Any Victory Riders Out There?

[129654]

Not ready to trade the GS in yet but must admit I'm intrigued by the Victory Cross Country. Styling is different than HD and the 106 cu. in. power plant puts out some decent power for a v-twin. They also currently have a 5 year warranty. Anyone ridden one yet?

[JAMESDUNN]

I have not ridden a Victory, but I follow them in the motorcycle press, where they receive good reviews. I would buy one before a Harley if I wanted a cruiser. I think you'll get more valuable responses than mine here from actual owners/test riders. They are quality bikes though. My two cents....

[ANDYVH]

Been riding BMW since 1989, and I have an airhead and oilhead right now. I work at a BMW dealer so I get to ride all the current BMWs. We recently got in a Victory Kingpin in trade, it had less than 500 miles on a year old bike. Really beautiful bike, well crafted, nice detail, great sounding V-twin. We sold it for only $8000!

If I were to buy a V-twin bike, it would be a Victory well before any Harley. The new Crossroads is a great looking bike and would a better choice I think than a HD Street Glide.

[LDRidr]

I have a 2004 Victory TC with the 92 c.i. engine (Touring Cruiser.) I traded it in on a 2005 RT and one year later bought it back from the dealer. So I guess that says how much I like it. The engine is bullet proof and the bike just needs gas and oil and very little else in routine maintenance. The newer engines are supposed to be even better. I find myself riding it as much as I do my GS and it is the ride of choice when my wife rides with me.

I would not hesitate to buy another Victory based on the quality of the machine.

[lkchris]

Any Victory forums out there?

[JAMESDUNN]

Any Victory forums out there?

You'd have to be a member to post.

[john1691]

I have helped out our local Victory dealer for open houses, leading the demo rides. I have also gone on a couple of their dealer sponsored rides, and they loaned me a demo, so I have ridden a few hundred miles on a couple of their bikes. Great torque, will pull you off the seat when accellerating if you aren't holding on. Handling is decent, though not like my BMW, but then I ride a K12S, so it isn't a good comparison. The Vision takes some getting used to from a styling point, but is very comfortable and well thought out. I would think the Cross Country will be similar, but I have not seen one in person yet as they are not at the dealership quite yet. They have done a good job of putting together a semi-custom bike, with great looking paint and all sorts of chrome, and pricing is still competitive with a more stock HD. My only complaint is the pipes, all the good looking ones are too loud!

[henzilla]

I don't ,but my brother has a new Vision...he loves it and recently did a Big Bend trip with us. Got lot's of comments on the styling...most like it. It's heavier than the Wings and the LT's in the crowd...according to the three in the parking lot comparing bikes that weekend. But it was not banned to the back for overly loud exhausts as well. I rode it for a bit and was pleasantly surprised, having ridden HD's in the past. Very well put together and smooth.

[dpmonk]

that was my daughters comment when she saw the vision pic.
have to admit I agree. I was really interested in a touring Victory model when
they were first advertised. Victory actually did a poll and had three models to choose from and one of them was quite nice. Arlen Ness is into wierd bling and that's what they came up with. But that was pretty much my reaction when I saw the first picture of the 1200 RT. I have gotten kind of used to the RT, but
the Vision looks uglier every time I see it. Transformer engineering.

[JAMESDUNN]

that was my daughters comment when she saw the vision pic.
have to admit I agree. I was really interested in a touring Victory model when
they were first advertised. Victory actually did a poll and had three models to choose from and one of them was quite nice. Arlen Ness is into wierd bling and that's what they came up with. But that was pretty much my reaction when I saw the first picture of the 1200 RT. I have gotten kind of used to the RT, but
the Vision looks uglier every time I see it. Transformer engineering.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly or just "different"; when the rider is aboard he cannot see the looks, but he can feel the preformance. It is a good performer.
I actually like the look of the Vision for it's unique take on a touring cruiser. It is a bike that draws crowds and for some who purchase the Vision, that is enough.

[TexanRT]

I have a 2004 Victory TC with the 92 c.i. engine (Touring Cruiser.) I traded it in on a 2005 RT and one year later bought it back from the dealer. So I guess that says how much I like it. The engine is bullet proof and the bike just needs gas and oil and very little else in routine maintenance. The newer engines are supposed to be even better. I find myself riding it as much as I do my GS and it is the ride of choice when my wife rides with me.

I would not hesitate to buy another Victory based on the quality of the machine.

This was from a factory rep -- so don't know how accurate it really is. At the motorcycle show last year he says they put the victory motor on a test bed and ran it until it broke down. It lasted way longer than the harley motor they performed the same test on -- can't remember the exact numbers -- but seems like it was well over 100,000 miles of testing and the HD broke before it got to 100,000 miles.

[henzilla]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly or just "different"; when the rider is aboard he cannot see the looks, but he can feel the preformance. It is a good performer.
I actually like the look of the Vision for it's unique take on a touring cruiser. It is a bike that draws crowds and for some who purchase the Vision, that is enough.

Gotta agree, while I was first scratching my head when one of the first Visions pulled up behind me on my RT a few years back...I thought it was an RT on steroids. It is a big capable touring bike and has grown on me for being unique. My brother has always had V-twins, mostly Kawa's versions and did not really like the ride of my RT, he likes Cruisers. When he pulled up on that new one...I really looked at one up close for the first time...I was impressed with the whole package. As mentioned, it's owners opinion as is with our own favorite model is all that really matters in the end. My brother mentioned the engine test comparison...of course!

[mikereid]

If Buck Rogers rode a motorcycle, it would be a Vision! I dig the styling.

[Dickson]

I bought the Vegas jackpot in january of 08 and thought I had a show stopper with all the chrome and bling and 100 cu inches with a 6 speed and put down pipes on it and woe. Now a couple of monthes later they wanted me to ride a victory vision tour, which I did and kept it for 3 days. It is the best rideing motorcycle that I have riden as of now, but I really want a 2009 k1200LT and let the vision go as well as the jackpot. I don't get on the jackpot anymore and it has only 852 miles on it. spoiled I guess.the vision has 106 cubic inches and with a few add ons it puts out 98hp to the wheel. I want a classy BMW.I have found one in calf. but don't know how to buy from an individual;and need help on that. like who holds the money and all? Dickson

[cbck1200s]

Not ready to trade the GS in yet but must admit I'm intrigued by the Victory Cross Country. Styling is different than HD and the 106 cu. in. power plant puts out some decent power for a v-twin. They also currently have a 5 year warranty. Anyone ridden one yet?

I owned a 2003 Victory Vegas and when I compared the quality of the bike against the HD there was no comparison. The Vegas had EFI, Brembo brakes, rubber engine mounts and as far as I was concerned great styling.

The 2003 models came with a 92 cu in. engine and five speed which performed wonderfully. The newer models up to this past year were 100 cu in - 6 speeds and the new ones now come with 106 cu in. I never got a chance to ride the new models but I'm sure they are impressive.

I owned the bike for over 3 years and had very little problems with it. I think the only thing I did was oil changes, tires and replaced a battery.

As a Victory owner I used to get these online surveys prior to their releasing the Vision. I guess they were scoping out the market. Frankly, I thought then and still think now that the bike looks awful. Yes, I guess it's a matter of taste but in my estimation it's too radical.

Victory's line of production bikes....ie. Hammer, Kingpin, Jackpot and Vegas were lovely style wise. The only problem was there was very little aftermarket products reasonably priced and available if you chose to BLING up the bike.

I sold my Vegas when I purchased my BMW K1200S. I originally was looking for a K1200GT but found there were very few available in my area. I settled on the K1200S due to its power and styling and I figured I'd have fun with it until I found a GT sometime down the road.

So....in my opinion, Victory YES, Vision, NOPE.

cbcK1200S - Colin