Been lurking, now a member, have a question for the Kingpin crowd....
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250 Posts
Excellent choice.
Good question. It depends on how you intend to use the bike.
I am a casual rider, short day tripper type. I boughta usedKP, and went with a 2006because I wanted the 100 cu in engine. Mine is a standard KP with 6speed trans. I set it up to ride solo..no bags or tour gear. I love the stripped down look and the way the bike rides. The KP is a great all-purpose bike. I don't regret my purchase one bit.
If I were to buy new, I probably would get a 8ball. They look meaner and you can save enough money to trick out the 8ball and still pay less than a standard. There are plenty of performance/appearanc upgrades available to make it yours. Of course, you are stuck with black on an 8ballunless you have the bike painted, but black is all you really need anyway (betcha can't guess what color mine is).
On the other hand, if you were going to travel much, you could use theoverdrive gearof the standard. And black is hardest to keep clean!
Honestly, go with your emotion and get the model that grabs you when you look at it. Both models are greatand you won't be disappointed either way.
Not thatI think that this helps you out !!!!???
Joined
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1,276 Posts
If you want to do alot of touring, I'd opt for the KP. Any of the Vics are rock solid.
If touring is your thing, I would opt for getting the tour trunk as well. At least a backrest so you can tie on a tour pack.
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I also use a Kuryaken Gran Tour I put on the back seat.
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If touring is your thing, I would opt for getting the tour trunk as well. At least a backrest so you can tie on a tour pack.
I also use a Kuryaken Gran Tour I put on the back seat.
Joined
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20 Posts
About a month ago I bought a new '08 KP 8-ball. I looked at a couple of Vics before choosing that one - First, I thought I wanted a bagger, so the XRoad was my first choice. I test-rode it, and although it handled beautifully for its size, I wasn't ready for a bike of that size.
So I went for the muscle cruisers. They had a Vegas that was on sale, and the test ride went very well. But I did want the option of bags that would look good, and it seemed that the Vegas was a little harder to accessorize the way I wanted to (lots of the bags wouldn't flow with the rear fender). So by the time I sunk the money into it to make it look the way I wanted with slash pipes, etc., the sale price was for naught.
So then we looked at the bike that first caught my eye - the PinBall. The one they had was already accessorized with the blacked-out turndown pipes, teardrop mirrors, backrest, and lay-down billet plate with LEDs. It was, to me, by far the sexiest bike on the floor. I was a little hesitant about losing that 6th gear - and I'll tell ya, there's plenty of times I'm in 5th and stomping on it looking for the nonexistent 6th, as I did in my Vulcan - but even at 80 mph, if you lay on it, she's still got PLENTY and will jump into action. So no complaints from me on the performance, although I'll admit I'm not a speed demon.
I actually test rode the standard KP, even though it wasn't the style I was going for. The PinBall was up on a dias and they said the ride was basically the same between the two. To me, they look like completely different bikes. I did have to have it lowered, and let me tell you - everybody tells me how menacing and sexy the bike looks all blacked out and low. I have added a black fade windshield, and my multi-bar (black of course) just arrived. Ooh, and a black flame luggage rack. So I'm trying to keep it sleek and as black as possible. It turns a LOT of heads. Old Harley guys, metric riders, everybody asks me about it. I've become a bike nite regular just because I like to see them all puzzling over exactly what the heck I'm riding! I also get a lot of "Batmobile" comments.
One thing I'm loving - not babysitting a ton of chrome! I have a black car, and my previous bike was black cherry. I haven't found that keeping a black bike clean is as difficult as my car, unless you get caught in the rain. I am partial to black bikes though.
Sorry for the diatribe, but there are a lot of factors to consider, and I was just in your shoes a month ago! See my gallery for recent photos, and my last advice is to go with your gut!
Good luck!
So I went for the muscle cruisers. They had a Vegas that was on sale, and the test ride went very well. But I did want the option of bags that would look good, and it seemed that the Vegas was a little harder to accessorize the way I wanted to (lots of the bags wouldn't flow with the rear fender). So by the time I sunk the money into it to make it look the way I wanted with slash pipes, etc., the sale price was for naught.
So then we looked at the bike that first caught my eye - the PinBall. The one they had was already accessorized with the blacked-out turndown pipes, teardrop mirrors, backrest, and lay-down billet plate with LEDs. It was, to me, by far the sexiest bike on the floor. I was a little hesitant about losing that 6th gear - and I'll tell ya, there's plenty of times I'm in 5th and stomping on it looking for the nonexistent 6th, as I did in my Vulcan - but even at 80 mph, if you lay on it, she's still got PLENTY and will jump into action. So no complaints from me on the performance, although I'll admit I'm not a speed demon.
I actually test rode the standard KP, even though it wasn't the style I was going for. The PinBall was up on a dias and they said the ride was basically the same between the two. To me, they look like completely different bikes. I did have to have it lowered, and let me tell you - everybody tells me how menacing and sexy the bike looks all blacked out and low. I have added a black fade windshield, and my multi-bar (black of course) just arrived. Ooh, and a black flame luggage rack. So I'm trying to keep it sleek and as black as possible. It turns a LOT of heads. Old Harley guys, metric riders, everybody asks me about it. I've become a bike nite regular just because I like to see them all puzzling over exactly what the heck I'm riding! I also get a lot of "Batmobile" comments.
One thing I'm loving - not babysitting a ton of chrome! I have a black car, and my previous bike was black cherry. I haven't found that keeping a black bike clean is as difficult as my car, unless you get caught in the rain. I am partial to black bikes though.
Sorry for the diatribe, but there are a lot of factors to consider, and I was just in your shoes a month ago! See my gallery for recent photos, and my last advice is to go with your gut!
Good luck!
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Joined
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19 Posts
I mainly ride in the city with a couple highway trips throughout the riding season. I went with the 8-ball because it looks good, it was less expensive, and I could live without overdrive. All the Victory accessories are compatible with both Kingpin models, so the money I saved on the 8-ball went into bags, windshield, and so on.
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I'm not big on the all blacked out look..I like a bit more style, so I bought the KP Low and everywhere I go, I get compliments on the bike. However, it just depends on your style and taste. Either bike would be fabulous. I'm thinking of going with a Cross Country as I want more of a touring bike - but I like the bagless look of my KP and won't put bags on it.. I like it nekkid
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3 Posts
I don't know what the statistics are but I purposely chose an non-black Victory, Kingpin, to avoid night time incidents/accidents. Again, this path of thought may be totally myth created by me. I agree with SmattaHead "Honestly, go with your emotion and get the model that grabs you when you look at it. " and like BellesAZ says " However, it just depends on your style and taste. Either bike would be fabulous." I think one of your main decision choices might be "Do you want that 6th gear?" .
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