Good evening folks, just joined to get thoughts, opinions and any info that will be informative, to help me make the decision, from Street Glide to Cross Country.
The only way to truly decide is to ride them both for extended periods of time. I don't know where you're located but when I was trying to decide between a CVO Road Glide Ultra, Indian Roadmaster, and Cross Country Tour, I was fortunate enough to have both H-D and Victory/Indian dealers that let me ride the bikes for an entire day each.
Even an hour isn't enough time to truly get to know the nuances of each bike IMHO. After riding all three for extended periods of time, I then went back and rode my top two choices (Roadmaster and Cross Country Tour) back to back to finalize my decision.
For me, the Cross Country Tour was functionally equivalent to both the Roadmaster and CVO Road Glide Ultra for considerably less. Granted the Indian and Harley have much better fit and finish but that wasn't enough to dissuade me from the Victory.
Good luck with your evaluation and let us know which one you decide to go with.
A half hour test ride on some very twisty back roads is all it took to sell me on a Victory. Intuitive handling, strong engine, comfortable and room to stretch out. If you have over 30" inseam, the latter is a huge plus.
Joekai, there are things not to like about owning a Victory and here are but a few...
+ You may never get to know the shop guys at your dealer.
+ Changing the oil is no fun at all, there's only one drain plug and the filter doesn't puke oil all over the front of the engine.
+ You will burn a lot more gas cuz about all you do is ride a Victory.
+ Engine mods are way to easy to do and too cheap.
+ You'll do more waxing than maintenance.
Owning a Victory can be real boring compared to that other brand you have in mind. Its your call and we hope you will become one of us.
The nice thing about a Harley is they are everywhere. If you have on the road trouble a dealer will be nearby. The sky is the limit as far as custom and aftermarket parts. The extended warranty you can buy is amazing!
The downside of a Harley is they are like assholes... Everybody has one. As far as the StreetGlide goes... It's a beautiful machine. It's a nice all around bike. My next statement is based on 2015 SG not 17.
The Victory was less money, handled better, has more storage for longer trips, more reliable in the long run. I like it cause, I don't see the same bike as mine 100 times in a 4 day trip.
C'mon Travis, think about what you wrote. The reason there are so many H-D dealers is there are so many H-Ds in their shops waiting their turn for repairs. Where I live, there are long waits to get a Harley fixed.
Yeah, the Harley extended warranty is amazing--amazingly expensive compared to Victory's. I was offered a 5 year for $400 and turned it down cuz I knew I would not need it and I was right. Even my dealer agreed.
Re customizing: I have seen a lot of custom Vics where the builder apparently didn't feel any limits.
Engine mods on a Vic are far more easier, less expensive and produce greater results.
Finally, a Harley is a nice short man's or girl's bike--but I guess I really didn't need to tell you all this, did I?
I can't be much help. I have a Cross Country Tour and have never ridden a HD. Sorry! Love the Vic though! I'm enjoying the heck out of it. Have ridden through some Florida downpours and stayed pretty much dry. Just hope you don't have to stop for any reason! LOL
Good luck! Hope you find something you enjoy riding!
I sure like my Victory XC, it's been solid for the 35,000 miles I've had it. Its comfortable with plenty of space for me, my passenger and our stuff. The bike handles amazingly for a big tourer and with a little tweaking of its breathing/fueling has great power. With the potential to be a real beast from getting into the engine.
That's said I've had to battle with extreme heat and buffeting issues that if not dealt with made my XC no pleasure to ride(these issues cost me a lot of time and money). The quality of certain things could be better....Victory's clear coat is not great, mine needs constant care. The switch gear looks and operates like an afterthought. My Aux/iPod is dead just recently my cruise control stopped working and the turn signals give me trouble from time to time.
Lucky mine has had no major mechanical issues. If it did, Victory dealers are few and far between and finding a good one that knows how to treat a customer is an even greater challenge.
If I was in the market for a new bagger like the OP, with the introduction of the new Milwaukee 8 and suspension improvements in the new HD tourers I'd be having to think long & hard between the SG and XC.....
I rode the Chieftain the XCT before buying mine. I tried to ride an Ultra and a SG but the douche rocket HD dealers closest to me "dont do test rides" , so my decision was easier. Motorcycles are like women...its best to take them for an extended test ride before buying it.
What would a dealer do if you took a 2 hour test ride and didn't tell him you wear going to do it. Yell at you when you came back give you a bunch of **** or say are you ready to buy. Just a matter of inches
street glide
Length 95.4 in.
Seat Height, Unladen 7 27 in.
Ground Clearance 4.8 in.
Rake (steering head) (deg) 26
Trail 6.8 in.
Wheelbase 64 in.
cross country
OVERALL LENGTH (IN./MM.) 104.3 IN / 2650 MM
SEAT HEIGHT 26.3 IN / 667 MM
GROUND CLEARANCE 5.8 IN / 148 MM
RAKE/TRAIL 29.0° / 5.6 IN / 142 MM
WHEELBASE 65.7 IN / 1670 MM
Another advantage Victory has over H-D is suspension travel--almost 5" front AND rear. Compare that!
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