KIWI RIDER 31

Shakespeare was big on portents. The Oxford says a portent is ‘a sign or warning that something,

especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen’

In ‘The Scottish Play’ for example, an apparition of a dagger and the sound of a bell are clear messages to the main character that he must kill the King.

‘The bell invites me, hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.’ And remember what happened to Caesar when he blew the Ides of March gig?

What has this to do with a motorcycle test you ask?

Well, the portents for this one struck me as altogether Shakespearian.

The last three minutes of the journey to Silver Fern Imports, in fabulous

downtown Takinini, en route to collect the 2009 Victory 8 Ball motorcycle, were to the strains of Elvin Bishop’s rock classic ‘Fooled Around and Fell in Love’ emanating from my iPod at force eleven.

Most portentious indeed.

Since I met you Baby.

If you have been following the story, you know that the Ed metaphorically beats me up every time I come up with a black bike. ‘Black ink, black ink on my pages’ he muses.

But I just love ‘em and this one is extra, extra black. More portents. ‘Look at him grin’ said the gang at Silver Fern as I was introduced to the bike.

Lots of the parts that would normally be chrome or bright steel fi nish are a deep lustrous blaaaaaack.

From that moment I found it very

easy to look at and to photograph, as I do with most Arlen Ness-inspired designs actually. For me there is an element of fi t and correctness to vehicles that are infl uenced by his lines. It’s a pretty bike.

BLACK HEART

At its black heart beats a fi fty degree, 4-stroke vee-twin displacing 1643cc…. or as the badge on the air fi lter proclaims 100 of them cooobic inches.

Bore and stroke are a squarish 101mm x 102mm and it runs an 8.7:1 compression ratio for a claimed peak output of 85 horsepower at 4,750rpm and a healthy 106ft lb of torque at 2500rpm.

If those numbers say ‘comfortable cruiser’ to you then the on road performance will only confi rm your read.

In which Big Dave comes across all ‘portentious’ after riding Victory’s funky Vegas 8-ball!

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WORDS & PICS: Big Dave

32 KIWI RIDER

This is a strong, solid, punchy motor that trundles along in cruising mode with a lovely ‘heavy metal’ feel. Trés, trés cruisey.

The single overhead camshaft mill has 4 valves per cylinder and is very smooth at promenade speeds, while it develops a more noticeable hum out on the open road.

I wouldn’t describe it as ‘vibey,’ it’s more the standard pulse of a large v-twin and like every motorcycle I’ve ridden with a car-size engine, it pulses very rewardingly.

It’s also an attractive engine to look at with a degree of smoothness to the fi nish of its sculpted looking fi ns.

It’s fed by electronic fuel injection, with 45mm throttle bodies, and it’s all nicely mapped and stumble-free. The range from the 17litre tank was shorter than I’d hoped, judging by its appearance, but the fuel light appeared at around the 220km mark – 1600+ccs and lugging my two-small-folks-worth of weight, I guess that is reasonably good.

Ollie, who jumped aboard for the city photo shoot, would no doubt get better mileage.

The off set is the grunty, low-down torque, enhanced by the feel and

directness of the Kevlar belt drive and 5-speed gearbox.

The box is solid and reliable and a fortnight of cruising round town and country day rides produced no false neutrals or signs of cantankerousness – commendable for a big-bore bike that had 35km on the clock when I collected it.

It only needs fi ve speeds. In fact, like a lot of large cruisers, it could get away with three or four speeds, but those gears that it has engage nicely and directly from the forward mounted controls.

Primary drive is by gear with a torque compensator and it is a lovely drive train to employ.

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

My time in the saddle on different Victory Motorcycles has made me rethink some things I’d regarded as truisms in motorcycle design.

The Hammer introduced a different perspective and how much fun a bike that handles ‘unconventionally’ can be.

The sweet turning, mid-engine Vision somehow refutes the thinking that more weight over the front wheel is best for handling, and now the 8-Ball squarely

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This and header page….lithe, clean lines give Vegas 8-ball a distinctive look to match its unique nimble, easy riding feel.

challenges what I had pontifi cated about 21” front wheels.

It’s absolutely lovely on the road. It turns and tips to the limits of the ground clearances, which are cruiser standard, with confi dence-inspiring ease.

The 8 Ball doesn’t tip over far enough for any large front wheel vagueness to come into play. It just feels solid, planted and very stable. The front tyre is a 90/90 21 Dunlop Elite 3 and the rear is a real world 180 55-B18 Dunlop D417.

The whole back end of the bike (as it was set up, sans passenger seat) is simply a great looking bum and while it doesn’t have the ‘phatness’ of the Hammer for example, it corners and handles very nicely while still looking a million bucks.

The front suspension is conventional telescopic fork with 43mm tubes and 130mm travel with a single linkage-mounted shock at the back offering preload adjustment and 100mm of travel which makes for a comfortable ride for such a low-slung machine (seat height is just 673mm).

KIWI RIDER 33

Actually, make that long and low-slung...machine. The wheelbase is 1684mm and the overall length is 2439mm while it tips the scales as a light-heavyweight at 296kg.

Brake-wise there are single fl oating 300mm disc rotors front and back with four-piston calipers up front and a twin-piston jobbie at the back. Both sets are capable, with good feel and the stopping power was strong and fade-free throughout the test, which included a few reasonably spirited runs around my standard test loops.

ARMCHAIR RIDE

The handlebars are wide and swept well back, and when coupled with the forward controls, give an armchair sort of sitting position. The single saddle is wide and comfortable and fi ts nicely with the narrow waist of the bike.

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The controls come to hand particularly nicely too. It’s not something I’d normally comment on – but the ease of operation of the vehicle with two x two fi ngers and the way the controls all worked was good enough for stand out mention.

Its fl uid curves and glistening black gloss paint were a joy look at. I really like the wheels, the balance and the overall lines of the bike. Particularly from the curb side.

At which point it’s worth going back to that song...‘I must have been through about a million (bikes), I’d ride ‘em and return ‘em right away, but then I fooled around with the 8 Ball and for a fortnight I fell in love.’

Who’s it for?

Check your portents. Then manipulate them so they say: ‘You should test ride one.’

At $24,000 the Vegas 8 Ball would also suit someone looking for a bike that is a little different, while offering similar performance characteristics and manners to a range of metric cruisers of comparable capacity.

It has a real heavy-metal cruiser ride without feeling ponderous or bulky – just very cool.

With its low saddle height and good low-speed balance it will suit competent male or female riders looking for an all-round nice ride.

In best Stretch tradition dirt guy Ollie ‘gets into character’ for the Vegas 8-Ball shoot.

34 KIWI RIDER

It’s a delight around town and is pleasant to roll away the country kms at mostly legal speed limit pace. It’s comfortable enough and the suspension works well enough to spend a long day in the saddle in relative comfort too.

I’m quite a Victory fan now. There are plans to take the brand to the other New Zealand centres in the short term. For the moment Takanini in Auckland is the place for a test ride.

And to sum up? To paraphrase Elvin; ‘loving the 8 Ball is easy, the leavin’ it and the tearin’ out that page proved the hard part.’ KR

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SPECIFICATIONSVICTORY VEGAS 8-BALL CRUISERENGINEType: Air-cooled SOHC 4-valve-per-cylinder 50° V-Twin 4-strokeDisplacement: 1634cc (100 cu. in.)Compression ratio: 8.7:1Bore x stroke: 101x102mmStarting system: ElectricEngine management system: CDIFuel system: Electronic fuel injection with 45mm throttle bodiesClutch: Wet, multi-plateTransmission: 5-speedFinal drive: Carbon fi bre reinforced belt

FRAMEType: Double cradle steelSwingarm: Double-sidedFront suspension: Conventional telescopic fork 43mm diameterRear suspension: Single preload adjustable mono-tube gas shock absorber with cast aluminium, rising rate linkageBrakes: 300mm fl oating rotor with 4-piston caliper front & 300mm fl oating rotor with 2-piston caliper rearWheels: 21 2.15 inch front and 18 x 5.5 inch rearTyres: Dunlop Elite 3 90/90x21 front & 180 55-B18 D417 rear

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 1684mmRake & Trail: 32.9°/126mmLength: 2439mmSeat height: 673mmDry weight: 296kgFuel tank capacity: 17lRRP: $24,500Test bike: Victory

GEARHelmet: AraiJacket: IxonPants: Draggin JeansBoots: TCX

Solid engineering credentials provide Victory with an excellent base from which to build a bone fi de bike brand. There’s plenty of punch from that 100 cu.in. engine yet feel at the throttle is light and sensitive, quite unlike that of the obvious US competition. Unlike many metric cruiser models, which shamelessly ape particular H-D models, Victory’s models owe more of a debt to the custom chopper and/or cruiser scene, combining the eye-catching look of limited edition or one-off models with full factory warranties and major manufacturer peace of mind.