Victory made a name for itself as the “American Performance” company with its progressive styling and large, powerful V-twin engines before Polaris folded the brand after the 2017 model year. The Cross Country and Cross Country Tour combines touring comfort and lively performance.

2017 Victory Cross Country Performance and Capability

Victory used its Freedom 106/ 6 V-twin made by Polaris to power the Cross Country and Cross County Tour. There's no doubt that the massive lump with its black cases and covers highlighted with polished cooling-fin edges was the star of the show.

The 101 mm bore and 108 mm stroke gives us a marginally undersquare format and a 1,737 cc (106 cubic-inch) total displacement. The Victory Cross Country produces 97 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque making it one of the most powerful production V-twins available in its day. Performance numbers like these push it into the power cruiser/tourer category.

Dual, 45 mm throttle bodies sport electronic fuel injection to meet emissions and maximize power, but the engine gets nothing else in the way of gadgetry. A gear-type primary drive feeds power through the multi-plate wet clutch, and the six-speed overdrive transmission sends power to the rear wheel via a carbon belt drive. Victory Cross Country top speed clocks in at 120 mph.

For me, the icing on the cake was that the Freedom is an air-cooled engine. Although it sports a bit of a chin fairing that obscures the frame, the front end is still cleaner than it would be with a radiator.

Engine & Drivetrain

Engine:

Freedom 106, 6 V-Twin, SOHC, 4 Valves per Cylinder/Hydraulic Lifters & Cam Chain Adjusters

Displacement:

106 ci (1,731 cc)

Bore x Stroke (mm):

101 mm x 108 mm

Compression Ratio:

9.4 : 1

Cooling:

Air / oil

Drive/Driven Clutch:

Wet Multi-Plate/Diaphragm Spring

Exhaust:

Dual-Large Bore Slash-Cut with Common Volume

Fuel System:

Electronic Fuel Injection with dual 45 mm throttle body

Final Drive:

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Belt

Primary Drive:

Gear Drive with Torque Compensator

Transmission:

6 Speed Overdrive/Constant Mesh


Design

The 2017 Cross Country and Cross Country Tour took a stab at grabbing the attention of U.S. buyers with the baggage capacity and wind protection we expected and looks similar to what we're accustomed to. Let's face it, baggers and tour bikes look different here than anywhere else, 'cause the “lower 48” is big with long, straight roads that span for miles and miles, unlike some European countries and island nations where you have to do laps to get a long-distance ride in.

The CC Tour was one of two fully dressed models available from Victory. It certainly carried a more conventional look than its counterpart, the Vision.

A full fairing with wings extends the protection to your hands and mounts a full windshield. Lower leg guard fairings on the crash bars complete the windbreak.

The upper lines follow the graceful curve of the tank down to a deep-scoop seat that cradles the butt. Hard bags complete with chrome guards flesh out the rear end under the pillion pad, and a padded backrest on the touring trunk finishes off the look.

The CC non-Tour is the stereotypical boulevard bruiser with a chopped-down screen and slick rear end. Full footboards support both rider and passenger on the Tour, but the stripped CC runs a set of fold-up pegs for the passenger.

As far as finish goes, the Tour carries the requisite amount of chrome you expect on such a ride, but the blackout treatment on the CC gives it a custom look with a definite dark side. It's a shame the lackluster paint color choices kinda dampen the look. Hey, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.

Victory Cross Country Specs

Overall Length:

104.3 in (2,650 mm)

Seat Height:

26.3 in (667 mm)

Wheelbase:

65.7 in (1,670 mm)

Ground Clearance:

5.8 in (148 mm)

Fuel Capacity:

5.8 gal (22 ltr)

GVWR:

1,360 lbs (617 kg)

Curb Weight:

768 lbs (348 kg)

Oil Capacity:

5.0 qts (4.73 ltr)


Chassis

The Cross Country and Cross Country Tour are relatively heavy bikes with wet weights of 768 pounds and 844 pounds respectively, and the chassis comes set up to handle it. An all-steel, double-downtube double-cradle frame sports a rectangular backbone for strength and torsional rigidity.

In addition to being heavy enough to provide a stable and comfortable ride, the steering head comes set for 29 degrees of rake and 5.6 inches of trail for solid straight-line tracking. Naturally, this makes the CC siblings less than eager in the corners, but it makes up for it with low-fatigue riding on the interstate.

Seat height on both models measures only 26.3 inches tall, which is about the lowest one can reasonably expect on a production bike of this size. Even vertically challenged riders are plenty close to the ground for strong footwork.

Suspension is solid, if relatively simple. Inverted front forks provide 5.1 inches of travel and come with guards that protect the swept area of the fork tubes, but lack any sort of adjustability at all.

The monoshock that supports the rear on 4.7 inches of travel is a little better since it's an air shock that allows for a broad range of ride adjustment. It's not quite the same thing as a fully adjustable shock, but it's better than nothing.

Dunlop “Elite 3” hoops cap the 16-inch rear and 18-inch front cast-alloy rims. The components in the brake system reflect the great mass they have to control with 300 mm discs and four-pot calipers, two in front and one behind. ABS protection allows you to use those powerful brakes with confidence, but it isn't switchable, so you are stuck with them whether you like it or not.

Chassis & Suspension

Front Suspension/ Travel:

Telescopic Fork/ 5.1" (130 mm)

Rear Suspension/ Travel:

Single Monotube Air Adjustable Shock/ 4.7" (120 mm)

Rake/Trail:

29.0° / 5.6 in / 142 mm

Front Brakes:

Dual 300 mm/Floating Rotor/4 Piston Calipers

Rear Brakes:

Single 300 mm/ Floating Rotor/ 2 Piston Caliper

Front Tires:

Dunlop D418F Elite 3 130/70R18 63H

Rear Tires:

Dunlop D418 Elite 3 180/60R16 M/C 80H

Front Wheel:

18 x 3.5"

Rear Wheel:

16 x 5.0"


2017 Victory Cross Country Price and Availability

The Cross Country costs $19,499 for Gloss Black and $19,999 for a color choice. The Cross Country Tour is understandably more. MSRP for the “Tour” starts at $21,999 with colors going for $22,499, and the two-tone colorway is $500 more.

If you're looking for a Victory Cross Country for sale, there's a chance of finding new-old stock squirreled away somewhere. Good luck.

Victory Cross Country Pricing

Colors:

Cross Country:

Gloss Black, Gloss Sunset Red, Suede Nuclear Sunset Orange, Suede Pearl White

Cross Country Tour:

Gloss Black, Gloss Fire Blue, Two-tone Turbo Silver and Black

Price:

Cross Country:

$19,499, Colors: $19,999

Cross Country Tour:

$21999, Color: $22,499, Two-tone: $22,999


Competitor

Victory served as the progressive motorcycle manufacturing arm for Polaris Industries, and its products were clearly built with an eye on Harley's market share. Considering the looks of the CC, I decided it would be entirely appropriate to line it up against the bike it's so clearly targeting; the Street Glide from Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Once you get past the swoopy curves and angular front fairing of the CC you realize that these two rides are very similar. Like brothers from another mother, they both fit well within the boulevard-bruiser mold with a chopped-down windshield on a full front fairing and hard bags on an otherwise clean rear end that leaves the touring trunk on the shelf.

I've never been a fan of the Ness influence associated with Victory's products, but I realize that some folks are, and that is the only thing to choose between the two visually. Well, unless you count the available colors, but Harley is the King of Paint and leaves Victory lacking.

Suspension and brakes are more or less a wash, but while Victory's ABS is part of the standard equipment package, Harley's is optional so at least you have a choice in the matter. Both rides get vanilla forks up front and air shocks in back, so neither gains an advantage there.

The Freedom 106 has a few inches on the Twin Cam 103, and a few pounds of grunt as well. At 106 pound-feet, it out pulls the Harley with its 104.7 pounds of grunt, but just barely. Again, not a lot to choose between the two.

If anything, Victory gets its biggest win at the checkout with its $19,499 sticker, a bit cheaper than the Vivid Black Street Glide which was $20,899 in 2017. It's not a lot of difference, and probably not enough to drag anyone across the fence.

He Said

My husband and fellow motorcycle writer, TJ Hinton, says, “I don't know if I'm getting used to it or what, but the swoop doesn't seem to bother me as much on the Cross Country. Maybe it's the bags and fairing that give me something else to look at, I don't know. The CC makes a pretty cool-looking boulevard bruiser and will make a heck of a blank canvas for custom bike builders. “

She Said

“I'm not as converted as my husband. I never have been a fan of the Victory look. I don't like the swoopiness -- that Nessy look -- that some folks love. And that's okay. It would be such a boring world if we all liked the same thing, yeah? The upside is if I'm on it, I don't have to look at it, and I really like that Freedom 106 engine.”

“Both Indian and Victory fell under the Polaris umbrella, but they weren't the same bikes. Indian's designs were carried forward from classic designs of Indian's past. After Polaris folded the Victory line, I'm sure some of the Victory designers moved over to Indian since newer Indian bikes adopted some of the swoopy lines reminiscent of the Victory line.”