VICTORY MAGNUM (2014 - on) Review

Victory like to claim the Magnum is the ‘boldest production bagger ever to hit the road’ and they’re not wrong. Bags of style, decent practicality and production reassurance. The only downsides are a TBA price and the Victory brand which hasn’t (yet) got the cache or convenience of Harley

We like the proper Custom styling and detail, the mass-built reassurance and quality and the style doesn’t compromise ride.

But we are not so keen on the price.

Despite the low-slung nature of ther Magnum there is a pretty decent amount of ground clearance, Yes, the pegs will touch, but only if you’ve got a fair old lick on. In short, with the Magnum, you can have your custom cake and eat it.

Being a Bagger, it's designed to cover big miles in comfort and there are no doubts that the Magnum can deliver on that score. It's comfy and effortless once on the move. Sure, the 345kg is a pain at low speed and when manouevring in and out of parking spaces, but get it on the go and the weight disappears.

The powertrain’s the familiar, effective ‘Freedom 106’ 1731cc air/oil cooled big twin with more than enough poke and character to satisfy.

It's got bags of torque and though it lacks a little in outright power, it does have plenty of low-down urgency. The 50-degree twin hammers away and offers a pleasing surge away from the lights. The engine may be big at over 1700cc but then again it has a lot of bulk to shift. At 345kg, the Magnum is no lightweight.

In the flesh the swanky dash, polished alloy, fab paint job, special tyre-hugging front fender and slammed stance all give the impression of being a one-off custom. While at the same time the build quality, fully-functional dash and switchgear and creature comforts like ABS all give the reassurance of a mass-produced, up-market machine.

Better yet, none of that custom frippery compromise the ride. After riding it back to back with the more conservative Cross Country you could barely tell the difference the Magnum’s taller, narrower front wheel made the steering slightly lighter and looser, yes, but nothing to worry about.

Nearly 18 grand is a lot of money and there are plenty of Harleys you can get for that sort of money. But the Victory Magnum does offer something a little different. And it certainly has the quality and running gear to justify a hefty price tag.

It certainly is within the price range that these type of bikes demand and will tempt those who want to stand out from the crows.

What sets the Magnum apart from the Cross Country are four things: a bigger (21in), polished alloy front wheel (the ‘CC’ has an 18incher); a ‘slammed’, or lowered (by 1in) rear end; a whopping six-speaker/100W dash-mounted stereo and the most ‘custom’ paint job I’ve ever seen on a production machine (four, ‘three-tone’ options are available, from lime to matt black, all with a natty colour-matched dash).

In the flesh the swanky dash, polished alloy, fab paint job, special tyre-hugging front fender and slammed stance all give the impression of being a one-off custom. While at the same time the build quality, fully-functional dash and switchgear and creature comforts like ABS all give the reassurance of a mass-produced, up-market machine.