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2008 Victory Hammer S

Posted by Kenn Stamp
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
Page 2 of 2 Even though the Hammer S is built on a “softail” style chassis it rides almost as good as some sport-touring and standard bikes I’ve been on. The only time the bike transmitted any type of major shock through the bars or seat is when I traveled over only the largest and sharpest-edged pavement irregularities. Over 95% of the time the bike handled all the ruts, bumps, and dips with an aplomb that should have other cruiser manufacturers beating on Victory's door to learn their secrets. I suspect one of those secrets resides in the hefty looking inverted front fork. This sucker looks much beefier than it's 43mm size would suggest. The front suspension has 5.1 inches of travel while the rear shock comes with a respectable (for a "softail" design) 3.9 inches of travel. The engine is very smooth at almost all RPMs; only when reaching into the higher RPMs did a buzz start in the bars. Thanks to the 6 speed transmission, the Hammer S cruises at 80mph at around 2300rpm; well below the RPMs needed to start feeling the vibes while on the highway. While the motor and the chassis were willing to run at high double-digit/low triple-digit numbers all day, my body was not. The ergonomics of the bike, just like almost any cruiser, lend themselves to sub-light speeds and boulevard cruising much better than highway blasts. My hands and arms ached after about 20 minutes on the freeway. Taking the bike back to Volusia Motorsports, my wife passed me in her car while I was struggling to hang on at 70 mph! This was not right I decided and something needed to be done! So I quickly sped up to 80mph just to pass her and just as quickly slowed back down to 70. I figured that it really wasn't that bad that she passed me and nothing really needed to be done about it after all. I’ll just cruise along at 70 and look good for all my adoring fans riding in the cars next to me. Like most cruisers with a wide rear tire the Hammer S does exhibit the tendency to want to lean to the right while riding. This is due to the fact that there is a lot of weight in the drive set-up hanging out pretty far to get the belt or chain around the rear tire. After a few miles in the saddle the feeling becomes less noticeable and after a week of riding you’ll stop noticing it completely. Unlike a lot of bikes with a wide rear tire though, the Hammer S handles very well. The bike is very stable in sweepers and transitions relatively quickly through the tighter stuff. It is still a cruiser though so don’t get any ideas of outrunning even a moderately good sportbike rider on a twisty road. If you do get the itch the pegs touching down followed shortly by the exhaust or the side-stand will rein in those urges. Lucky for you, if you do find yourself needing to scrub off speed in a hurry the dual front disc brakes are ready to assist you with tons of power and plenty of feel. Victory mounted 300mm floating rotors and 4 piston calipers to the front mated with another 300mm floating rotor squeezed by a 2 piston caliper in the rear. These brakes are much better than what is normally equipped on a cruiser; offering plenty of power and feedback. One nice thing about a 250mm rear tire is that it takes a hefty push on the rear brake lever to lock-up and slide that tire. Even when I was being silly and tried to get the back-end to come out under braking it wouldn't. It just slid along nice and straight until either I got bored or the bike came to a stop. The Hammer S comes with a cowl for the passenger portion of the seat to give the bike a custom look. Victory also makes an accessory part that allows you to mount the cowl over the front headlight like a flyscreen. The bike I had didn't have this part installed but I think it would be a must buy if I was going to own a Hammer S. Victory has a very large selection of parts and accessories that you can put on the bike to truly make it your own which is what owning a cruiser is all about. My wife rode on the bike for about 10 miles one evening going over to my parent’s house and said that the rear seat is not made for an actual person. What it's made for I'm not sure, but unless you are coming from a chopper where your wife/girlfriend/significant other/life partner/dog rode on the fender, don't plan on taking any long trips two up. Taking trips though is not what this bike is about. This is a cruiser and cruisers are all about speaking to your soul while looking good cruising down the boulevard. They make no pretensions to being the fastest, best handling, nicest riding bikes on the market; they are built to look good and to make you look good when riding them. It is especially nice then when you find a cruiser that not only looks really good but handles well, has an engine that keeps you entertained, and rides as good as most standard and sport-touring bikes. I don’t know how all the Victory dealers are but the dealership in New Smyrna Beach, FL. (Volusia Motorsports) was very friendly and helpful. Andy (the owner) was very interested in my thoughts on the bike and we chatted for about 15 min about Victory and their place in the market. He is very knowledgeable and if you are in the market for a Victory and don’t mind traveling to pick it up, you should give Volusia Motorsports a call. If you want to show your independence by riding the same motorcycle brand as everyone else, then this is not the bike for you. If however you want to express your inner rebel by riding a bike that truly is different, you owe it to yourself to head on over to your local Victory dealer and check out the line-up of 2008 Victory models. Check out our Hammer S forum for more info and to comment or ask questions. << Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>

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