Victory Vision: First (Unauthorized) Ride

Part 3: Viva Las Vegas!

Arrived in Vegas around 11:00 PM and checked into the Hotel where we were told to take the bikes in through the service elevator and put them in the conference room on the 3rd floor. Got them in there and wiped down as best we could considering how late it was getting.

[Editor's Note: "how late it was getting" is a euphamism for "what happens in Vegas..." well, you know the rest]

The next morning the training session started and the attendees were all over the Vision; Victory DSM Paul Johnson asked if they shipped the bike to us with the bugs on it, I replied. "No we rode it up." He simply said sure you did. That's when the talk started about the Vision and how it rode and what we thought about it. Whenever people would ask us questions and we answered, Paul would just reply, "yeah right." This went on for 3 days where we would answer questions on performance, handling and what not with Paul continuing to tell them we were full of bull. Well we told them how fast we had it, how it could out turn any touring bike out there and that we would show them a video of this thing lighting up the tire for 105 feet just nailing the throttle and how this thing even wheelies. Paul continued to denounce our credibility to our peers forcing Jake to pull out the camera.

I wish we had video'd Paul's response right then, as I have never seen him ever get excited, much less this excited over me riding a Victory. He then viewed the pictures we took with the bike passing cars, turning such tight circles it looks like it's a sport bike going through a hairpin turn. Well he freaked out alright, and when asked if he wanted me to e-mail him the pictures he screamed, "No! Hell no, don't tell me anymore! Shut up, oh no!" were his continued replies to me. So at that point I walked over stuck the key in and fired it up, He left the meeting to either puke, gather his composure or make a call to corporate not sure which.

Well the next day the meeting ends and Paul tells me to load it in the trailer and get it back and they would send a truck to pick it up. I say OK. Silly Paul. So, after most leave, Jerry from Prescott Valley motors comes out while we are loading the trailer and I flip him the key and say take her for a spin. He looks at me for a long few moments wondering if he should or not, then jumps on and asks when he has to be back? I say take your time, have fun and when he rides off I get a bunch of pictures of him and he then realizes by the look on his face he is now an acomplis in the theft of the Vision, and with Jerry's conservative nature its dam funny. But there's a little kid left in him after all and off he goes. I figure having Jerry in the mix will help reduce my own punishment.

Well it gets too late to ride back so we stay another night in Vegas (bummer) and we then get some friends together and ride the strip. We pull into the Harley Cafe which is packed with motorcycles on a Friday night and the place pours out to check out the Vision. The riders that were there were all over it stopping all the walking traffic on the strip as people wanted their pictures taken with it. We ride the strip, cruise out of Vegas to get some miles on it and get another Victory dealer involved (Beth Parker of Victory Lane in Florida) by having her ride passenger. Beth commented on the smooth ride, lots of room and best of all no wind blast and this is typical of all passengers we had ride during the time the Vision was with us. On the way back I stop at a truck scale and tell the guy in the window to give me the weight of this thing and he looks at me like I am wacked-out or something. Then he realizes this is no ordinary motorcycle and I have to swear him to secerecy. Dave makes the comment they said not to ride it, I said, "Well they will only spank us once and the way I figure it we have a couple of more days to put it through the test and enjoy riding it. So hell, lets roll!"

Part 4: Busted!