| Author | Message | ||
     Zane |
As much as I’d like a Buell, with BMC shut down and parts already starting to get scarce I don’t feel comfortable thinking about a Buell as my only motorcycle. I’d hate the idea of being unable to ride because of a $20 or $30 part on back order for months at a time. So with that in mind I went to St. Pete Powersports last Saturday and test rode two Victorys. The Victory Demo truck was there and brought a great selections of motorcycles to test ride. The bikes I got to ride were a white/gold Kingpin and a black Cross Roads. Both bikes had the same 106 cubic inch V-Twin and 6 speed transmissions. The Kingpin also had Arlie Ness exhaust pipes that looked really good on the bike and give it a real serious sound. Both rides were about 25 minutes long and included some 35 mph in town riding, some 50 mph rough roads and about 5 minutes on the Interstate. There were also a short set of cones in the parking lot to navigate . Both bikes had excellent fit and finish and looked like they had been put together with a lot of TLC. The paint job was excellent and the black finish looked deep enough to stick my hand down in to. Both bikes fired right up and ran excellent. Balance was very good because of the low center of gravity. Both felt bigger than there are because I’m used to smaller bikes. The last bike I owned was a Blast so both of these felt huge to me until I got acquainted with them which only took minutes. Both Victorys had smooth clutches with the friction zone starting about 1/2 inch into the travel. The throttles were responsive with no noticeable lag from input to response. Both bikes had pretty good seating. The position was very upright. Just the thing for an old guy with a bad back like me. Both had about a 3 ½ inch rise between the main seating area and the passenger seat area. It gave just enough lower back support to feel really good. The first ride was on the Kingpin. That bike felt fighter jet fast. Coming out of the parking lot, I was in the back of the pack and let everyone get a little ahead of me. Then I twisted the throttle and holy hot dang! It snapped my head back and in no time at all I back with the pack. I got it up to 55 mph in 3rd gear and never got close to maxing out the machine. Not even close. The low end torque was defiantly there. The suspension was a little soft for my taste but not objectionable. Braking was excellent. My second ride of the day was on the Cross Roads. It’ heavier by about 150 pounds and that showed up in the acceleration. It was quick but not Kingpin fast. The suspension was even softer than the Kingpin but on a touring type bike, that’s expected. The CR had a big tall windshield that did an excellent job of protecting me from the wind. Both my head and leg area. I could just barely feel the air stream on the top of my helmet. On the interstate portion of the ride I got up to about 85mph and this bike was rock steady. On I-275 by Tropical Field (home of the TB Rays baseball) there is a big long sweeping curve and this bike went through it rock steady at 85. It also braked nicely to get down to a more normal speed. Back at the dealership I was able to do a very tight U turn and it was no problem at all. The sweep from lock to lock seemed more than enough to go through any tight turn. There were a couple of things I didn’t care for. Now this may sound silly, but I didn’t like the floor boards. There were a little too big for my taste and at first I had problems putting my feet t far enough forward. The first time I tried to use the back brake, I missed the pedal all together. I also missed a shift from 1st to 2nd because my foot was out of position. That’s really my fault not the bikes though. Both bikes have self canceling turn signals. They work fine. The problem is that the button is really small. Like ¼ of an inch small. Wearing gloves I had trouble using the turn signals. Both bikes “clunked” really loud and hard going into first at stoplights. Every time. Reminded me of my Blast when it was cold. The standard exhaust on the Cross Roads was more than a little wimpy sounding . I’m not at all in the “loud pipes saves lives” camp but pipes would be a mandatory on this bike. At idle it just didn’t sound like a big V-Twin. Going down the road I was able to hear the mechanical noises of the engine over the exhaust sounds. All in all, these were really nice bikes. Surefooted, very torquey and fairly nimble. Neither is going to keep up with a XB in the corners or an 1125 for raw power. Still for an all round motorcycle they’re pretty hard to beat. I came away from the rides more impressed than I expect to be. When the time comes that I can buy a bike, it will be tough not choosing the Victory. | ||
| Swordsman |
Ditto on that. I really like what Victory is doing, and the Vision is strange enough for me to love it (my tastes run weird). One of the Cross bikes would be my 2nd choice, I think. Or maybe a Hammer S (not so comfy, but sharp lookin'!). If I ever get another bike, odds are it'll be a Vic. Dunno why they have such an issue with puny sound out of a 1700+ cc engine. Seems to be a universal complaint. ~SM (Message edited by Swordsman on December 13, 2010) | ||
| Zane |
Yeah, at idle the Cross Roads sounded kinda like a sewing machine. The Kingpin with the upgrade pipe is a whole 'nother story. It sounded evil, wicked, mean and nasty. | ||
| Jaimec |
Put the optional trunk on the Cross Country and you have a TON more luggage space than you do with the Vision. The Vision is in SERIOUS need of proper luggage before I can consider it a valid long distance tourer, I'm afraid. I've no problem with the looks, and I love the handling. The weather protection is also first rate. Only the luggage is beyond stupid in it's design. | ||
| Swordsman |
Ha, I just like the Vision because it's strange. Care very little about the amount of luggage (I'm getting by alright with a small tail bag on my Ss!). I read a thing about the Vision's development, and the space limitation had to do with the manufacturing processes at the time it was designed... just a year or so later they came up with a new, better process. The Cross bikes are supposed to be WAY bigger inside. They'll probably update the Vision shortly, if I had my guess. ~SM (Message edited by Swordsman on December 13, 2010) | ||
| Danger_dave |
The luggage isn't that bad. We did a weeks tour, two up, with all our camera gear and computer and it fitted OK. | ||
| Jaimec |
DD: Camping gear? And how much did you fit inside the bags versus strapped to a luggage rack on the trunk? | ||
| Danger_dave |
Not camping gear - SLR camera in a Pelican hard case - tripod - handycam and a lap top - all the chargers take up a bit of space too. Clothes, shoes for her etc. The side bags are made up of smaller compartments than normal - but there are a few of them so you can stow a shoe here - a bag there etc etc. Capacity not as big as conventional, agreed. The Top Box is bigger than average to compensate - seemed bigger than the Ultra - and maybe even the 'wing (from memory - but that would need confirming off the specs). | ||
| Kyrocket |
I know what you mean about the floorboards. It took me a while to get used to the Vulcan 2000 I picked up in Sept. I kept wanting to pick my feet straight up and expected the pegs to be there after riding the Buell for 10 yrs. I like the looks of the new Victory's. The only drawback for me is the cylinders, they look to squared off in my opinion, but that's just me. That Cross Roads is good looking but right now there's only room in the garage for two. I really need a bigger garage. | ||
| Danger_dave |
The Vision has the best foot accommodations of any bike. | ||
| Zane |
I found myself constantly having to pay attention to where my feet where. It would come in time but having my feet in front of me was something I just have never really done. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Yeah floorboards are just plain weird until you get used to them. Then they are less weird. | ||
| Iamike |
Go ahead and buy them, the factory is in the town my brother is city manager of. He doesn't ride though. | ||
| Billyo |
I rode both the Cross Country and the Vision 8-Ball back to back this summer. The ergonomics of the Vision were perfect for my body and a bike that size has no right handling that well! The 8-Ball is lowered and has a deeper seat than the regular Vision. There's no radio or cruise, though. I'd want those for trips. They're options, of course, as well as a trunk. | ||
| Zane |
Don't think I'd use the trunk much. Saddle bags are another story though. Stopping on the way home for bread and milk or a a little of what every... That would be an almost daily event. When I get my divorce lawyer loan finally paid off, these bad boys are high on the list. | ||
| Jaimec |
No argument at all from me there. Although I'm generally NOT a fan of floorboards, I experienced no clearance problems with aggressive cornering and the boards themselves give you plenty of room to move your legs around to different positions... very important for long trips (and one of the reasons it's easier to drive a car long distance than most motorcycles). I find myself constantly shifting my legs around on the K1200LT on long trips, but I have fold-away highway pegs (called "J-pegs") and the tip-over "wings" as alternatives to the standard footpegs. It LOOKS as though those same floorboards are on the Cross Roads and Cross Country, so that is a bonus for those two models. | ||
| Billyo |
They have a panel that pops on when you take the trunk off so it looks smooth. I wouldn't use the trunk often either but I'd like to have the option available. | ||
| Bienhoabob |
Did you happen to demo the 2010 models? The 2011 transmissions were supposed to reworked to be smoother and less whine in some of the gears. I think the new ones also have a 100,000 mile warranty. | ||
| Zane |
Bienhoabob, Both were 2011 models and had the new transmission. Noise from the transmission was low to non existent. The only transmissions issue I could see was the clunking going into first gear. | ||
| Xbniner |
My dad has an 05 Victory which is pretty nice, but when we were at Daytona I rode the new Vics and the new Harley's just for a comparison. (The only thing I wanted to ride since Buell wasn't there was a Ducati, and they didn't show either.) I rode a couple different bikes in each camp, I believe a hammer and the Crossroads. I was impressed with both, but realized I'm not even close to ready for a bike like that when I drug a floorboard on the crossroads. Even with that 106 motor they aren't even as quick as my 9R, let alone my CR. But if you are comparing to Harley it's a no brainer. Both bikes felt more powerful than the vrod and more comfortable/better handling than the big harley (FLHVWHY or something) There were quite a few harley and bmw riders in our group and they were all impressed, some of the harley guys even said the bikes scared them, haha. | ||
| Zane |
Yeah. The Kingpin was really fast. Considering they're a tad cheaper than an equivalent HD it’s a pretty easy choice. There’s one more big benefit to the Vics over the HD: When you ride it, you don’t have to dress like a pirate. Seriously though, how are the Vics doing holding their value? Does anyone know? | ||
| Doz |
Don't know about holding their value, but there's next to none in the used classifieds, makes me think that victory owners REALLY like the brand. But there are plenty of used h-d's. | ||
| Charlie_zulu |
Totally satisfied Vic rider here | ||
| Zane |
Charlie_Zulu, You can't just leave it at that. What model are you on. What does it do well, anything it doesn't do well. Give us something to work with here. | ||
| Xbniner |
Oh I completely forgot the best part about Victory in my last post. It's not their looks or their performance, it's the people. They had a ride at bike week where they avoided the busy spots and highways and actually found some scenic and open, if not curvy, roads for the cruise. Then we all met up for them to buy us lunch at a great little seafood restaurant and give us free swag and tell us about upcoming products. It was mostly Vics, but I went with my dad and there was also a SV650 and 2-3 harleys and bmws. They were really nice to outsiders like me and had a good time. It would be a familiar feeling to any of us Buellers, but you could tell it was new experience for a lot of people. | ||
| Zane |
Xbiner and Charlie_Zulu, How is Victory for fuel economy in the real world? I know what the publish but real world info is always better. | ||
| Kilroy |
Whats up with the Victory website? I can't find any pictures of any of the bikes - | ||
| Zane |
Seemed ok to me. http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/victory-mot orcycles/Pages/Home.aspx?WT.mc_id=A5C537D6-CDA3-DE 11-81F7-0017A4A77F44&WT.mc_ev=Print | ||
| Swordsman |
I also dig the fact the Victories are still air cooled. That was one of the things that sold me on Buell... one less maintenance item to fool with. ~SM | ||
| Xbniner |
Zane, Not really sure, I've only ever ridden them that one time. I think my dad gets about 45 or so, but that's on the old 96in motor and 5 speed, neither of which they even make anymore. |
