Battle Of The Basic Big Twins 2000 Victory V92SC SportCruiser

This article was originally published in the August 2000 issue of Motorcycle Cruiser.

Victory has two models, the original V92 cruiser and the new V92SC. Both use the same engine, frame and some other major components such as the 5.0-gallon fuel tank. However, the SC has its own exhaust system and revised airbox to improve power, revised ergonomics, and more sporting suspension, brakes, wheels and tires. Slimmer fenders, a lower handlebar and footpegs instead of floorboards significantly change the bike's profile. With its massive 50mm fork stanchions, low-profile radial Dunlop tires on 17-inch wheels, dual four-piston-caliper front brakes, dirttrack-style 2-into-1 upswept exhaust and cut-down saddle, the SC has an aggressive purposefulness that few other cruisers can project.

Though it’s been blacked out, the air/oil-cooled 1507cc 50-degree engine shares the same internals as the original Victory cruiser. Single overhead cams drive four valves per cylinder through fiddle-free hydraulic lifters. From the airbox up under the tank, the electronic fuel injector delivers mixture to the cylinders, each through its own 44mm throat. In the crankcases, a counterbalancer offsets the shaking of the single-pin crankshaft. A torque compensator helps smooth out power delivery.

The chassis is the same single-shock design of the original Victory cruiser, though the SC uses a higher-grade Fox unit which provides a ride-height adjustment. The multi-function LCD window and miniature tachometer are still included in the face of the headlight-mounted speedometer.

Overall, the personality of the SportCruiser impressed us even more than the original V92C, and we wanted it to represent that other American motorcycle builder in our big-twin confrontation.