After signing the appropriate waivers, we went to get our picture taken on a Vision set aside for that specific task. We were both immediately impressed with the comfort of the seats and it was a serious tease for getting out and riding. But first, a safety briefing and a short video on the features of the Vision.

Finally, we headed out to choose our ride. We picked a full touring model with adjustable windshield, XM Radio, heated grips and seats, upper and lower deflectors. I mounted first, lifted it off the kickstand, and familiarized myself with where everything was. That took about a moment as everything seems to be where you'd expect it to be. What was remarkable was that it felt more like I was just moving the handlebars in front of me, than "lifting" an 800+ lb bike off its kickstand. I turned on the audio system, pressed the mode button until the XM Radio was selected, tuned to channel 49 (our favorite) and made sure I could raise and lower the volume. At this point I also checked the mirrors. I did notice that I could see my knuckles in the mirrors, but just in the lower corner portions, and it did not hinder my overall view. The mirrors are large and I compared by actually turning my head to insure that I was seeing everything on either side of me, to the rear, and also directly in back of the bike. I did talk to others after the ride who either found seeing their hands in the mirror annoying, or who no matter what they did, found they ONLY saw their hands in the mirrors. For me, I saw my passenger over the tops of my hands, and the rear panorama everywhere else, I really didn't notice my hands at all. It is also worth noting I use my mirrors a lot. They are usually the first thing I have to change on a bike due to broad shoulders and my height. I would not change these mirrors. I got off the bike to take a look around, and Lisa who is 5' 7" jumped on and lifted it off the kickstand. She was prepared for there to be some weight due to the size, and was startled to find she was holding the bike up already. No jerk or strain, just picked it up and was able to sit comfortably, both feet on the ground and even stand and straddle the bike with ease. After debating the fact that I would be the driver for this test ride, Lisa relinquished the bike and prepared to get back on as the passenger. Then it happened, I heard what is one of the most dreaded sounds a biker wants to hear... The distinctive sound of metal hitting pavement. No we didn't drop the bike. The engineer from Victory was demonstrating the "Tipover Protection" which is essentially just lifting the bike off the kickstand and walking away.

After the shock of watching someone drop a brand new motorcycle, the feeling of horror is replaced by that of amazement and a sudden appreciation of what really went into engineering this bike. Since when is weight a "good thing" on a motorcycle? Then it all starts to make sense. This is a touring bike, and much like its application in luxury automobiles, weight can be a good thing. A smooth ride for one. But also, minimal tilt while on the kickstand with no chance of it being "bumped" over, yet it's easy to lift off the kickstand. If it does fall, for whatever reason, no damage, and with the proper technique easily righted up by one person, effortless with an assistant. But there is more to it. My first thought when I heard of this "Tipover Protection" was what happens if the bike goes down while riding or taking a corner too deep. Will the contact points lift the tires off the pavement? In simple terms, no way. Later in the day while at the local dealership we saw the same demonstration, only this time, the rather stocky and muscular tech tried to pull the bike further over once it was on the Tipover Protection points. He couldn't do it. He positioned himself on the bike, and stood out hanging onto the handlebars but it didn't budge. One person standing nearby even tried to help get the weight off the tires, but it wouldn't budge. Bottom line is that the Tipover Protection points will NOT act like a pivot point. The angle is just too deep, the center of gravity too low and yet, it is relatively easy to pick back up. That is some amazing engineering.

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