2013 Victory Boardwalk

Saying the Highball, Judge and 8 Ball are all similar is like saying a Fireblade, CBR6, and CBR250 are all "similar" - do we always have to endure the anti-cruiser sniggering by the Brit bike press? Multiple models on similar underpinnings? Triumph or Ducati anyone? Where's the snide implication when those two manufacturers do it?

Perhaps if you knew anything about the sector you could have told us about the Kingpin being lost as Polaris purchased Indian. The Kingpin's deeply valanced mudguards was always going to seem a bit nouveau-Indian and tread on the sales on the premium brand of Indian (think US$30k + for a Warbonnet). So, a quick restyle gives the bike a close fit wraparound front fender, as favoured by custom builders a few years ago. Cutting edge styling? Depends on what sector of styling you are talking about.
Pared to the bone, ultra-cheap bobbers may be more in-vouge at the moment than bodywork heavy pro-street customs that the Boardwalk mimics; but not everyone goes with the fashion - and Victory has the minimalist sector well covered with other models.
So, the Boardwalk: a retro-vegas? Works well as a base bike for building a Softail Delux style bike without needing Milwaukee metal. Why would you buy a £14k bike than throw parts of it away? Why do people buy £14k Ducatis then throw away all the bodywork for carbon and swap to a race system, etc?

Posted: 03/08/2012 at 17:31

in a word - yes

the bikes that were mentioned share a spec sheet that is practically identical.
they all have the same 1731cc engine all weigh the same (+-5kg) and all use the same drive system and even exhausts are the same so they sound exactly the same!
the only notable difference is the price ranging from £10,000 to a whopping £14,500

atleast when making a statement get the comparison right, the fireblade, CBR6 and CBR250 all are sport bikes but they have dramatically different engines, chassis, weights and powers.

http://victorymotorcycles.co.uk/motorcycles/cruisers/vegas-8-ball/specs/
http://victorymotorcycles.co.uk/motorcycles/cruisers/vegas-high-ball/specs/
http://victorymotorcycles.co.uk/motorcycles/cruisers/judge/specs/
http://victorymotorcycles.co.uk/motorcycles/cruisers/vegas-jackpot/specs/

QED

Posted: 06/08/2012 at 21:48

Victory and Harley both employ different frames and chasis for different model families (Touring, Bar hoppers, etc). The high bars of the highball and hardball make them a significantly different riding experience from one of the touring models and one of the less radical cruisers - to a similar extent that different CC in a sportsbike would produce a different riding experience; so my comparison is not as far out as you have taken it to be.
Most people in the UK see all cruisers as identical and interchangeable; yet to the non-sportsbke rider, they are all cramped plastic wrapped screamy things that are all the same and interchangeable. Brit press only bothers with reporting on one of these sectors in any sort of detail though.

Posted: 06/08/2012 at 23:10

It's called "Visor Down" not "Tassels R Us".

Isn't there a costume (sic) bike site that caters for your needs mate?

Posted: 07/08/2012 at 12:26

Ripsaw - I'm sure there are also many other sites that cater for men who want to dress in a leather one-piece then curl up with their rear in the air

Posted: 07/08/2012 at 18:13

Personally I prefer an upright position and crotchless panties (on my head) but that is irrelevant.

If you think putting high bars on a bike constitutes 'radical' then maybe you need to find a site that caters for your (lets face it) niche fetishes.

If Harley or Victory or any manufacturer comes up with a 'custom' style machine that represents anything like news I am sure VD will treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Until then I hope they continue to focus on real development.

Posted: 08/08/2012 at 10:12

iv ridden many offroads, sports and cruisers and then i settled for a traily tourer (kwak versys)

i understand how there are different riding experiences to be had on cruisers but your argument is still based on bikes that ARE the same... you cannot argue that a cruiser with different styling and raised bars will be as different to ride as 125cc vs a 1000cc bike will be.

i would consider your argument more if the article had said that a yam virago, victory judge and ducati diavel were tha same bike, but they didnt....

Posted: 08/08/2012 at 22:01