It wasn’t too long ago that everyone here in the States was complaining about gasoline costing more than $4 a gallon. Of course some took notice and changed their driving habits and/or vehicles while others did not. The cost of gas subsided for a while but it’s slowly creeping back up and as we all know goods and services never get cheaper as time passes.

If you’re like me then you’re trying to find a balance between a gas guzzling truck or an electric econo-box for transportation. Thankfully we as motorcyclists have an advantage where the normal driving public does not: we can commute to work on a two wheeled vehicle that not only gets good gas mileage but also puts a smile on our face during the process. To that end Victory has created the 2009 Vegas 8-Ball in what I dub as their “commuter special” trim.

Victory, for those that aren’t aware, was created in 1997 and is owned by Polaris Industries based in Minnesota. It’s difficult to believe that Victory’s only been around for a little over ten years as during that time frame they’ve created some outstanding motorcycles.

If you can imagine that the Cory Ness version of the Vegas Jackpot is the high paid supermodel of the bunch then you can think of the 8-Ball as the girl next door. The 8-ball isn’t covered with chrome this or billet that but rather its style is subtle and practical. The latter is especially true with these optional accessories added: windshield, detachable saddlebags, luggage rack, leather tool bag and electronic cruise control.

Even though the 8-Ball may not be “bling’d out” like some other cruisers it has a distinctive style none the less. I personally like the blacked out theme which makes the admirer look more closely for all of the details that this model offers. The mirrors, hand controls, belt guard, triple tree’s and other chrome bits that are standard on the Vegas receive the blackout treatment for the 8-Ball. There is a sprinkling of chrome however (e.g. exhaust, headlight cover and speedometer bezel and housing) so those that need their fix won’t have to go elsewhere.

It’s easy to see that from the 5 spoke cast-aluminum wheels to the scalloped fuel tank Victory shows that it can produce an attractive motorcycle that won’t put a hole in your wallet. There’s also no mistaking that this is an 8-Ball since the front fender has an 8-Ball decal adorning it.

If you take a moment to examine the dash you’ll notice a large speedometer and a small digital trip/odometer incorporated within it. The standard warning lights for engine, oil and low fuel along with lights for high beams, neutral indicator and turn signals are all present and accounted for. One thing that is missing is a tachometer which if you’re used to shifting via a shift light or at a certain point on the tach, this might take some time to get used to. It’d be nice if Victory could incorporate this into their dash but in the meantime we’ll just have to shift when the Freedom 100 starts screaming.