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Friday, February 03, 2006 

Victory Hammer Review

Author: Bo Noss
The 2005 Victory Hammer blows away every competitor on the
manufacturing side with a 250mm rear tire for the Victory
Hammer. The Victory Hammer has the fattest ever fitted rear tire
to be attached to a mass produced motorcycle. It is at least
50mm wider than the competition. It will turn heads.



The Victory Hammer is no doubt an undeniably a motorcycle with
attitude. The Victory's Hammer debuts Victory's new 100cubic
inch 6-speed power train. When you ride the Victory Hammer, you
will never mistake it for its smaller Victory siblings: Kingpin,
8-Ball, Vegas. By smaller, I mean smaller engine displacement. I
own a Kingpin with the 92 cubic inch engine. I could use the
extra boost in power the Hammer provides when hauling a
passenger. After all, it's all about the horsepower.



The Victory Hammer definitely feels different from a
traditional cruiser. The Victory Hammer is very balanced and
predictable. The Victory Hammer also feels lighter and more
balanced than its smaller Victory siblings: Kingpin, 8-Ball,
Vegas.


Even if The Victory Hammer's disposition steers towards the
straight-line dragster, there is still enough handling for the
twisty turns and high-speed cornering. You won't keep up with
the sport bikes that you once rode, but you won't lose site of
them either.


The Victory Hammer has seen spiked interest at the various
motorcycle shows. While other manufacturers are offering more of
the same, Victory comes out with a motorcycle that gets everyone
saying, "Wow, what is that and when can I get one." Now that The
Victory Hammer is arriving at your local Victory dealership,
hurry up and see one because they are selling faster than
imagined. There are not even any bikes in the shops for demo
rides.


You may be looking at the fat 250mm rear tire and wonder, "For
whom did Victory build the Hammer?" What was their target
consumer? Was it the chopper show watchers? Maybe? It is my
opinion that the target consumer for the badass Victory Hammer
is the experienced rider, someone that owns, or has owned, sport
bikes. These are riders that have reached the stage where they
do not require going quite so fast or having the desire to be
stuck in the racer's crouch position.



Some basic Hammer specifications: The Hammer has a 5-gallon
fuel tank. Cruising at approximately 70mph, this bike averages
40MPG. 100 cubic inch displacement, 50-degree V-Twin, 76
rear-whell hp and 86 foot-pounds torque. Frame has been narrowed
for cornering clearance. Six-speed transmission, with the sixth
gear being for overdrive. The Hammer has new primary gears, pump
drive, and a new cam drive.


Someone at Victory should get a raise, because the concept to
production of the Victory Hammer is a real winner.


Impressions from new Victory Hammer owners: I will say the
Hammer is, in my opinion, one of the coolest looking production
bikes on the market. As far as the rear tire being the largest
in the production industry, I believe it is. But the Rocket III
comes close with a 240mm. The Hammer is not the best handling
bike made, but it does handle well. It's not the fastest, but it
is fast. It's not the most comfortable, but it is comfortable.
But after riding for 75 miles today, and having to head home
because of the incoming rains, I just can't get the grin off my
face. It's just plain cool. It's like a super-sexy woman. It has
great curves, big jugs, a nice a$$, and real attitude.

About the author:
Contributing author to Cycle Solutions. www.CycleSolutions.net
http://www.CycleSolutions.net