After a long wait for Stroker's Dallas to get their Victory license (due to the slowness of the state of Texas), I finally drove off on my new black Vision Tour Premium. Spock and I took off on our new Visions for a ride of maybe 150 miles or so. Since the CB is backordered, I'll have to take the bike down and have it installed later as well as the XM radio. No big deal. Anyway, here are my observations:

1. The bike attracts a lot of attention. One person asked if it could fly. Another asked if it had warp drive. And, yet another told me I should name it Judge Dredd. I believe they were looking at it because it was so different and not because they wanted one for themselves. Maybe they should ride one.

2. The bike is very nimble and I'm a pretty agressive rider. I ride fast, turn fast, scrape pegs, and pretty much get as close to the limit as I can. The bike is by far the best handling bike I've ridden and so far I've been unable to scrape pegs in a turn. I guess I'll just have to try harder.

3. I think I'll need to upgrade the speakers. There's distortion at higher volumes. It was very windy today too so that probably contributed. At lower volumes, it sounded great.

4. The bike is so easy to turn that I have to be conscious of it. My Vulcan 2000 had such a heavy front end, that it took a lot of force in comparison to turn it. This is just something I'll need to get used to. It was so windy today, that it would throw me off balance a little in the seat an then I'd turn the bars a bit to balance and that would in turn cause the bike to wobble. No big deal.

5. I had the wife-unit on the back the last part of the day. She's 5'7" and the bike fits her perfectly. The only problem was the wind. With the shield all the way up, it was still hitting her full in the face. This will be a problem on long rides. I'd like to know if anybody else has this problem and if you fixed it. On a 500+ mile day, her neck would be strained and sore due to having to force her head forward into the wind. It simply isn't going to work. We were riding without helmets today. I think the helmet would have made it even worse for her because it's a bigger surface area to push into the wind.

6. I took the bike out after dark. The lights are pretty bright. They are definitely brighter than any stock bike I've seen. I may want to add PIAA bulbs later but these lights are very good as is. I guess I like bright lights because I'm often in the lead and when going through the night in the country, I like to see as much as possible.

7. We have Arai helmets with the J&M speakers. We didn't take them out today partly because we don't have the CB installed yet. I'll know more about how that works in a week or so when the CB is installed.

8. I have a Garmin Zumo 550 but have not yet installed it. I received the bracket from Arizona Victory a few days ago so I have what I need to get it done. I love having a GPS. I put a lot of miles on my last bike with my GPS and I feel somewhat naked without one on this bike.

9. The windshied is very reflective on the inside and sometimes it distorts the view through it. Since I had the wife-unit onboard, I had the shield all the way up and had to look through it. It's not a problem, I suppose, but just something I need to get used to.

10. The brakes are great. I didn't think too much until I pressed down hard on the rear brake. Man, it stops quick when applying both front and rear brakes.

11. I'll need a driver's backrest. I have one on order that should arrive this week.

So, after only a few miles, I'm very impressed with the bike and I would find it hard to believe that there's a better bike on the market. If there is, let me know so I can go buy it. The bike is plenty fast enough, although I'll want to pep it up a bit in due time. It handles better than any bike I've ridden (other than a sport bike), it stops quick, and it's extremely comfortable. It will make our 1000 mile days and 2-week+ trips pleasurable. I'm sure I left something out because I'm pretty tired right now. If I remember anything else, I'll let you know. My only concern is #5 and I hope the taller shield fixes that problem.

metalguy - 2008-03-17 12:30 AM Kevin, Welcome to the fold!! I see you have the reflective problem with the windshield, too. I fixed it on mine by powdercoating the console black. (See powder coating article on the home page) I just returned from a weekend of riding with my Dad, and my Brother-in-law, in sunny Yakima, Washington, and the reflection is basically non-existant. You could accomplish the same effect with some semi-gloss spray pait to the console, I am sure. Anyway, good to see you!!!------Metalguy

 Thanks for the suggestion. I'm considering powder coating but a lot depends on how much the wife-unit rides with me. I hope a lot so if that's the case then powder coating is in my future.

varyder - 2008-03-17 4:06 AM This is an easy fix Fergy. I got the taller windshield and it works perfectly for the pillion and in the low mode it sits good for me as well. Take the few extra bucks and order the taller windshield today so your wife can enjoy this ride fully. Also, I've scrapped twice doing 55 on an on ramp on the right side, and once on takeoff from a light doing a left hand bank. Scotty, I need more power....

 Taller windshield will be ordered. Thanks! I've not tried hard to scrape but I will soon enough. This bike seems to have more lean angle than my Vulcan 2000 so that's great. That means I can go even faster through the turns.

Big Vic - 2008-03-17 6:40 PM Fergy - Congrats on the new bike! Don't worry about all the chatter over burgers and chicken, you got miles to eat. There's time for food later.

Thanks. No worries about the eating. I'm used to 1000 mile days and eating on the run. I hope the Vision is friendly to some long days and long trips. That's why I bought it. Nothing better than a long hard day on the road and then crashing in some cheap motel for the night just to get up the next day and do it all over again.

pault754 - 2008-03-17 8:27 PM My wife is 5'6" and when she is on the back she prefers me to have the shield all the way up. It hasn't been too hot yet so in the summer she may want me to lower it to get more of a breeze. I have no complaints about the sound system. I ride with full-face helmets and can hear music clearly when it is on volume 12 (using ipod connection). The only observation I have is that at slow speeds the handling is a little tedious, but once under way above 5mph it quickly goes away. Congrats on your new ride-you will love it. Paul Thompson, El Paso,TX

Taller shield on order so I hope that fixes the problem. We both have Arai helmets with the J&M but have not tried them yet because the CB is backorderd! Go figure. I'm sure that will solve the speaker problem. Anyway, we come dangerously close to El Paso when going west. If you're up for a ride, I'll let you know when we're coming back through there. I may be coming down I-10 in June heading to California, Laguna Seca, for a race. You're welcome to join me for a ride.