2010 Victory Motorcycles Line-up Preview - Motorcycle.com
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Model Year 2010 is a year of additions for the Medina, Minnesota-based bike maker. Two all-new models enter the line-up, two existing bikes take on pared-down appearances to expand the 8-Ball line, and one model finally gets the option of ABS.
2010 Victory Cross Roads and Cross Country
In January of this year Victory unveiled the CORE concept bike at the New York stop on the International Motorcycle Show circuit. Victory Lead Designer Michael Song was allowed to breathe life into one of his sketches, and what emerged was the CORE. According to Song, “Core is pure motorcycle, 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 CORE concept continues to inspire within Victory, and born of the same basic “core” technologies as found on the Vision are the all-new Cross Roads and Cross Country. Each new model rides on the Vision’s two-piece sand-cast hollow aluminum frame, altered where necessary to allow use of more traditional fuel tanks as opposed to the Vision’s dual high-mount fuel pods (hidden beneath the Vision’s bodywork).
And Victory design “DNA” runs through the Cross Roads and Cross County, as the sleek, sweeping lines that make up the Vision are echoed in the new baggers. The Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall, too, is made up of sleek, sweeping lines. Nice touch.
During the press briefing Victory made no bones about comparing the Cross Roads to Harley-Davidson’s Road King and the Cross Country to Harley’s Street Glide, making clear the intended audience. Victory also unabashedly pointed out the anticipated MSRP of its new baggers should be $1,000 less than the respective Harleys: The Road King retails for $16,999 and the Street Glide for $18,999.
Both new Vic touring sleds are powered by the same 106/6 V-Twin that moves the Vision, and as of last year, various other Victory Cruisers. The 50-degree, 106 cubic-inch (1,731cc), SOHC, four-valve-per-cylinder air/oil-cooled, fuel-injected Twin claims 92 hp and 109 ft-lbs. The 96-inch 45-degree V-Twin that powers both the Road King and Street Glide claim 92.6 ft-lbs.
The handlebars on both new Vic models are adjustable. According to Victory they can be rotated to the height the rider prefers, and the adjustment can be made on both bikes without removing anything. The Cross Roads and Cross Country each have 5.8-gallon fuel capacity, and each comes with “highway” bars (handy for attaching additional highway pegs) as standard.
Suspension consists of a 43mm inverted fork good for 5.1 inches of travel (same set-up on the Vision), and the air-adjustable shock offers 4.72 inches of travel, the most in class according to Victory. The New American Motorcycle company makes a number of claims when it comes to the Cross Roads and Cross Country. In addition to the most rear suspension travel in class, both bikes also offer the longest floorboards in class at 18 inches, and lowest seat height at 26.25 inches.
The Cross Roads also boasts highest load capacity at 580 lbs and the Cross Country 560 lbs. Each bike also claims to be the lightest in terms of in-class weight. The Cross Roads tips in at 745 lbs (780 lbs wet) while the Cross Country weighs 765 lbs (800 lbs wet).
Comparing spec sheets, Victory’s claims seem valid. Harley-Davidson’s Road King lists at 775.0 dry weight (812 lbs wet) and the Street Glide comes in at 773.0 lbs dry (810 lbs wet). The Road King’s seat height is 29.9 inches while the Street Glide’s saddle sits 27.3 inches off the tarmac.
Luggage LeadersVictory is quite proud of the hard luggage on the Cross bikes. The new baggers again claim the most, this time with storage, proclaiming a total of 21 gallons.
| Here’s some highlights and comparisons Victory made about the saddlebags: |
| • Weatherproof |
| • Saddlebags have total cargo capacity of 21.3 gallons; each bag holds approximately 25 pounds |
| • 21.3-gallon capacity is more than 70% larger than that of a Yamaha Stratoliner and 25% more than the Harley-Davidson Street Glide |
| • Hinged lids have a lockable latch that can be operated with one hand |
| • Mounting hardware is outside the bags, leaving the interior virtually wide open for cargo |
| • Quick-release bag mounting via Dzus-style fasteners |
| • Saddlebag accessories include: Saddlebag Lid Rails that serve as cargo racks |
| The Victory touring line now consists of three primary machines: |
| • The “just facts ma’am” Cross Roads with hard bags and windshield as standard |
| • The “stretch-out-the-ride” Cross Country with hard bags, and fairing that houses an AM/FM radio and heaps of data from the analog/LCD combo instrument panel |
| • The “I’ll-see-you-in-two-weeks” long-haul Vision |
I’ll openly admit that I’m kind of a fan of the Harley Road King, and I’ve grown fond of the 2009 Street Glide in Black Pearl color. However, with these new baggers from Victory it appears the Motor Company will get some appealing competition in ’10 from its Midwest neighbor. The only potential shortcoming for the new Victory baggers is no optional ABS. Both the Street Glide and Road King provide for that option at $795.
8-Ball family adds two
When Victory introduced the Vegas 8-Ball way back in 2005, the underpinning theme was accessibility to the Victory brand. The 8-Ball was, and is, something of a price-point cruiser, but it doesn’t necessarily sacrifice performance, and retains distinctive styling in the face of cutting costs. Stripped of many of the chrome bits found on the shinier Vegas, the 8-Ball gains its own tough-guy identity with its blacked-out theme.
Victory didn’t toss the baby with the bath water when clipping chrome, eliminating a few ancillary items, and using a100 cubic-inch (1,634cc) 5-speed V-Twin to keep retail figures down. The price-conscious cruiser provides plenty of performance for the intended target audience as Kevin Duke reported from his time aboard an ‘09 Vegas 8-Ball during this year’s Bike Week. At a $2,500 savings over the standard Vegas, the 8-Ball’s value becomes obvious with its $13,799 tag, especially next to comparable Harley-Davidson models.
The theme apparently went over well with cruiser shoppers. The blacked-out budget-minded premise became something of a small, separate line when the Kingpin 8-Ball was added in 2008. Now, two years later the 8-Ball is a full-fledged family with the addition of the Hammer 8-Ball and Vision 8-Ball.
The only deviation from the 8-Ball theme is with the Vision: it will retain the 106/6 V-Twin that all Visions use. The Hammer 8-Ball, like all other 8-Ball models, is powered by the 100/5 V-Twin.
| Here are the highlights on the two new 8-Ball machines: |
| Hammer 8-Ball $14,499 (2009 Hammer $17,499) |
| • Black wheels, handlebars, mirrors, triple trees, drive belt guard, sprocket, etc, are standard |
| • Swingarm and strut covers have engine black paint |
| • Classic-style round headlight |
| • Seat height is 0.5-inch lower than standard Hammer and footpegs are repositioned 2.25 inches back, closer to the rider |
| • 100ci/1634cc engine with 5-speed transmission |
| • Claimed 85 horsepower, 106 ft-lb. torque |
| Vision 8-Ball $17,999 (2009 Vision Street $18,999) |
| • 8-Ball styling features blacked-out components, minimal chrome |
| • Rear suspension is 1-inch lower than standard Victory Vision; Seat is cut 1 inch lower than standard model seat, so seat height is 2 inches lower than standard model |
| • Seat places rider 1-inch closer to the handlebars |
| • 106ci/1731cc engine with 6-speed transmission |
| • Claimed 92 horsepower, 109 ft-lbs. torque |
Updates and improvements for 2010 Vision
Not just a model year of new bikes, 2010 like any year is also a year of revisions of existing models. Headlining the changes to the Vision is the $1,000 optional ABS on the Vision Tour Premium.
Other functional Vision updates include: an easier to access tang on the sidestand; 12-volt power ports are now cigarette lighter-style instead of Powerlet; radio LCD display is higher resolution for improved clarity; rider seat has slot designed to accept accessory driver backrest; and the airbox (part of the frame) now has an internal baffle, or silencer, to reduce intake noise. Bummer. We like a snorty bike.
Changes and improvements for 2010 Victory cruisers
| Cruiser Updates: |
| Vegas (Seat, footpeg and bar changes also apply to Vegas 8-Ball) |
| • Seat height of 25.2 inches (640 mm) is over 1.3 inches lower than in previous model years |
| • Footpegs are set 2.25 inches rearward from previous position, putting lower controls closer to the rider |
| • 2-inch pullback handlebars |
| • Gas cap, wheels, rotor carriers and brake components are now black |
| • Tank badge is a full-color badge (was monochrome in MY 2009) |
| Kingpin |
| • Black gas cap |
| • Wheels, rotor carriers and brake components are now black |
| • Tank badge is a full-color badge (was monochrome in MY 2009) |
| Kingpin 8-Ball |
| • Seat height of 25.2 inches (640 mm) is over 1-inch lower than standard Kingpin |
| • Floorboards are set 2 inches rearward from standard Kingpin position |
| • 2-inch pullback handlebars |
| Hammer |
| • Buckhorn handlebars |
| • Black gas cap |
| • Wheels, rotor carriers and brake components are black |
| Hammer S |
| • For the first time the Hammer S is available in two paint schemes: – Suede Black and White with Red Stripe – Boardwalk Blue with White Racing Stripes |
| • Lightweight “X-Factor” custom wheels |
| • Suede Black/White model has black wheels and black forks |
| • Boardwalk Blue model has blue wheels and silver forks |
| • Headlight housing is color-matched to each bike’s paint scheme |
The Ness Connection
Famed custom bike builder and bike customizer, Arlen Ness, and son Cory continue their relationship with Victory. The Ness custom models have become integral to the Victory line.
It’s no longer a secret that Arlen loves him some Vision, and for this year he created a limited edition Vision.
| Here are some of the highlights of the 2010 Arlen Ness Victory Vision: |
| • Each bike has a metal plate with the bike’s number, the Arlen Ness logo and a facsimile of Arlen Ness’s autograph |
| • Special custom paint scheme designed by Arlen Ness |
| • Arlen Ness logo appears on the EFI cover on right side of bike |
| • Audio display screen reads: ARLEN NESS SIGNATURE SERIES |
| • Numerous blacked-out features: center console, dashboard, passenger handgrips, front access panel, inner fairing panels, side covers, grille border and tip over protection |
| • Ness components such as custom billet wheels, handgrips and engine covers |
| • Suspension is lowered by 1-inch compared to standard Victory Vision Tour |
| • Custom stitched leather seat is 1-inch lower than stock Victory Vision seat |
| • Seat is designed to accept accessory Driver Backrest |
Cory Ness has attached himself year after year to the flashy Vegas Jackpot, and 2010 is no different, as he gives this already bling-bling bike the Cory treatment.
| Here’s some of what makes up the 2010 Cory Ness Victory Vegas Jackpot: |
| • Each bike has a metal plate with the bike’s number, the Cory Ness logo and a facsimile of Cory Ness’s autograph |
| • Cory Ness logo is on the EFI cover on the right side of the bike |
| • Paint is Fireball Red with a unique graphics designed by Cory Ness |
| • Top section of headlight bucket is painted to match the bodywork |
| • Contrast-cut Ness “Evil 7” billet wheels with machined highlights |
| • Chrome driven sprocket has “Evil 7” design to match wheels |
| • Unique “chrome” taillight |
| • Bike features numerous Ness accessories: handgrips, hand control levers, mirrors, engine covers & lower controls |
| • Ness Fly Bars handlebars |
| • Custom 1-piece stitched leather seat |
No signs of slowing down
With the addition of the Cross Roads and Cross Country, as well as the Hammer and Vision joining the 8-Ball family, it’s clear Victory hasn’t spent the last 12 months basking in the glory of being in business for the past 10 years. It seems with each passing model year the New American Motorcycle company grows its lineup by significant leaps. Maybe it won’t be too long before we see that first Victory sportbike…
Related Reading
Victory CORE Concept Unveiled at IMS
2009 Victory Cory Ness Signature Jackpot Review
2009 Victory Vegas 8-Ball Review
2009 Victory Vision Tour 10th Anniversary Edition
2009 Victory Models Review – Vegas Jackpot, Hammer, Hammer Sport
All Things Victory on Motorcycle.com
More by Pete Brissette
Comments
Join the conversation