Victory Demo days
 

My write up isn't going to be anywhere near as in-depth as Gas Man's HD demo write up as I was just looking for things specific to what I need, but figured I'd post a few brief thoughts.

First of all, I went down to Bloomington (about an hour away) with my brother yesterday to pick up his buell XB12R, as he'd had new tires put on it, as well as had the 5k mile service done. He'd had quite a bit to drink the night before so asked if I wanted to ride his bike back home. Well, duh! So, I hopped on it and man, that thing is a lot of fun. Mirrors are basically pointless on the bike due to all the vibration, though. :lol:

Here's a pic of Brad on his Buell at the track http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p.../bradbuell.jpg

I wanted to ride the Victory line up because I'm planning to buy one, but want to make sure they'll fit my needs. I'll be making field calls for work and will be using the bike when the weather permits. I need the ability to lock up case files, so the bike will have to be fitted with locking saddle bags. Also, some of my field calls may take me onto dirt roads, so I need a bike that will handle ok on those types of roads. Also, I will sometimes have a passenger (not for work, but just for fun) so the bike needs to be comfortable for her. I rode the bikes with these thoughts in mind.

Anyway, we rode straight back to town and directly to the Victory dealership. First bike I hopped on was the Vegas. It took me a bit to get use to the seating position coming straight off the Buell, but the Vegas is a very comfortable bike. However, I have very specific needs and don't think the Vegas will work very well for me. If I were just going to be cruising around town with some highway stints, I'd have the Vegas in a heartbeat, with the modification of raising the bike a bit. It sits very low and I dragged peg on a turn, which I wasn't really fond of doing. Also, the Vegas has a very tall, narrow front tire, which I'm worried won't handle very well on the dirt roads. And lastly, the Vegas looks like shit with saddle bags. All that said, it would be a fun bike for easy cruising.

Vegas pic http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p...s-9_460x0w.jpg

Next, I rode the Hammer Sport. This bike was a fun ride, although the wider seat was a bit more uncomfortable. The bike has a fat rear tire and didn't like to turn worth a damn, which I didn't like and certainly was not ready for after coming off the Buell and Vegas. The bike had a lot of power and was a blast to ride, but since it won't support bags, it won't work for me.

Hammer sport pic http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p...mmerS_2010.jpg

Next up, I rode the Kingpin. First thing I noticed was the wide seat, again, a bit uncomfortable. However, seats can be changed. This bike looks good with bags and has a wider front tire, making it a likely candidate. However, when riding it, I felt like I was always hunting for the right gear. It never seemed to have the right amount of power and was difficult to find the sweet spot. This bike could use a tach! All that said, it's still in the running, as I think adding a tach and modding the seat would make for a nice ride.

Kingpin pic http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p...01/Kingpin.jpg

Lastly, I rode the new Cross Roads. Wow, this bike was nice, but had it's drawbacks. The seat was very comfortable, something that I'll need since I'll be riding all day long, with stops for field calls. The bike felt a little wobbly in parking lot speeds as the front wheel just wanted to go everywhere, but it was very stable once on the road. I had a little trouble finding the shifter, as it was very long and I had to move my foot forward on the floor board to find it. Again, something that can be modified. I'm 5'7 and the top of the windshield was directly in my line of sight while sitting normally, so I had to either duck, or sit up tall. This was very annoying, so I would want to get a different windshield. The bike already has saddle bags on it and they have plenty of room. This bike also needs a tach.

Cross Roads pic http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p...ross-roads.jpg

I was talking to other Victory owners and a few things came up. One guy had a Kingpin and was riding with his SO. She commented that she absolutely loved the seat on the CR, as the one on his KP made her ass go numb. The guy said he absolutely loves his KP for long distance riding and said he's "ruined" and will never buy another Harley. His KP has a tach on it, so he doesn't have the issue I had.

All in all, I think the Cross Roads will end up being the bike I get, with a couple mods. However, I want to take it out into the country on some dirt roads and see how it feels before I make that decision. I hope the dealer will let me do that.

I got an email that the Victory "Fuel It" Demo truck will be in town next weekend with "longer than normal demo rides". After riding the S1000RR, I didn't think I would want to ride a Victory. Until you showed a picture of the Hammer Sport bike. I just might go over there.

By the way, the email said that I could receive $1000 in accessories if I took a demo ride and bought a bike. It also listed up to $1500 in rebates and a free two-year warranty on 10 models and a five-year warranty on 09 models.

The demo rides we had were fairly short, but had a combination of city and highway, so it gave a good idea of how the bikes felt. And yes, they did have "demo days only" specials at the dealership. However, if I'm going to get the Cross Roads, I'll get it next March, when they do their "5 year warranty on previous year models" incentives. I'll look for them used as well, and see what the price difference is between used and new to determine if it's worth it to buy from the dealer or go private party.

Nice read Capt.

Sounds like you're looking for a bike that will be fun around town but capable to doing an overnight stint. True?

Did you not consider the cross country? Don't want the fairing?

I priced out a couple Vics last night and was surprised they are more costly than Harleys. Take that for what you want.

Windshields can also be cut down if you know somebody.

Yeah, need something that I can ride all day long, as I make field calls for my job and typically ride the entire day, going from place to place. Plus, I'd like to make some longer, multiple day trips from time to time.

I'm not sure how much zip code plays into it, but I compared the Cross Roads to the Road King and the Cross Country to the Street Glide. In both cases (using my zip code for the Vics, as Harley doesn't consider zips), the Vics start out 1k cheaper than the comparable Harley. Don't think I've written off Harley, because I haven't. I just haven't had the opportunity to ride all the various Harley's that will fit my needs. I plan to try them out on the Harley Demo Days, when it occurs later this year. I will also take the bikes out for test rides again just prior to buying.

But the base Vic doesn't have as many options as the base HDs. The HD's start out with more options and by the time you put those options on the Vic its pricey. I couldn't believe that their vision was about $2k over the Ultra. I also couldn't believe their assc were crazy expensive. And I'm use to HD and custom parts!!

Vic servicing isn't exactly cheap either. That surprised me.

The Victory truck is in town when Gas Man is here! We might stroll over.

Yes it is but again
The Vision is a is a good deal more sophisticated Bike than the Ultra , with a larger moter and a 6 speed. It's ride is much closes to a LT bike Like the BMW LT or the Goldwing. as Far Looks go thought the Vision is way up on my list of ugly. The Prices like everything are flexible. Gas one the things you are absolutely right about is that there are far more people ready to buy HD then Victorys. Show a Victory dealer cash and watch the price fall! BTW price point to price branded gizmos prices are about the same where HD gets a big edge and it is one to consider. After Market is Far Deeper for HD's they have been here for ever and more people make parts. ( I feel more than a little guilty pimping for Victory while mine is for sale. ) For touring with power and handling the Goldwing has spoiled me. It is going to take a lot to get me off it.

I think that depends on what you're comparing. I priced out a Cross Roads with a Road King, exact same options, and they came out to about the same price. Tack on the 5 year warranty if I wait a year (or maybe can get it thrown in) and the fact that I can probably talk the Vic dealer down more on price...

But like I said, I haven't written off HD. I know you love em and can understand that. I certainly don't hate em and want to go ride comparable bikes before making a definite decision. Of course, I could also just throw down 5k and buy a V-star right now and call it good, even though it's not the bike I really want. But I'm super close to making that move as I can't really afford a Vic or a Harley just yet. Not sure I'd be happy with a V-star, though.