Victory is made little by little its place vis-a-vis the Harley-Davidson giant, and will import in 2010 through its splendid customs on our premises. For better considering the other American phenomenon, we come to test three motorcycles representative of the range, equipped with V-twin of 1,731 Cm3. Let us start with Victory Kingpin 8-Ball, a cruiser with the look retro but not old-fashioned, quite to the contrary…
Victory Kingpin 8 Ball: First test
Victory cannot be allowed to develop a range of engines as a manufacturer general practitioner would do it. The manufacturer of Iowa thus endeavored to conceive his own mechanics and to place it in five styles of motorcycles, declined in nine models.
Such as they are defined in the catalog, the brand thus proposes the “classic cruisers” with Kingpin, the “custom cruisers” with Vegas and Vegas Jackpot, the “muscle cruisers” with Hammer and Hammer S, three variations cheaper with the Victory 8-Ball family and great tourism Vision. We take you along the strolls some behind the handlebars of the models custom and cruisers, while starting with Victory Kingpin 8-Ball.
Victory Kingpin 8 Ball: Black it is black
At Victory, family 8 Ball indicates the most accessible models, on which chromium’s are less present and the imposed color: black as the ball number 8 of a good old man American billiards. The Germans are appears insane about it, and they are not wrong; so much these motorcycles constitute an excellent introduction to the Victory range.
Victory Kingpin 8-Ball thus is part of the Kingpin family, the motorcycles are of a bit tiny retro with long mudguards and foot boards, covered with black and deprived of certain chromium’s in this “economic” execution. Thus, the motorcycle does not miss a charm, releasing a certain class, timeless one could say, with his sheathed engine of black and its chrome exhausts. On the way!
Neither too, nor too little
With the stop, this Victory shows a large smoothness, whereas its saddle is held only to 673 mm of the ground. Once on board, the feeling of compactness is confirmed; ergonomics is excellent and had a presentiment of.
The ends of the members intuitively find their niche… as on a Honda (!). Natural, Victory Kingpin 8-Ball marks already points. Contact, the engine implies sonority duly approved… and insipid for the fan of the kind.
In two minutes, large V-twin finds its mode of idle. And already, its rhythm is more constant than that of Big Twin of Milwaukee: a kind of hammering replaces the classic “potato-potato”. The block 1,731 Cm3 makes tremble the handlebar, but its vibrations attenuate very quickly once in movement. Without one being able to measure it objectively, Kingpin seems to vibrate less than one Dyna, but undoubtedly more than one Softail from Harley-Davidson. It appeared as an Ideal compromise.
For stroll tasty
The orders are firm, but the selector double branch makes it possible to assemble speeds to the heel, which makes it possible to save the toes. The handiness is excellent and, in spite of 300 kg of the bestial, one makes half-turns while whistling away happily! Nearly 50 km/h more quickly, one discovers an astonishing agility, confirming the facility of catch in hand.
The homogeneous behavior of this reasonable Kingpin fitted of tires in the faces (130 and 180 on wheels of 18 inches) really formed part of its qualities. Perhaps Remain a braking, which without showing “limit” (far from there), could be more powerful. But the impressions of control are good: one then enjoys this engine ready to set out again to 70-80 km/h with his 6th long without showing real reprobation.
The recoveries are strengthened enough and one cans easily cruiser on the last three reports. One would then like to thump equip Kingpin 8 Ball with one postpones benefiting from strolls to two. The French importer teaches us that this series (Victory Kingpin 8-Ball) is approved in the single-seat, but the formality to pass it by two-seat is envisaged, just like the addition of all the implements to accommodate a passenger.
Assessment: Retro but effective
The ground clearance is limited in curve, but in any event, the philosophy of Kingpin banishes any concept of performance. On the other hand, between his relevant geometry, his tires of reasonable size and the quality of his suspensions, one is in the presence of a custom with the retro look but with all the behavior that is of more current there.
With released exhausts and an air filter “training course 1”, one is not far from an ideal compromise between effectiveness and feelings. The selling price could constitute the last asset of size. Sold 13,500 € in Germany, this “economic” Victory should remain under the bar of the 14,500 € on our premises. And taking into account its cubic capacity and of his ratio quality-price, here is a frankly interesting option.
