The much anticipated Victory Octane has been unveiled in the US, and there are now multiple launch events being held around the world.
The next generation cruiser from Victory breaks the company’s pattern of trying to play copy-cat with Harley-Davidson, and sets new standards for the brand.
The Octane differentiates Victory from its competition, including sister company Indian, and the company hopes the bike will appeal to a younger market.
Victory Product Manager, Brandon Kraemer, likens the bike to a classic American muscle car – light, fast, and affordable.
The 1,200cc engine in the Octane is Victory’s first water cooled unit and is related to the 1,133cc engine from the Indian Scout.
The bore is 2mm larger than the Scout engine, and also has different camshafts and tuning.
It’s the engine we’ve seen in the three concept bikes (Project 156, Ignition and Combustion) Victory has been teasing us with over recent months.
Peak power is 77kW @ 8000rpm and maximum torque is 103Nm.
The Octane is the fastest motorcycle Victory has produced. It is also the lightest and cheapest.
Its dry weight is 242kg, and Victory is claiming performance figures of 0-100km/h in less than 4 seconds and a quarter mile in less than 12.
The bike has a cast aluminium, semi-double-cradle frame, 41mm forks with dual rate springs front and rear.
Surprisingly, the front brakes are a single 298mm disc with twin piston caliper. The same sized disc is fitted to the rear with a single piston caliper.
Tyres are 130/70-18 on the front and 60/70-17 on the rear.
The Victory Octane will only be available in one grey colour scheme.
Four pre-production models are in Australia for launch events over the next month.
The Octane is set to compete in the market with the Harley-Davidson V-Rod and the new Ducati XDiavel, both of which are at least $8,000 more expensive. The Ducati does, however, have a significant edge in terms of power and torque.
The Victory Octane will be available in Australia in April – May and will be priced at $18,995 ride away.