Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128349
(Above) The rear passenger seat is co ncealed unde r a re m o va b le, color-ma tched cowl tha t snaps into p lac e . (Left) The Hammer is t he only bi ke in t he Vict ory line th at receive s the new Freed om 100/6 motor. sea t cowl - and rolling them all into on e . Howeve r, image isn't everything. Pe rfo rmance is somethi ng t hat Victory has always addressed headon , and never more so tha n with the new Freedom 100/6 motor that gives the Hammer its thump. The Freedom 100/6 (as in " 100" for cubic inches and "6" rep resenting the six-speed tranny): Like it's smaller sibling. the 92/5 (yo u can figure it out) , which comes standard in the rest o f the Victo ry line , t he 100/6 is a 50-degree, four-valves-per-cylinder, overhead-cam. fuel-injected V- win. T T he re are se veral d ifferences between the two po we r pla nt s, name ly the increase in bore from 97 to 10 Imm , but t he 100/6 also features new cams and a new cam dr ive, a new oil-pum p drive and new primary gears, as well as redesigned fins on the motor fo r improved cooling. O ne item that Victory discovered its customers really wanted mo re than anything was an overdrive sixth gear, so the Hamme r is the first Victory mot or cycle to re ceive t he extra cog . I'll have to admi t tha t o ut on the open road, it too k me a whi le to get accus tomed to the feel of not only t he Hamm e r 's fat tire but also its chassis. No t only does the tire slow down steering dramat ically, but it also re acts to t he crown o f the road in an odd way - due to the larger co ntact patch - w here a mo re t rad itio nally sized t ire wouldn't, O ne thing th e Hammer does like is sw ee pers: lean it into the corner and the bike is stable and predictable. with no ne of the chass is flex usually found on a cruiser. Late in the day. afte r becoming accus to med to the handling. I was pe rfec t ly comfortable hammering (pun intended) the bike thro ugh sweepers at 90 miles pe r hou r. Th e re aren't to o many cruisers I wou ld've do ne th is SPECIFICATIONS More Power Not wanting to be perceived as wimpy, Victory has stepped up and added its own line of aftermarket power-up options . When done by an authorized Victory dealer. these OE power upgrade options are nice because they don 't affect the bike 's warranty. The first option is to add the slip-on mufflers, which frees up breathing and adds a little bit of rumble . The next step up is the Stage I kit. which has the slip-on pipes. a new air cleaner and a recalibrated computer. and increases power from the stock 88 to 94hp, and torque from 110 to 114 lb.-ft. Still more oomph can be found in the Stage 111 kit (still in development), which S&S has been helping Victory develop, and it includes a new airbox, cams and a recalibrated computer. The Stage III increases power from 88 to liS hp , and torque from 110 to 114Ib.-ft. Additionally, S&S is working on a 106cubic-inch (1737cc) stroker kit. which should be a real monster. While in Texas, I had the opportunity to ride two of the powerup bikes, the Stage I and the Stage III. The Stage 1is impressive because it provides a fairly big increase in power (or a very afford able $499. Throttle response is excellent , and the added power is instantly not iceable. The sound from the slip-on pipes is louder, but Victory Hammer LIST PRICE $ 16.499 DISPLACEMENT 1634cc ENGINE TYPE Air/oil-cooled V-twin BORE x STROKE 101 x 102mm COMPRESSION RATIO 9.8:1 CARBURETION Electronic fuel injection IGNITION CDI TRANSMISSION Six-speed STARTING SYSTEM Electric FUEL CAPACITY ..4.5 gal. WHEELBASE 6S.7 in. RAKEfTRAIL 32.9-degrees/l42mm SEAT HEIGHT 26.3 in. FRONT TIRE 130/70- 18 REAR TIRE 250/40- 18 FRONT·WH EEL TRAVEL S.I in. REAR·WH EEL TRAVEL 3.9 in. FRONT BRAKE ........Dual 300mm discs w/Bre mbo 4-piston caliper s REAR BRAKE 300mm disc w/2-piston caliper FINAL DRIVE Carbon fiber reinforced belt CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT.. ...._ ...659 Ibs. not too loud , providing a nice note. The Stage III (an additional $299 to the Stage I price) development bike that was on hand was awesome. Although torque on the development bike isn't increased very much, the 27 extra horse power is hard to ignore . The power curve is still something that is being dialed in. but on the open road , just crack the throttle and the acceleration is impre ssive . I'll have to admit that I even got the front end to come off the ground on more than one occasion - not full - blown wheelies ... mind you, but nice little power wheelies - cool stuff on a cruiser. A lot of companies have been developing power-up kits for their bikes, and it's nice to see that a progressive company like Victory is jumpingon the bandwagon as well. 22 NOVEMBER 10 , 2 0 0 4 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversary