First Ride: Polaris Victory Vegas - Motorcycle.com
Minneapolis, Minnesota-- I was lost. A thunderstorm was brewing and I could smell it. But I could also smell something else. What was this pungent aroma anyway? Ahhh... delicious manure. They say one of the things that makes motorcycle riding so unique is that you can be immersed in your environment. Sometimes that's not so good. Anyway, here I was at the corner of L and M or K and Q or somesuch, somewhere in the middle of Minnesota or Michigan or one of those states, and a storm was brewing.
At least the roads were good. Funny the things you think of when you're lost. I panicked a little bit. I wondered what would happen if I ran out of gas or broke down, or worse yet, if the weather caught up with me. Hey, it snows here, doesn't it? I
I also thought about why I was riding alone along one of the two-laners that threads its way around the many lakes and estuaries of this land. Left around one lake, right around another, over, under and through the woods. Rinse and repeat. And repeat I did. I didn't have to think about that one for long thanks to the new Victory Vegas I was here to ride. From the Vegas's sculpted and scalloped tank to its easy-access oil-filter, the machine I spent a day with turned out to be a very well thought out machine. Penned by Polaris's own team of industrial designers, this newest Victory implements the latest in modern design and construction principles--things I got to see firsthand during a tour of Victory's engine facility and R&D center.
From shortest to tallest, none of the riders I was with complained about ergonomics. All control locations felt neutral. The only piece of ergonomic hardware this tester noticed was the vestigial backrest, during high-speed stints on straight sections of road where it made a great rest against the wind. Everything's nicely tucked under a seat only 26.5 inches (673 mm) from your soles. The transmission -- a weak link in some Victorys -- proved to be seamless, and compared to some V-twin cruisers, is for all intents and purposes, perfect. While some testers would've liked a six-speed -- and the motor could certainly pull a taller top gear -- the five-speed should be fine for 99 percent of what the Vegas will be asked to do.
Special attention was given to the suspension, with progressive springs up front and a straight-rate spring with a rising-rate linkage out back. This linkage is actuated via an aluminum swingarm. In order to provide a plusher, more forgiving ride, damping was increased while spring rate decreased. The only adjustment available is to the rear preload, via threaded collar.
More by Calvin Kim
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