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Victory Kingpin Tour: Ready for the road

Story by Bill Andrews, photos by Kevin Wing

The 100-cubic-inch Freedom engine purrs beneath me, casually ticking along as I cruise with a conga line of traffic through the rolling hills in southern California. With time to think about the new Victory Kingpin Tour I'm riding, I come to the conclusion that the “New American Motorcycle Company” knows where it has found success and knows when not to mess with it.

The 2007 Kingpin Tour is essentially the same Kingpin we’ve all come to know and love, but with the addition of a 13-gallon top box, which was most graphically displayed to us earlier that morning with 22 individual gallons of water lined up on a table—13 were set aside to show the added volume over the old standard saddlebags.

To put it another way, the trunk adds an extra 20 pounds of carrying capacity and a passenger backrest to elevate the Kingpin from a weekend getaway machine to a full-week tourer.

A straightaway comes up ahead and snaps me back to the present. The double-yellow no-pass lines are replaced with single-file intermittent stripes. I drop two gears in the six-speed and move out, passing the multi-wheeled obstructions and finally getting into the clear.

The Victory Freedom V-Twin handles this chore with ease. The combination of the engine and six-speed tranny, first introduced in the Hammer two model years ago, is now found across the Victory line, save for the Vegas 8-Ball, which has the Freedom engine mated to a five-speed.

With nothing but clear air ahead of me, I return to my thoughts about Victory's formula for success.

There's no denying the company is making progress. Victory says sales were up 60 percent in the third quarter of 2006, and one well-known independent industry analyst recently predicted that Victory would outpace better-known Ducati in U.S. sales this year.

It's impossible not to credit that success with Victory's gradual focusing of the lineup in recent years. Notably absent from the ’07 line is the old Touring Cruiser with the hard bags, V92C styling and the original 92-cubic-inch Victory motor. That absence signals the end of the line for the first-generation Victorys.

The execs tout this transition by saying the Freedom motor, introduced in the 2002-03 models, is the new “heart,” and the Vegas styling is the “soul” of the company. That look, which originally debuted on the Arlen Ness-influenced Vegas, is now the company's "DNA," a look anyone can identify, even without the tank badges.

For the Kingpin in particular, Victory has done its homework and pretty much nailed down who’s buying it and what they want from it.

According to Victory, 67 percent of the Kingpin owners are motorcycling veterans who have been riding for more than 15 years. They prefer a bike that works equally well as both a long-distance hauler and a boulevard prowler.

Victory has excelled in the styling department recently. The beautifully angular headlight, first making its appearance on the Jackpot and now found across the line, is just one example. Only the 8-Ball retains the somewhat standard round nacelle.

Another example is the deep, metal-flake paint and the generous use of chrome found tastefully throughout the bike.

I pull over in a rest area and discover the new spacious trunk will hold a full-face helmet with room to spare. The sides of the box are somewhat thin, almost pliable -- it feels a tad flimsy for a "trunk," but it also helps keep high-mounted weight to a minimum. The lock is matched to the saddlebags, but not the ignition, so you'll need to carry two keys.

With the bike secured, I move to the rear seat and discover the lower trunk pad provides some nice lumbar support and the top pad allows a slight lean back. My feet are afforded a couple of different positions on the floorboards. Overall, I’m thinking my favorite passenger might just be comfortable enough for a few hundred miles on this perch.

The fuel injection works effortlessly in firing up the Freedom engine, and I often wonder why the company feels it necessary to have a fast-idle lever (where the choke would be on a carbureted motorcycle). I’m told some thought has been given to removing the rather superfluous item.

I head out to put the Kingpin Tour through its paces. Accelerating hard in first gear is quite rewarding, and as I quickly reach the rev limiter I’m reminded how it’s a rather soft, gentle reminder at 5,500 rpm, rather than the abrupt, hard-wall shutdown found on most bikes.

As the road gets curvy and spirited, the Kingpin Tour responds well for a touring machine. One gear pretty much does it, with plenty of torque and engine braking to accelerate and slow between the curves. Floorboards touch first and fold up harmlessly. Then less moveable parts start to grind.

Realistically, though, most touring pilots will be more apt to cool it in the winding stuff to enjoy the scenery.

Over all, the Kingpin Tour appears to fulfill what Victory demographics have dictated. It carries on the same distinctive styling that's working for the company and adds a touch more touring capability.

But what about the real long haul? What about riders who demand a machine capable of weeks of luxury touring comfort?

Victory has something new brewing for them. (Be sure to see the sidebar above.)

2007 Victory Kingpin Tour
Engine	Air/oil-cooled 50-degree V-twin
Displacement	100 cubic inches/1,634cc
Bore x stroke	101mm x 102mm
Carburetion	Electronic fuel injection, 44mm throttle bodies
Compression ratio	9.8:1
Final drive	Belt
Tires	130/70-18 front, 180/55-18 rear
Front brake	300mm floating rotor, four-piston caliper
Rear brake	300mm floating rotor, two-piston caliper
Seat height	26.5 inches
Ground clearance	5.8 inches
Rake /Trail	32.8 degrees/5.44 inches
Wheelbase	65.6 inches
Fuel capacity	4.5 gallons
Dry weight	654 pounds
MSRP	$17,999 ($18,249 California)