I've ridden the bike to work every day since I picked it up a little over a week ago. I have gone out to the parking lot and given "the tour" at least 20 times. I am amazed at the number of non-riders who absolutely love it. I have a lot of pilot buddies who are also blown away by it. I have let 8 different riders take it out to get their impressions. They always come back with the same first words..."Wow, I can't believe how it handles!"

I rode with a guy who has a Suzuki M109R (seriously powerful bike with a 240mm rear tire). He followed me through a twisty country road and when we got to the first stop sign he pulled up and said "Man, I was scraping my pegs all over the place trying to keep up with you!" I said "Well, don't try to keep up. Just ride within your limits." He asked how fast it would go and I said "I don't know, I'm still breaking it in so I try to keep it around half throttle." He stared at me, trying to gauge my BS factor, and finally blinked..."Are you serious?" "Yep. I haven't begun to wring this thing out yet. Let's get together next week after I get the break-in check-up done and I'll find the edge of the envelope." We continued on that road until it crossed the county line and I continued to ride the curves as before. We pulled up to another stop sign and he said "Man, the road really sucks at this end. It was beating me to death." I looked back and realized that it was much less improved on this side of the county line and didn't even notice it until he mentioned it. I looked at him and said "Oh man, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice the road surface or I would never have gone that fast with you behind me." Again, the stare.

He gathered his composure and said "We need to race after you get it broken in." I said "OK, that might be fun. Let's have two races." His eyebrow arched "Two races? Why two?" I replied "Well, one that you choose and one that I choose." He looked at me, again, with the stare. "What's the difference?" he finally asked. I said "I know what you're going to choose. Flat out, straight line, top speed. Take less than a minute." He said "OK, what would you choose?" I stared him straight in the eye "Race you to Seattle and back."

He knew I wasn't joking.

Riding a sport-tourer for nearly five years really gave me a feel for twisties. I've never been on a big bike where the frame flexes and wallows through turns so I can't relate to how the Vision stacks up in that category. I can say that I hit curves with the same speeds and steering input that I used on the Concours, I just have to get used to a different RPM range. Having my feet out in front of me is really weird also.

I bought the Vision sight unseen with the confidence that it would be every bit as fun as the Connie. The Vision is actually more fun because I know I'm really gonna sneak up on some people and surprise them with this thing. (In the handling department, that is. That's the only time I'll sneak up on anybody.)

Some of you guys can battle over the record for longest stretch of highway from the back seat. I'll be on a back road, windshield lowered, radio off.....hunting.

Thanks John.  Every time I get on the bike I think of some words you wrote me when I first got involved here.  "Tom, you're gonna love it."

When I first got the bike I really, really liked it.  The more I ride it, the more I realize "I love this thing."

The article you wrote and the pics of you and Dee were very inspiring.  Thanks for the encouragement. 

The Vision has never felt like it is leaning too far. The only thing I would watch out for is getting too aggressive with it. I went out on my favorite local twisty road and went back and forth on it incrementally faster about 10 times until I was just tapping the floorboards on both sides. Once I hit that point, I pulled over and checked how much sidewall I had left. It was about 1/2 inch from the edge of the tread. The edge of the tread ends rather abruptly on those Dunlop 3's and I don't want to be dragging a floorboard and find out I need 10 more degrees of lean to make the turn.

The lean clearance on the Vision is fantastic. There is really no reason to drag the floorboards on a regular basis. Once you get the suspension dialed in with the kind of road you will be on and the load you are carrying (I use the handy-dandy pump a lot) it will feel planted like it is on rails.

Everything about this bike is built with one purpose in mind; to make you look good. It does it in spades.

My first bike was a V-Star 650. Nice, mellow bike that was great to learn on and gain confidence. Also a cheap investment in case I didn't like motorcycles as much as I thought I would. After about 6 months I realized that I needed bike that was better than I was. I wanted the V-Star to go faster, lean farther and brake harder than I was comfortable with. I needed bike with a margin of safety and performance that exceeded my riding style, just in case I got in over my head. After looking at all the options and my budget, I picked the Connie. Long distance (7.5 gal gas tank), sporty handling (but top heavy), excellent brakes and crazy power. All for $5700 brand new. This bike could accelerate, lean and stop to a degree that was way outside my comfort zone. I read a lot of books and visited a lot of forums to see how to safely push the envelope on the bike until I knew where the edge was. Once I found it, I almost never went there again. I had a giant margin of error built in to the bike because I'm really not a kneedragger. I've just learned to be really smooth in curves.

The Vision is the same way. Now that it is broken in I will take it to redline in every gear just to know what the edge feels like, then never go there again unless I have to. I know what the lean limit feels like now and I've also practiced panic stops both in parking lots and from 80 mph. I know what it feels like to have the back tire just start to break loose. Will I do it for fun? Never. Will I freak out if I overcook a turn or have to hammer down on the brakes? I hope not. I've been to the edge and it's pretty far out there.

That's what I'm talkin' about!  A day in the life.........excellent.

Don't piss off the wife.  She has access to the seat heaters.