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**Kung Wu** · July 11, 2011, 03:34 PM

Wow, indeed!

I don't remember any hype about that at all.

**SHOCKvalue** · July 11, 2011, 03:43 PM

In my opinion...

First off, it's a Victory, which is already going to be demand-handicapped with the cruiser crowd. Victory's utilize technology actually developed since the ice age, and they idle smoothly and quietly due to crank rotation physics obvious to everyone with a pulse, so the HD pirates would not be interested. Guys currently riding the Japanese cruisers probably aspire to HDs if they're spending HD money, so they're out. And motorcyclists who aren't into the whole cruiser thing in the first place aren't going to be interested either.

Secondly, it looks like someone just slapped a Wu-Shock sticker on the tank, and (guessing) had the team sign it with a colored sharpie. I don't know about you, but if someone stuck a sticker on my bike, and then a bunch of people signed it with a sharpie, my fingernail and a can of paint thinner would be put to quick use. Half-a** signed sports memorabilia is still half-a**.

Honestly, if it were an HD, with legitimate WSU-themed custom paint and paint pen signatures under a clear coat, I'm sure it would have had no problem selling. Not to me, but to somebody I'm sure.

**RoyalShock** · July 11, 2011, 05:12 PM

Obviously, I don't know this, but I can't imagine those guys slapping a decal and sigs on the tank with no clear coat.

As for the bike being a Victory, you may be right about all the HD and Jap cruiser types not being interested. Personally, I drive a Kawasaki Vulcan, have never liked HDs and think the Victory bikes look damn tough. A friend has a Victory touring bike that is really nice, though I don't care for the space-age design.

Now if they customized a Can-Am Spyder with Shocker colors and graphics, I might be willing to get a 2nd mortgage!

**another shocker** · July 11, 2011, 06:15 PM

That is one nice looking bike. All black.

**SHOCKvalue** · July 11, 2011, 06:31 PM

Originally posted by RoyalShock

Obviously, I don't know this, but I can't imagine those guys slapping a decal and sigs on the tank with no clear coat.

As for the bike being a Victory, you may be right about all the HD and Jap cruiser types not being interested. Personally, I drive a Kawasaki Vulcan, have never liked HDs and think the Victory bikes look damn tough. A friend has a Victory touring bike that is really nice, though I don't care for the space-age design.

Now if they customized a Can-Am Spyder with Shocker colors and graphics, I might be willing to get a 2nd mortgage!

You like those Spyders? They're interesting, and a great option for those with mobility and or motor skill issues, but to me they take away one of the main factors that make motorcycle riding so enjoyable (at least when you get out of land of no curves) - that being the roll plane of movement. When you take that away you basically have a convertible with 1 less wheel and way less protection. I will say if I won the lottery I'd buy one of the touring versions for my 70 y/o pops.

And I like the Victory's as far as cruiser bikes go, I just wish they could try to make them a little less mass-produced looking. Their overall designs are fine, but when you look closely at the details and smaller components they don't look much different than their Japanese competition. HD has the details worked down to a fine art.

I'll drop the thread hi-jack with a picture of a "cruiser" that many of us who aren't necessarily inclined in that direction would love to own.

Ducati Diavel - $17K, 460 lbs, 163 hp, and 94 ft-lb. Those stats don't match up well at all with ANYTHING in HD's current inventory. It'll destroy basically any other stock cruiser ever made. A lot of 125 dB "straight pipe", 65 hp, do-rag wearing HD stoplight warriors will not be happy campers (and won't know what hit them... or what it was for that matter).

**SFL** · July 11, 2011, 06:47 PM

I prefer my ride! :D

**KC Shox** · July 11, 2011, 06:47 PM

Now that is a good lookin' bike. Ducati!

**Kung Wu** · July 11, 2011, 09:22 PM

Originally posted by SFL

I prefer my ride! :D

Is that the Uno Deathtrap model or the Uno Hydroplane-O-Shiiii model? I can't quite tell from the side. Oh wait, it's an Uno Suicide, I just noticed the brake on the, urr, one wheel.

**RoyalShock** · July 11, 2011, 11:20 PM

Ducati? Nice bikes, but I've never seen a Euro bike I would classify as a cruiser. Those pics look much more like a sport bike than a cruiser.

To be honest, I really don't care that much about performance - as long as it's not a dud. I just like cruising in the open air without being surrounded by metal and fiberglass (ie. a convertible).

As for the Can-Am, it's the uniqueness appeals to me. I also have Meniere's disease in the family (think, episodes of vertigo) and I've had an episode myself. The thought of being on a two-wheeler when the world starts spinning the wrong direction is a bit scary. That and taking a long, long ride with the wife would be a little more practical with a Can-Am than a cruiser. It's for that reason I'll probably end up with a touring bike of some kind, some day.

**Kung Wu** · July 12, 2011, 09:00 AM

Originally posted by RoyalShock

Nice bikes, but I've never seen a Euro bike I would classify as a cruiser.

Then you have never seen one of these! BMW R1200C

**SHOCKvalue** · July 12, 2011, 09:44 AM

Originally posted by RoyalShock

Ducati? Nice bikes, but I've never seen a Euro bike I would classify as a cruiser.

You're probably forgetting about Triumph. And Moto Guzzi has had a couple of bikes over the years fitting that category. Ducati actually had a hideous, US-aimed cruiser offering about 30 years ago called the Indiana that went over like a lead balloon.

Originally posted by RoyalShock

Those pics look much more like a sport bike than a cruiser.

It's more towards the Vmax side of the cruiser world, but the ergos are definitely cruiser-oriented. Think M109R with less chrome.

Originally posted by RoyalShock

I also have Meniere's disease in the family (think, episodes of vertigo) and I've had an episode myself. The thought of being on a two-wheeler when the world starts spinning the wrong direction is a bit scary.

That'd be unsettling. A buddy of mine (and a WSU alum) had to get rid of his bike due to similar inner ear issues.

Originally posted by Kung Wu

Then you have never seen one of these! BMW R1200C

Those things were a sin against de German motorcycle gods.

**RoyalShock** · July 12, 2011, 11:22 AM

Originally posted by Kung Wu

Originally posted by RoyalShock

Nice bikes, but I've never seen a Euro bike I would classify as a cruiser.

Then you have never seen one of these! BMW R1200C

Ok, well, now I have! At least that bike keeps with the BMW tradition of being butt ugly, IMO.

And I had forgotten about Triumph. In saying Euro, I mostly had Ducati and BMW in mind.

**SHOCKvalue** · July 12, 2011, 12:06 PM

Originally posted by RoyalShock

Ok, well, now I have! At least that bike keeps with the BMW tradition of being butt ugly, IMO.

Oh no you di'int...

:D

Their very mechanical, raw engineering look appeals to me, and the fact the masses have no clue what they are is a bonus, but that's just me.

**RoyalShock** · July 12, 2011, 01:02 PM

I'm not a sport-bike guy. Never even ridden one. So, no offense intended.

There just isn't enough space on a motorcycle to adequately hide or offset the look of a horizontally-opposed twin engine. ;)

Although they either did a decent job in that top picture or went to a different engine design in order to wrap it in plastic.

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