Unveiled in New York City January 16th, Victory's CORE concept motorcycle is roughly the polar opposite of the company's flagship Vision tourer. Stripped to just the bare essentials of an engine, wheels, and just enough other stuff to control it.
The core of the CORE is Victory's Freedom 106ci powerplant sporting its usual 6-speed transmission. A Hammeresque inverted front end with dual brakes supports the front, while a fairly narrow (150mm) rear wheel and tire does the job out back. A very slick sand-cast rigid frame hold the whole thing together. Victory is calling the design "inside out" implying that frames should be hidden on the inside, but perhaps that's only in relation to their own Vision.
Lead Designer Michael Song, who also was he lead on the Vision project, explains, ""We wanted to strip everything not critical and build a motorcycle that uses some of the production technologies we have incorporated into the Victory Vision. The frame and engine architecture of the Victory Vision was our inspiration-but we wanted to make a statement beyond 'custom' and create something completely unique."
In this stripping process, the frame had to take on multiple roles containing the fuel tank, oil reservoir, and battery box, as well as the rest of the electrical system. One of the non-essential components to be ditched was the rear suspension, instead the rear wheel rides in a bolt-on rear subframe. While this little omission might cause more than a few riders to write the bike off, at least the mahogany seat looks to have some sort of hidden damper and evidenced by the large pivot at the front.
While the concept version looks to be a fairly impractical machine, a production version could very well keep the basic lines, while adding a little bulk (and utility) with just a few added pieces.-BB
Victory Freedom 106/6
Engine
Type: 106-ci (1731cc) V-Twin with 6-speed overdrive. Aluminum alloy 356-T6 tempered 5-piece frame. 304 Stainless Steel left-side Scrambler high pipes. Carbon fiber rear fender and fork covers. Victory X-Factor Wheels
Drive: 20mm Gates Drive Belt
Chassis
Suspension: WP 48mm-diameter inverted forks with 135/160mm travel
Front Brake: 320mm dual discs
Rear Brake: 240mm single disc
Tires: Avon 130/70-18 front; Avon 150/70-18 rear
Dimensions
Dry Weight: 469 lb./212.7 kg
Seat Height: 28in/71.1 cm
Wheelbase: 64in/162.56 cm
Rake: 34.0
Fuel Capacity: 3.25 gal./12.3L
Designer Michael Song (L)...
Designer Michael Song (L) inspects a wood-framed mock-up.