Until going to Daytona, I'd been mystified why all cruiser manufacturers offered their own versions of the 'King, however attractive a proposition, but - slinky full-on customs and fur covered Japanese sports bikes aside - the amount of Road Kings cruising around the streets was phenomenal: I'd never seen so many. I'd never guessed they'd made so many. The Road King seemed to be your average Daytona goers ride of choice and I could clearly see why any other manufacturer with half a brain would want to try to take a chunk out of that.

I was really quite excited about getting a go on the V92-powered machine, and anticipated my girlfriend, Mandie, doing the same, but she was less keen. Despite having plenty of experience, and having come equipped with licence and helmet too, when it came down to actually signing her name on the insurance waiver, she was intimidated by the sheer slab side bulk of the Victory. To her eye all the range looked overly bulky and potentially top heavy - a fair point as an immediate reaction - so she opted to be my pillion instead.

As though to whet the appetite of Daytona-going custom bikers, Polaris had laid on a selection of customised models to give an idea of what could be achieved from the models we would be riding - probably to counter misgivings about the slabbiness that Mandie referred to, and just as they felt it was important to show the bikes in a range of style and roles, so do we, and they're scattered hereabouts.

The V92TC follows a fairly traditional formula in the way it looks: big, wide and appears comfortable for both rider and passenger, with its screen and two sets of footboards, but the traditional looks disguise a surprisingly high-tech machine. Offering a stylistically and mechanically re-designed motor for 2002, the Victory's 50-degree, 1507cc 'Freedom' V-twin motor also pumps out a claimed 25% more power than previous Victory's, while giving 10% better fuel consumption. Cooled both by air and oil, and with a compression ratio raised from 8.5:1 to 9.2:1 for improved combustion, the engine offers fuel injection as standard and claims torque figures that blow a stock 88 out of the water.

As I went through the figures and features, my previous disinterest - let's be honest - in the Victory, any Victory, started to evaporate; and as I swung my leg over the saddle I don't mind saying I was a bit trembling in nervous anticipation, and more than a little excited.

Starting the machine was easy: hand away from the throttle - like most injection machines - and a quick jab on the starter was all it took, and the new 'Visteon' engine management system settled the engine down to a slow tickover. True enough it was thoroughly warmed, getting only ten minutes between demo rides, subjected to the roadcraft of a variety of riders, ranging from enthusiastic to pathetic, but had it been cold, Victory offer an easy reach idle lever on the top of the left-hand switch gear cluster anyway. Also on that side, a neat button allows you to scroll through a variety of information options on the centrally mounted electronic display. I was happy enough with speed in miles-per-hour and I didn't really need to know what time it was in Islamabad or what temperature it was. Not that all the options weren't welcome: the fuel gauge option, which calculated how many miles you had left to ride depending on open road, sports or town was pretty trick.

Lifting the V92TC up off the stand and fumbling a bit with my left foot to fold an unfamiliarly positioned item away, I was surprised by how light and balanced the machine felt, even when Mandie stepped aboard: I hardly knew she was there. Further belying her earlier fears, a blip of the throttle hinted at a very responsive motor and when I pulled in the clutch, I had to let it out again to let her reach around me and have a go: it was light as a feather. Mandie was gutted, wishing she now had her own machine to ride.

At last it was time to go. A solid but fairly well-meshed snick saw first gear and, feeding the light clutch carefully, we were underway - Victory road captains front and rear. Over a dozen assorted new Victory's snaked out of the Speedway and across the main drag.

Having some experience with pack riding and wanting to get the best out of the fairly short time I'd be aboard, I carefully manoeuvred myself nearer the front 'til I was third from the leading captain: not a bad a position to start with while I got used to the machine.

If I had one difficulty it was the heel/toe gear lever - I've never, ever used my heel for gear shifting before - and slipping my sensible steely toed, heavily cleated size ten British lace ups between the footboard underneath a low front lever and out again to change down was not easy. If possible, I'd move the front toe lever around the splines a bit to give more space beneath. Whether other riders were experiencing the same problem, I didn't think to look, as I was concentrating on mastering my own machine, and I forgot to ask anyone afterwards either: too busy buzzing I suspect.

The motor certainly was torquey; hinting at some real fun had I been alone, it growled convincingly and what vibration there was, wasn't intrusive. The new V92TC comes in a touring frame, with a longer wheelbase and finer tuned rake, and straight line stability was never an issue. However the big surprise - even reminded of Andy's numerous comments about Victory handling - was how beautifully the machine swept through bends: solid and sure, it went where you hinted to it and even two-up, the 1.5 litre cruiser never once felt out of sorts. Goodness knows how responsive the 'Sports' version must be. Also adding massively to confidence as the ride progressed were the brakes. Dual Brembo 4-pots at the front backed up with a single 2-pot Brembo at the rear. Say no more. Someone in Victory's R&D department knows the right configuration and the right manufacturer to haul up a motorcycle!

The Victory factory rider up front had chosen a good route to show off the machines, and wasn't afraid of upping the progress if he could see a couple of riders up-close in his mirrors and the rider behind him was good, I could see that. As I became more familiar with the V92TC, I increasingly became more frustrated with the other front runner just in front of me who WOULD NOT USE THE @£$% THING. Waiting 'til another right-hand filter, we pulled out together and I powered round the outside of him to take third place: using the gears in earnest for the first time, and roaring up through the box. And I'll tell you what. The Victory really shifted: very, very impressive.

Now with my machine filling the other rear-view, the three of us began to put some real distance between ourselves and the rest of the pack. Oh yes, this was fun. The route switched between clear straights where we motored rapidly and safely up to 70mph, and some lovely sweeping bends through mangrove forest where we were able to shift around the box a bit. Moving up and down through the positive but slightly clunky box, the Victory seemed very contented, and during the rare moments we were able to sustain 60-70 mph for a while, the machine felt very happy, hinting that it would settle into a pleasant high-speed cruise. Sustaining 35-55mph speeds, however, the machine seemed to falter: it wasn't quite happy in top, feeling like it needed more revs to be settled, while down in fourth the motor seemed to be racing too fast, working too hard; so I'd naturally slip it up to fifth again only to experience the halting, snatching too-low rev syndrome again. Mmm, irritating. Perhaps a little more development needed in the gear ratio department, but having said that it didn't annoy me enough to have ruined my ride. Under power was where the Victory excelled … and I thoroughly enjoyed that!

Braking and frame were sure and solid, responsive and powerful - as was the Freedom V-twin out of the box. A quality finish and a good level of comfort front and rear finished off the package, and as we pulled back into the Daytona Beach International Speedway all too soon, I wondered why there weren't a lot more V92TCs blatting about. There ought to be, they've got a good motorcycle there: Harley-D should take note of this new 'Freedom' motor, because in the V92TC package, Victory have a high-tech, high spec American bike that is a serious contender to take the Road King's crown.

It was now thirty minutes from a 'Not really that interested, but we need to do one' attitude, to filling in the post ride questionnaire and the penultimate query: 'Would you now consider buying a Victory?'

Answer: 'Yes!'

Specifications        

Make & Model	Victory V92TC SportCruiser
Engine:	V92 SOHC Air/Oil-cooled 50-degree "Freedom" V-Twin.
Displacement:	1507cc (91.92 ci)
Compression Ratio:	9.2:1
Bore & Stroke:	97x102mm
Torque:	n/a
Power:	n/a
Fuel System:	Electronic Fuel Injection with 44mm throttle bores
Exhaust System:	crossover dual exhausts with changeable taper tips
Oil Capacity:	6.0 US quarts
Fuel Capacity:	22.5 litres
Primary Drive:	gear driven via balance shaft
Final Drive:	Kevlar belt
Overall Length:	98in
Seat Height:	28.25in
Ground clearance:	5.5in
Rake/Trail:	30 degrees /4.76in
Wheelbase:	65.5in
Dry Weight:	720lbs
Instruments:	Electronic speedo with LCD display comprising odometer resettable trip meter, fuel remaining, clock, alternator output – selected and reset via handlebar switches. Oil pressure light, engine diagnostic light.
Colour Options:	Solar Red and Vogue Silver, Sonic Blue and Vogue Silver, Black
Price:	£ tba $ 14,999 black / £15,599 2-tone