I have to say, I'm impressed with the changes in the last 6-7 years. I have just now become "serious" about buying a new bike. I have a friend in the Victory Motorcycle Club and he has been making some recommendations. So far I have ridden:
• 2016 Victory Hammer S
• 2016 Victory Gunner
• 2016 Indian Scout
• 2017 Victory Octane
First, the Hammer feels so huge, even though it's really a mid-size bike. Even though it rode comfortably ad street speeds, highway bumps, dips, potholes are a little aggressive with the larger front wheel. Also out of my price range - but a badass bike. The huge rear tire, wow. I was very cautious to lean to the pegs in a turn. Brakes like a turbo, too.
Second up, the Gunner felt a little more my size, since I've been riding a mid-size cruiser for the last 6 years. The handling was a bit more nimble with a front and rear tire, it was comfortable in the turns and rode very well. Very balanced, lots of power on tap. Aside from having lots of torque off the line (like all Victory bikes), it was not impressive.
Although listed third here, the Scout was the first I test rode. It was very low to the ground and incredibly nimble in turns. I test-rode one with a couple hundred miles on it so I wasn't worried about leaning all the way over in tight turns. A blip of the throttle and it came right up, held in turns and was very stable. Without fairing though - terrible wind buffeting above 50 mph. It was much more comfortable as a smaller bike, felt more maneuverable. The suspension was a bit firm for my liking, and the controls were too far forward - I had difficulty shifting the first few times.
Last but not least: The Octane. Out of the lineup, I enjoyed it the most. I was quite surprised because out of that group the Scout was the most comfortable from a riding position (I'm short). It has 1 less gallon in the tank, but overall weighs almost 100 lbs less than my Vulcan 900 with almost twice the HP, and 50% more torque. Since the wife doesn't ride with me really anymore, that alleviates the need for a bigger bike with passenger accommodations. Although, she's open to buying the parts and keeping them in the garage 'should they be needed'. I was originally concerned that I would need the "shortened reach" kit since it comes in very close to the Indian Scout. This is what I decided to get next.
Now that I've made my decision on what bike I want next, I have to sell the old one:
2010 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 (if anyone is interested). I agreed to a "2 toy" limit, so Cayman and a motorcycle.
Has anyone else ridden the above models - if so, what were your thoughts?