Victory's Jackpot cuts a commanding...
Victory's Jackpot cuts a commanding profile on the road. Commanding it to turn is a different matter...
Head Out on The Highway
Beyond the bolt-on doodads however, all Jackpots are essentially the same underneath. So if the only discernible differences between the stocker and the showboat are of a mainly cosmetic nature, how does all the shiny stuff fare out in the field? Ness Edition or not, we endeavored to put the Jackpot through our usual testing regimen of urban, rural and super-slab duty.
While not terribly roomy front-to-rear, the saddle is wide and firm enough for more than a short squat down the street, and the Cory bike's Danny Gray unit actually seemed more comfortable and supportive than the stock Vegas seat. Our short-term passenger was especially surprised by the saddle's accommodating feel.
The Jackpot's flawless fuel injection allows a quick start-up, with virtually no lag between thumbing the starter and the low-key rumble emitted from the dual staggered pipes. The frame-mounted engine is sufficiently counterbalanced to make the vibration that does creep through less than annoying (even as the mirrors shake enough to be rendered almost useless, especially at high rpm) and the exhaust note is surprisingly subdued &mdash certainly less than most custom machines.
Slipping her into first gear, though, isn't a slam-dunk. Well, maybe a slam. The gearshift makes itself heard with a commanding THWUNK echoing off the walls. Still, once in gear, a (heavy) twist of the throttle delivers a quick response and the bike positively leaps off the line with bagfuls of grunt to spare.
The riding position, which places your feet slightly forward on pegs, remains comfortable after a couple of hours on the highway, with the capacious 4.5-gallon fuel tank delivering nearly 36 mpg on longer stints for a range of approximately 170 miles. But if your highways are as riddled with expansion joints as California's are, your spine will be crying uncle. Thank the Jackpot's shortened and therefore overly firm rear suspension for doing a less than admirable job of soaking up road irregularities in that case; the mono-tube damper out back has only 3.0 inches of travel in order to maintain the bike's low profile (though you can adjust the preload).
The nicely curved handlebar is set on risers and pulled back enough to make operating hand controls a no-brainer, but a few of our testers encountered issues when it came time to gas up &mdash the bar's extreme pullback didn't allow for the nozzle to fit cleanly into the fuel tank. There were also a few complaints about loose cables running outboard of the bar a $22,000 motorcycle should have a clean front end to match the rest of the bike, our testers reckoned.
The Ness Jackpot pretty much kicked butt on the boulevard, running stoplight to stoplight with aplomb. However, in the curvier country roads, it was a handful and a half. That bar's long pullback did add needed leverage when initiating a turn, but that was where the fun ended. That wide rear rubber may look cool, but fighting it into a turn is like dancing with Mike Tyson. Don't even try to lead.
Because of this, the Jackpot proved unwieldy at low speeds, and you were reminded of its custom pretensions. Muscling the bar and weighting the bike with your body while still in the turn became standard procedure for getting the 'Pot to lean with any urgency. And if that move became a necessary evil on long sweepers, it never felt quite right on short, emergency maneuvers in town; small bumps would knock the bike off its line, probably due to the narrow footprint of the front tire.
A chromed swingarm, tasty-looking...
A chromed swingarm, tasty-looking billet wheels and sharp paint job distinguishes the Ness edition from the standard Vegas Jackpot. In theory, the changes from standard to Ness are all cosmetic, but in some instances, such as the billet grips, cosmetics has an effect (usually negative) on function.
The urban portion of our test was also weighed down by some of the Jackpot's custom accessories; billet grips simply don't jive with high-effort clutch and brake levers. On the stopping front, though, the brake system proved up to the task. With its 300mm disc squeezed by four pistons, the front brake provided amply progressive feel if not the immediate power of Victory's dual-disc equipped bikes. For real results, you had to stomp on the Jackpot's rear brake as well, which luckily wasn't just for show &mdash it also boasted a 300mm disc. In fact, the rear brake's bite was more dramatic because of the rear tire's much larger contact patch.
The power, refinement and finish of this bike were quite impressive, and the whole package makes for a unique statement. If Victory was aiming for bikers rather than riders, then the company has hit the bullseye &mdash er, jackpot &mdash with this bike. It's a straightliner for sure, more concerned with good looks than sharp turns, but at least Victory makes that clear up front. The company tells us that the level of traffic in dealer showrooms has reached new highs, which it attributes to interest in the Jackpot.
In addition to the Ness versions of the Jackpot, a new owner can also select from a variety of custom Extreme Graphics available only through the Victory Custom Order Program. Potential customers can go online and sift through a number of options for any Victory bike and place the order from their office or home during the custom order period, which starts each summer and runs to fall. A pretty neat feature, we think, and one that could make a well-sorted Jackpot a true custom.