2013 Victory Boardwalk

In the words of Dennis Denuto, the bumbling suburban lawyer in the Aussie movie The Castle, “it’s the vibe of the thing”.

And that’s an apt description for Victory Motorcycles, which continues to churn out new models that, by and large, nearly always hit the spot. And as any volume manufacturer will tell you, that’s easier said than done, particularly with the inevitable constraints that everyone – from bean counters to designers and engineers – has to work under.

The latest cab off the Victory rank is the low-slung Boardwalk, which blends classical and modern styling into a package that retails for $21,995 in Australia.  Aesthetically, it’s quite a striking machine, with the valanced fenders wrapped around 16-inch wire wheels and whitewall tyres. And let’s not forget the chrome, with the pipes the standout, supported by the headlight and those monstrous beach bars, which are the biggest in the Victory inventory. Our press bike was fitted with a set of stage one slash-cut pipes, which added a little more growl to the bike, but nothing more sinister than that.

The modern assets include the LED taillight, which is a thin vertical strip incorporated into the rear guard – which is then flanked by not so glamorous orange lens blinkers. Colours are a choice of black or white.

The sleek 17-litre tank is signature Victory – complete with the company’s vibrant new logo – but then the rest of the bike isn’t a surprise: the Boardwalk is powered by the company’s excellent Freedom 106 cubic inch (1731cc) engine, which is air/oil cooled, has a six-speed overdrive gearbox, and bore and stroke dimensions of 101mm x 108mm. The 50-degree V-twin has dual 45mm throttle bodies, a wet clutch, self-adjusting cam chains and hydraulic lifters.

The power characteristics are spot-on really: the Boardwalk is crisp from low revs, but there’s still enough of a kick-on higher in the rev range to satisfy more competitive urges. It all just happens in a seamless manner, from the light action clutch to the agreeable gearbox (watch for the big clunk as first gear is activated), excellent fuelling and the decreasing level of vibes as the Boardwalk gets up to speed. The Boardwalk really just runs the show on your behalf, while the rider keeps an eye on the main cabin readings, including gear position indicator, rpm and trip meter readings. Those are all found on an LCD insert below the analogue speedometer.

The torque peak is 149.1Nm at 2900rpm, and it doesn’t appear to taper off that much before it reaches its power peak of 87.2hp at 5300rpm.

Sixth gear at 100km/h has the Boardwalk loping around at 2200rpm – very relaxing. But without a screen and the wide bars it really does become tiring to fight windblast at speeds much more than that. Overdrive is obviously not city friendly, so I found myself in fourth gear for the most effective forward motion.

The beach bars are certainly whoppers, but the reach to them isn’t the onerous exercise it might appear. The sculptured seat is comfortable and the forward controls are well positioned, which lessens the load on the lower back and tailbone. There is also plenty of room on the footboards, too.

The Boardwalk handles well, flicking and changing direction with the type of response that belies its 306kg dry weight. That makes cornering somewhat pleasurable, and for a low-slung cruiser the floorboards don’t actually start scraping until there’s a bit of lean.

But one of the main areas where cruisers communicate that enough is enough is through the suspension, and the Boardwalk is no different. The rear suspension is supple and accommodating on smooth roads, but when the bumps kick in the 75mm of travel on the rear is quickly swallowed up. Those big hits are not only felt by the rider, but can swing the bike partially off course if the bumps are lurking mid-corner. Nothing alarming mind you – it’s just a matter of availing yourself to the bike’s limitations, which most experienced riders will manage in no time. The front suspension has 130mm of travel.

The brakes are sufficient for the Boardwalk’s mass, but I’d like to see a little less venom on the twin-piston rear – it does lock up quite easily – and more on the four-piston front. Victory elected not to fit ABS to the Boardwalk. The discs are 300mm front and rear.

The Boardwalk is a convincing machine. Equipment levels aren’t high, but then again the price isn’t stifling either. What’s impressive is its casual demeanour, strong engine, arresting looks and a spacious riding position. For a cruiser, that’s just about covering all the bases.

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PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 87.2hp (64.1kW) at 5300rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 149.1Nm at 2900rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed
Final drive: Belt
Clutch: Wet

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Front suspension: Telescopic forks, 130mm travel
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, preload adjustment, 75mm travel
Front brakes: 300mm disc with four-piston caliper
Rear brake: 300mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Wheels: Spoked -- 3.5 x 16 front and rear
Tyres: Metzeler ME880 -- Front 130/90-16, rear 150/80-16

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 31.7 degrees
Trail: 152.4mm
Claimed dry weight: 305kg
Seat height: 658mm
Wheelbase: 1646mm
Fuel capacity: 17 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $21,995
Colours: White or black
Test bike supplied by: Victory Motorcycles, www.victorymotorcycles.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres