VICTORY GUNNER (2015 - on) Review

The seating position is sportier than most cruisers, with the pegs slightly further back than your stereotypical chopper, but there’s still a bit of a reach to the wide bars. You can’t help but slide into the seat, and once you’re in position you can’t really move around much, you just slide back down. With just a single clock providing protection from the wind, this seating position has a tendency to turn the rider into a sail at high speeds. The Gunner comes with ABS as standard, and while it does work, it’s far from the smoothest system on the market. It all feels very mechanical and agricultural – stamping on the rear brake results in a slight chirp from the tyre, before all is brought back in check abruptly. There’s only a single 300mm disc up front, so the back brake gets called into action constantly.

On the move the Gunner regains a bit of poise with its 1731cc V-twin engine pumping out 103ftlb of torque. Even though the Gunner is no lightweight at 296kg, it makes for grin-inducing getaways from lights and junctions. While the gearbox is often noisy (there’s a great thud as you click into first especially) it’s smooth and precise, with no false neutrals.

Like all Victories the Gunner is put together exceptionally well. Paint is thick and everything feels solidly put together. Although the Gunner is a new model it uses the same engine as the all other bikes in the Victory range, an 1731ccengine that never missed a beat in our long term Victory Judge in 2013.

The Victory Gunner is a stripped-back Bobber based heavily on the firm’s Judge, but it’s lost a little in translation. In fairness it’s lost a chunk of the Judge’s price tag too – and is pretty reasonable but it lacks a bit of attitude you’d expect from a cool-looking cruiser.

With ABS being the only additional extra as standard, you don’t get too much bang for your buck although you can choose from a range of optional accessories at additional cost.