Puddle Jumper
Posts: 14
| I'll address the article as it presents the issues of the bike:
1) Sound system. I test rode the Vision twice, and I did not get to wear ear plugs (something I normally do). I was able to hear the radio, but did not bring my iPod with me that day (wish I had), and I had a chance to work with the XM radio and normal AM/FM. Low frequencies do nothing for you while riding on a motorcycle, therefore a huge subwoofer would be overkill. Radio reception, even just South of the Twin Cities, was horrible. I didn't have my wife along to tell me if she could hear the tunes in the back.
2) Engine noise. Lots of it. Not as much as my V92C, which has a fairing, side bags (Champion) and tour trunk (Ebay special). I didn't have a problem with the engine noise at all, once I got used to it. My test bikes had a drive train whine, just as Jeff described, which was supposed to be examined by the engineers as they moved the fleet out of Minnesota. That drive train noise was much more disturbing.
3) Transmission/shifting. I've had the original 2000 transmission on my victory and the 2003 transmission. Nothing is louder than the original 99-00 Victory transmission. I thought the Vision had some shift noise, but that it shifted smoothly and with positive feel. I have no worries about the tranny...Victory learned their lesson, I think. I liked the hydraulic clutch. And it also needs to be stated that when I was riding the bikes, they had 400 and 600 miles on them...they weren't even broken in yet, and they were being used as a demo fleet.
4) Heat issues. I had none of them. I liked to move the power windshield, and moving the winglets on the bike really pushed air on my legs. I would have liked to have tried the driver foot pegs, which will be an option as well. I spend most of my time out there in the wind. I wonder if the electric seat was left on? Someone here in Minnesota had that happen to them.
5) Mirrors. Worked fine for me.
My conclusions were different than Jeff's. The negatives for me were the radio reception (lack of an external antenna), the lack of a heel/toe shifter (inexcusable, really. Sell a toe shifter as the option, rather than vice/versa), the size of the side bags, and the drive train whine.
The positives for me were the size of the trunk, the package items (electric windshield and heated seats/grips--all very practical here in Minnesota), the iPod integration, ergonomics (the most comfortable bike I've sat on other than my V92C...room for the driver and passenger, unlike any other touring bike out there), and I like the aesthetic nature of the bike as well.
Questions for me include ease of installing a trailer hitch and wiring, the longevity of tires on the bike (for example, BMW's tourer gets very poor mileage on tires), the actual fuel mileage on the bike (when on the test rides, the bikes were getting 50-60 MPG, whereas my 2000 V92C gets something under 30), and whatever odd issues will pop up as people buy these bikes and shake them down for Victory, as I and many others did with the V92C models in the early 2000s.
Nice write up, Jeff. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. |
Tourer
Posts: 562
SC, Bluffton | That is the first I have seen of the lower wings added on for air. The wife will have to
see those first prior to a purchase. She like a clean look, and we initially tried to keep
the Goldwing that way.
Choirguy mentioned tire life. Those Dunlop Elite III's are the Goldwing tires, so I already
have a spare rear for our Vision.  That means there are quite a few different
choices in manufacturers.
A person on the Goldwing board stated that Bushtec emailed him back pertaining to a
trailer hitch. Bushtec will work on one once somewill is willing to drop theirs off for R&D.
That might be sometime, as I don't think anyone wants to part with their new toy for an
extended period of time.
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What do you think of the "Is This Heaven?" article.
