[Gashouse Gorilla]

Hello,
I'm brand new to this forum and excited to be here. I currently own a 2003 CBR600RR which I love but lets face it.... NOT COMFORTABLE. So I'm looking to get a bike I can ride for more than 5 minutes and still be comfortable. My dad bought a Kingpin and I love it, but the Vegas 8-ball just does it for me. I have read a ton of reviews on Victory and it is hard to find a bad one. My concerns are 2 up riding and the 5 speed. My wife won't ride on my other bike so I'm hoping she will ride with me on this one. I see that I can add a second seat but is this a good bike to ride with a passenger? Is this the right bike for us? Does anyone know what the advantages or disadvantages of the 5 speed are? I can't seem to find any reviews about it good or bad. We would be primarily riding in durations of 2 to 3 hours at a time at most. Any insight would help me make a decision. I plan on buying one this weekend, and just want to make sure I'm make the right choice.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

So since I didn't get any feedback from anyone on the 5 speed, I still decided to get one. I bought an 07 leftover last weekend. I absolutely love it. The 5 speed doesn't seem to be an issue at all. I hope this may help anyone questioning the 5 speed vs. the 6.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

Update

So I have almost 900 miles on my bike now and I'm not looking back. When I bought the bike I had them put the stage 1 black shotgun exhaust kit on. It seemed to be back-firing a bit on decelleration so the dealership reprogrammed the ECU to richen it up a bit. It has helped tremendously. The bike pulls hard in all gears and really barks with those pipes.

 

[cnapierala]

Thanks for updating your post. Im also looking at a 8 ball soon and was wondering about the 5 speed. Did you ride one with a 6 speed? Is the 5 speed setup the same as the 6 speed just minus a gear or are the gear ratios different? What kind of RPMs are you running at 65mph?

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

I'm glad you find the info to be useful. Unfortunately, I didn't drive any of the other models with the 6 speed so I can't give you a comparison. I was told at the dealership that the gear ratios are the same minus the gear. The 8 Ball doesn't come with a tach. but my father's kingpin has the same 100CI motor with the 5-speed as well. Driving his at 65 you are running a hair over 3000RPM. I don't recall off the top of my head what they redline at but I think it's around 5500 so you still have plenty of motor left. Part of my drive into work is highway and I can tell you that I don't feel an overwhelming urge to shift again until I hit around 80. At 80 you still have plenty left but she starts to get a little on the loud side. What I can tell you about the 5 speed that I do like is, I don't seem to be shifting all the time. I know my last bike was a different kind of animal but with the 6 speed I was constantly shifting to get within the "powerband". With the Victory, I can always tell what gear I need to be in and it always seems to pull. I'd be happy to try to answer any other questions you may have.

 

[insaneoman41]

i also have a 2007 8-ball and have never had any problems out of the 5 speed i came from a sportbike as well and really wasnt to sure about a 5 speed but it really dosent seem to be any issue at all, the bike seems to always have the power you need in every gear... if any of you are interested i do have to sell mine though, i lost my job and cant afford it anymore... its a 2007 vegas 8-ball only has 2500 miles on it i have the sage 1 kit with the swept chrome pipes, k&N filter and the performance air box, i have also added the passengers seat and pegs.. lemme know if you or anyone you know of might be interested im asking 13000 for it cuz thats what i owe... thanks for any help

 

[VegasBabyVegas]

great info here. I was looking at the 8-ball myself. I like the blacked out look. But I like a 250 rear tire more. Working on getting an 08 jackpot which I already have plans to get the black wheels and headlight. Great info on the 5 speed anyways!

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

So I made a couple of upgrades over the weekend. I bought the black headlight and replaced the round chrome light. It was a pretty easy mod and took about an hour to do. I love the look and makes the bike look a little longer and a lot tougher!! I also bought the digital speedo. Highly recommended by me. It has a ton of features from performance to convenience. The install was a bit more challenging. Victory states 30 to 60 mins. but it took me about 2 hours which still isn't too bad. No cutting or soldering and everything plugs into the factory harnesses. I plan on taking a GPS with me to see how accurate the speedo is. Although I didn't mind the look of the factory speedo the digital has a black face when it isn't on. It kind of adds to the "black theme" of the bike even though the housing is still chrome. I posted on another thread but it is worth mentioning on this one.... you can put a 200 tire on a factory rim without making an mods. It fills out the fender a little bit but will caution people that do a lot of 2 up riding since the clearance is so tight it isn't recommended. Still love the bike and get plenty of looks. Probably some broken necks because of it!!

 

[AutoXRacer]

Thanks for all the info!! Keep it coming!!

My GF and I are in the market for a bike. Her dad has forever owned Harleys, so she is partial to that brand; we are looking at the Harley Night Rod Special. But I've been taking her to other brand dealers as well. The 8 Ball is one of the bikes I'm considering...since its $5K-$6K cheaper than the Harley.

So just to reiterate, a 200 tire is not recommended with a passenger...?
Also, has anyone ever done a mid-control modification of one of these? Or is the riding position comfortable? The Harley bike's riding position has you bent like a taco!! Leaning over the tank and forward foot controls; totally retarded!!!!

Any additional info and long term reviews would be awesome!!!

Oh, since the engine is air-cooled, do feel there would be any issues with overheating riding in 95 degree weather? Not that I would be doing much of that...but the weather gets a little hot out here in Florida...

Thanks again!!!

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

Happy to help!!! I'm just excited that there is some action in here, instead of me talking to myself. The dealership that I bought my bike from did NOT recommend the 200 tire for 2 up riding due to tight clearance in the fender. I haven't done any research on my own to confirm or deny the claim. So far they haven't steered me wrong and I trust them. I did see 2 bikes there with the 200 tire on it so I know it can be done. Honestly, if he didn't point it out to me I never would have noticed the difference between the 200 and 180. That is a good question about the temp. I live in Maine so we don't get nearly as many 95 degree days. We have seen a few this year and I haven't noticed any overheating, especially when driving. I did buy the oil temperature dip stick (another highly recommended aftermarket purchase) I try to keep a close eye on it, in a lot of city driving or stop and go scenarios. It actually seems to take a little longer to heat up thank my previous bike(CBR600RR). I suspect it has to do with the victory engine being open with no fairings around it. With that being said.... It does take a lot longer for it to cool down than the CBR600RR due to the fan kicking on at 220 degrees. Since the victory doesn't have a fan, once it gets up to temp. it's there for awhile until you start driving again. I think this is pretty typical for any bike idling for long periods of time.

As far as riding position.... I'm 5'7" and I find that it fits me almost perfect. Coming from a cafe style bike, the forward controls took me some getting used too. I don't know how many times in the first 2 weeks my feet were searching for the pegs. Now that I'm used it, it is second nature. If you have owned cruisers it shouldn't be an issue. I do wish that the handle bars were back maybe a 1/2 inch. By no stretch of the imagination is it uncomfortable. Sitting in a straight up position I find that my shoulders are rounded a little forward. Victory makes some handlebar risers that could easily pull the bars back. It doesn't bother me enough to even consider changing it. As far as mid controls, I'm not sure. I believe but don't quote me that Victory makes some accessories that relocate pegs for shorter riders. How far I don't know.

I know my view is probably biased at this point because I LOVE this bike. For the money, pull the trigger you won't be disappointed. You're not one of the crowd, you're the ONE in the crowd! That is not a slam towards Harley's, obviously they are doing something right and make great bikes. They just got a 100 year headstart!! I did a lot of research and read a ton of reviews before I bought mine. I think you would be hard pressed to find a bad review or find someone dissatisfied with Victory in general. I think you would be surprised at how many "curious" Harley riders there are. I've had a couple of Harley guys tell me flat out, that they got there lunch eaten by a Victory.

If I could ever figure out how to shrink my pictures down to size I'll try to post some pics. This thing is the real deal!!!!

 

[AutoXRacer]

Thanks for the great info...

The Victory dealer I went to was awesome!! The guy did a very very good job selling me the bike and the company. We only talked about the bike for like 5 mins out of the 30 or mins I was there... lol

But he was very accommodating and showed concern regarding my lack of endorsement. He said that when you buy a bike from him, he covers your riding class and endorsement fees, plus a few little extra things here and there...

You really couldn't beat the offer... I'm just not financially ready to take the plunge just yet. I'm shooting for next year sometime.

My only disappointment is that the Vegas 8 Ball will only be available this year. There is no 2009 model in the all black option.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

I know what you mean about having enough cash to buy one. It is certainly a big investment. I think my local dealer is great too. NO pressure and very knowledgable. I haven't really looked around at the '09s yet, but disappointed to hear that they don't have the all black option. You maybe able to pick up an 08 leftover if the timing is right next year. I wish you luck man, ride on!

 

[AutoXRacer]

Thats what I figured... If I time it right, maybe I'll be lucky to find a left-over...though, with the way motorcycle sales have sky-rocketed lately, I doubt I'll find one...maybe a used one.

Thanks for all the great info!!

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

I have listed some used parts that I no longer need on ebay if anyone is interested. I have the stock factory guages and plate, speedometer, and a round chrome headlight for sale. I also have the factory exhaust that I did not list on ebay but will sell if someone wants to make me an offer. All items are in mint condition and were taken off my bike at about 1400 miles, except the exhaust. It never made it out of the dealership on the bike, I took it home in a box.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

Just a quick post here. A buddy of mine wanted to check out a local Harley dealer so I reluctantly agreed to go. Since the new Harley models have dropped in price significantly this year he wanted to check them out. When we came out to leave I had 4 guys walking around my bike checking it out. I'm not a showy guy but I did get some satisfaction out of it. When I got up to my bike they all scattered in different directions and no one said a word, just like it was a dirty secret!! I won't trash on Harley's but I walked around and checked out all the bikes and I still don't think there was a bike there that can touch the styling of Victory. As far is my bike I just broke the 2K mark (Very rainy summer here). No problems to report and is running rock solid.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

I think I finally figured out how to post a picture of my bike. There will be more to come. I just recently purchased the 100CI wedge cover that should be in sometime this week. I'll take some more pics when that is complete.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

So just a quick post here, my buddy broke down and bought a Harley Street Bob. He paid 5k more than me and I only like it half as much as my bike. On his ride home from the dealership, the spring broke on his kickstand and started dragging on the road. The dealership was closed so he had to tie the kickstand up to get it home. Sorry, I just had to share. As far as my bike, I bought the 100CI wedge from another Victory dealership, got it home and was going to install it. The bracket they gave me wasn't even close to what I needed. So needless to say, I haven't got it installed yet. Once I figure out what I'm going to do, I'll post some pics. Anyone else added one of these to their bike? I'd be curious to know what you did? This same dealership (who has a terrible rep. in my area) also told me that it would only cost $40 to do. By the time we were done adding all the parts he forgot about it was $120! I guess I should have stuck with my original dealership.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

Storage

Well.... I hate to report it but I saw my first flakes of snow today so I'll be putting her away for the winter. In the past, besides removing the battery I have always topped the tank off and added Stabil. I'm curious to know what others are doing for storage. I have heard debates between topping the tank off and draining them. Any input?

 

[KevDave - Calgary]

Winterizing

Well, I finally brought home my Vegas 8-Ball last night. It's pre-owned, but very clean. It's a 2006 with 8700Km's on the odometer. Has a stage one, twisty-grips, Victory bags and a Windshield. Not sure how many other Canadians participate in the forum - but I paid $11,000.00 Canadian for the bike. I think I stole it! Anyways - it was only +9 degrees by the time we got back to Calgary with the bike last night - so was beginning to be a chilly ride. Looks like today may be the only chance to ride it before the snow is set to fly on Monday/Tue. I will be filling the tank and putting STABIL in as well, removing the battery and putting on the cover. I haven't heard of draining the tank - but I would be worried about condensation over the winter and eventual rust. Not sure that's the way I would want to go.

 

[Gashouse Gorilla]

KevDave,
Thanks for the insight on storage. Sometimes it gets lonely in here talking to myself! You make a great point about the condensation. I think the theory behind draining the tank, is to eliminate the gas from gelling, but that's why they make Stabil. I agree with you and doing the same unless someone else can convince me otherwise. Congratulations on your purchase. I'm not up on my exchange rates but I think if you feel like you stole it, that's all that matters! I hope she gives you many good years of safe riding. I still love mine as much as the day I bought it and can't wait to take her out again next year.