Extreme Machines.

Memorable Motorcycle: BSA Victor Special.

The key to understanding the BSA Victor Special’s concept lies in the bike’s name - and the very different way in which motocross was viewed in the 1960s. BSA won the 500cc World Motocross Championship in 1964 and 1965 and 40 years ago, motocross success was good for road bike sales.

Rather than being a specialized niche activity the vast majority of road riders knew about motocross and the mainstream motorcycle press gave the sport as much coverage as they did road racing.

So this explains the “Victor” connotation: a bike which was directly related to World Championship motocross success.

The Victor GP racer was very much the younger brother of the innocuous 250cc BSA C.15 road bike - a machine never intended for racing. By the time it transmuted into the Victor, the 441cc bike had been bored and stroked and the power vastly increased. What had been retained - almost - was the C.15’s 250cc motorcycle weight.
For a factory motocross machine, this was ideal. A works Victor was some 100 lbs lighter than a Goldstar and although the engine made 12 bhp less than the Goldie, the handling and acceleration were vastly better.

BSA Victor Special
Close to 100 lbs lighter than a Goldstar, the BSA Victor Special had improved handling and acceleration.
The works machines needed performance, not longevity. If a factory machine lasted the 40 minutes, plus two laps, of motocross GP then its job was done. There was an unlimited supply of new bits to keep the bikes fresh - and clever mechanics to ensure that the bikes were in race winning condition.

So far, so good. The problems began when BSA decided to cash in on their success by converting the already fragile Victor works bikes into production machines. In fact, the first Victors to be sold were pure race machines. It was only later, in 1967, that the road versions appeared.

From the outset, the Victors were beset with problems. Mechanically, the bikes were not robust. The C.15 derived gearbox and clutch were always fragile and, when put into the hands of less than mechanically sensitive owners, they became a real issue.

The big-end and main bearings were right on the edge of their design limit and provided BSA dealers with ample spare parts sales.

The Lucas electrics were also a nightmare - pun intended - particularly in their Energy Transfer form which, theoretically at least, allowed the bike to run without a battery.
Even at the time of their launch in 1968, the Victors seemed very old fashioned. Here’s the procedure which came between the new BSA owner and his first ride. First gently flood the Amal carburettor - but not a molecule too much gas or you will wet the plug and the motor will never start. Bring the piston up to top dead center on the ignition stroke; engage the valve lifter; ease the piston over tdc just a fraction; take a long swing at the kick starter and, once the bike fires, catch it on the throttle – but only with the merest whiff of gas. For an expert, the process is automatic - and inculcates a wonderful sense of smug satisfaction when the Victor bursts obediently into life.
BSA Victor Special
One of the main issues with converting the Victor to a road bike was its need of constant upkeep under skilled hands.
BSA Victor Special

By contrast, a beginner could kick a Victor until he was blue in the face and the thing still wouldn’t start. Alternatively, he could buy a Honda and ride away seconds after he had pressed the electric starter button.

The Victor also needed to be ridden with a degree of circumspection. A nice Victor is theoretically capable of something in the region of 85 mph flat out. The problem is that ridden like this, the motor will self-destruct in hours - which isn’t that much of a problem because the vibration will have killed the rider long before the engine blows up.

What the Victor does do well is accelerate hard - and it rides like a 250cc machine which has been taking a large dose of illegal steroids. This is hardly surprising because the Victor is a 250cc machine which has been taking a large dose of illegal steroids.
Victors came in various flavours from pure road bike to our test bike - which is the best of all: the Victor Special. We have the Americans to thank for this bike because in 1967 US customers were screaming for dirt bike styled road machines - and none was better looking than the Victor Special.

All the motocross machine’s feather light weight was retained - along with the race derived front forks, gas tank and paint job. The front wheel was BSA’s highly effective 7-inch unit and meant that the bike could stop on a dime. In fact, the Victor was potentially a generation ahead of anything else in the world.

But “whats” and “ifs” litter history and no more so than the Victor. If BSA - who had the capital and resources at the time - had built a reliable overhead cam engine, with a bullet proof five-speed gearbox and fault-free electrics, then the Victor was destined to be the first, successful, dual sport bike and would have been a motorcycling icon: but they didn’t.
BSA Victor Special
In addition to its light weight and race-derived front forks, the Victor Special had a special visual appeal for customers who wanted a dirt bike-styled streetbike.

So today and to the $64,000 question: should you buy a Victor today? Strangely, the answer is yes - and for a number of reasons. First, the Victor Special in particular is a real looker. If you hanker after being the GP motocross star you never were when you were 16 years old, nothing will excite like the red BSA logo sitting proudly on the polished alloy and Spectramaster Yellow gas tank.
Next, the bikes are pretty well sorted now. An easily fitted electronic ignition makes starting much easier and that fragile gearbox is fine, now that the motor is not being revved to oblivion and the gears are not being stamped in without using the clutch.

Finally, used as a classic bike the performance is very acceptable. The engine is punchy and, if the revs are kept down, the vibration is fun and full of “character”, rather than enthusiastically self-destructive. The Victor is feather light at around 275 lbs on the road - and is anorexically slim and therefore incredibly easy to ride. In short, you can have a great Sunday afternoon ride and be surrounded by admirers when you stop for a soda.
There is also more good news. BSA made a lot of Victors and the bikes are not uncommon. A ready supply of the bike which never quite made it as a motorcycling deity means that a nice, clean, usable Victor could be yours for less than $5,000 and with the current sky high values of classic bikes, that’s something of a bargain.

BMW, whether one’s musing about bikes or cars, has always had a reputation for quality. An example is BMW’s
R1200R, “a “naked” (meaning without bodywork) cruiser with flair. It’s both quick and economical, surprising
traits in a market segment known for flash, not dash. A week-long road test showed this $12,620 bike may be a
partial answer to $4 per gallon gas.
Overview and Performance The four valve per cylinder, 109 HP R1200R employs a horizontally opposed air-cooled engine producing maximum
horsepower at 7,500 RPM’s and 85 foot-pounds of torque at 6,000. It’s built for mid-range power and highway

travel rather than high RPM sprints. Quarter-mile performance, measured by a Beltronics Vector FX2
Accelerometer, was noted at 12.1 seconds@114 MPH. Zero to 60 took just under four seconds. Fuel economy on
high test was recorded at 32 city and 39 highway. The fuel tank holds 4.6 gallons plus a gallon Reserve.

On the Road Riding this twin cylinder, 1,170CC fuel-injected vehicle isn’t the same as maneuvering a much heavier Harley
or Japanese cruiser. The seating position is upright: when you slam into a pothole or roll across frost heave
your teeth won’t rattle. You DO feel it despite 4.7 inches of front suspension travel and 5.5 inches of rear
“Para lever” compression/decompression. Forget the plush ride of a Honda Gold Wing or Harley’s “judder.” Atop
the R1200R you’ll think you’re in a European luxury car. Though the standard suspension does a fine job for
$800 BMW offers Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA). Its settings accommodate singles, “two-ups” and
numerous other riding profiles. Though the R1200R isn’t made for corner-cutting or switchbacks tightening the
ESA transforms it. You pay a price in harshness and at extreme lean angles can never forget the humongous
cylinders protruding from the scooter’s sides. Even with w-i-d-e crash bars they’ll almost certainly be first
to scrape the ground. It isn’t a racer!

Comfort The seat is one of the R1200R’s weak spots. Though ergonomic (not too wide and narrower at the front) it
desperately needs padding. At 31.5 inches it’s high. Swinging your leg over, even when the bike’s on its
kickstand, can be a chore. Balancing at traffic lights, particularly if you’re less than 5’7,” isn’t easy.
As always with Bimmers you have options. A “low” 30.3 inch seat can be ordered at no charge, as can a 32.7
inch perch. Neither, though, can match the 26-27 inch seat heights of rivals. Though even munchkins can learn
to put up with height and lack of padding one shouldn’t need to do it.
The R1200R employs a small windshield that serves as a fairing. Unlike many bikes the air stream is directed
around rather than onto one’s body. This enhances long distance comfort, something many cruisers ignore.
Consider, too, its 58.9 inch wheelbase and overall 84.4 inch length. Though Harley’s 1200 isn’t much longer at
85.8 inches it’s generally true shorter wheelbases and overall lengths contribute to handling. Longer numbers
are cruise-oriented. More important is weight, which at 492 pounds is 70 less than its Harley rival.

The Shaft Drive and Tires
Out back is BMW’s famous shaft drive. Though heavier than chains over the bike’s life it’ll require much less
maintenance. You’ll never lube or boil it! Turning to tires, you’ll find 120/70 17” rubber up front and 180/55
17” units in back. They’re not as sticky as they could be, being meant instead for wear.
The Bottom Line Though not perfect the almost vibration-free R1200R’s resale and two-year warranty are pluses. Test drive one
before buying a rival.