Twice in the last couple of months someone called the Bikernet offices on a Monday and dropped a weekend into the center of the week. Not bad. First the new-model call came from Buellton to ride the 2004 rubbermounted Sportster. Then last week I was ordered to fly to Oakland to meet the hardworking Victory crew. I was afforded one stinking hour to decide. Jump a plane or not. I chose to hit the road.
How about a Sportster driven sidecar from the Ness museum.
Just a portion of Arlen's trophy wall. Bev, (in cover shot with Arlen) his wife, has been stridently beside him since the beginning.
This is Arlen's next Victory chopper project. Benefits to using a Victory 92-inch drive-line include narrower, lighter configuration.
Last year I road-tested the new Vegas. Outstanding motorcycle from a power, styling, balance, comfort, fit and handling perspective. I was impressed. Arlen and Cory Ness were called to assist with appearance decisions which added style, finish and a unified touch. While flying up the coast of California I was confident in the outcome of two days in the Napa, wine country–I rewrote my will. A handful of moto-journalists from Iron Works, American Rider, Rider, Cruising Rider and Cycle World stepped off the plane. A stretched limo swept us to Dublin, California to the new home of Arlen Ness and family. The party kicked off with a brief presentation from the Victory and Ness crew, then dinner and drinks in the Arlen's packed museum. If you get a chance to wander through the facility, you'll witness vast, chromed and metalflake examples of custom motorcycling history from 1970 until today.
Arlen and son Cory Ness. Arlen's wife Bev and Daughter Cherry also work for the company. A solid family operation.
Early Ness customs.
The new Arlen Ness family showroom.
Arlen and Cory made room on the spacious granite-tiled showroom floor for American Iron Horse, Victory and Italian Vespa Scooters. They will soon be the largest (sales) Victory dealer in the country. Half of the shapely, two-toned Vespas they sell are sold to women. The centerpiece in the showroom was an Arlen Ness limited edition Vegas. Arlen is touching approximately 300, 2004 models with billet wheels, accessories and custom paint schemes. Only one will be available per dealer for a retail ticket of $19,999.
Mark Blackwell (left), VP from Victory and Ken Freund, senior editor of American Rider.
There had to be a girl.
Ness customs in his museum.
The only dual-overhead-cam engine on the planet. They're still working on them.
Arlen took care to laminate most of his magazine features. This is just a small portion.
The new Kingpin, a slightly heavier version of the Vegas, will retail for around $14,000 and the touring model of the Kingpin will slip out the back for $15, 299. While we toured the new 68,000 square-foot Ness Facility, Cory mentioned one of the impacts of the Polaris/Ness relationship,
Arlen and Bob Moon designed this shapely concept cycle to house the “Jet” power-plant. Watch for it.
Nothin' like buying parts directly from the home of the manufacturer.
The Ness retail parts department.
Although the Kingpin is considered a lightweight touring motorcycle, it is equipped with the most powerful headlight in the industry. I'll get to the 2004 features shortly. We stumbled back to the flea bag motel and tore the place apart looking for munchies. Reveille shouted for a 7:30 wake-up call and departure at 9:00 a.m. Another Limousine pulled up outside but I ducked the lavish interior of the bus to ride with Gary Laskin, the Victory Product Manager. I wanted the inside scoop.
Check the Victory web site for color variations, custom applications and flamed themes.
I have a morbid fascination for the inner workings of manufacturing entities. Part of my restless soul has always avoided big company drudgery. I suppose it's the biker/romantic wanderlust and need to avoid drug testing. So when I watch a new Ford roll down the street I'm in awe of the fucking wiring loom and how it gets from the copper plant to the immense number of connections under the dash. Sure, some think writing a book is a serious endeavor, but building a car, jet or naval ship far exceeds the orbit of my comprehension. So I dug into Gary's sharp educated and experienced brain cells. Born in Saint Paul, he grew up in Minnesota and lived in Europe/Belgium where he climbed aboard his first moped. His dad worked for 3m and had tremendous enthusiasm for motorsports. Throughout his 35 years Gary has owned and ridden American, Japanese and European motorcycles.
Gary graduated from the University of Minnesota and grabbed an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. His first job at FingerHut dropped him into the deep, thought-provoking crap game of the data driven approach to marketing. He toiled developing surveys, focus groups and styling clinics… I swear that this will be my only comparison to Harley-Davidson, but I can't resist. Harley started with a handful of men with limited knowledge, seat of the pants access to market and sketchy technological information. Victory is also made up of a handful of hardworking dreamers. Unlike H-D these individuals are educated, backed with vast marketing history, financial support, business acumen, expertise and technological data. In a different era, under a new set of rules and guideline they are attempting to fulfill the same goals as the Harley crew.
This was my favorite custom Vegas–sharp.
As a young Victory gun the new King Pin, based on the Vegas chassis, was thoroughly researched by Gary's team. This process included not only massive marketing studies but the experienced Polaris Design Team, Arlen and Cory Ness and many focus groups. It started with the desires and needs of the customer. Each owner and road-test participant was asked to fill out surveys. Focus groups studied the emotional needs of riders and were quizzed, “Why do you ride?” They deliberated on un-met needs, the progressive history of the classic cruising customer and rider fears. Styling stood tall as the most important aspect of the motorcycle, but didn't end at that design obstacle. Comfort and stability were keys. Security stood tall in the sphere of rider comfort and confidence. Wider tires were key elements, coupled with substance or weight.
The design team created 16 concept drawings and presented them to a number of riders who had recently purchased touring motorcycles. The illustrations sought to represent a realm of models from, “Cutting edge to bleeding edge,” Gary explained, “from conservative to out-there.”
The final mock-up was carefully and gracefully submitted to 150 more riders. “We were extremely attentive to their input, delayed the launch and spent one-half million dollars moving one component 1 3/8 inches,” Gary noted without giving away the part number. One more critical decision quivered on the drafting board. Would the motorcycle, designed developed today, survive two years of engineering, testing and construction before launch? Will the shape of their dreams survive until it reached market?
Brand position is critical. “The customer is very sensitive,” Gary explained. “Refinement is important, but American riders like the bold and brash, with a raw edge.”
The King pin sports only 18-inch wheels with larger tires than the Vegas. Note the heavier fender styling.
I was beginning to get an edgy picture of the decision making process behind designing a bike. What a goddamn roll of the dice. With the final concept drawing burning a hole in the design team's collective pocket they faced the next daunting barricade: The experienced Polaris Development Process including rigorous and disciplined quality testing for two years. Component tests include road testing and bench testing that simulates road conditions. They are capable of scrambling through 200,000 road miles in two weeks. Just two hours on a shaker table will tests a headlight or component extensively. Testing and development once ate 2-3 years, but with shaker tables they shorten development and increase quality in the process. Accelerated durability testing hammers a bike over a cobblestone surface 1-mile long, equivalent to 11 miles on the street. Stringent dyno testing tortures engines. Aerodynamics and cooling are tested on the road and high speed stability is examined on the track.
92 inches of fuel injected power.
“One test involves a rider who smacks the handlebars as hard as he can at various speeds from 85 mph to over 100. The bike is timed to see how long it takes to return to stability and the degree of oscillation. Redline shifting, with no clutch, tests transmission durability.
Victory recently steered clear of alpha-numeric nomenclature with the Vegas. The name conjures high-style and high stakes.
After a short stint with Victory the Vegas was his first major project. “I was clueless when I started six years ago,” Gary admitted, “I got lucky with this job and I'm glad I was given the opportunity.”
Kingpins and Vegas bikes lined-up beside Victory semi, ready to ride.
We rolled into the Brix restaurant parking area in Napa Valley, surrounded by 11 acres of grap vines and olive trees, as the sun cracked the morning dew, and I picked a ride among two dozen Vegas, Kingpin regulars and Kingpin touring models. I stuff my digital in the bags of the last touring model available and admired the multi-staged silver paint scheme. I immediately noticed some of the fit and finished components mentioned the night before during the presentation. We peeled out in two groups of anxious maniacs and weaved through snake like roads from Yountville down the Silverado Trail, along Trancas Street, to the treacherous Mt. Veeder Rd, onto Dry Creek, then twisty Trinity road into Glen Helen for lunch at the brick and historic Jack London hangout.
Journalists from most major bike mags alongside a winding road with Brian Nelson, Victory photographer.
After a fine lunch we were set free to investigate Bennett Valley Road, numerous wineries, catching Calistoga Road to St. Helena's snaky lane, where a Victory staff member failed to negotiate a turn away from the guard rail and stood his Kingpin on its nose. He survived and so did the motorcycle which took him home minus a few gears. The roads were tough twisters for experienced sport bike riders and we dragged the elevated footboards on several corners. I wanted an open freeway or two lane highway, cutting across a state, to test this comfortable ride. Again, as with the Vegas, this motorcycle fit me like a glove.
Outside the Jack London lunch hangout in Glen Helen.
Unfortunately when we left the twisted asphalt of the foothills we found ourselves trapped in tourist and construction traffic snarls. I pulled to the roadside to check my navigational instructions, in the midst of bumper to wine-soaked tourist traffic, when three girls pulled up alongside me. “Hey handsome,” the driver shouted over the rumbling sound of diesels and the stench of exhaust smoke. Could she be talking to me or the Kingpin?
“Hey beautiful,” I responded as the traffic inched forward. Our eyes met, her girlfriend giggled and I remembered my promise to the Bikernet babe. No fooling around. I kicked the curb with my black cowboy boot, stuffed the map in my HA leather vest, then split lanes out of the old western berg, to find a suitable winery to drown my sorrows.
After a full day in the saddle we pulled back into the Brix parking lot to share road tales and machine insight. I test rode three other Victorys and noted different engine noise in each, although they all handled and felt the same. I split through Olive groves and lush hills comfortably. Passing miles of annual grape fields lush with full crops I spotted lavish castle-like wineries, then upscale pottery and art shops and restaurants. The whole goddamn gentrified area smelled of brie cheese and exotic coffees. What once was a tough industry in roaming fields has become Wine Disneyland.
It's a crying shame. What once was romantic and adventuresome is now commonplace smeared with fat tourists in shorts. But what the hell, I was afforded a weekend break in the center of a working week. What could be better? Actually a couple of bottles of wine, a girl waiting in a cabin on a hillside and one of these Kingpins would hit the spot.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
GUTS NEVER LOOKED PRETTIER– Steel and chrome have never looked sweeter. Introducing Kingpin,™ the newest of The New American Motorcycles. The attitude of this cruiser says cool and comfortable, whether it's gathering a crowd on a city street or breaking away from it on the open road. Follow the curve of the fully valanced front fender to the massive, inverted front fork, across the handlebars and down the scalloped tank to the business end of Kingpin. A 92 cubic inch Freedom V-twin engine ready to power you to the next time zone. The rest of the Kingpin is pure comfort. Eighteen-inch front and rear wheels, roomy, vibration-absorbing floorboards, and front and rear suspensions built and fine-tuned for an extra measure of cross-country smooth.
Leather covered saddlebags with convenient latches.
SPECIFICATIONS– Powerful, overhead cam, 92 cubic inch Freedom™ V-twin with standard fuel injection. Overhead cam with four valves per cylinder for superior power at high RPM.
Aluminum swingarm with rising-rate linkage rear suspension for a smooth ride and optimal handling.
Inverted-cartridge fork, fully valanced fenders, full floorboards, rubber-mounted handlebars.
6-spoke cast aluminum wheels, 18 inch front, 18 inch rear.
Wide 130mm front tire, 180mm back tire put more rubber on the road.
Engine Specs
Engine4-stroke/50 degree/Freedom V-twin
Bore x Stroke 97 x 102mm
Displacement 92cu. in./1507cc
Compression Ratio 9.2:1
Valve Train SOHC/4 valves per cylinder/self-adjusting cam chains/hydraulic lifters
Carburetion Electronic fuel injection/44mm throttle bodies
Fuel Capacity 4.5gal./17.0ltr.
Exhaust Staggered slash-cut dual exhaust with common volume
Oil Capacity 6.0qts./5.7ltr.
Electrical
Charging System 38 amps
Battery 12 volts/18 amp hours
Cooling
Cooling System Air/Oil
Drivetrain
Primary Drive Gear drive with torque compensator
Clutch Wet/multi-plate
Transmission 5-speed constant mesh
Final Drive Reinforced belt
Brakes
Front Brake 300mm floating rotor with 4-piston caliper
Rear Brake 300mm floating rotor with 2-piston caliper
Dimensions
Length 99.1in./2519mm
Wheelbase 66.5in./1690mm
Seat Height 26.5in./673mm
Ground Clearance 5.8in./148mm
Rake/Trail 32.8 degrees/5.44in./138mm
Dry Weight 639lbs./290kg
GVWR 1154lbs./524kg
Suspension
Front Suspension Inverted cartridge telescopic fork/43mm diameter/5.1in. (130mm)
Rear Suspension Single, mono-tube gas/forged and cast aluminum w/ rising-rate linkage/3.9in. (100mm) travel/preload adjustable spring
Tires
Front Wheel 18.0 x 3.0in./6-spoke cast aluminum (standard)
Rear Wheel 18.0 x 5.0in./6-spoke cast aluminum (standard)
Front Tire 130 70-18 Dunlop® Elite II
Rear Tire 180 55-B18 Dunlop® D417
Colors
Solid Colors Black, Sonic Blue, Purple Thunder or Solar Red
Two-Toned Colors Black & Bronze or Bronze Mist & Pearl White
Multiple Colors Sonic Blue with Tribal Fade Flames or Purple Thunder with Vogue Silver Tribal Flame
MSRP
MSRP $14,999
ARLEN NESS LIMITED EDITION —You won't see this cruiser on every street corner. First, because this gorgeous masterwork was created by Arlen Ness, America's premier designer of custom motorcycles. Second, because we're only building a few hundred of them. But those few hundred riders lucky enough to add this limited edition to their cruiser collection will be the envy of everyone, everywhere. Fully optioned, with radical paint and chrome, it's as breathtaking to look at as it is to ride. The Limited Edition Arlen Ness Signature Series isn't for everyone. But when you're dealing in art as powerful as a Victory® motorcycle, that's exactly the point.
Each Victory/Ness custom is signed by Arlen.
HISTORY WITH POLARIS
1997The Victory motor-cycle debuts as Indy car champion Al Unser, Jr., rides the first V92C into a packed Planet Hollywood at the Mall of America.
1998Victory motorcycle production begins at the Spirit Lake, Iowa, facility on July 4.
1998Cycle World, the world’s largest-circulation motorcycle magazine, names the Victory V92C the Best Cruiser of 1998.
1998Tom Tiller joins Polaris as President and in 1999 succeeds W. Hall Wendel, Jr., as CEO. Wendel remains Chairman of the Board.
1999The Victory V92C is named Cruiser of the year by Motorcycle Cruiser magazine.
