Got Your 6 Racing: “GY6R.001” Victory Super Hooligan!

Photo: Handbuilt Show / Revival Cycles

A Victory-powered Super Hooligan racebike from Got Your 6 Racing… 

“Hooligan racing” got its start in the 1960s and 70s, when flat-track racers would bring out their street bikes to compete for fun and bragging rights during race intermissions — it was “run what ya brung” racing at its best.

Victory Super Hooligan

Fast forward to the post-2000 era, and “Super Hooligan” heavy bike racing caught fire in SoCal, slowly spreading to the rest of the country:

“What’s now known as ‘Super Hooligan’ came out of the Harley nights at Costa Mesa Speedway in Southern California. Between those and the Hell On Wheels guys hosting all sorts of inappropriate racing exhibitions, Southern California motorcycle culture developed around this idea of racing big, heavy twins.” –Cycle World

Victory Super Hooligan

Roland Sands started the RSD Super Hooligan series, which has leapt from dirt tracks to road courses, with eight rounds of racing for 2023, showcasing some of the baddest production-based roadsters and naked bikes on the planet:

“The Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan National Championship and MotoAmerica have joined forces to bring racers and fans 8 rounds of Super Hooligan Road Races at 4 venues across the country. This year’s series will feature the most popular 750cc and up watercooled twin street bikes from iconic manufacturers. Indians FTR 1200, Harley Davidson Pan America, KTM 890, BMW Boxers and Ducati’s Monster as well as unlimited aircooled twins with no weight or chassis limits.” –SuperHooligan.com

Victory Super Hooligan

While Indians and Harley-Davidsons are the most common sight in the series, there’s another American V-twin you might catch on the track these days — the Victory “GY6R.001” of Kevin Burnett, a U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer and privateer racer whose family is the heart, soul, and backbone of Got Your 6 Racing.

Victory Super Hooligan

Kevin bought his first Victory more than a decade ago, a used 2007 Victory Vegas featuring the Polaris-owned company’s “Freedom” engine, an air-cooled 50-degree V-twin with single overhead cams and a four-valve head.

It was Kevin’s first street bike and a far cry from a sporting machine, but Kevin, his dad, and his cousin soon found themselves modifying their Victory V-twins for fast mountain riding, and it wasn’t long before Kevin was doing track days on his modified cruiser:

“This was before I was on Instagram so I didn’t realize the same trend was really being pushed in the Harley community on the West Coast. Guys were tracking and racing their Harleys for years and over time, it grew into what it is today with series’ like Super Hooligans and King of the Baggers. I always admired what Eric Buell did with the Harley platform and this is my Victory version.”

Victory Super Hooligan

After going through a handful of different Victory race bikes — a 2007 Vegas, 2008 Kingpin, and 2013 Highball — Kevin set out to create the scratch-built monster you see here, leveraging the unlimited chassis rules for air-cooled twins. The 4130 frame and swingarm were custom-built in Kevin’s garage to hold the massive 265-lb Victory engine.

Victory Super Hooligan

Other highlights include an underseat / tail aluminum fuel tank, Dymag wheels, GSXR forks with Traxxion Dynamics cartridges, Penske rear shock from a Triumph 675R, full equal-length stainless exhaust, a fuel and oil system mainly built from automotive parts, and much more — all of which Kevin details below.

“There is nothing quite like riding a bike that you’ve built from scratch, especially when it’s a unique platform. An American V-twin sounds so good on a race track at full song…somewhat like an older Nascar engine back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They have so much character and when you’re the only guy out there on a Victory, it makes it just a little bit more special.”

Victory Super Hooligan

Racing as a privateer is tough work at any level, but it’s a family affair for the Got Your 6 Racing team — a way for them to spend time together, whether it’s in the truck, the paddock, or the garage.

While an unexpected deployment will be taking Kevin to Africa this summer, throwing a wrench into the family’s racing plans, we know Kevin will be back on the track as soon as possible.

Victory Super Hooligan

Below, we talk to Kevin for the full story on Got Your 6 Racing, their past Victory race bikes, and the Vegas-powered beast you see here. Enjoy!

Victory Super Hooligan: Builder / Racer Interview

Victory Super Hooligan

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

My name is Kevin Burnett, 38 years old, and I’m from New Castle, Delaware. I’ve always had an interest in cars, trucks, and motorcycles as a kid and wanted to grow up and be a mechanical engineer. We got a basket-case 1979 Kawasaki KD100 from my Uncle Terry and my cousin Chris when I was eleven years old and that lit the fire.

 

My dad and I rebuilt the KD that winter and I was hooked. My dad, my brother Kenny, and I raced some motocross and hare scrambles up until I graduated high school. Around the same time we got the KD, I started my own lawn business, saved some cash for a few years and picked up my first real project, a 1985 Chevy S-10, which I got from my grandfather when I was fourteen years old. Unfortunately, the truck is still unfinished…hence the Instagram name!

Victory Super Hooligan

The mini-truckin’ scene was huge during that same time and the S-10 project continued to evolve. It was basic at first…static 5/7 drop, roll pan, shaved door handles, V-8 swap, etc. but when those monthly truck magazines would show up in the mail, I just wanted to keep pushing the project to the next level.

It was just my dad and I working on it at first but we met a few guys from the local truck club, Low Rollers, and they helped point me in the right direction. We ended up doing a traditional body drop on the cab, back-halfed the rear of the truck with 2” x 4” box tubing, full air-ride suspension, suicide doors, and a custom right hand drive steering conversion to top it off.

Victory Super Hooligan

That’s how the truck remains today. 9-11 happened while I was in high school and serving my country became my top priority after graduation. I was fortunate to receive a nomination to the United States Naval Academy, which provided me the opportunity to not only serve my country but also earn a mechanical engineering degree.

Victory Super Hooligan

I spent 14 years Active Duty as a Civil Engineer Corps Officer and during that time, picked up my first street motorcycle in 2011. I really wanted a Harley Nightrain but just couldn’t afford one so after some research, I bought a used 2007 Victory Vegas. Ironically, that is the engine that is in our race bike today.

Victory Super Hooligan
The Victory Vegas that started it all…

The Victory platform was affordable and the engine had decent performance for an American made, air-cooled V-twin. My cousin Chris and my dad were also riding Victory bikes and we’d hit the east coast mountains every chance we got. Even though the Victory engine was strong, the chassis had serious limitations with its long wheelbase, lazy rake, and minimal ground clearance.

Similar to the S-10, the Victory turned into a never-ending project and things just continued to progress. We started with swapping out the 21” front wheels for 18” wheels and adding dual disc inverted front ends off the Victory Hammer S models.

By 2017, we were relocating hard parts like pegs and exhausts as high and tight to the chassis as we could to help in the corners. We also fabricated rear suspension links to raise the rear ends and added lengthened fork cartridges up front to gain a couple inches of ground clearance. With those changes the Victory platform was actually very capable on the street, but the mountain riding was getting too risky and I knew one of us could get hurt.

Victory Super Hooligan

I still remember the day we rode over to Road Atlanta and they just so happened to have a track day going on. I told Chris and my dad that I was heading home to prep the Victory for the next track day and they thought I was crazy but it just made sense to me. What better way to improve than on track? In a weird way, risks are somewhat reduced on a race track. Riders are properly geared, everyone is heading the same direction, no oncoming traffic, and repeatable turns are just a few of the benefits that allow the rider and bike to be safely pushed to their limits.

Victory Super Hooligan

This was before I was on Instagram so I didn’t realize the same trend was really being pushed in the Harley community on the West Coast. Guys were tracking and racing their Harleys for years and over time, it grew into what it is today with series’ like Super Hooligans and King of the Baggers. I always admired what Eric Buell did with the Harley platform and this is my Victory version.

Victory Super Hooligan

Back to me from a personal standpoint, I am still a Navy Reservist today, and I’ll actually deploy again this summer to Africa. It’ll be almost 10 months long and it really threw a wrench into the family and racing plans so I’m hoping that it’s my last deployment!

Victory Super Hooligan

My family and I have had to battle a ton of adversity during our military career and those experiences have built a very strong foundation and level of resilience that we’ll be forever grateful for. We’ve carried this over to our racing program, Got Your 6 Racing.

Victory Super Hooligan

The backstory on the team name is a good one if you ask me. I returned from a combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2013 and my wife surprised me with a 2013 KTM 250 SX that was ridden by Robbie Marshall during a few AMA nationals that year. I started running the number 326 as a nod to my twin sister Kristy, who has had to battle her fair share of adversity. We were born on March 26 and it was a small reminder that no matter what, she always has me to lean on.

Victory Super Hooligan

My son Jaxson was only four years old when I returned from deployment and all he wanted was to be like Dad. I had few bikes and projects by then and he wanted anything and everything to do with motorcycles and dirt bikes. Every day he would ask my wife Ranae if she could find him a shirt with “Dad’s bike” on it.

Victory Super Hooligan

She ended up finding this shirt that had a vintage boardtracker on it with the number 32 on the number plates but Jaxson was so upset that the number didn’t match my race number! He was nearly crying and kept saying, “Sorry, Dad, it doesn’t have a six on it!” I told him, “Don’t worry buddy, I’ve got your six!” Obviously, that had a ton of meaning to it. In the military, we learn to always have each other’s back, or their “six” and that the man or woman to your left and right are more important than yourself.

Victory Super Hooligan

That same principle carries over to my family and Jaxson. He knows no matter what, his Dad will always have his six and he’ll have mine! Finding a shirt with “326” was near impossible and hindsight, we could have just designed some custom tees but then we may never have ended up where we are today.

Victory Super Hooligan

My wife Ranae took the race program to another level when she mentioned we should switch our number to 987. See, we were married on September 8, 2007 at 6pm because she wanted the pattern nine, eight, seven, six. You obviously can’t run all four digits on a race bike so we run the first three digits and say, “Nine, eight, seven, and we got your six!” The team name and number are very meaningful to our family and our military background.

Victory Super Hooligan

Our workshop is out of our home garage. It isn’t anything special but it is very clean and organized. Most equipment and tools were sourced used to include hand tools, cabinets, welding table, bike lifts, manual tubing bender, and TIG welder.

Nine times out of ten, I knock out my fab work with a couple of 4 ½” grinders, one that is fitted with a cut-off wheel and the other with a flap disc. The most sophisticated pieces of equipment I have are a small horizontal benchtop bandsaw, Eastwood lathe, and an Eastwood milling machine. Honestly, it’s pretty simple but effective.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

2007 Victory Vegas.

Victory Super Hooligan

• For what class of racing was the bike built?

MotoAmerica Super Hooligans
AHRMA Battle of Twins 1 (BOT1)
AHRMA Sound of Thunder 2 (SOT2)

Victory Super Hooligan

• What custom work/upgrades have been done?

We only kept the OEM engine, ECM, and part of the wiring harness for the build so everything else is hand built or sourced from another bike.

Victory Super Hooligan

  • One-off custom 4130 chassis and swingarm that I built in my garage. The outer diameters are 1 ¾”, 1 ¼”, and 1” with various wall thickness ranging from 0.049” to 0.095” depending on location.
  •  The goal of the chassis was to minimize the chance of cracking front cylinder heads (more on that later) and to improve the geometry for the race track. Rake, trail, wheelbase, and swingarm angle were carefully chosen to best suit this platform.
  • The Victory engine is huge in every aspect. It’s taller than every other v-twin engine, is very wide at the base, and weighs in at 265 lbs! We had to determine the best location and it was a compromise of ground clearance and center of gravity.
  • The fuel cell is under the seat and flows into the tall section, which most folks don’t realize at first. My buddy Dale absolutely crushed it on this part of the build. I can weld aluminum but not that good, and when it comes to a fuel cell, I didn’t want to take any chances. I took some poster board and built a mock tail for Dale and told him I really wanted to drive home the fact that we are a military family / race team. The only guidelines were that I needed a minimum of 3 gallons and that it needed sharp edges like an MRAP, fighter jet, or Navy warship. He did just that and my wife Ranae hit it out of the park with the paint job.
  • Sourced a used set of GSXR forks off eBay, worked with Dan at Traxxion Dynamics to take the cartridges out of my Victory forks and installed them into the GSXR forks. We then paired them with a custom steering stem, race triple clamps, and risers from Devin and the team at Cognito Moto.
  • Handlebars and grips are motocross parts from Mika Metals.
  • Sourced used R6 front calipers off eBay, rebuilt them, and paired them with some Galfer pads and rotors.
  • Caroline, Jo, and the rest of the Dymag team were absolutely amazing and helped me fit some UP7X wheels on this bike. The front is a 17” x 3.5” that fits the GSXR front end while the rear is a 17” x 6.0” that also fits my Indian FTR.
  • Warren and the Bridgestone team helped us get those Dymag wheels wrapped in a fresh set of slicks for our shake-down test at Road Atlanta. We can’t wait to try them out in an upcoming round with AHMRA before my deployment.
  • Sourced a used rear Penske shock off eBay from a Triumph 675R and had my good buddy Mike do a quick service. Ironically, the valving and spring rate were in the ballpark for our initial testing so we’ll fine tune that as we go.
  • The bike uses a one-off custom front countershaft sprocket as well as a special rear sprocket spacer that works in conjunction with the Dymag carrier. My good buddy Brandon is a phenomenal machinist and my home lathe and milling machine weren’t capable of machining those parts so he knocked them out for me.
  • Sourced a used Indian FTR rear brake caliper, bracket, and rotor off eBay that we modified so they could be run on the opposite side of the bike since the Victory is somewhat odd with its right side drive configuration.
  • The bike uses all custom and/or modified cables and lines, to include parts from 1FNGR, Barnett, Motion Pro, and Galfer.
  • Custom Vortex rear sprocket, chain and rear sets.
  • Custom Woodcraft handlebar switch, rear spools, and lever guard.
  • Custom fuel system and oil cooling system that uses mostly automotive parts sourced from places like Summit Racing, Jegs, and Speedway motors.
  • Custom stainless exhaust that I built three different times. It still doesn’t provide enough ground clearance so I am going to build the fourth version before my next track day! It’s equal length and stepped from 1 ¾” to 2 ⅜” and is capped off with a used muffler from an Aprilia RSV4.
  •  I also sourced a used rear axle, steering stabilizer, throttle cables, and throttle housing off the same Aprilia RSV4. I had to modify the OEM Victory throttle body to make that work but it was worth it in the end.
• Does the bike have a nickname?

GY6R.001

Our team is Got Your 6 Racing (GY6R) and this is our first full build so we wanted to keep our naming convention simple and traditional since there will be many more! The long-term goal is to race several variations of the Victory platform for years to come. Hopefully maybe even a commissioned build or two in the future.

Victory Super Hooligan
Photo: @kodymelton
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?

Current weight is 457 lbs without fuel but we made quite a few compromises on weight just to get the bike done before my deployment. We didn’t start the build until late January so it was a sprint! We can easily get the bike down to 425 lbs but the end goal is 400 lbs.

Victory Super Hooligan

The bike has a completely stock 100ci engine from a 2007 Victory Vegas that puts downs roughly 80 hp and 100 ft-lbs to the rear wheel. Additionally, we have a race engine that needs rebuilding. Long story short, it was the last engine we used in a previous Victory race bike that still used the stock chassis. That engine made roughly 130 hp and 130 ft-lbs of torque but we cracked a front cylinder head at Daytona with AHRMA in January of 2022.

Victory Super Hooligan
Photo: @kodymelton

The OEM Victory chassis uses the engine as a stressed member and the front cylinder head mount sees a ton of load and torque that gets amplified when you try to use this bike on the race track. That was the third front cylinder head that cracked on the track so we had to make a change. By the time you build a new chassis, you might as well change everything else on the bike that limits its performance so that is what we did.

Josh Baird and Lloyd Greer from Lloydz MotorWorks are supporting the program and we think we can build a reliable race engine that is even better than the current race engine, so if we can get that into a 400 lbs bike, we should be in good shape!

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride/race this bike?

There is nothing quite like riding a bike that you’ve built from scratch, especially when it’s a unique platform. An American V-twin sounds so good on a race track at full song…somewhat like an older Nascar engine back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They have so much character and when you’re the only guy out there on a Victory, it makes it just a little bit more special.

Victory Super Hooligan
Photo: @kodymelton

We’ve been on track with a Victory for over five years now and this bike is leaps and bounds above the previous Victory race bikes, especially in the handling department. The improved chassis geometry and reduced weight make such a big difference when compared to riding a Victory with the stock chassis.

Victory Super Hooligan
Photo: @kodymelton
• Anybody you’d like to thank?

There are so many folks to thank…

It starts with the Lord above for providing me the opportunity and keeping me safe all these years, not only on the bikes but through my military career.

A huge thanks to my wife Ranae, and my two children, Jaxson and River, especially since I really had to burn the midnight oil to build this bike. We didn’t start this build until late January so they didn’t see me much for those two months!

Kevin and his son, Jaxson, at the track.

 

My family is so critical in my life and they are the reason we race, as racing is just a conduit that lets us spend time together. Long drives in the truck and sitting around the paddock allow a family to bond and that’s the best part. Additionally, there’s no better feeling as a husband or father than when you know your wife and kids are proud of you. Nae, Jax, and Riv see how much I’ve had to grind and claw to get where I am and to have their continued support is priceless.

The GY6R family!

It’s the little things that really matter, like when Jaxson walks to tech with me pulling the wagon of gear or when he helps get the tire warmers on and off the bike…he does those things because he genuinely loves the process and he’s proud of his Dad. Or when River is so excited that Dad is picking her up from school in our truck…our race truck that hauls our bikes that she is proud of because she knows no one has a truck like it! We wouldn’t have those chances or opportunities if we didn’t race, and more importantly, if we didn’t race together as a family. I know I’ll never be a professional rider like the front runners and that’s ok. We are just a privateer family who does this for fun. Hell, I’m built more like a linebacker than a motorcycle racer so no matter what bike I build in the future, I’ll always be at a disadvantage due to my size.

Victory Super Hooligan

A special thanks to my Mom, Dad, and Step-Dad, who did everything they could to provide for Kelly, Kristy, Kenny, and I growing up and we wouldn’t be where we are without their support and sacrifice. They set the example in so many ways. There were some really tough times and we learned to battle adversity early on. They taught us to take care of one another, remain positive even when we struggle, and above all, to never quit.

Thanks to my cousin Chris for being a part of this whole “Victory” thing! I can’t tell you how many conversations we’ve had about these bikes. It started back in 2008 when Chris bought his first Victory and I feel like we are just getting started. Chris is now on track too and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do in the future.

Kevin and his first Victory, with Jaxson on the seat!

My buddy Dale did an amazing job on the fuel cell and aluminum covers. His aluminum welding and fab skills are light years ahead of mine and it really shows on this build. That fuel cell and tail section really set the bike off. I knew I wanted it to represent the military so I did a quick mock-up with poster board and told Dale it needed sharp edges like an MRAP, ship, and fighter jet…..I think he hit the nail on the head! To top it off, my wife Ranae took it to the next level with the paint. It’s just a rattle can paint job but her attention to detail on the stars and stripes is incredible. Cheap garage tip….she used tape to establish the stripes and actually placed little gold stickers, like you’d get from a teacher in elementary school, to do the stars!

Victory Super Hooligan
Photo: @kodymelton

Thanks to Mike for doing a last-minute service on the rear shock and vapor-honing some aluminum brackets. My Eastwood lathe and milling machine have limited capability so thanks to Brandon for machining the custom rear sprocket spacer and modifying the front countershaft sprocket for proper alignment.

Victory Super Hooligan

We were really short on time so my neighbor and good friend Colby spent a couple weekends in the garage to help with the wiring, oil lines, and fuel lines and that got us to the finish line. Without his help, I’d probably still be out in the garage trying to finish the build!

My buddies Josh and Lloyd are the best when it comes to Victory engine performance and they’ve been in my corner for a few years now. This was my first bike that used a one-off oil cooling and fuel system and they helped out tremendously.

Victory Super Hooligan
Photo: @kodymelton

There are a few other folks who helped and they’d like to remain unnamed. You guys know who you are and I can’t thank you enough!

Last, but certainly not least, thanks to all the sponsors who support Got Your 6 Racing. I’m honored to represent your brands and look forward to progressing the Victory and GY6R race program in the years to come!

● Antigravity Batteries
● Barnett Clutches and Cables
● Bell Helmets
● Bridgestone Tires
● Cognito Moto
● Dymag Wheels
● Galfer USA
● Lloydz MotorWorks and Lloydz Garage
● Mika Metals
● Motion Pro
● Penske Racing Shocks
● Traxxion Dynamics
● Vortex Racing
● Woodcraft Technologies
● 1FNGR

Follow the Builder

Instagram: @unfinished_projects | @gotyour6racing

2 Comments

  1. Elam Blacktree

    Impressive. Bravo Zulu!

  2. Great story this. Fabulous bike build!!!
    More like this pls….
    And of course all the best for the last mission( hopefully for Kevin and family)
    Nice inspiration for many????????????
    And ps yes the paintjob on the ‘tank’ looks awsome… ????✔️
    Grtz from Belguim.

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