This bike you can almost wear. It fits great and is just a little heavy for a Sportster but handles like one. Obviously it rides a lot smoother and has a lot less vibration then the old Sportsters. I have not been on the new sportsters with the rubber-mounted engines as of yet so I can’t compare it to them. Now that I think about it, I guess this is more like a Harley-Davidson Dyna. About the same weight and size. Obviously this 100 inch mill would run circles around a stock Dyna.

After touring Mesa I was ready for a little fun. I headed over to the new 101 South to find some on-ramps. And of course with the first on-ramp, I get behind someone that thinks the on-ramp is the entry way to a parking lot. It did not take long to blow past this obstacle and get on with life in the fun lane. I hit several on and off-ramps just to see how the bike performs. I was not disappointed. Although, it is not a rocket, it does do a great job of getting from slow to cruise in just a matter of seconds. Just like the Vegas Jackpot, this ride should come in around the 13-second mark in the quarter mile. Just enough to have a lot of fun with in the traffic.

I did notice that the exhaust really popes or cackles whenever you let up on the throttle. It cackles more then any bike that I have ever been on. I assume that there is no baffling in the pipes to get that loud of a cackle.

I can’t say enough good about the ride of this bike. I t was smooth riding in town; smooth under full acceleration and cruising down the highway. This bike would be happy as a round the town good easily maneuverable and parking bike to cruising down the road all day. Although it only has the standard 5-speed tranny, it did not seem to be much of a concern. Now if you are going to cruise all day on the interstate at 80 or so, I would cough up the extra $ for the six speed.

Summary

This is a great deal for only 14K. The Vegas 8-Ball is the basic Victory motorcycle. But it still has the same engine and brakes and fuel capacity as most all of the other motorcycles in the Victory line-up. Performance was about what I expected. I really liked the low-end torque. This is a motorcycle that you can use to scout out around town or cruise down your favorite highway with.

If I were to make any changes, I would go for the 6-speed and ad the tach. If you want a little more color in you life then you can opt for the Vegas with some color options. And of course you can add a buddy seat on any of the models. Yes I still think the convenience and forethought of a single tool designed for the owner for making the sometimes-needed adjustments is a great idea.