Victory V92SC

2000 Victory V92SC (Sport Cruiser)

Victory has proclaimed their new V92SC as the harbinger of a new class of motorcycle…the Sport Cruiser. My first question is what the heck is a SPORT CRUISER and how does it differ from other bikes? I posed this question to a Victory sales rep and was supplied with an armful of reading material from the factory and a short primer from Victory propaganda. The basic premise is to take a large displacement motorcycle, like a Victory V92, for instance, with a dry weight of over 650lbs, and update it to perform more like a sport bike and less like a heavy weight cruiser. Most of the current crop of sport bikes come in at under 500lbs. Can a heavy weight cruiser ever hope to perform with the much lighter sport bikes? Well to put it bluntly, no. The power to weight ratio, wheelbase and ergonomics of today’s sport bikes will allow them to literally run rings around any stock cruiser class bike. Victory has made some interesting changes to the basic V92 to allow them to label it a Sport Cruiser. The engine remains unchanged with only the exhaust getting an update. The original 2 into 2 is replaced with a 2 into 1 sport exhaust system.

Most of the changes to the Victory are centered on the ergonomics, running gear and suspension. The cruiser style front floorboards are gone. They are replaced by a set of conventional footpegs located near the center of gravity for a more aggressive riding position. The 16 inch wheels are now 17 inch wheels with commensurate increases in tire size. The single front disc brake is now dual disc 300mm Brembos and the front forks have been increased to 50mm, up from the original 45mm. The pullback handlebars are flat-track style on the SC and with the addition of a few styling changes you have the V92SC. Victory is no longer painting their bikes the KYSO (Knock Your Socks Off) blue. Red, black and silver are the currently available colors with 2-tone schemes available for the V92 only.

I was fortunate enough to ride a V92 at Daytona Beach Bike Week 1998 and formed some very strong opinions of the bike. In early June 2000 I had the opportunity to take a ride on the newest bike to come from the other American motorcycle company not in Milwaukee. Victory has drawn off the experiences of others and now also offers factory approved accessories and hop-up parts. The V92SC I chose to ride was outfitted with the upgraded megaphone exhaust and fuel injection metering computer chip. The fuel injection system does a fine job of getting the engine started and idling quickly. Before heading out I took a minute or two to review the location and meaning of the various warning lights sprinkled around the combination speedometer/tachometer. An LCD display can be switched to show time, fuel, or distance. The brightness can be adjusted for the instrument and high-beam indicator. The indicator lights were uniquely shaped and easy to see. This is in stark contrast to the originals on the bike I rode in 1998.

After a short warm up I pointed the front wheel up the road and pulled on the clutch lever. When I pushed on the shift lever a loud clunk emanated as the transmission went into first gear. It was very reminiscent of the first V92 I rode. The clutch action was moderate and sure. The bike pulled away from a stop easily and accelerated with authority. The megaphone exhaust barked our presence to all within earshot. The cadence of the V92SC v-twin is very different from the Milwaukee v-twins. The V92SC is a 1,507cc (92ci) SOHC v-twin with 4 valves/cylinder with self adjusting hydraulic lifters. The power band is very wide with plenty of low end torque and top end horsepower to get around very quickly if so desired. I rode the bike out of the parking lot and headed for the Interstate I-270. The highway department was working on the interchange with I-270 and the ramp was closed. I rode under the road and made a U-turn at the first intersection and headed back toward the freeway. I was impressed with the way the bike handled although it seemed to be slightly top heavy.

One of my current bikes is equipped with a fairing and is also top heavy, so I didn’t find this to be particularly un-nerving. This time I found an open ramp and accelerated as I entered the traffic lanes. The V92SC really came on here and I really enjoyed the performance. I accelerated and matched my speed to that of the traffic, about 70mph. A glace at the tach indicated 3,000rpm…at 70mph! I rolled the throttle on until the tach hit 3,500rpm and checked the speedo. The bike was effortlessly traveling at 80mph. A quick twist of throttle and the bike was hurtling at a ton (100mph) in no time. Even at this speed the vibrations were never intrusive and it was quite obvious the bike had plenty of power to spare. The counter-balancer eliminated most of the bothersome vibrations leaving only enough to remind the rider that they are on a big powerful machine. After about 20 minutes I got into the off ramp lane and slowed. When I downshifted I was greeted with a now familiar clunk as the tranny found the next lower gear. I worked my way back to the dealership and returned the V92SC to the salesman.

I guess this is time to address all the issues that need addressing. First let me admit that I like the V92SC. It has power to spare and for a bike it’s size handles remarkably well. The addition of the upgraded exhaust and computer chip seemed to work very well with only an occasional stumble from the engine.

Would I buy one? Until Victory figures out how to make a transmission that works better I would probably not buy their bike, yet. To their credit they seem to have fixed the false neutral problem, but the noticeable CLUNK that accompanied every gear change did little to instill confidence. I had hoped that the tranny would have been fixed after bike week 1998 when most of the riding press pointed that out as a major problem area. I must admit that the V92SC transmission was better than the V92 I rode in 1998…but not much. If you don’t mind the clunk and are looking for a good American heavy weight sport cruiser then the V92SC is for you. I like everything else about the V92SC and find it to be an otherwise excellent machine.

Thanks to John Reese at Criswell Powersports in Gaithersburg, MD for answering my questions and furnishing a beautiful Victory V92SC for this article.