Motorcycles · Victory · Cruiser & retro
IllustrationIllustration (AI-generated) of a 2012 Victory Vegas / Kingpin / Hammer, not a photo of a specific motorcycle. Free to use under CC BY 4.0: credit The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Download and credit text
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, 2003 to 2017 models.
7 of 16 describe the transmission: gears skipping, or locking the rear wheel.
2 reported a crash.
After 2005, no model year drew more than 9.
Fewest complaints on file: 2008 (2), 2016 (1), 2017 (1). Few complaints is not a clean bill of health, just fewer owners filing.
What each year's complaints describe comes from reading their text. These are counts, not rates: there are no sales figures per motorcycle model year. A complaint is not proof of a defect.
Popular years get more complaints just because more were sold, and newer years have had less time to collect them. There are no U.S. sales figures by motorcycle model year, so these are counts, not rates.
The fuel pump in the affected motorcycles may have been incorrectly crimped during manufacturing, which may result in the fuel pump seizing.
The affected motorcycles may have been manufactured with the transmission shift drum detent roller spring incorrectly installed.
The crankcase may have been machined incorrectly causing insufficient clearance between the crankshaft and crankcase, causing the engine to unexpectedly seize.
A torqueing procedure may have been missed on some throttle cable retention nuts.
The backrest support can separate from the motorcycle while in use.
On certain motorcycles, the fuel pump retainer clip may not be installed correctly.
On certain motorcycles, the welded joint on the shift lever shaft may fail causing the shift lever to become inoperable.
On certain motorcycles, the rear axle may crack or break at the retaining plate groove on the right side.
On certain motorcycles, some of the fuel supply hose leading from the fuel tank to the fuel rail may be incorrect for use in a pressurized fuel system application.
On certain motorcycles, the camshaft chain drive sprocket located on the crankshaft may have cracked upon installation.
On certain motorcycles, the throttle twist grip may not return to the fully closed position due to metal to metal contact or debris between the throttle twist grip and the handlebar.
On certain motorcycles, the clamp that secures the high pressure fuel hose to the fuel rail may be loose.
On certain motorcycles, the vent tube joint located at the bottom right side of the fuel tank may fatigue and leak fuel.
On certain motorcycles, the hose that connects the rear brake fluid reservoir to the rear brake master cylinder may have become damaged during shipment and may leak brake fluid.
On certain motorcycles, material around the brazed vent tube joint located at the bottom right side of the fuel tank may fatigue and leak fuel.
On certain motorcycles with california engine calibration, the fuel tank vent line could be plugged causing potential expulsion of fuel when the fuel cap is opened.
On certain motorcycles with 49 state engine calibration, the fuel tank vent line could be plugged causing potential expulsion of fuel when the fuel cap is opened.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific bike's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
~90 hpClaimed crank figure
From the makers' U.S. spec sheets (the EU sheet for horsepower where the U.S. one leaves it out), checked against a sample on Nov 11; years and versions differ.
Filed as: VEGAS, KINGPIN, HAMMER, JACKPOT, KINGPIN EIGHT BALL. Source: NHTSA owner complaints (model years 2000-2026) and recalls. Every motorcycle
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