Motorcycle manufacturers love to outdo each other. This guy has the best brakes, that guy has the highest top speed, the other guy has the most powerful engine, the guy over there has the most comfortable seats and so on. Most of the time, these “bests” are in the form of mechanical or engineering highlights, but every now and then, a bike comes along that is so over the top stylistically, it makes you wonder what planet the designers who penned it were from.
That is definitely the case with the Victory Vision, which is far and away the wildest looking production motorcycle ever to come down the pike.
Styled in part by legendary bike customizers Arlen and Cory Ness, the Vision is aimed at long-distance touring riders and is meant to compete with models like the Honda Goldwing, Harley-Davidson ElectraGlide Ultra Classic, and BMW K1200LT. It is as luxurious and rider-pampering as it is outrageous to look at. The styling doesn’t do a thing for me, but taste is a personal thing, after all, and Victory claims to have a full order book of anxiously awaiting buyers, and my local dealer says he’s already sold a dozen of them, despite the fact that they’re only just hitting the market.
Weighing in at about 365 kilograms, the Vision is powered by Victory’s air/oil cooled V-twin. It displaces 1721 cc and features a 50-degree configuration, with four valves per cylinder, overhead camshafts, and electronic fuel injection. In this tune, it develops some 92 horsepower and 109 foot-pounds of torque. The primary drive is gear-driven, while final drive is reinforced belt and transmission is a six-speed. Not the most powerful engine in this segment of the market, it still has all kinds of poke, with more than adequate takeoff power. I’ve encountered this engine quite a few times over the years - in various forms - and it’s livelier than - say - Harley’s latest Twin Cam, but far from being overwhelming. For this market, it’s probably just about right.
But the engine of the Vision is not its principal focal point, anyway. This bike is all about making a statement. Whether you like the way it looks or not, it won’t be ignored and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.
The Vision comes in various levels of trim, but there are two basic versions: Street and Tour. With a starting price of about $22,200, the Street model comes very well-trimmed. A two-speaker sound system, electronic cruise control, integrated hard bags, and adjustable rear suspension all come standard, and you can order heated handlebar grips, a heated seat, MP3 player, power adjustable windscreen, and a high intensity Zenon headlight. Step up to the full-zoot Tour Premium and you get a rear cargo trunk, extra chrome bits and upgraded four-speaker sound system. In terms of creature comforts, the Vision is right up at the head of the pack, and with a full roster of equipment, it tops out at about $24,500.
It also has a relatively modest seat height of 670 millimetres, which gives it a nice low centre of gravity. However, the bike itself is so huge, shorter riders may still find it a bit of a stretch. I managed to get both feet on the ground at the same time, but taller riders will have an easier time of it. Brakes are twin discs up front and a single in the back, with an integrated set-up on some models; press the foot brake during hard braking and the front brake comes into play as well.
Victory has covered all the bases with the Vision. It’s lively, well-equipped, and as comfortable as anything out there; the only other comparable model that I like better in the seat department is the Goldwing.
During my test ride, I found it to be pretty heavy at the helm.....standard fare for these types of machines....and probably less stable at lower speeds than Harley’s ElectraGlide series. Despite its massive bodywork, storage space is not what it could be, and the hard panniers are actually surprisingly skimpy when it comes to stashing room for odds and ends. I love the power windscreen and heated seat, and the bike has a stable, planted road stance. One rather cool little feature is built-in side roll-guards that are part of the bodywork. You can put the bike on its side and nothing gets damaged. Picking it up again requires a bit of effort, but still, this is an excellent feature.
A final word about the styling. I’ve never been a huge fan of Arlen Ness. I admire his originality, but most of his creations are overwrought, complicated, and far too - oh, I dunno - “finny” for my tastes. The Vision may be breaking new ground in terms of its styling and design, but I like my motorcycles to be more traditional looking, with less extraneous bodywork.
But that’s just me.
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