After years of flashy new models and industry-shaking innovations, the New American Motorcycle Company is catching its collective breath. For 2007, Victory has chosen to spotlight revamped versions of existing bikes rather than new ones. The blacked-out version of its hot-rod Hammer hit the runway first, followed by the lower-key Kingpin Tour-a traveling version of the Kingpin. This latter bike is more significant than it might seem, though; it effectively phases out the last of the company's old-generation bikes, the 92-cubic-inch, five-speed V92TC Touring Cruiser.
It's a big shift, but don't pity the discontinued TC. That bike was old-spec, whereas the rest of the Victory stable carries the company's new DNA-smoother and more powerful 100ci Freedom engines with six speeds (in all models except the bare-bones five-speed 8-Ball). The new-for-2007 Kingpin Tour steps in to fill what Victory calls the "soft-tourer" niche. In cruiser parlance, that means a windshield, lowers and saddlebags. On the Tour, however, Victory ups the ante with the addition of a topbox.
If the extra storage space is meant to elevate the Kingpin to a full tourer, we figured a shakedown cruise would be the best way to determine if Victory's newest traveler could measure up to the hype. Our mini-tour would graze the California coast up to San Luis Obispo, sashay over the coastal range and blast down through the Mojave Desert-a nice mix of urban angst, mountain twists and wide-open roads. Let the (over)packing begin.
Once we began stuffing our gear into the Kingpin Tour, we started to pine for the TC. After all, that bike did have its good points-like tremendous storage capacity. The new Tour's saddlebags are much smaller because the right one has to slot in over stacked dual mufflers along the right side. As a result, each of the Tour's bags holds just under five gallons of stuff. The trunk adds another 13 gallons of capacity, for a total of 22 gallons. That may sound like a ton of room, but it's just enough for one low-maintenance rider for the weekend or a really Spartan couple overnight.
How Ya Doin'?With a weekend's worth of gear tucked in, we settle into the Tour's low, 26.5-inch seat, which sports a wide dish that tapers to a narrow front end. This smoothly integrates into the split-tail fuel tank, but the back edge of the saddle kicks up sharply. With our feet firmly on the ground, however, the bike feels light and well-balanced. In the morning chill, just a touch of the handlebar-mounted fast-idle control is enough to fire up the Tour, and it belts out a loping, solid tone from the exhaust. Victory has always served up bikes with superb injection, and the mapping of the Kingpin Tour proves to be no different.
The 100-cubic-inch Freedom engine burbles as we pick our way through L.A. traffic toward the twists of the local hills. Accelerating hard in first gear can be a rush, but we quickly reach the rev limiter, which comes on like a soft suggestion rather than the abrupt shutdown found on most bikes. The Kingpin can haul serious ass; another whack of the throttle, in third, gives us an 80-mph smile in the space of a long exhale. The Freedom engine makes power way down in the rpm band and comes on strong as the revs rise, but it delivers the goods with class. This means no lunges or flat spots, just a hint of abruptness from drivetrain play. The OHC, 50-degree V-twin is a happy revver, but the counterbalanced engine is also smooth, and we never felt vibration to be a serious issue. Most big twins sound overly muted, but the Tour ekes out a clear rumble, especially under acceleration.
Picking through the gearbox, it's a breeze to pass slower vehicles, even uphill. The 1634cc Freedom V-twin is built for torque (a claimed 100 foot-pounds of the stuff to supplement the 80 horsepower measured at the crank). If the clutch feels slightly stiff and initial engagement is abrupt, it all becomes a breeze once you adapt (the clutch can, however, heat up and get grabby in stop-and-go traffic).
Once the freeway's big rigs melt into the rearview, it's time to test the Tour's six-speed transmission. Victory is quick to proclaim the sixth gear as a true overdrive, and there's no doubt it's a tall one, but we didn't feel comfortable slotting into it at less than 55 mph. The upside of these ratios is that the engine isn't being taxed, even at 90 mph in that top gear. There's enough power to support the gearing, though we always downshifted when passing for more solid acceleration.
Facilitating all this gearbox-stirring, the heel-toe shifter is well-positioned for easy access. The rear portion of the shifter lives almost at the level of the floorboard, so gears are selected with a consistently positive snick. The riding position feels ideal for my 5'7" frame, too-the rubber-mounted handlebars aren't too high, and the vibration-isolating floorboards afford my feet a host of positioning options.