Victory (USA) 1200 OCTANE 2017

Hammer, Judge, Gunner … Motorcycles of temperament are part of the Victory philosophy. Machines with plumb, America, and a big twin air-cooled 1.7 liters of displacement. Enough to satisfy cravings for muscle and expansion? Not for the brand, which has reached a milestone with this new power cruiser that is the 1200 Octane. An equivocal name, with hints of carbide and psychotic instability. And in the bowels, it smells of heat, it agitates watts, and it gargles the fleet. In Iowa, we change dimensions and install a water-cooled block. Heresy?!? But no. A desire to offer more sensations, and incidentally to kick the boots to neighboring competition.

Octane. The name claps, unadorned. Victory perpetuates a line of seasoned surnames. Its baptism will be fury with an engine very far from the cannons of the brand. Smaller, more powerful, more responsive than the 106 Freedom, this unit is completely new in the range.
But not in the group. Because we know it in other colors. He recently propelled the cousin Indian Scout. The scent of Project 156 and the participation in the Pike Peaks race in 2015 gave ideas and envy. Transposed into the Octane, this twin takes a few cubic centimeters in passing by increasing the bore (2 mm). With super-square ribs of 101 x 73.6 mm, the engine is already thinking of taking turns rather than getting excited about the fat of the torque.
Before putting grenade holders around the belt, let’s see what the heart of the octane promises us between two red lights. He wants it, he claims it: less than 4 seconds to slam 0 to 100 km / h, 400 meters in 12 seconds. Victory Announcement "a sports heart". A notion that should be put into perspective. For power fans, we are at the limit of occlusion: this block outputs 104 horsepower – A Panigale R would laugh to death next door, with twice the power for the same cubage; but this is not the way to combine this power. It is a sporting performance for an American, beyond the usual conventions on the other side of the Atlantic.

The good guys aren’t really welcome on the Octane. The machine claims a bad-boy side, which the brand clearly emphasizes. In addition to the small sport nose screen, the tank with threatening edges, the absence of chrome and the obscure depth of the whole, the bike seems ready for all kinds of eccentricities. The pictures speak! It is very rare to see an American manufacturer present one of its models in clearly provocative positions. Under the very stripped, even minimalist dressing, one does not however find discomfort of sportswoman or roadster couillu. No, a structure combining front and rear aluminum parts joined by a tubular steel section holds most of the machine, with a 41 mm fork, 2 side shocks and braking after all quite modest. A 298 mm disc per wheel, ABS…. we expected more vindictive, dual 320mm disc type with Brembo radial calipers. Stop! We are still forgetting that she is a Rican; not an Italian. And everyone does not see the rants the same.
Sitting only 635 mm from the ground, the pilot will be far from these considerations. Even the dry weight of 243 kilograms is of very relative importance; although it may be considered reasonable for the category. A V-Rod easily made 50 more.

The Octane – This is the most powerful of Victory machines; and a cousin very close to the Indian family because closely derived from the Scout. A power-cruiser that intends to cause mayhem in the not at all glossy world of muscle-bikes. He arrives on the poker table with another game: he spits out a little less watts than an H-D Muscle; much less than an XDiavel; I’m not even talking about the abyss with a V-Max. But in terms of price, it is unbeatable, far below the three charismatic motorcycles presented above..

M.B – Builder media