Victory V92tc
CYCLE WORLD TEST
VICTORY V92TC
As American as mom and apple pie... and Harley-Davidson
PAUL DEAN
THEY'RE THE BEST OF TWO DELIGHTFUL BUT DISPARATE worlds. They're a can't-miss recipe for memorable rides, marrying the laid-back demeanor of a day-tripping cruiser with the long-haul character of an over-the-road tourer. We’re talking about “touring cruisers," and it’s no wonder they’ve become one of motorcycling’s most popular and fastest-growing segments.
It’s also no surprise that Victory has booked passage on this fast-moving bandwagon. Now entering its fourth year of production, this Minnesota-based, all-American motorcycle manufacturer-the two-wheel division of snowmobile/ATV/watercraft giant Polaris-already possessed onehalf of the necessary ingredients in its V92C cruiser; morphing that bike into a touring cruiser w'as a logical evolutionary move. The resultant motorcycle is the V92TC, a new-for-2002 model that Victory positions against one of Harley-Davidson’s best-sellers, the ubiquitous Road King.
In developing the TC, Victory rc-enginecred virtually the entire V92 package, starting with the 15()7cc V-Twin engine. Since their debut in 1998, Victorys have made a lot less power and a lot more engine noise than anyone anticipated. The first iterations wheezed out a mere 55 horsepower, and a bit of retuning on subsequent models only nudged that figure up to the low 60s. The engines also clattered and rattled like a can of loose ball-bearings in a hardware-store paint mixer, and the shifting was notchy and clunky, as well.
C ertainly not what was expected from a single-overhead-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder, fuelinjected (“modern," in other words) V-Twin.
So, for ’02, the 50-degree, counterbalanced Vee underwent a major rethink, so much so that Victory renamed it the “Freedom" engine. The valvetrain was reconfigured, the combustion chambers reshaped, the compression raised (from 8.5:1 to 9.2:1) and the lubrication system revamped so less oil is needed to help keep the air-and-oil-cooled engine’s temperatures in check. The wristpins were offset 1mm to reduce piston rocking at TDC and BDC, and quality control was tightened on components that contribute to engine racket. Victory also worked with Visteon, a division of Ford Motor Co., to develop a new engine-management system for the electronic fuel-injection.
To reduce drivetrain noise, the shock-absorbing compensator between crankshaft and clutch was reworked, and the clutch itself was redesigned for easier, more complete disengagement. The first three gearbox ratios now are taller and more closely spaced, which helps quiet gearchanges. Topping it all off are restyled cylinders and heads on this mostly new engine, which now powers all '02 Victory models.
Those refinements were not for naught. On the Cycle World dyno, the TC belted out 75 rear-wheel horsepower at 5000 rpm and almost 88 foot-pounds of torque at 3700-roughly the same as a Twin Cam H-D fitted with a factory Stage I 1550cc big-bore kit. Compared to the last Victory we tested, the 2001 V92C Deluxe (November, 00), that’s a whopping 20 percent increase in peak power and more than a 5 percent boost in peak torque. Both peaks occur some 500 rpm higher than before, but the torque curve remains wide and flat, hovering above the 80 ft.-lb. level from 2000 rpm all the way up to 5000.
So at long last, the Victory delivers the performance everyone expected all along. Its quarter-mile numbers (13.22 sec. @ 97.22 mph) are half-a-second and 4 mph better than the ’01 V92C’s-despite the 48 extra pounds the engine has to propel, courtesy of the TC's hard saddlebags, second front disc brake, crash bars and auxiliary light bar. Our bike also reached a top speed of 111 mph, 9 mph faster than that ’01 C-model.
Under real-world conditions-which, for touring cruisers, usually don’t involve quarter-mile drags and top-speed runs-there’s a ton of midrange on tap at just about any rpm. Roll-on acceleration is stout enough to permit quick, noshift passes in any of the taller gears, even fifth, even with a passenger aboard. Long, uphill pulls are a piece of cake, and you can easily make good time along fairly tight, twisty backroads without ever shifting out of top gear.
That’s just as well, because shifting still is not the TC’s strong suit. The gearbox is less notchy than before, but most shifts are still accompanied by a loud, metallic “clunk." Same goes for overall engine clatter, which has been somewhat calmed on the Freedom engine but still renders the Victory one of the most mechanically noisy motors we’ve heard in a long time.
Cradling that raucous engine is a chassis that’s more than just saddlebags and a windshield hung on a base-model V92C. The steering was slowed somewhat by an increase in front-wheel trail, and the wheelbase was stretched 2 inches with a longer swingarm. The Fox shock uses stiffer springing, but both it and the Marzocchi conventional fork have softer damping than their V92C eounterparts.
The handlebar was extended farther back to allow a more upright riding position, and the seat was reshaped w ith two passengers and long rides in mind.
As you might imagine, a 729-pound motorcycle with a long (64.4 inch) wheelbase would
never be considered “flickable,” but the w*’. • ^
V92TC dives into and around corners very respeetablx anyway. Initiating a turn requires only light pressure on the grips, and the steering remains relatively neutral at all lean angles.
Cornering clearance i> generous for a bike of this type, w ith long, replaceable "feelers” on yf the underside of the rider floorboards that scrape before anything else. The chassis H remains stable during hard cornering, except if you snap the bike into a turn quickly or trailbrake suddenly when entering. It'll then wiggle its tail slightly for a second or so, though not enough to cause any concern.
But it didn’t start out that way. At the beginning of our test, all our riders reported a severe lack of rear rebound damping. Any time the bike was pushed through a corner, even at less-than-deranged speeds, the slightest bump would upset the rear suspension enough to cause a discomforting amount of wallowing and wobbling.
Once informed of this problem. Victory's management discovered that the initial batch of TC shocks had been delivered wdth only about half the specified rebound damping. The company replaced the shock on our test bike with one alleged to have the prescribed damping rates, and Victory officials swore on a stack of Cycle Worlds that every V92TC sold would be fitted with a shock having these same damping values.
After the new shock was installed, the wallowing was histo-
ry. The TC then handled easily, predictably and steadily at anything less than a banzai cornering pace. The triple-disc brakes proved to be powerful, progressive and fade-free, even when subjected to aggressive corner-strafing. The chassis is a little sensitive to rain grooves, though, dancing about ever so slightly as it rolls over them.
Ergonomically, the Victory is an excellent road companion, thanks in no small part to its natural, relaxed riding position. The softer damping helps provide good ride quality, and the seat is well-sculpted to cradle both rider and passenger in day-long comfort. The seat covering is a little slick, so you sometimes slide around during hard braking and acceleration. The seat also is fairly tall (29 inches) compared to those on similar bikes, but that's the price to be paid for decent cornering clearance.
Our previous encounters with Victorys helped us anticipate the TC’s seat height, but we were unprepared for the aerodynamics of its windshield, which produced a strong, high-frequency buffeting right around the rider’s head. So forceful was the turbulence that it snapped the faccshield pivot off one tester’s helmet, and everyone who rode the bike complained about the incessant buffeting.
We also had a chance to ride the Deluxe version of the V92TC, which is equipped with fork-mounted “winglets”
below the windshield (it also comes with a passenger backrest, wirespoked wheels instead of cast, and chromed fender tips, for an additional S600), but they made little difference. The volume of “dirty” air that slammed into the rider’s head was marginally reduced, but the net effect was about the same.
Too bad, because that was the only negative aspect of an otherwise pleasant cockpit.
Obviously, the people at Victory still have some functional issues to address with their motorcycles, even though the progress evident in the V92TC is heartening. They’ve come a long way in just four years.
And the product finally is beginning to live up to the promise. The V92TC offers strong, easy-to-access engine performance matched with surprisingly sporty handling, and long-ride comfort tainted only by a less-than-effective windshield. It's fun, versatile and a slightly less expensive alternative to a Road King. If you've been hankering for an American-made long-range cruiser but don’t want a me-too Harley, the V92TC could be right up your alley.
VICTORU
V92TC
$15,599
