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.
So this explains the “Victor” connotation: a bike which was directly related to
World Championship motocross success.
The Victor accelerates 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.
This single cylinder 441 Victor Special runs great and actually kicks over
pretty easily compared to the stories of hard kicks this bike has a rep for. The
head does not leak, as most british bikes do. This is a special bike and has all
the british nostalgia to go along with it. The gear pedal is on the right and
brake on the left, opposite of most bikes. It is pretty easy to get use to
though. You may have noticed the clamp on the frame on the right side. That is a
surfboard rack. This bike comes outfitted with a fully functional surfboard
carrier. Nothing like pulling up to a surf spot on the victor, pull off your
board and hop in the water.
Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated.