FIRST LOOK: 2017 Victory Octane V-twin Cruiser

People called us out for being wrong about the concept illustrations we published way back in March 2014 (click here to see Victory Water-Cooled V-Twin Coming Soon). We had what we were sure was the next Victory, a DOHC, liquid-cooled V-twin in a cast-aluminum frame with performance potential. And we were pretty smug about seeing it before the official launch.

Turn out we were wrong and right. In late 2014, Indian revealed the Scout, which had (of course) a DOHC, liquid-cooled V-twin in a cast-aluminum frame with performance potential. (No, make that actual performance.) That made us wrong. For awhile.

But now with the Octane breaking cover, some of our snoopery has been vindicated. Because the Octane is powered by—guess what?—a DOHC, liquid-cooled V-twin in a cast-aluminum frame. This time it displaces 1179cc and churns out a claimed 104 hp and 76 pound-feet of torque. Transferring that power to the rear wheel is a wet multi-plate clutch before a six-speed transmission and a belt final drive. Throttle is electronic with a single 60mm throttle body. Yeah, it kinda sounds like a Scout engine to us, but word is that it’s substantially new for this application, despite sharing a proud parent in Polaris.

Performance? Victory claims a quarter mile time of 12 seconds, and 0-60 in under 4 seconds. Not bad for a 528-pound machine.

We haven’t ridden this bad boy yet—but will on March 1—but we do know the price: $10,499 ($10,749 in California). We’re also told that the Octane will arrive with factory accessories at the ready, including a drag handlebar, tachometer with shift light, adjustable piggyback shocks, and Stage 1 slip-on mufflers.

Victory is calling its Octane the Modern American Musclebike. We're calling it a bike we saw coming.