Reimagining tourist class
HOLY haystacks, Batman. Either the Joker’s taken over Victory Motorcycles, or the Minnesota manufacturer is on to something with its obliterate-the-mold Vision tourers.
As cruiser sales decline, it’s interesting to watch how manufacturers staunch the wound. While many companies are slashing production to avoid a trip to the emergency room, Victory’s got a different plan. The 10-year-old subsidiary of Polaris Industries is gearing up with an expansion into touring.
Last year, Victory made a limping run toward the segment with its Kingpin Tour, which was nothing more than a Kingpin cruiser with bags and a windshield. With its much more thoroughly thought-through Vision Street and Vision Tour, Victory is showing it’s committed to the segment, even if its first real touring bikes are a major aberration from the norm.
One look at the Vision’s Rat Fink profile and you either love it or hate it. It’s so unlike anything else that haters won’t see beyond the bike’s black, cherry or gray skin and into its restless, wandering soul, but there’s a lot to love about this well-engineered and tricked-out luxury tourer.
All Victory bikes are long and low. While the Visions are the longest in its 11-model lineup, it’s the wheelbase and rake that have been neutered, making them more agile, even at slow speeds -- and therefore more versatile -- than their hulking 800-plus pounds would suggest.
Victory uses two types of proprietary “Freedom” V-twin motors. The Visions are the only models that use the larger, 106-cubic-inch version, which has 20 more pound-feet of torque than the 100-incher and is cooled with air and a re-routed oil system that whisks heat from between the exhaust valves. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of hot stuff coming from its split dual exhaust; if you’re stuck in traffic on this almost-4-foot-wide bike, prepare for a fried right calf.
The engine is quieter, thanks to fine-tuning of the gears, slowed valve closings and a new primary cover. Those sound savings are important on a bike with audio. The Street is outfitted with twin speakers in the front fairing; the Tour’s trunk is equipped with an extra pair that creates a surround-sound effect.
The DC outlet on the Visions is standard equipment. The XM Satellite Radio is a factory option, and the dedicated iPod cable in the glove box is a $50 upgrade from the stock 3.5 mm jack in the tank-top glove box. So go ahead, charge up your cellphone and listen to your iPod at the same time. The song you’re hearing will even show up on the tank-mounted screen.
Comfort-wise, the Vision is among the most enjoyable tourers I’ve ever ridden. After a 300-mile day, I wasn’t walking like a rancher. And I didn’t need to call a masseuse, because the electronically adjustable windshield kept the gusts at bay.
What was a problem? In the Street version I was riding, the bags. Considering the bike’s huge hindquarters, there’s almost no storage -- just 14.6 gallons total. And you can’t take the bags with you.
My vision for the 2009 Vision: Carve out more space in the bags and let me carry them to my hotel room.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
2008 Victory Vision Street
Base price: $18,999
Powertrain: Air/oil-cooled, 50-degree V-twin, SOHC, four valves per cylinder, four-stroke, sequential port fuel injection, six-speed
Displacement: 106 cubic inches, or 1,731 cc
Seat height: 26.5 inches
Dry weight: 804 pounds
