If you’re on a limited budget and looking for a stylish, well equipped cruiser powered by a V-Twin engine clocking in at over 1,500 cc, Victory definitely has an interesting proposition for you. Take the Vegas 8-Ball for example, a high-performance yet very simple cruiser that’s well positioned with a sales price around $15,000.

The Vegas 8-Ball pulls out all the stops and has very few faults.

Power and equipment
As befits a kick-ass image, the Vegas 8-Ball, which first came out in 2005, uses the “Freedom 100/5” (100 CID, 5-speed gearbox) engine kicking out 85 hp at 4,750 rpm, and 106 ft-lb at 2,500 rpm, over 80% of which is available from 2,000 rpm. The latest electronics managing the ignition and injection behave flawlessly both hot and cold, at maximum acceleration or just cruising down the highway.

The Vegas 8-Ball stands out from the other members of the Vegas line with black bodywork adorned with - you guessed it - 8 balls. This most affordable Victory is well appointed: a solo saddle, chromed exhaust pipe and 5-spoke alloy wheels, with a hint of chopper in an elongated, high front-end.

Easy driving
Thanks to excellent ergonomics that seat the rider in a natural position, a suspension that absorbs a good part of the road’s irregularities and an engine with plenty of character, riding a Vegas is always a pleasure. The handlebars stretching back over the fuel tank, well designed saddle and well placed foot rests ensure relaxed riding that has you prolonging your outings.

In a world of ever increasing numbers of 300-kg plus brutes sporting oversized rear tires (over 200 mm), the Vegas 8-Ball provides welcome relief, with a 180 mm rear bun that provides a comfortable, balanced ride, while showing a relative eagerness to attack corners at the whim of the rider – no convincing required. It moves around easily in the parking lot, handles like an agile mid-size cruiser in town, and makes you feel like you’ve been riding it for years after just a few kilometres. The low centre of gravity and easily modulated engine are no strangers to friendly behaviour.

It stands out from the Vegas family with its black bodywork adorned with, you guessed it, 8 balls.