Victory Octane revealed

VICTORY is introducing its most powerful, lightest and most exciting machine ever to wear the Victory badge: the Octane.

Developed out of the Project 156 Pikes Peak Hill climb machine, the Octane is powered by an 1170c DOHC V-Twin which develops 104HP (77kW). The short-stroke motor revs hard, with maximum power coming in at 8000rpm and maximum torque of 99Nm at 6000.

The firsts keep coming on the Octane – its engine is Victory’s first liquid-cooled motor, and it’s capable of more lean angle than any other Victory, too.

A stripped-back cruiser – the diet means it’s down to 242kg – has just one seat and pretty well everything not necessary on the bike has been eliminated, helping make it the fastest accelerating Victory and the quickest across a drag-strip.

The Octane features cast aluminium front and rear chassis components joined by tubular steel backbones and stressed-member engine. There’s 41mm forks with dual-rate springs, an 18-inch front wheel and narrow 17-inch rear.

So the handling is expected to be a highlight, with Victory claiming “it behaves more like a sportbike than any American V-twin that has come before. With unexpectedly low weight and lots of available lean angle, a well-ridden Octane will embarrass many replica-racers down a twisty stretch of pavement.”

Victory says the Octane is “based of a proven Polaris platform” – yeah, we think it looks a lot like the Indian Scout, too, but that won’t make it less fun to ride.

Victory motorcycles have always been underrated, especially in Australia, because the brand produces some of the most comfortable, best performing and coolest-looking cruisers around – and the Octane looks like offering all that with a bit of extra performance, and all for $18,995 – sounds like a bit of a bargain.

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