THERE is only one part of the Vegas 8 Ball that will capture your full attention. Some call it the “loud handle”. Some call it a “twistgrip” but the technical term for it is the “throttle”. So why would this item command so much attention? Is it the smooth, rubbery feel of it? The slightly barrelled shape with grooves that allow you to grip it?
The whole point of a chopper or custom bike is the look. The Vegas 8 Ball comes in black. No other colour options are available. Which is great as the black is as deep and dark as a Las Vegas back alley. The exhaust, handlebars, tins, wheels, engine… everything is black.
Victory does provide some highlights in chrome and polished aluminium but that’s it. And very tasteful it is, too. The bodywork is scalloped and smoothed as only a Ness-designed bike can. The Falchion wheels (named after a sword, no less) are awesome and shown off to full effect with just a single disc. The integrated rear light, the swoopy headlight… you could go on and on with the details. In a word: awesome looks (okay, two words).
The engine is a typical American V-twin. It’s called the 106/6 Freedom V-Twin. The 106 denotes the capacity in cubic inches. In plain money, it is 1,731cc. What? Yes, 1,731cc. The /6 denotes the number of gears in the transmission. The powerplant has four valves per cylinder and is an over-head cam design with hydraulic lifters.
This means automatic valve lash adjustment, so no valve clearance maintenance needs to be done, ever. It is also fuel-injected, so no carburettor service is needed. The final drive is a carbon-fibre reinforced belt. Yes, no lubrication or adjustment needed. The 106/6 is also air and oil cooled. No radiators or coolant. In other words, the Vegas 8 Ball, like other Victory models, is almost maintenance-free. No wonder it is called “Freedom”.
The Vegas 8 Ball is low. The 25.2- inch seat height makes the 297kg manageable. It is also very long. But Victory has its sums right. The bike is light on its wheels once the clutch is fully home in first gear. Perhaps the wide, tiller-style handlebars and frame geometry help.
It is no Modenas Jaguh though, so a bit of familiarisation with the Vegas is necessary to be at home on the bike. Once you get the feel of the Vegas, it comes across as a secure, stable handler.
Forget chasing that FireBlade to the apex, just choose a sweeping line and the Vegas will accommodate. Ground clearance is limited though.
Spirited riding will see both footpegs decking out and the exhaust bracket and sidestand as well. It is not recommended to go further for the sake of your health insurance.
One of the most surprising aspects of the Vegas 8 Ball is vibration, or rather, the lack of it. This is, after all, a 1,731cc V-Twin. It should shake, rattle and roll. Instead, minor and low amplitude vibrations are only apparent at very high revs. Very impressive.
The gearbox has widely spaced gears and sixth gear is an overdrive. How wide? Well, second and third is all you need in town up to 80 km/h. And sixth gear at 110 km/h is practically idle rpm… maybe 1200 rpm. It makes for impressive mileage figures while touring the highways. And that 17 litre tank gives the Vegas very good range.
Suspension is par for the course for a chopper. The forks are compliant and only transmit shocks on sharp-edged bumps or ripples. The rear air-assisted monoshock is excellent, hardly ever bottoming out. The brakes (four piston calipers front and rear) are quite good, especially the rear brake. Seating is excellent, with a wide, comfortable saddle, good for at least an hour.
So, why is the throttle the most captivating part of the Vegas 8 Ball?
In a nutshell (cracked and in pieces), that throttle is directly connected to 110 ft-lbs of torque at 4,500rpm. What this means is that your arm sockets are in for a workout. It also means the rear tyre is almost always digging hard into the tarmac.
Make sure your gym membership is up to date. The solid shove the Vegas 8 Ball produces is addictive and the exhaust, just now so melodic and muted, barks and thunders its approval. Any straight, any traffic light is just an excuse to revel in the torque and sound.
All this power does not mean the Vegas will potter around in high gear at low speeds. The gears are too wide¬ly spaced for that. Second and third gears do nicely in town with fifth and sixth still producing awesome stomp (without any downshifting) on the highway.
So is the Vegas a Harley-beating chopper? To be honest, they are not competing against each other in the normal sense. Both are in the same category but the styles and characters are as different as chalk and cheese. The Vegas 8 Ball will appeal to the more tech-oriented, power-hungry smooth characters.
Do you want to be a Vegas 8 Ball owner? Then find out, head over to Harmony Fabulous on the Federal Highway and find out about Victory’s two-year unlimited warranty and five-time free service package as well as a special pricing package for the Vegas 8 Ball.
