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Cruiser
Posts: 193
Buford, GA United States | Just got my September edition and they have a review of 4 baggers, Harley Ultra Classic, Kawasaki Voyager, Star Royal Star Venture and the Vision. The article is by Bill Stermer and 3 other riders that he does not give the names of. Most of the article talks about how powerful the Vision is and that you should arm wrestle your riding buddies to make sure you get to ride the Vision. The conclusion is that the Kawasaki comes in last with the Vision third and the Star and the Harley tied for first. All four of the riders after 2 days of riding voted 1 to 4 with points awarded just the opposite (ie first place gets 4 points fourth gets 1 point). The Vision lost points for storage and one of testers called the look "absurd": give me a break. All of the bikes tested were 09's and they stated that the average mpg of the Vision was a high of 34.2 and a low of 31.3 of single up riding. I ride a 08 Black Tour Premium with almost 19,000 miles on it and 3/4 of it 2 up and I have never gotten below 38 mpg and I don't spare the gas on start ups as I love to be the first out of the block every time. I think the problem is they were using an Ice Blue and the weight of the ice caused the problem where if a black one was used there would have been no problems...Rider Mag is the best but this is the first article that ticked me off... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Here is the way I see it. Yes the Vision loses some points on storage. It will hold as much as the HD for example but packing it is the issue. Even the trunk loses some of its storage capacity which is actually in the lid, UNLESS you use the trunk bag.
As for the absurd comment? Well different strokes for different folks. The Vision is a love hate looking bike and it is hardly conventional. So I suppose absurd is appropriate.
I'd like to know if the mileage was based on actual fuel used or the instrument readout. The problem as I see it is two fold. First off one can never be sure if the tank is completely full due to the filling/cross bleeding issue. So you might get it pretty full but not full which would impact the numbers. Second would be if the dash readings are off which we all know they are, so to would be mpg, miles traveled, etc... since they all feed through the same electronics for their readings. So while we all might believe we are getting 40, 45, 50 mpg we really can't say with any reasonable certainty. All I know is I can ride what the odo says is 200 miles and it requires a few gallons to fill her up. If I was more interested in mpg I might actually try to track it, but I'm not.
Finally, who are these supposed evaluators anyhow? Well most are novice riders who write for magazines. Their OPINIONS mean nothing in the grand scheme. I was talking to a guy last week who was taking a Vision out for a test ride. It was obvious he had researched the bike and we exchanged a few comments. Before he fired up the bike I asked him if he was really ready to spend the money and he gave me a weird look. I then told him if he rode it he'd be writing a check. He did bu it and what is even more amusing is his son rode his new vision and he ended up buying one as well the same day.
The point is a writers opinion means nothing so long as you are satisfied with the bike. I like the fact I don't see a bunch of bikes LIKE mine on the road |
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Cruiser
Posts: 193
Buford, GA United States | All I know is that the first time that I saw a Vision that was all I thought about and once the better half was convinced I had one 2 days later. I can keep up with most crotch rockets when I ride single=which is really fun...you really need to read the article to see how pitiful the final solution is. If they had only used a black or an SSG we probably wouldn't have this problem... that slow blue stuff why oh why... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | Concidering we're talking 106 ci. MPG in the high 30's is quite an acomplishment. I have friends that have spent thousands in "gofast" goodies that aveage high 20's and I can still keep up. I cant beat them but I impress them every time. Plus Im the one they ask when they run out of room when packing. Maybe if I told them to carry their own crap, I could beat them? Goldwing and HD have a following that is hard to beat. I give Honda credit for tackling HD and comming out with a tie. As far as styling, everyone has an opinion. I dont think it should be a deciding factor when it comes to a review. But its not my magazine. To each his own. All I know is the Vision puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. Thats all I need! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 79
Memphis,Tn. | Hello all. A new Vision owner here. I read the complete Rider test 24 hours before I purchased my Vision.
Do yourself a favor and read Clement Salvadori's column in the same issue. Harley Davidson "loans" Clement a nice new bike (exactly on schedule) every year to ride cross country back home. This is editorial bias at it's worst. I do appreciate the fact he was honest (or clueless) enough mentioned this to his readers.
They gave a good review to the new Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 a month or so ago, and then they trashed the bike in this month's review.
Junk journalism. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | In this economy cover price would not keep a magazine alive. Advertizers are paying the bills right now. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | when I first read about the Vision, that it was a TOURER with a 26.5 seat height and large floorboards and a V-TWIN, I didn't see too many other words after that...nor since getting one.
HD is so engrained in the minds of people being "the motorcycle" they can't take it that something else might come along... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 204
guelph ontario | If the Vision had an HD badge on it-everyone would be going ga ga. As VA says-closed minds prevent folks from seeing past the moniker. Yesterday at a bar one of the guys next to us thought they were Hondas and were great bikes. When he found out they were Visions his eyes glazed over and he was filled with bewonderment. Lets face it, people can be jerks and often aren't afraid to show it. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | What frosted my chrome covered nuts the most was the final part of the article which stated " The Vision most likely would have come in first place but one rider considered its LOOKS ABSURD" So because a bikes looks didnt agree with his personal taste,,, the entire rest of its quality, ride, features, etc etc etc dont matter? now THAT is what i call absurd. To me thats just a stupid
moronic comment for someone to have made, much less printed. Im sorry, i dont like the Ferrari Testarosa because ITS BLUE.
how stupid Rider magazine continuously and obviously promotes HD unfairly, which is why i read the magazine with a grain of truth. Lets face it , each one of us could have and probably tested one of these bikes, and still decided on the Vision. We also still own them. Look at the national statistics for turn over dates for HD owners... 2.7 years of ownership......... but they do make nice macho belt buckles, beer cozies, wind breakers, pony tail holders, wallets, chains for wallets, dog collars, beer mugs, and match books
all of which are not made in the USA. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 127
| Said it on the other site, and I'll say it here. I still have mixed feelings about the Vision's styling. Absurd? Not really... Jetsonish? Certainly.
The fact is, this bike makes me, a novice rider, feel very confident and secure when I lay it over for a fast turn. The power is there to straighten out if I cut too hard, and the geometry simply seems to intuit the road ahead. For some reason, I seem to be getting a real 49MPG, which is acceptable for a scooter or a 650cc, let alone a 1700cc big bore twin. I'm comfortable over a 200 mile trip in 100+ weather. I can listen to my favorite 70's tunes (Ted Nugent, welcome aboard) and raise the windshield if my head's being beaten around. The Vision does everything every other bike does, and does it well. I can certainly live with a few negative comments about it's style for everything else it gives me. Absurd? Damn, If only HD could be this absurd. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 72
Newberry, Mi. | I hardly ever agree with the conclusions magazine writers draw. Most of the time they are boy racers who's experience is often limited to dirt bikes and crotch rockets. In terms of cruisers or long range bikes I question their credibility.
As for judging the style, well that's completely subjective and should no way be factored into a score. Sure, look at the fit and finish and function, but let the consumer decide if they like the style or not.
As for giving favor to the Harley's, of course they will. If not on a dirt bike or racer, it's hard to ignore the apparent "coolness" of a Harley. I liked HD when they weren't so "cool", or when every yuppie with a checkbook rode one. (Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good folks on Harley's too.)
I could care less if people warm up to the Vision, as long as enough people enjoy them to keep it in the line-up. In fact, I hope people don't start buying them left and right, I really don't like being like everyone else. |
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Tourer
Posts: 523
seattle, wa | I agree with Rob41 100%. |
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Tourer
Posts: 554
2 mi from Jim Beam n KY | Sounds like CNN...... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | Who was it that said? Doctor said I should quit drinking, so I quit going to doctors. Educated people read things and say, that cant be. Then there are sheep that just follow the herd. Vision riders are not sheep. |
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Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | Joker - 2009-08-01 9:45 PM
they stated that the average mpg of the Vision was a high of 34.2 and a low of 31.3 of single up riding. I ride a 08 Black Tour Premium with almost 19,000 miles on it and 3/4 of it 2 up and I have never gotten below 38 mpg and I don't spare the gas on start ups as I love to be the first out of the block every time. I think the problem is they were using an Ice Blue and the weight of the ice caused the problem where if a black one was used there would have been no problems...Rider Mag is the best but this is the first article that ticked me off...
Ice blue aside for a moment... My '08 Tour Premium has gotten 36.4 mpg over the last 5000 miles.
It could have something to do with me being about the size and weight of a barn door, but the super fast Midnight Cherry should have offset that a bit.
My computer operating system of choice is Linux.
My backpack is an external frame.
My bicycle is a long wheelbase underseat steer recumbent.
In high school I was 6'4" and 200lbs. Instead of football, I chose debate and sailboat racing.
and I ride a Victory Vision.
Anyone notice a pattern developing? I bought a Vision BECAUSE it is absurd.
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Tourer
Posts: 423
northwest florida | I am avg 41 - 44 mpg on my Vision. Maybe the writer was looking at the wrong display. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | dude that mileage is ABSURD !!! |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Joker - 2009-08-01 9:45 PM
.... All of the bikes tested were 09's and they stated that the average mpg of the Vision was a high of 34.2 and a low of 31.3 of single up riding...
When I first got my vision in the winter of 07 I would average a confirmed low of about 32mpg, but mostly it would run around 36mpg. This was even after break in and it concerned me that I did something wrong because others were claiming 40+mpg. After remaps, the mileage improved some and in time has improved. I believed a lot of my problem was my driving habits and the fact there was a lot of around town driving.
I now average between 38mpg - 42mpg, with 38 being winter time and 42 being summer time.
It is plausible he just had a bike like mine or his habits are such that would bring it down.
Given other aspects of the article it just reminds of the O.J. trial, that glove ain't going to fit no matter what.
There's enough positive reviews out there and the Vision and Victory speaks for itself.
Back before I knew anything about the Vision and I was looking for a big bike I could afford, I mentioned to my Vic dealer I was interested in the Indian. His first comment was typical, positive and then negative. It's a good bike but who wants a bike from a manufacturer that keeps going under? That didn't sway my opinion of the bike, I still want one, but can't afford it at the moment. I don't want it to replace my Vision, I just want one because of the style. I actually don't want a new one, rather an older one that has been redone, or redo myself, when I can afford it.
My point is, negativity will only sway those who don't know what they are looking for, or are swayed in a different direction already.
It's also like this, Toyota is one of the most dependable vehicles on the planet, but I would rather have a Jeep for several personal reasons. However, they have their share of problems, but I'm looking for another one even though I got a dead one in my drive with only 100,000 miles on it.
So I spit in the eye of anyone who wants to talk bad about my Bentley or my Jeep..
Edited by varyder 2009-08-04 11:41 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 181
Henlow, Bedfordshire, England | interesting, motorcycle news tested these bikes: kawasaki VN1700 Voyager v Harley-Davidson Street Glide v Victory Vision Tour in june, they have a vision on longer term loan and overall the vision came out top. i met the rider at a show recently and he said that from the long test they did they were all fighting over who could ride the vision when their bums started going numb.................... |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | I am betting that they got the Vision topped off. Rode it and filled it on the kick stand...but did not top it off. Then rode it again...this time filling it up while straight up without topping off.
The first fill was a gallon short and the second fill up was a gallon and a half short. The only way to get consistent results when filling a Vision is to own one.
If you are impatient you will never fill a Vision to the top.
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 18
| I can't WAIT to be Absurd...in pearl white. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | titanchief,
I am looking forward to pictures. Please let us know when you get it! |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Duplicate
Edited by radioteacher 2009-08-04 4:34 PM
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 9
Prince George B.C. Canada | Riding 2-up we, the misses and I, get approx 48-50 mpg, big smile here, to the CDN gallon converted from litres and KMS. Even riding in the US the bike is usually plus 40 mpg, All manual calculation.....one of the best things and there are many 'BEST THINGS' about the Vision is the 6 gal US fuel tank. I am never in need of fuel when all my buddies need fuel after 125-150 miles... Only problem is things get a little 'Squirmy' when the wife and run a whole fuel run after the morning coffee.... You know you can't stop till the tank needs fuel.... |
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Rider Magazine Article
