Victory Cross Country is a land yacht

Published Feb 20, 2012

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In the United States they're called 'baggers' - second-tier touring bikes with hard panniers but no top box, a very low screen and rather limited (by American standards) infotainment systems.

These are bikes for people who like to get out of town on weekends but who don't want to take the kitchen sink on a month-long road trip.

Welcome aboard Victory's bagger: the Cross Country. Mind you, at 347kg dry with a 1670mm wheelbase and handlebars pulled so far back it's like tiller steering, it's more like a land yacht.

The Cross Country is, of course, Polaris Industries' answer to the Harley-Davidson Street Glide, and comparisons are inevitable. To start with, the Victory is bigger in almost every dimension, which means more room for the crew to get comfortable but makes it difficult to ride in heavy traffic.

Commute on it by all means, but don't try lane-splitting.

The 1731cc, 50-degree V-twin has overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and dual downdraught throttle bodies, putting it at least 60 years ahead of Milwaukee's pushrods and awkward side-draught set-up, so it runs more smoothly, pulls more evenly and has a broader spread of torque.

The Victory's swoopy, almost art-deco styling is better integrated than anything we've seen from Juneau Avenue (Harleys wear their engineering on the outside), with a distinct Ness influence and very little external ironmongery. Even the built-in crash bars (chrome-plated aluminium castings, rather than conventional steel tubing) look like they belong on a powerboat.

But that's where we'll stop the comparisons, because it was the Cross Country we were riding and we'll concentrate on that.

That monolithic V-twin thumps into life, first push on the button, hot or cold, with what can only be described as a wheeze from the hard-working starter motor, and will pull away, unfussed, with less than 2000rpm on the clock.

Then you can wind it on, as the smooth spread of torque takes over and the bike gathers momentum rather more quickly than you'd expect. The engine begins to sound a little stressed above 4500 rpm, as an unpleasant secondary vibration makes itself felt from 4000rpm upwards, but with 148Nm at 4250 revs and 68kW at 4750rpm, you don't often need to go there.

YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHEN IT'S IN

Riding between 2000 and 4000rpm (which is where the Victory V-twin runs smoothest) all you hear from the engine is an inoffensive chuffing. Even without water jackets to absorb the clatter there's very little mechanical thrashing.

But the same cannot be said of the Cross Country's six-speed gearbox (top is an overdrive) which is as clonky as an old BMW transmission - and just as positive. I'm sure nobody ever misses a shift on a Victory because you always know when it's in (quiet Cyril!), as does everybody within 100 metres.

As I got to know the bike better, I found I could change up more quietly without the clutch if I got the revs right (3500-3750rpm) and feathered the throttle just the right amount, but given its sheer bulk and intimidating engine-braking, I wasn't about to try the same stunt changing down.

The final drive, a carbon fibre-reinforced toothed belt, is brilliant, soaking up the engine's power impulses and the gear-box's thumping changes and delivering butter-smooth, gloriously muscular drive to the rear wheel.

For the record, the Cross Country rumbled up to a true 183km/h on our six-kilometre test straight, with 192 on the speedometer at an indicated 4500rpm. The steering was distinctly vague and a little “floaty” at that speed but the bike tracked true despite a slight sidewind.

At more sensible touring speeds the vague steering wasn't an issue; neither was the supple, comfort-orientated suspension, as the Cross Country flattened our ride and handling section at a relaxed 110km/h without (to my surprise) anything scraping.

Initial turn-in was sometimes a little unpredictable, but the bike always seemed to wind up within spitting distance of the apex anyway and from there on, as with any traditional American vehicle, it was a case of “turn it on and hold tight.”

SOAKING UP THE BUMPS

Given that the Victory weighed more than half a tonne with a full tank and a 106kg rider aboard, you'll understand that it almost ignored the inequalities of our bumpy test section even at 90km/h, refusing to budge off line, move up or down or even shake its head over the worst bumps.

All that came through to the rider was the occasional thumping from the short-travel rear suspension and some very low-amplitude vibration in the handlebars. On any other surface it simply soaked up the bumps and proceeded serenely on its way.

Sadly, other aspects were not so serene. The Cross Country boasts 300m floating discs in front with top-drawer four-pot callipers and a similar platter on the rear wheel with a big twin-piston floating calliper, yet the brakes lacked bite and, in particular, the front brakes lacked power.

When I remarked to Herself that my own sports bike, with essentially the same set-up and a smaller master cylinder, could be made to stand on its head with two fingers, she reminded me that the Victory weighed more than twice as much as the little red bike and would therefore take twice as much stopping.

At which point I began using both brakes scooter-style (first the front then, an instant later, the rear, then hard on both) and was rewarded with some impressive Wet Cement Effect. You just have to remember that the Victory is not a sports bike and should not be ridden as such.

It's a bagger, a touring bike.

Nonetheless, the fashionably low screen set up a vortex behind the helmets of both rider and passenger. At anything faster than 90km/h my visor would slam shut and Herself complained of severe buffeting, which was also worse with her helmet's visor open.

We both found that the buffeting was least with visors firmly closed but it never entirely went away, and it also meant neither of us could hear the radio except when riding slowly in traffic, which was rather a waste of a very decent sound system.

As a result, other than during performance testing, we wound up riding the Cross Country a lot slower than it deserved (our average over more than 400km of mixed touring and commuting was 86.7km/h!), which undoubtedly contributed to its very creditable fuel consumption of 6.6 litres per 100km.

I couldn't help wondering whether this bike was designed to be ridden with jet-style (open-face) helmets. Either way, it would be a lot more comfortable with the taller screen from the full-dress Cross Country Tour version, which shares the same fairing.

PERFECT ERGONOMICS

Other than the buffeting, the bike is superbly comfortable for both rider and pillion. The ergonomics are perfect for a 1.78-metre rider, once you get used to the tiller-like steering, and there's plenty of room to move around and stave off the dreaded Numb Bum Syndrome on soft, wide, deeply padded and beautifully upholstered seats, with generous footboards for both crew.

The instrument panel is clear and uncluttered, with white-faced dials for speed, revs, fuel and volts, a panel of warning lights and a trip computer, operated by the left forefinger, that scrolls through range-to-empty, ambient temperature, time, and fuel consumption while always displaying gear position in the middle.

Below that there's a second panel for the radio, showing frequency and station ID, with bar-graphs for volume and tuning as required.

All the fiddly stuff is on the handlebars, with the audio controls in a simple six-button panel below the left-side switchgear and the controls for the easy-to-use cruise control below the right 'box'. It's the neatest, most intuitive layout I've seen on any touring bike, and earns full points for rider/machine interface.

VERDICT

But it’s the Cross Country's imposing size and swanky styling that never fails to draw a crowd no matter where you park it. There's acres of chrome and plastic to look after (although it cleans up easily, as I found out preparing it for the pictures after getting caught in a rainstorm the day before!) but the lines are sweet and harmonious, the design language consistent and understated.

It's as easy on the eye as it is comfortable - just order the taller screen and get a pair of open-face helmets for yourself and your favourite pillion.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1731cc air/oil-cooled, 50-degree V-twin.

Bore x stroke: 101x 108mm.

Compression ratio: 9.4:1.

Valvegear: SOHC with self-adjusting cam chains, hydraulic lifters and four overhead valves per cylinder.

Power: 68kW at 4750rpm.

Torque: 148Nm at 4250rpm.

Induction: Electronic fuel-injection with dual 45mm throttle body.

Ignition: Electronic.

Starting: Electric.

Clutch: Cable-operated multiplate wet clutch.

Transmission: Six-speed constant-mesh gearbox with final drive by carbon fibre-reinforced toothed belt.

Front Suspension: 43mm inverted cartridge forks.

Rear Suspension: Gas-charged singled-tube monoshock with air-adjustable spring preload.

Front brakes: Dual 300mm floating disks with four-pot opposed-piston callipers and ABS.

Rear brake: 300mm floating disc with dual-piston floating calliper and ABS.

Front tyre: 130/70 - 18 tubeless.

Rear tyre: 18/60 - 16 tubeless.

Wheelbase: 1670mm.

Seat height: 667mm.

Dry weight: 347kg.

Fuel tank: 22 litres.

Top speed (measured): 183km/h.

Fuel consumption (measured): 6.6 litres per 100km.

Price: R235 000.

Bike from: Viper Lounge, Cape Town.

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