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New user
Posts: 3
Floral City, Florida | I have questions so this seemed like the place to ask them! I live in W Central Florida a little north of Tampa I was raised in what was then the little town of New Port Richey but since then I have moved a little further north.
Background: At Daytona a couple years ago I rode a Vision Tour and though the styling seemed a bit out there it rode very well and I was impressed.
Today: Having sold a couple of my bikes I am interested in replacing them with a Vision but I know very little about them other than I liked the way it runs and it seemed pretty comfortable, so my questions are
1. What changes have taken place since they were first introduced?
2. I probably will buy a used one so is there anything I should look for and avoid?
3. It seems like they are pretty well equipped but being a BMW rider I am used to having lot's of farkles so what options should I look for?
4. How about seats? I have read quite a few posts and I am not seeing the usual "terrible seat" posts that you find on other makes forums.
5. A BIG ONE FOR ME: Where in Florida can I rent one for a weekend? I would like to ride one for a thousand or so miles to get a better feel for it.
Finally thanks to all who post here as usual these forums offer the unitiated a lot of valuable information and it is great of you all to share.
Big Jim
Edited by Big Jim 2011-02-07 5:07 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| Have you test rode one yet?
If you go through the forums and read the threads that interest you, many finer points will come to light.
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Fountain Inn, SC United States | Big Jim - 2011-02-07 5:50 AM
1. What changes have taken place since they were first introduced?
2. I probably will buy a used one so is there anything I should look for and avoid?
3. It seems like they are pretty well equipped but being a BMW rider I am used to having lot's of farkles so what options should I look for?
4. How about seats? I have read quite a few posts and I am not seeing the usual "terrible seat" posts that you find on other makes forums.
5. A BIG ONE FOR ME: Where in Florida can I rent one for a weekend? I would like to ride one for a thousand or so miles to get a better feel for it.
Finally thanks to all who post here as usual these forums offer the unitiated a lot of valuable information and it is great of you all to share.
Big Jim
1a. Since it's introduction in 2008, there have been only minor changes except for 2011. The '11 trannys (across all models) were redesigned to make them quieter and easier to find neutral. They also extended the oil change interval to 5000 miles. The pre'11 trannys are fine and just as bulletproof, but 4th & 6th gears are noisy. With full synthetic oil, many of us were changing oil at 5k miles anyway.
1b. Early models ('08-'09) had issues with their radio but that can be resolved with a firmware update from a dealer.
1c. '08 models had a "dimple" in the finish of the hardbags but it wasn't very noticeable unless you looked for it.
1d. '11 Visions also changed the gear indicator for quicker display. It is now a computer calculation rather than a sensor on the pulley. Downside is that once you pull the clutch in, the gear indicator displays "- -".
2. There are no deal breakers or things to avoid in the early models. Victory did a great job in developing and debugging this bike before release. That being said, there are always those who preach, never buy a first year production model. If there are '08's around, I'm sure you can get them for cheap $$. Well worth it IMO.
3. Depends on how many gadgets you want. The optional Lowers are the only thing that I 'd recommend but that's personal taste. The ipod cable is a good ad-on if you have an ipod otherwise it come standard with a universal mp3 player cable.
4. The Vision seat is fantastic. No other stock seat comes close (especially on a bmw). You haven't seen many complaints for a reason.
5. Well, Daytona is coming up soon and usually FL dealers also work at the demo ride tent. I'm sure they'll be able to tell you.
Glad you found this site. Hope you find your way onto a Victory, you'll be glad you did.
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Tourer
Posts: 523
seattle, wa | The 08s backfire alot if you put an aftermarket exhaust on. I don't know if they fixed that problem or not.
The seat is comfy, never heard anyone say they didn't like it.
All in all, a very tough bike, I have an 08 street premium, and I like everything about it.
I'm up here in Seattle so I can't help you on the FL. rental, but there has to be someone that does. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1359
New Bohemia, Va | KevinX must be busy, but Gainesville would be the best place to go to get a lot of expert answers and take a test ride. For that matter, most dealers are set up for a test ride with a little advance notice, you don't have to wait for the demo truck or special events. With any year Vision you won't go wrong, just make sure you don't get an '08 that was once owned by a guy named "Teach". He, to date, has owned the worse Vision that was ever made, all the others have been great. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | The biggest functional change from the '08 to the later models is probably the availability of reverse. Aside from that it has mostly been color changes and refinement. Victory pretty much got it right from the beginning. The Vision is plenty powerful in stock form, but the Goldwing and BMW will be slightly faster. If this ever becomes a concern, Lloyd Greer (Lloydz Motorworkz) has developed a drop-in cam, intake, and fuel-controller package that adds 30+ horsepower and remains totally reliable with no decrease in fuel economy. I've had the VM1 cams, intake plate, VFCIII, and reprogrammed ECU added to my '08 (with stock exhaust), and it flat runs away from GL1800s now, and still beats them on fuel economy to boot. One of the top mechanics in the country is in north Florida at Polaris of Gainesville. Ask for Kevin. He is well versed in upgrading the Vision, and is very knowledgeable about Victory bikes in general. From what I hear, Polaris of Gainesville is a good place to do business.
The first accessory I would want, if I were starting over, would be the lower wind deflectors. The second would be reverse. I'm in the minority on the desire for reverse, but I'm getting a few years on me, I have short legs, and I have an old injury, and the bike weighs 1200+ pounds when 2-up and loaded for a trip. I would definitely make use of reverse if I had it. If you've got a 30+ inch inseam, you probably won't miss it.
I live in Missouri and my dealer lets prospective customers take a demo Vision for the whole weekend if they show serious interest. I hear that many Victory dealers are quite accommodating regarding test rides.
Ronnie
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Cruiser
Posts: 277
Apopka, FL | Welcome Jim to the world of Vision. I am a fairly new member on this site having purchased a 2009 Vision Tour Premium last fall. I'm not new to Victory however, having ridden a Victory Touring Cruiser since 2006 and know them to all be rock solid machines. The Vision saddle is great. Some purchase a backrest for the driver through Utopia. I have ordered the lowers and will place them on myself this week. The 106 can be a little warm and these supposedly help dissipate that heat by directing increased air flow. If you want a little more power, you need to contact Kevinx here on this forum. He will do a little cam magic on your bike and you will be further impressed. If you purchase the Vision Tour Premium, add the CB unit and GPS unit, you will have almost all the toys needed and available. Good luck shopping. I was able to find a 2009 leftover and purchased at a used price. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1229
Rancho Cucamonga, CA | I bought a backrest, never use it cause the seat is so comfortable and deep already. Bought highway pegs, and returned them cuase the floorboards are so long, you've got so much room to play around anyway. Basically, the bike doesn't NEED anything. Most people change out the exhaust to get a sound that THEY like. You would have to hear the bike your buying to see if it works for you or not. Old Harley riders like em louder, GW and BMWers tend to stay stock.
After saying all this, you can see what mods I have done below..
Edited by Nozzledog 2011-02-07 4:12 PM
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New user
Posts: 3
Floral City, Florida | Some answers are in order, Yes I have ridden one twice, I liked it both times and the first one was on a hot day in Daytona and that bike had the lower air deflectors, needless to say they are on the "must have" list. As for the pipes Nozzledog hit it right on the head, I want to hear the stereo not the pipes, reverse, the best idea since ice cream!! my Beemer has it and so did the wings of the past though I got along with my Harley's and they didn't. Fuel economy, huh never even occured to me to ask about that so what kind of consumption should I expect? My last Harley (a Road Glide) stayed in the mid 40's and the Beemer stays around 50 I sort of expected this bike would be in the 40's somewhere. GPS, I do a little rallying and a lot of traveling and already have 2 GPS units so expect to be able to use one (or maybe both) of them on the Vision and CB will be another "must have" because my circle of friends use it to communicate while on a ride. Quite a few of the Visions i have lookes at setting in parking lots have had heated grips and I see that heated seats are another option that I would very much like to have but that brings another question to mind STATOR as I imagine many of you know charging system capacity on most bikes out there is limited and Harleys have had a string of stator failures on loaded up touring models so the question is does anyone have a problem like this on there Vision? I want to thank all who have replied and those who may in the future it's this kind of thing that makes riding a great way to make new friends! |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | Mine's an '08. I generally average in the low 40's on fuel mileage. I've seen as low as 38 when running hard into headwinds, and as high as 52 (once) when putting around slow in the mountains. Mid 40's are fairly common if you have a good tailwind. My bike is loaded up with CB/Intercom, heated seats and grips, HID driving light, and four controllers for two full sets of heated riding gear. The charging system handles it all just fine. As far as I know, the Vision isn't known for stator failures. It's a 50 Amp system.
Like you, my circle of friends have CB radios on their bikes, which we use a lot when we ride, and it's a must have on my list of options.
I don't have a GPS, yet. There are some units that integrate directly with the Vision's audio system. Several people have already adapted various other GPS units by changing their connector to match the Vision's. The pinouts can be found on this forum.
Ronnie
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Had to replace the stator on my 08 @ ~50,000 miles. It was covered under the extended warranty. I think the newer Visions have a different stator, so they may have been improved. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 28
| I have an 09 Tour Premium with 6500 miles and get between 40-45, sometimes a little less if I am heavy on the throttle. No CB (use the Scala headsets instead) but I use a Garmin 650 linked into the audio system, so, pretty much any GPS will link in pretty easily. Have also added fog lights, additional powerlet outlet, and a heated clothing outlet and have not had any electrical or stator issues.
I think you'll be happy with any model year of Vision. It's a great machine and one of the best handling bikes I have ridden.
Mike
Edited by hammo 2011-02-08 10:15 PM
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New user
Posts: 3
Floral City, Florida | thanks again guys I'm off tomorrow to visit a couple of dealerships and catch the fever! |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| This post will go for ever.
What 1% of the vision have problems the others are to busy riding and having fun.
Good Luck on what ever you fine. |
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Another newbie!
