Victory unveils new Octane, we experience deja vu

This dance started at the EICMA show in November when Victory showed its Ignition concept bike built by Swiss custom builder and drag racing champion Urs Erbacher. I, for one (and maybe Lemmy, for two) got pretty excited about this bike, not because I expected Victory’s next new model would be a total departure from its history of building cruisers, but because they suggested this was the first of new models to come that would build on their Project 156 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race bike.

More skeptical types tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Uh, I don’t know, man, looks a lot like a warmed-over Indian Scout to me.”

The third step in the build-up was the release of the Combustion concept bike built by Zach Ness. Now we have the real thing. So we can begin to answer the question, is this the first step in a new direction, as I wrote back in November, or is it just a lightly buffed Indian Scout in Victory clothing?

Well, I still hope Victory will diversify beyond its cruiser-only roots and introduce more performance-first motorcycles. But as for the Octane itself, I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look a lot like a lightly buffed Indian Scout in Victory clothing. Or, to be more accurate, an Indian Scout with the cylinders bored out five millimeters, four additional horsepower, and different size wheels.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, or too disappointed. Although Victory and Indian sales are on a positive trend, there are still plenty of signs that the market is weak, and parent company Polaris is having a hard time selling snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. Polaris even laid off 100 salaried workers at the end of January. An incremental step makes more sense than a risky, all-out assault on a sport bike market that’s withering anyway.

Victory is emphasizing performance with the Octane, using the tagline of “Modern American muscle” to promote it and pointing out that it makes more horsepower than any previous Victory model. In that context, a slightly modified Scout is not a bad thing at all, because we really like the Scout, starting with its modern, liquid-cooled, V-twin that likes to rev in a way most cruisers don’t. The Victory Octane spec sheet backs up the performance claims, at least in the context of a cruiser, but it also reminds us that this new motorcycle is virtually identical to a Scout.

	Victory Octane	Indian Scout
Engine	1,179 cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected V-twin with four valves per cylinder	1,133 cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected V-twin with four valves per cylinder
Bore x stroke	101 mm x 73.6 mm	96 mm x 73.6 mm
Claimed horsepower	104	100
Claimed torque	76 foot-pounds at 6,000 rpm	72 foot-pounds at 5,900 rpm
Transmission	Six-speed, belt final drive	Six-speed, belt final drive
Rake/trail	29 degrees/5.1 inches	29 degrees/4.7 inches
Wheelbase	62.1 inches	61.5 inches
Lean angle	32 degrees	31 degrees
Seat height	25.9 inches	25.3 inches
Front tire	130/70-18	130/90-16
Rear tire	160/70-17	150/80-16
Front suspension	Telescopic fork, 4.7 inches of travel	Telescopic fork, 4.7 inches of travel
Rear suspension	Dual shocks, 3.0 inches of travel	Dual shocks, 3.0 inches of travel
Front brake	Single 298 mm disc, two-piston caliper	Single 298 mm disc, two-piston caliper
Rear brake	Single 298 mm disc, single-piston caliper	Single 298 mm disc, single-piston caliper
Claimed dry weight	528 pounds	545 pounds
MSRP	$10,499 ($300 more in California)	$11,299

As you can see from that spec chart, if the Victory Octane and Indian Scout aren't identical twins, they're at least fraternal twins. I was hoping the Octane would, instead, be the more athletic cousin. You know, something with more than three inches of suspension travel and with mid-position controls, so I could shift my weight around for performance riding, instead of being stuck with my butt glued to the seat until I park.

At first glance, there are a few things I like about the Octane, over the Scout: the small fairing looks good and the price is actually a little lower than the cost of the Indian, despite the slight performance bump. And, as mentioned before, the good thing about the Octane being a Scout in Victory clothing is that the Scout is a fine motorcycle.

Of course spec-sheet opinions are hardly worth the paper that is no longer used to print them in these digital times. What matters is how the bike works when we get our hands on one and Lemmy can apply his butt dyno to the seat. That should be soon. Once we have more solid opinions, you'll be the first to know.