Here you go, Harley is trying to mimic Victory in comfort, they still have a problem with the styling though. Check this out...

http://www.armchaircruisers.com/videos.htm

Member No. 1 - 2008-05-08 6:08 AM This cracks me up...I love doing this. When walking thru a parking lot, and you see a guy getting out of his vehicle with the "Wings" on the back window, ask if if he rides. Of course he will answer yes. Ask him what it is. After he tells you, acknowledge "Cool"! Then ask him why H-D. I'm sure he will go on and on, then chime in "Plus it's American Made right?" Of course he will agree. (This is where is gets good) Then ask him if he is so hell bent on riding an "American" motorcycle, why do you have a H-D sticker on the back of your Nissan Pathfinder (insert any foreign car company here)?!!! See I don't bash the H-D, it's the riders that have the oil leak.

I work with a guy that wears a H-D shirt every single day; he must have Hundreds of Dollars invested because I rarely see the same one twice in a month. They are not T-shirts but the button up, semi-dress shirts. He has a 100 year addition Harly, don't remember the model, but it is chromed fairly good and does look very nice. He very, very rarely rides because of his back. He's big on Harley because they are American made and used to rag on me when I rode the Wing. However, he drives daily his Toyoyo Tundra, which I've not pointed this out to him yet, but it has always amused me.

sandman - 2008-05-06 5:23 PM ....and see if their butts are still talking to them.

My butt talks to me all of the time, much to my husband and son's dismay!!! This began long before I got my Vision!!!

PalmBeachRider - 2008-05-08 1:23 PM In this economy, bike sales are slower than previous years. Yes, Victory is up (percentage wise) and H-D is down. H-D dealer inventories are at record highs right now and the dealers are hurting. With Victory delivering bikes that don't require frequent shop visits, the H-D riders will slowly start checking out Victory's lineup...but this type of transition will take time and you won't see this until the economy transitions upwards. Remember, H-D has nearly a 100 year head start and has developed a sense of community to its owners and a brand name that is as recognizable as Coca-Cola or IBM. Victory has yet to accomplish a strong brand name or a sense of community yet and these things take time. After all, have you ever seen anyone with a Victory tattoo? H-D is an emotional purchase and Victory is an educated purchase. As you know by doing a Google search, there's an abundant amount of H-D enthusiasts websites out there and very few Victory sites. This will change in the future as more bikes are sold (not just the Vision, but the full line) and will assist in developing Victory as a brand. It's like a snowball...H-D has a big one and Victory is just getting started. More websites will give potential buyers multiple places to go for information and opinions. I don't know about you, but I attend the monthly rider meetings at the Victory dealership and each month, there are more and more riders who show up. This is a good sign. I can also predict that Victory will be adding to its lineup as currently there are "holes" in its line. Don't laugh, but the hot sellers right now (unit wise) are scooters as many new buyers are looking for gas-saving alternatives to driving their car for short trips. It seems that since Victory (Polaris) is in the Snowmobile and ATV business, the addition of a few scooters could be the right product for these times. While the Scooter buyer may not be the Vision buyer, any increase in store traffic will increase exposure to the full line for future purchases and increase the brand awareness that Victory has yet to achieve. I still find it amazing that when folks see my Vision, most have never heard of Victory and have not idea that it's an American bike. While Victory is running ads on some of the smaller cable channels, this is a start, but not enough to build brand awareness or community. Again, these things take time. One thing you might want to tell your H-D buddies is that you don't HAVE to carry a tool kit as they rarely break down. Watch their faces. However, there's only one question I have not been able to adequately answer to a knowledgeable H-D rider....Will Polaris stick with Victory or dump it like they did the personal watercraft line? We're all gambling they stick with it as they are great bikes. But again, so were its watercraft. Nonetheless, we know we are riding a great bike built with the latest in technology. As more Visions and Victory's hit the road, people will start to sense that while driving a nostalgia bike might be cool, it's just being part of the crowd (and they call themselves individuals) and at some point they will realize that while H-D's are good bikes, technology has passed them by. If you've ridden with H-D riders, watch what happens when you cross railroad tracks...they slow down and stand on the pegs while we simply continue riding as if nothing was there. Ten years from now, when we look back, it will be interesting to see what type of company Victory has grown into. We can only hope they will continue to add to its line, pump of the quality of the dealerships and still maintain the quality and reliability they have today. I also hope they develop better customer relations as they are lacking in this arena right now. Again, these things take time. H-D has a problem and it's a difficult one for them. If they introduce a state of the art tour bike, they could alienate their current customer base as it most likely wont look like a nostalgic Harley. Isn't this what happened with the V-Rod? Didn't H-D owners diss it when it was introduced as it didn't "look like a Harley?"

Okay, okay! We will not change the HDer, nor am I any longer concern to do so. Merrily we go down the highway on our motor, enjoying ever rotation of the wheel. I applaud HD because of the tenacity of the industry to stay alive. Look at all of the wannabe harleys in the ricer community, to include the beloved Wing. So, yes they've made an impact on people and people associate motorcycling with HD. Of course to the HDer, you either ride a Harley or you ride a motorcycle if it's anything but a Harley, to include the V-Rod. So I take my hat off to HD to say thank you for making the market so successful that a company such as Victory can survive and even thrive in it today. I never see Victory making a scooter, that's a Polaris thing, so don't be looking for a Victory Vespa (sorry Pololittle), but I can see a Polaris Vision scooter on the horizon.

 By the way, I picked up a copy of Motorcycle Times a Mid-Atlantic publication for dealers and not even a squeak about Victory, ad, nothing. But they did have Polaris in there.

One final note, nobody can bash a Vision, say what they want to say, it doesn't matter to me if Victory never sells another Vision ever, they made the one I've always wanted and that's enough for me.

Miles made a great comparison about Harleys being like a Fender Strat.  It's not about the technology, it's about the icon.  If Harley builds a bike to compete with the Vision it will be on the V-Rod platform. 

There will always be a market for the Fender Strats and air cooled Harleys.  Just don't compare them to more modern alternatives.  It doesn't matter.

V-Rod Harley = Modern Harley.  If they want to move ahead with aerodynamics, suspension, a better powerplant and all of the other things that define a bike as "modern or futuristic" they have to go with the V-Rod.  They can't/won't mess with the looks of the classics.  No matter how much they "modernize" them, they will always be stuck in the past.

Ness going with Victory is like Clapton leaving Fender.  It was a huge move of confirmation for Victory.

PalmBeachRider - 2008-05-08 3:21 PM I don't know if the V-Rod frame can support a full Tour bike. But I'll be there's a few Visions (and other Victory models) sitting in pieces at the R & D facility in Milwaukee. I was at the local H-D store a few weeks ago and the sales and wrench guys came out to take a look. The wrench was on his knees looking at the engine and commented that he heard these things don't require much service...he said it in a disappointing way. Then he noticed the battery-tender connection on the front and asked me if I added it. I told him no, that it was included.

 He scratched his head.

 Are you sure he wasn't turned upside down? After all, he's a Harley wrench...

Ya know, I've never understood the bashing of one product. I am such a "Moto Ho". If I had a little bigger budget and a lot bigger garage... I would have one of darn near everything. My hubby is one of those die hard, brand loyal guys. Up until this Victory, all we ever owned were Hondas, eight of them between the two of us. All of our cars are GM, modern and classics. You guys don't want to know what I had to do to talk him into letting me get the Vision.... (or maybe I should post pics.... ) I have my eyes on a Road Glide, an M109, a V Rod, a Stratoliner Midnight, a Mean Streak, a Rocket III, even a CanAm Spyder (that falls under motorcycle, right??). He is very anti- Harley, in principle.... although there is an '81 Dyna Wide Glide Shovelhead on my carport right now, to be fixed up and sold (he loves that most "Harley enthusiasts" will pay $$$$$ for an old bike....). Not to bash any brand, but I'm not big on that bike. I rode the Shovelhead around the parking lot and that was as far as I want to go with it. The vibration through the rubber mounted handlebars had my hands numb, the little ol' seat gave me an instant wedgie.

But, I digress... I will ride anything that falls into my comfort zone (big, cushy, lots of power and sleek lines). I'm not the "roughing it" type of gal. I call my ViVi my big comfy couch, my VTX my brick, and my ST "For Sale" (no comparison in comfort for that touring bike after getting my butt in a Vision). If my husband lets me.... (or I can maybe hitch a ride to the dealership to sign the papers... )

sandman - 2008-05-08 4:58 PM Gagirltrixie, My butt has a pretty small vocabulary, it tells me when we've had enough riding for the day and when to go to the bathroom. Whats you'rs telling you?

Mine sings, when it's happy! Like after a good meal!!

VICTORYTCRIDER - 2008-05-06 1:51 PM Found this Hardley (sorry Harley) froum bashing the Vision. Some of the comments are priceless. http://hdforums.com/m_3043493/tm.htm

I read this and was remembering the 500+ miles I put on a Harley Electra Glide Ultra Classic back in 2004. Maybe they've gotten better now? But I doubt it. Anyway, I located the 3 posts I made for reviewing the 2005 Harley Electra Glide Ultra Classic and have the links below. I read them again and laughed at something I wrote. Here it is: "Basically, the Harley is a noise maker and heat generator and only should be used as a motorcycle during emergencies."

At the time of these posts, I owned a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 or better known as a "rogue" amongst our group and I made some comparisons and use the word "rogue". Just letting you know. BTW, I pissed off a few people with these posts. Maybe these should be posted on the HD site?

Report #1:
nntp://rogueownersgroup.com/local.vulcanowners.rogue/<42225-SnapperMsg0F4BAB71BDC99693@10.200.121.233>

Report #2:
nntp://rogueownersgroup.com/local.vulcanowners.rogue/<2270-SnapperMsg0F4BAB71BDCA771D@10.200.3.140>

Report #3:
nntp://rogueownersgroup.com/local.vulcanowners.rogue/<8qdn1sxnekxyfgs.251120041153@craftlogicsoftware.com>

Member No. 1 - 2008-05-15 3:10 PM Fergy...Big JW told me to be on the look out for you. I hear your a trouble maker over on that rouge site. Something about spreading rumors about how much you like your Vision. Would you post something like this: "That's an overweight smiley. "

I don't know Big JW. All I know is that if you insult my ride or insult my choice of ride, I'll insult you. Anyway, I'm not a trouble maker. I run the Rogue group and they're trouble for me.