Victory Vision 2008
Victory Motorcycles, marketed as the New American Motorcycle, has been on the scene for a few years now. Victory bikes have come in 90ci and now 100ci. Most are cruisers with a couple touring bikes in there for the travellers. A recent study showed Victory as perhaps the best overall motorcycle experience from the sale to the ride to service. They have been innovative in their designs and take input from their resident customizer, Arlen Ness. Now, that’s a nice name to have as your design consultant.
Victory is about embark on an adventure no one else has taken in the production market. This fall they will release their new “Luxury Tour Motorcycle”, the Vision. This bagger looks futuristic and retro at the same time. Its design is not like anything you’ll see on the road today. Their obvious appeal will be for the baby-boomers looking for a nice traveling bike with a lot of amenities.
The bike features a few points that I don’t really like, but may appeal to the market they are currently seeking. First, it’s continuous band transmission requires no shifting. Like the system used in the Audi, it just goes like an electric motor. Feed it more gas and it goes faster. I like to shift, but this automatic-like transmission may appeal to the group they are marketing towards. I’m hoping they have a 6-speed version with it.
Second, the tentative design is for an 800cc engine. I like long trips and that engine seems very small for this kind of bike. Again, the market might want the lighter bike for the trip. This size is also not carved in stone as they have not yet finished all the specifications. Perhaps they will offer it in multiple engine configurations, but I’d like to see that 100ci engine on it.
As a V-Twin, the bike is really a competitor to the Harley-Davidson RoadKing or the Yamaha Venture. It has tons of amenities including a stereo system with all the power you need to listen to tunes as you tour the highways. The bags remind me a lot of Kuryakyn Beetle Bags, which I’ve always thought were cool.
It’s a bold move by this young branch of Polaris. Go to the site and take a look at the videos, pictures, 360-degree interactive views, and the descriptions. It may not be your cup of tea, but you have to admit the design is out there.