Gunner

You know, I've never really like Victory bikes. Something about the styling just didn't sit right with me. For that matter nothing about Arlen Ness styling ever really appealed to me either. But today, something ran across my G+ feed that really caught my eye.

This is the 2015 Victory Gunner and it's very much my style of bike. A low slung, low riding, mean looking street bike. A nice little cross of cruiser and bobber with big tires and some actual nice looking rims.

Chiming in at 15k Canadian it's actually quite an affordable bike and one that makes me rethink getting one of the H-D Sporty 48s.

Stats:

2015 Victory Gunner - Totalmotorcycle.com USA Specifications/Technical Details
US MSRP Price: $12,999 USD

Engine
Battery 12 volts / 18 amp hours
Bore x Stroke 101 x 108 mm
Charging System 48 amps max output
Clutch Wet, multi-plate
Compression Ratio 9.4:1
Cooling System Air / oil
Displacement 106 ci / 1731 cc
Engine Type 4-stroke 50° V-Twin (FREEDOM 106/ 6 V-Twin)
Exhaust Staggered slash-cut dual exhaust with crossover
Final Drive Carbon Fiber-reinforced Belt
Fuel Capacity 4.5 gal / 17.0 ltr
Fuel System Electronic Fuel Injection with dual 45mm throttle bodies
Oil Capacity 5.0 qts / 4.73 ltr
Primary Drive Gear drive with torque compensator
Transmission 6-speed overdrive constant mesh
Valve Train Single overhead camshafts with 4 valves per cylinder, self-adjusting cam chains, hydraulic lifters

Suspension
Front Suspension Conventional telescopic fork, 43 mm diameter, 5.1 in / 130 mm travel
Rear Suspension Single, mono-tube gas, cast aluminum with rising rate linkage, 3.0 in / 75 mm travel, preload adjustable spring

Chassis
Dry Weight 649 lbs / 294 kg
Ground Clearance 4.7 in / 120 mm
GVWR 1151 lbs / 523 kg
Length 93.4 in / 2372 mm
Rake/trail 32°
Seat Height 25.0 in / 635 mm
Wheelbase 64.8 in / 1647 mm

Brakes
Brake System Type Conventional
Front braking system Single 300 x 5mm/Floating Rotor/4 Piston Calipers
Rear braking system Single 300 x 5mm/Floating Rotor/2 Piston Caliper

Wheels & Tires
Front Tire Dunlop 491 E2-RWL – 130/90 B16 67H
Front Wheel 16 x 3.5 in
Rear Tire Dunlop 491 E2-RWL – 140/90 B16 77H
Rear Wheel 16 x 3.5 in

Colors
Colors Suede Metallic

Yawn...

A parade of storms just after a spring blizzard that produced insane white out conditions. We may never see summer again...

And back in storage again. It's been a horrible summer for riding, just didn't have the time. Been having too much fun with the now 14 month old addition to our family. At least I can say I didn't sell my bike, which is more than I can say for the guys I rode with.

Maybe next summer will be better.

New rubber.

New front tire came in last week. Now I just need to find the time to get the bloody thing on.

Checklist

Snow gone? - Check
Insurance? - Check
Registration? - This Friday
Upcoming warm weekend? - Check

This boy is gonna ride.

Changes

It's been a while...damn near a year, but it's been a busy time.

Lots of small changes, but one major change has flipped things around for us and made it very difficult to find time to do anything. We had a baby and she is now just over 6 months old. We had been trying for quite a while and just as we were giving up, it happened.

So I've dropped a lot of things and my bike time has been severely limited. Being a parent all over again has been a very exciting time and this little being needs your utmost attention.

So, another riding season is about to begin. March temps are starting to rise and the amount of rain we are getting is quickly melting any remaining snow. That doesn't mean we are in the clear as the Maritimes loves to switch seasons mid-stride.

Insurance for the bike has been renewed and the biggest thing I need to take care of is a new set of tires. Here's hoping our finances agree and let me pick those up soon.

No promises on posts as my time is no longer my own. In the meantime, stay safe out there.

Still alive

"I don't like ass kissers, flag wavers or team players. I like people who buck the system. Individualists. I often warn people: "Somewhere along the way, someone is going to tell you, 'There is no "I" in team.' What you should tell them is, 'Maybe not. But there is an "I" in independence, individuality and integrity.'" Avoid teams at all cost. Keep your circle small. Never join a group that has a name. If they say, "We're the So-and-Sos," take a walk. And if, somehow, you must join, if it's unavoidable, such as a union or a trade association, go ahead and join. But don't participate; it will be your death. And if they tell you you're not a team player, congratulate them on being observant."

~George Carlin

Back On The Road

She's back with me and she was sorely missed. I actually pulled her out of my buddies shed on March 22nd. We had temperatures of 25C+ which is damn well unheard of so I had to go for a ride. I didn't get as much as I wanted, but it was still great.

First full ride of the season.

The temperatures are more seasonal now and my ride to work this morning was a little cool at 5C. Still, no matter, it was nice and calming. As much as I would love to ride everyday, this summer may be a bit different. I picked up a bicycle and I may do more riding to work on that. The price of gas is getting a little out of hand at $1.36 a liter and I don't think it's going to get any better...ever.

It takes me 30 minutes to pedal to work and it goes hand in hand with everything else I've been doing to make myself a better person and get in shape. I'll give it a shot and see how it works out, no harm in trying right? At least the bicycle will pay for itself.

Two wheels of a different kind.

Yawn! It hasn't been much of a winter around here. In fact I've only had a couple of times to really have a good time in the Jeep and most snow accumulation we've had has quickly been swept away by the high temps and floods of rain. Oddest winter yet. Regardless, my throttle hand is itchy and I want my two wheels back on that one road.

All hail March, death knell of the white shit.

And done...

It seems early, really early, for me to be putting the bike away. In truth, it is. I could conceivably get another month out of the season, possibly more, but I'd be really risking it. If we did happen to get a big snowfall that stuck around, I wouldn't have a way to get my bike to storage. Considering my storage area is now about 30 minutes away through back roads, riding there once the snow sticks is out of the question.

Last stop of the season.

A friend and fellow riding buddy was nice enough to offer me winter parking if I couldn't find anything better. So now she is squirreled away in a shed sharing lots of space with a Harley dresser.

Once parked, it was time for a comparison.

Pulled out of storage March 4th, 2011.

Stored November 26th, 2011.

So yeah, crappy season over all. 3254 km for this riding season, very disappointing.. I was really hoping to roll fifty thousand this summer, but I guess I'll have to wait until after winter is done with us again.

And that's it, it's a wrap. She's covered, stored and the battery is out. It was hard to put her away, but it's nice to have somewhere for her to sleep.

Still going...

More still...

And so it starts...

Last Run

I had a really good last run with a couple of guys a couple of weekends ago. Put on just over 300 kms of straight riding. I'd never been riding with them before and didn't know what to expect. We rode from Saint John to Sussex for a stop and then it was non-stop to Moncton. A few stops in Moncton at some shops and then a quick stop for gas. After that, it was a straight out run all the way back to Saint John. No stops for coffee, cigarettes or bathroom breaks...straight out run. It was great and something that I always love. It gives my mind plenty of time to wind out and break down things that have been clogging up the works.

That was the last run for both of them. Stablizer had already been put in their tanks and the bikes were to be stored that very evening. It was pretty much the last run for me as well. I lose my heated parking spot at the end of this month and I'll have to move her to a friends house for storage. I hate thinking that my bike will be so far away, but at least I know she'll be safe.

My plan is to get her there this coming weekend, but it looks like Mother Nature is tossing in the usual curve ball. Tomorrow is supposed to be bringing 25-35 cm of snow and 30-40 km/h winds. I'm really hoping that it doesn't stick around, but it doesn't bode well. I don't need to be trying to resource a trailer to move my bike.

November Riding

Well, the first snowfall was October 30th. Couldn't have been happier to have the Jeep when we visited my parents that weekend. It didn't stick around long considering the whole day was snow or rain or both. Fun driving through it all with the Jeep though. Winter is going more fun this year then it ever has been.

Right now we are having some very unseasonal November weather that's keeping our temperatures in the teens. It's making the rides to work very nice, but there isn't a lot of recreational riding going on. I have to keep things limited due to a very limited front tire. Not a whole lot of rubber left there and I'll definitely have to spring for a new tire in the...spring...

Nice to see

Being able to ride home with just my hoodie at the end of September is real nice. Easily over 20 C at 9pm.

The Usual Hangout

 

All of my riding is solo again. My riding buddies have drifted for one reason or another away and I dropped the riding club that I was part of. It wasn’t fun anymore, it wasn’t about riding anymore, it was about politics and that’s not why I ride a bike. I ride to get away from that shit and it was starting to feel like it was following me everywhere I went. So I dropped it, stepped out completely. I gotta say, it was a huge weight off my shoulders.

So now I ride solo, back to the way it used to be and I still enjoy every minute of it. I go where I want, stop when I want, leave when I want. No schedule, no ride route and no one else to worry about. I do like riding with buddies, but this is the way I learned to ride and this is the way I’ve rode for years.

Oh shit…

Well now, it's been a while and here we are in September. I've thought about posting, but I don't like using this space as a woe is me area. I’d rather just hide away for a while and deal with things on my own. Suffice to say a lot has been going on and not all of it was good.

This summer has been absolute crap and a lot of my biker buddies have run into problems or have found other things to do, so I haven't gotten a lot of riding done. I still ride to work pretty much all the time, but weekend rides got stymied due to personal problems.

On the plus side, I finally got something that may make winter a bit more tolerable. I picked up a second hand Jeep and did a few modifications to it. Now the snow storms won't be so much of an issue.

Here she is the day I brought her home

Yeah, there is still snow on the ground there. These pictures were taken a bit before summer and it’s when she was completely stock.

 

So, little by little I added things like a lift.

Then tires.

New Jeepin by Al upper control arms.

And lastly (definitely not finally) a new paint job.

 

I’ve still got a few other things to do. I need a new spare rim and tire and I need new badges to put on her as well. Those plastic bits need to be painted black too. All in all, I’m quite pleased and she is very fun to drive. Winter may actually be tolerable this time around.

On that note, the bike isn’t away yet and I’ll be riding for as long as I bloody well can!

Getting there

Well, I think it’s about that time. I just have to pick up an oil filter so I can change the oil and I’ll have my rolling therapy machine on the road once more. I should be able to get that done this coming weekend and may very well be riding to work the next week.

I Have Become Hermit…

Avoider of the white death.

People are beginning to think I’m dead or have just simply vanished, but I have not. I’m just really really tired of all this snow and I would very much like for it to all go away.

I hit up the annual bike show the weekend past and even that was a bore. Same stuff as last year. After one tour of the place I was ready to go home. Not only that, but I’m finding that there’s nothing out there (bike wise) that really interests me. I’d still like to have a Sportster 48, but as “cheap” as it is I can’t justify the cost.

I guess I’m “stuck” with my baby. Which is no complaint at all, considering that I think it’s the last great cruiser made by Honda anyway. What’s up with all the Fury model crap they are putting out? Turns my stomach.

Well, at least we are more then half way out of the dark. Soon enough I’ll be putting that battery back in and cruising down the road. For everyone else feeling the same as I do, hang in there…it’s almost over.