It’s a sign of how significant the Australian market is to Victory Motorcycles that the first flesh-and-blood examples of the new Octane, outside North America, have been unveiled here in our wide, brown land.
We were privileged to be at the Sydney launch at Victory’s Paramatta Rd showroom, replete with plentiful cold Bud and an American style hotdog stand that I’d become very familiar with by the end of the night.
The Octane is a significant model for Victory, powered by its first ever liquid-cooled motor, producing more power than any Victory motorcycle to date at 103hp and 103Nm, weighing less than any Victory motorcycle ever built at just 242kg, and being the quickest Victory down the quarter-mile (12 seconds) and fastest from 0-100km/h, at under four seconds.
With a steep (for this style of bike) 29-degree head angle, a 1577mm wheelbase and an available 32-degree lean-angle this new bike represents a much more sporty direction for Victory than any other American V-twin muscle-bike.
The 18-inch front wheel features a 130-section tyre, while the 17-inch rear is shod with a 160/70-17 tyre which should give more than adequate grip to exploit the available ground clearance and power output.
Styling on the Octane is more aggressive than other Victory products to reflect its harder-edged performance. The tank features sharp angles and creases as well as a raised centre-spine which continues down the rear mudguard. There’s hardly any chrome, reinforcing its business-like attitude, and even the paint finish is matte.
Physically the Octane is a surprisingly small motorcycle and the seat-height is low 658mm which, even when just sitting on it in the showroom, makes it feel like it should be quite agile.
The striking similarity to the Indian Scout is no accident. Parent company Polaris is now using the platform for both the Indian and Victory models, and Victory engineers say about a third of the Octane’s parts are from the Scout.
With pricing starting at just $18,995 ride away, the Victory Octane will be available in Australian from mid-2016. We can’t wait to give it a try.
Now, if we can all petition Polaris to produce a road-legal version of their Pikes Peak project bike to live alongside their current offerings, Victory would have most of the road-bike market covered.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE TYPE: Liquid-cooled 60° V-twin
VALVE TRAIN: DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
DISPLACEMENT: 1,179cc
BORE X STROKE: 101.0 x 73.6mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 10.8:1
HORSEPOWER: 103hp (77kW) @ 8000rpm
TORQUE: 76ft-lb (103Nm) @ 6000rpm
FUEL SYSTEM: EFI with single 60mm throttle body
EXHAUST: Dual slash-cut mufflers with common volume
CLUTCH: Wet, multi-plate
TRANSMISSION/FINAL DRIVE: 6-speed/belt
FRAME: Cast-aluminium semi-double-cradle with tubular-steel backbones
FRONT SUSPENSION: 41mm damper-tube forks with dual-rate springs; 4.7-in. travel
REAR SUSPENSION: Twin shocks with dual-rate springs, adjustable for preload; 3.0-in. travel
LEAN ANGLE (SOFT): 32 degrees
FRONT BRAKE: Two-piston calliper, 298mm disc, with ABS
REAR BRAKE: One-piston calliper, 298mm disc, with ABS
FRONT TYRE: 130/70-18 63H
REAR TYRE: 160/70-17 76H
FRONT WHEEL: 18 X 3.5-in. cast, 10-spoke
REAR WHEEL: 17 X 4.5-in. cast, 10-spoke
RAKE/TRAIL: 29.0°/129mm.
WHEELBASE: 1,577mm
SEAT HEIGHT (LADEN): 658mm.
FUEL CAPACITY: 12.8 ltrs.
OIL CAPACITY: 4.2 ltrs.
DRY WEIGHT: 242kg.
WARRANTY: 2 year, unlimited Km
PRICE: $18,995 ride away
More information is on the Victory website.
