2010 Victory Motorcycles Preview

We did a somewhat informal survey of dealers last fall for our 2009 Buyers' Guide (Motorcycle Cruiser, Feb. '09), and found that the two classes of bikes that are selling strongest were touring rigs and bargain bikes (under $10k). While Victory didn't break into entry-level territory (despite having a 800cc parallel pushrod twin in its ATV line), it did add a couple more of its bargain-bred 8-Ball series, and then there's the new touring machines...

A few issues ago we showed a Victory prototype called the Core concept. It was a rigid-framed, svelte custom rod, with a bad attitude. Fuel was carried in the frame itself, and the air intake flowed through the headstock, which made for a very compact design. Victory had hinted that models based on this concept would follow. Naturally, we were waiting for a production rigid by a major manufacturer, thinking that this might be an interesting direction for America's New Motorcycle company. Probably the last thing we were thinking about was baggers.

Yea, baggers; and not one, but two of them. The Cross Country is a custom-style bagger aimed squarely at Harley-Davidson's amazingly popular Street Glide. It sports the same 106 cubic inch 6-speed V-Twin as the Vision, but far less plastic. While definitely a forward-thinking design, unlike the Vision, it doesn't make you want to hum "Meet George Jetson" when you see it. Similar to the Vision, Victory wants to continue to bridge the gap between riders who might be looking for more features/performance than a traditional touring cruiser, and one that will go all the way to a sport tourer. But in this case they call the Cross Country rider a more "traditional" rider; we'd call them more "custom."

There are a number of design elements that one would usually expect only on a customized bagger. Things like the super-dropped seating area, wheel-hugging front fender, and sleek, pointed turnsignals with matching frenched-in taillight. But combined with these custom touches are a rigid chassis, long-travel suspension, huge saddlebags and (relatively) low overall weight. Victory credits all these seemingly contradictory traits to the light, rigid aluminum frame that houses the intake tract. The new frame is a huge step from the current Victory cruiser models that have a slightly ugly and awkwardly placed intake between the steering head and the engine.

There were some nice details on the bike as well. A wide, supportive rear seat is congruent with Victory's stated demographic of late 40-somethings, unlike some others who skimp back here for the sake of style. The paint options on this bike (and all the '10s) are pretty daring as well, including a really nice matte color, and one super-hot skull scheme on the bike shown here. But the neatest, out-if-the-box thing is the new take on a highway bar. It either looks like a blade or a wing depending on what angle you look at it from. While it doesn't have the absolute versatility of a piece of bar stock, it does have a pair of mounting bosses for highway pegs or whatever the aftermarket comes up with.

Cross Roads is the second all-new touring model. Based along the lines of a Road King/Nomad/Stratoliner-style light touring machine, the 'Roads is built from the same Core platform as the Cross Country. Equipped with the same cavernous saddlebags as the 'Country, but from there the 'Roads takes it a step down in weight and complexity. While the Cross Country has a stereo system, fairing and that trippy wing, the Cross Roads has a removable windscreen and a traditional highway bar.

Perhaps most impressively, unlike most other Victorys, that are competitive on price with Harleys, the Cross bikes are both $1000 less than their Milwaukee competition at $15,999 and $17,999 for Cross Roads and Cross Country respectively.