Grebs_59 posted a great article today about how the Vision is made but the MCN review of the Vision is the one I have been waiting for. For those of you who don't know, MCN is 100% subscriber supported, meaning no advertising at all. It is expensive ($7.00/issue) and until last month was printed in black and white. These guys bow down to no one and are notorious for calling it like they see it. They are the Consumer Reports of motorcycling. If you are the sensitive type and they review the model you ride, you will probably remember the article for all of the faults they found and then printed out for the world to read.

The April edition has a Supersteel Gray Tour, ridden two up, leaning left through a sweeper, in full color, taking up almost half of the entire cover. All it says on the cover is Victory Vision. No clue what is to come. The feature is four pages long - Two pages of writing, broken up into six categories; Powertrain, Chassis & Suspension, Wheels, Tires & Brakes, Instruments & Controls, Styling & Ergonomics and Final Thoughts. One page of pictures with captions and excerpts from the Testers Logs. The final page is specifications and performance data. It is laid out like Consumer Reports with with numbers and measurements out the wazoo. Of note is the Dynomometer Data, Performance stats, and the Rating System which has a 5-dot table exactly like Consumer Reports. Ok, enough intro, on to the test!

The title of the article is Victory Vision Tour - The World's Biggest Sport-Tourer? (This made me grin since my previous ride was a Kawasaki Concours.) The author is Gary Prickett. The road test was conducted in Southern California as part of a multi-day sport touring ride. The Vision was thrown in with 22 highly experienced riders on mainly BMW GS's and Roadsters with a few Yamaha FJR's and FZ1's thrown in. (Can you imagine a Harley Ultra being tested with this group!?) The Vision Tour weighed 890 lbs, wet.

Powertrain: The majority of the riding was on twisty roads between 35-65 mph. They flogged it hard and spent most of the time in 2nd and 3rd gear, with the tach between 3000-5000 rpm. Gas mileage obviously suffered but the engine never overheated or made any mysterious noises. It was also flawless at highway speeds, 65+. No vibration, good throttle response and they really thought the closed-loop fuel injection was dialed in for maximum comfort and performance. They like the 6-speed tranny but said that lazy shifting will result in some "banging" of the gears but preloading the shifter made for smoother gear changes. They liked the light clutch pull.

Chassis and Suspension: They describe the frame, airbox, precision-drilled mounting points, suspension travel and air-adjustable rear shock. They said the suspension was very effective (given the size of the bike) but the passenger reported that sharp bumps weren't always damped. (Just ask PalmBeachRider's passenger.)

Wheels, Tires & Brakes: 16" rear wheel is critical to the low, 28.245" seat height. The downside is checking and inflating the rear tire. Most of the wheel is taken up by the brake rotor on the left side and belt drive on the right. "This is one bike that could certainly benefit from the installation of an integrated tire pressure monitoring system in conjunction with an angled valve stem." (Couldn't have said it better myself. My personal #1 beef.) They liked the linked braking system and said it worked well but, like most reviewers, were surprised it didn't have ABS.

Instruments & Controls: They really like the dash display, calling it "exceedingly legible". They thought that the trigger for cycling through the LED displays was "Very clever". It's not really clear what the test bike had on it but they mention all of the electronic options and noted that the premium integrated sound system was an obvious priority with focus groups. They mention the power outlets and all of the controls and buttons on the dash and handlebars. No mention of playing with the GPS, XM sat radio or intercom system.

Styling & Ergonmics: "The chance of achieving consensus is highly unlikely, especially when the Victory Vision is the subject of discussion." They note that love it or hate it, it will stand out in any crowd. They said that Victory "nailed it" in the comfort department. Loved the seat padding, wind management (power windshield & winglets), heated grips and seats, and adjustable pedals. The long floorboards and tipover points were also noted. They mentioned the "fiddly factor" in having to remove the bolts and nuts that attach the license plate bracket and frame in order to remove the trunk.

Final Thoughts: Luxurious. Looks like nothing else. Commended Victory for their bold design leap. "...created a motorcycle that exudes quality and comfort and that offers handling characteristics that equal or exceed all the other players in the market." Although maybe not a true sport-tourer, equally up to the challenge of long distance luxury touring or twisty back road romps.

Tester's Logs: The author, Gary Prickett, has logged 40,000 miles on a BMW K1200LT. (Of note, he called it his previous favorite experience with a touring bike.) He noted that engine and suspension differences give the LT a slight edge when running hard and fast on twisty roads but the difference wasn't as much as he would have thought. He does not consider himself a cruiser kind of guy and seemed genuinely surprised that nothing scraped on the twisty roads. He is 5'8" tall and really loved the fact that he could place both feet flat on the ground at a stop. He noted that most people who saw it liked it...a lot. The other tester was Frank Santos, who rode passenger. Loved the plush back seat and got minimal buffet, even with the windshield at its lowest position. Two issues; Grab rails were too far forward and the protruding tabs were in the wrong spot. Mounting/dismounting was awkward. Once seated, loved it.

Stats: 80.3 hp, 93.4 lb/ft torque, measured top speed - 118.1 mph, 1/4 mile - 12.96 sec/100.55 mph, 0-60 mph - 4.65, speed at 65 mph indicated - 63.7.

Overall rating 4 (very good) out of 5. Lowest rating was 3.5 (tranny) highest was 4.5 (ergonomics, instruments/controls, attention to detail) 4 dots for Engine, Suspension, Brakes, Handling, Riding impression, Value.

"Picks" - Beautifully finished style, great motor, remarkable comfort, stability and cornering behavior.

"Pans" - No ABS (noted that even Harley offers it), no centerstand (preferably electric), no reverse.

I don't know about the rest of you but it sounds like they've been reading our mail!