Victory Vegas (2003-current)

Summer 2011 I rode my 2003 Vegas from London to the Iran/Irag/Turkey border. The journey was 13,000 miles of which at least 1000 miles was off tarmac. This wasn't from choice - the roads simply ran out and into gravel, hard sand, rock etc. One particular night was in the mountains, on gravel, 4 hour tropical storm with rain splashing down and 8 wheelers overtaking each other. Not fun. But the Vegas coped with it all. Solid on the gravel at 30 mph it just went on and on. Mountain after mountain - up to 4,000 metres, twisties, motorways, village tracks with huge potholes. I forgot to change the oil - and did so after 20,000 miles on the odometer. When I got back to the UK I had to get a new clutch, new rear tyre and clean the throttle bodies 'cos of the dreadful petrol. No other engine or bike failure whatsoever. These Victory bikes are just amazing. Reliable, fast - mine does 110 mph with stage 1 air and exhaust, 36+ mpg if I'm steady and a tank range of 180 miles. And when I stopped next to Transworld Beemers guess who got the Wows! Full story at http://www.derekmansfield.co.uk

Absolutely great bike, cannot be faulted, maybe down on equipment but if your in the market for equipment this isnt the style for you. The handling is sublime unless compared to a blade. It's the ultimate cruiser.

Having road tested the Victory Vegas in 2009, I am surprised by the comments made above regarding the handling of the machine, which may be OK for a cruiser but you will be scraping the footpegs every roundabout as they are set low wide and forward. Also the combination of the narrow, but large diameter front tyre with the ultra-wide but averag diameter rear wheel and the shallow rake of the steering, means that the bike has a vague feel at the rear as you roll into corners. The long wheel base means that 'U' turns are a combersome affair also. The engine is a beauty however, as stated above, but maximum horsepower is just 85hp for the 1634cc version and 97hp for the 1731cc version, not the ludicrous 125hp as shown above. Furthermore the indicated top speed above is also wrong. The 1634cc version I tested reached an indicated 115 mph easily and still had more to give. It is an exciting bike to ride in a straight line or through sweeping bends but would be tiresome through narrow city streets with tight turns and lots of mini roundabouts.