Victory Cross Country | Doin' Time

Ringleader: Aaron Frank
MSRP (2010): $17,999
Miles: 6243-6800
MPG: 41
Mods: Pure Victory Gear/Garmin Road Tech Zumo 660 GPS, AdaptivMount electronic accessory mount

Despite my best efforts to equip the Cross Country for winter travel, my dream of riding year-round in the frigid north isn’t exactly working out. Short of bolting on a sidecar and/or screwing a few hundred Kold Kutter ice studs into the tires, January cruising just isn’t in the cards. Milwaukee has been buried in snow, and the roads aren’t in any condition for singletrack travel.

So I wrote it off and lightly winterized the CC instead, preparing for what I hope will be a short, two-month hibernation. Most modern motorcycles can handle that much downtime without issue. But I at least wanted a fresh charge of uncontaminated oil, so delivered the bike to G&G; Powersports in Muskego, Wisconsin, and had them perform the scheduled 7500-mile maintenance a bit early. I’d rather catch any developing problems during the off-season than risk downtime during the prime riding season.

The Freedom 106 engine was filled with the recommended Victory Pure Gear 20w40 synthetic blend, plus a fresh Pure Gear filter. Everything else checked out fine. Even after 5000 miles, the current Dunlop Elite 3 tires exhibit remarkably little wear, with no sign of front cupping and only the faintest traces of a flat spot in the rear. I’m betting these will go at least another 2K miles. And I was surprised to learn the OE front brake pads still showed plenty of thickness. Initial brake bite and responsiveness have been steadily degrading over months of riding, and I was certain the pads were worn to the backing plates. The search for an aftermarket replacement with better feel and feedback starts now.

My only remaining concern was protecting the battery, which was made easier with the previously installed Powerlet accessory outlet. All it took was Powerlet’s Battery Tender charging cable ($15.95), with a Battery Tender-compatible SAE two-pin connector at one end and Powerlet’s own unique, 15-amp connector at the other, for plug-and-charge connectivity. It’s easy and eliminates the need to install an additional charging lead in the inconvenient spot where the Cross Country’s battery is located, behind the chin fairing.

Lastly, I took advantage of the downtime to install a Garmin Road Tech Zumo 660 navigation system ($747.99) and an AdaptivMount ($85) for my trusty Adaptiv Technologies TPX radar detector, so I’ve got some new gadgets to play with once the weather turns. I’ve got an idea for a story about the pros and cons of navigating purely by GPSNavigating for Idiotsand I know just the idiot to write it.MC