[Aussie Jack]

I sat on one at the recent Melbourne (Australian) bike show. I am after a tourer which is comfortable, smooth, good in adverse weather and reliable. I have been searching the net for as much info as I could find and I am so far impressed. The victory rep told me to waite about 6 to 8 weeks before trying to test ride as the 106 cu in motor has not been passed by Aus authorities yet.
A couple of things which I would have liked are ABS option and reverse like on a wing.
How smooth are they? I do not like buzzing vibrations through the bars, seat and foot boards. My body has had a hard life. I am keen to test ride one. This forum needs more threads and responses. Come on vision owners.

 

[Blatzman]

Vision Response

Aussie Jack, is the Vision smooth like a BMWK1200LT or a Goldwing? No I have ridden both. Is it smoother that a 2005 or 2006 Harley Eletraglide ? It won't compare. I have put on 52,000 miles in the last 4 years on H-D's and compared to my old 76 shovel and 58 pan they were incredible but the Vision blow them away in smoothness and power. I wish the gas mileage was better but the 6 gallon tank is a big help. when you say inclement weather do you mean hot or cold? I have ridden this one in the low 30deg F. ( 0 C.) and have had no issues due to the heated seat and grips and putting the windshield all the way up. And of course the right riding gear but on the warmer days the motor does throw off some btu's. I haven't had the bike long and our hot days were gone by the time I picked it up. Hope I helped, Blatzman.

 

[Bungln]

Jack, if you go to www.thevmc.com they have a seperate section for vision owners, you'll be able to find all the answers you need there, well most of them. hey, it's turning summer down there right? must be nice!!!

 

[Aussie Jack]

Thanks for the replies.
By smooth Iit seems feel each stroke of my V twin 1000 under power which is OK but buzzzz at crusing speed is tiring. I am looking forward to having a test ride. Big plus is my wife likes the look of the vision. I am not sure if it reminds me of the past or is futuristic.
I ride all year and temperatures down to 0 c. Got a few strange looks from wrecker trucks picking up cars which had crashed on black ice one morning when riding to work last winter. Won't ride in conditions like that again. Summer now an what I call solar bikes come out. Clean, low milage, new looking.

 

[Blatzman]

Smooth unlike the oher twins

Aussie, at 70 mph (you do the conversion) the engine is so smooth and has a hush to it that often makes me turn the tunes off and just listen to it hum as a cruise. No bouncing motor in the frame, no tingling of the hands and mirrors that are stationary. Schedule the test ride and keep us us posted. Blatzman.

 

[Aussie Jack]

How good are the headlights? I have the accessory booklet,model booklet and pricelist. What are the best accessories to aim to get. I will be at the dealers on 8 Dec, just checking them out at this stage. I was told test rides have to wait till the 106 motor has been passed by Australian standards red tape. Which is why I am being patient and also got a fair bit of saving up to do.

 

[Blatzman]

Headlights

Jack, I ride to work in the dark everyday some areas with street lights and some w/o. I did get the premium model and it;s equipped with the HID bulb that really throws out a white pattern and I use the high beams as much as possible to light up the deers eyes as they are everywhere and since it's mating season the bucks criss-cross streets like they're blind. Do you get kangaroo's crossing the streets down under? As for accessories I can't think of much else you can add,so get the premium model if you can.

 

[Aussie Jack]

Australia may get limited model choice, but the price quoted and the price which matches on the price list is for the premium model. All sounds good. Do you see any other visions out & about?
Kangaroos are not all that common. Saw a road kill one the morning, might not see another one for months. I have only hit one in my ute about 10 years ago. Up north there is a dead one about every white post.
I hope the colour of the vision premium does not change before I have saved up enough money.

 

[Blatzman]

Need more folks responding

AJ, to date I have seen only 3 other Visions on the street. One was in Pennsylvania this summer and it was the 2nd one the guy owned as he had an oily rag blow up onto his engine while it was warming up in his garage and he was in his house getting dressed, burned the bike and the garage! One guy had his 08 model at the dealer the night I picked mine up so I got to talk to him, said it was the 1st motorcycle he ever owned and he loved it. I think he had around 9,000miles at the time. Around a week or so ago I saw a bike coming towards mine on a divided highway and it had a bright headlight,turned out to be a Vision that was the same color as the customers I had talked to and was near the dealer so it may have been him. You mentioned that you hope you get the premium color? I think we can get a choice of 3 or 4 colors in any model not including the Arlen Ness models. I chose the black and it is very sharp, the gent with the 08 has the burgundy and it to is an eye catcher. I believe that I heard in Australia you have to start with a small cc motorcycle and work your way up to larger cc bikes over time, is this really how it works? One other thing to say about the number of Visions you see is that when you are on yours people will check it out. Riders, non-riders and even Harley folks want to see it ( might help that it's an American made v-twin) and most people do love the look. I've been asked if it can fly, if Batman owned it and if the was from the Jetsons so be prepared to talk to some admiring folks. We need to have other people with Visions responding if possible to get more dialog going. Thanks, Blatzman.

 

[Aussie Jack]

Back when I got my bike license riders were restricted to under 250 cc.for the learning period and first year of their license. Last year the state which I live, Victoria, adopted what most other states have which is LAMS or learner approved motorcycles scheme which relates to power output rather than cc. I think restrictions still apply for 1 year.
I started out on a 50 cc moped in 1980 which my wife & I shared as we couldn't afford a second car or a bigger bike.
I am counting down the days till I go and check out the Victory dealers. So far I have a copy of the models and accessories glossies from the Melbourne show and 2 more copies sent from the dealers by post 5 days apart. The last one came yesterday saying bike will arrive in the next few weeks. Hope they are there on the 8th of Dec.

 

[Aussie Jack]

Just checked Victory Aus site, they do not open on the Melbourne dealers on Mondays. I booked my current bike in for a service on my next rostered day off, you guessed it a Monday - bugger.

 

[Blatzman]

Almost Monday

Aussie Jack, it's Thanksgiving here today and in Cleveland it's nice and sunny. We have been having snow lately and the ground has a trace to 6'' depending on where you are but I did manage to get a 85 mile ride in this morning and the temperatures started out at 28 deg F. and when I returned it was 32deg. F. I was geared up and warm as toast with the seat and grip heaters on , didn't see any other bikes but I'll bet there was a BMW out there today since it was so sunny. Drop a line after checking out the Victory dealer on Monday.

 

[Aussie Jack]

Nice new dealership. Triple fronted store with 5 visions on show. I will go there over the christmas break when they are open. Meanwhile I will try and keep saving up.
I went and window shopped as soon as I dropped my current bike in for it's service and again I was back looking and dreaming before picking up my bike and riding home.

 

[Blatzman]

Picking One

AJ, I'm not sure if you ever mentioned what model and color you have in mind. Just wondering what one caught your fancy and what they cost down under. Please keep me posted since others don't seem to reply. Blatzman.

 

[Aussie Jack]

Finally had a test ride last saturday.Extreeeeemly impressed.
No need to tell you how good the machine is as you already have one.
Quote for a change over from mine to a 2008 premium with GPS is $32,000 aussie. Be the best part of a year saving on top of what I have. Colours available are black,silver & cherry red. I favour black or red. Another $1,500 for a 2009 + $3,600 for reverse. Might as well dream for the lot.