Freedom At Last!
Freedom at last!
VICTORY 2002
The next chapter for America's "other" cruiser starts with a redrawn motor
DON CANET
So, LET'S SEE, UP TO 25 PERCENT MORE POWER, HUH? And 10 percent better fuel consumption? Oh, and 100 percent better looking, you say? Such prolific claims coming from Victory Motorcycles in regard to its redone “Freedom” V-Twin motor might be met with a bit of skepticism. Justifiably so, for those of us who recall the unrealized performance hype that preceded the company’s entry into the American cruiser market a couple of years ago.
You can decide for yourself just how much of an improvement the sculpted silhouette of the Freedom’s new top-end is over the previous industrial-looking lump (lots, we’d say). But our recent rides aboard a pilot-production 2002-model V92C and V92C Deluxe have convinced us that the motor’s thoroughly revised internals add up to a better working, more powerful piece.
From the onset, dissipation of combustion heat proved a formidable foe for Victory’s engine designers. High cylinder-head temperatures-particularly at the bridge between the exhaust valves-prevented the original V92 from reaching its projected power potential, at least with consideration for reliability and emissions. While the 1507cc Freedom engine retains the same 97 x 102mm bore and stroke of its predecessor, greatly improved cooling efficiency has allowed for a higher state of tune.
How’d they do that? Well, the engine retains its internal oil jets (strategically re-aimed at hot spots), but does away with last year’s wet-liner cylinder barrels. Instead, we have conventionally air-cooled cylinders with increased fin area. Lesson learned: Oil jackets proved more of an insulator than an effective means of transferring heat. The Freedom employs a much smaller, yet more efficient, oil pump said to provide a 2.5-horsepower increase alone due to reduced parasitic drag. The front-mounted oil-cooler has been cut by half, a testament to the cooling system’s improved efficiency, and it’s a damn sight better looking, too.
Okay, cool, but where’s the performance boost come from? Redesigned four-valve cylinder heads sport revised combustion chambers and ports along with a higher compression ratio bumped from 8.5 to 9.2:1. And a revamped valvetrain features new camshaft profiles operating largerdiameter valves via roller rockers fit with automotive-style hydraulic lash caps.
Borrowed automotive technology is also present in the new engine-control unit made by Visteon, a spin-off of Ford Motors. The new ECU reportedly provides easier starting and improved rideability. Aftermarket tuning has been simplified, too, with the ability to re-map fuel calibration using software and a laptop rather than chip replacement as on the old system.
Following a tour of the Freedom production line at Victory’s Osceola, Wisconsin, engine-assembly plant, we gave the new machines a spin on the open road. Swapping between 2002 and ’01 models throughout the afternoon, my seat-of-the-pants impression suggests that performance gains, while noticeable, are overshadowed by an even greater improvement in the quality of power delivery.
Above all, a newly designed torque compensator has eliminated much of the drivelash and jackhammer noises from within the crankcases that was so prominent in the old engine. Even chugging along at low rpm in a high gear is now a pleasantly smooth experience.
Clutch effort has been reduced by some 50 percent, which truly helps the bike’s overall ease of operation. Low gear is now taller and more useful than the tree-climbing ratio it replaces. Revised, more closely spaced cogs in the bottom three gears have improved shifting action throughout the five-speed box due to reduced differential shaft speeds.
With a claimed peak output of 68 horsepower and 77 foot-pounds of torque at the rear wheel, the Freedom engine soars into the realm where Victory had hoped to be from the beginning. More importantly, it looks ready to serve as a solid basis for performance mods. Victory already has a Stage 1 kit consisting of slip-on mufflers,
K&N air filter, revised intake, double-platinum sparkplugs and a calibration map said to tack on 10 bhp with a much broader spread of torque. Other stages are in development. Hey, let Freedom ring! □
