Just picked up the 2010 Victory Cross Country yesterday down in SoCal and spent the night cruising the Hollywood Strip. Cruising the Strip on a bagger, you say? You bet. The Cross Country doesn’t look like an old man’s bagger. With its angular fork-mounted fairing, a beautiful sculpted tank, and skull graphics, this bagger is hot. Throw in a rippin,’ torque-filled engine and you’ve got a bike that looks as good cruising the boulevard as it does hitting the open road.

Headed to Mickey Cohen’s Motorsports to get some numbers on Victory’s 106 cubic-inch Freedom V-Twin today. Factory claims put output at 92 hp and 109 lb-ft of torque, so we’ll see what numbers we get. The engine serves as a stressed member of the chassis that is comprised of a two-piece, aluminum frame. The Cross Country features Victory's proprietary CORE chassis technology so it carries the bulk of its mass down low in order to make it as easily manageable as possible at all speeds. After we get some hard numbers from Mickey's it’s time to put on some miles. My initial 150-mile ride last night whet my appetite, but I’m ready for more.

The Cross Country is one of two new touring motorcycles that Victory introduced this year. With its stylish, fork-mounted front fairing and spacious hard saddlebags on an air-cooled V-Twin, it will compete directly with Harley-Davidson’s Street Glide. The Cross Country features Victory’s 6-speed constant mesh transmission and belt drive. And while there’s plenty more to report, you’ll have to wait until we’re done testing for the full review.

It’s a gorgeous day in SoCal and it’s time to ride. Look for a full ride report in the coming weeks.