2013 Victory VISION Touring Bike reviews

First thing you notice is the unique styling. A lot of the look is plastic. Yet underneath it's skin is an extreme frame design unlike any other. Having been to the Harley plant in Pennsylvania, they use a standard rigid steel tube frame. The Victory uses larger cast alloy frame sections that are used to channel air through the frame to cool the rider and the motor. It has air suspension to eliminate road vibration to the driver seat and handle bars. The wheel base is the longest stock length of any bike I know. This contributes to a great highway feel yet is nimble on the turns. Think of a Bergman Scooter on Steroids. Sorta but much heavier. What makes this bike so amazing are it's long stove pipes with miles of chrome. The ABS breaks are a must have to avoid sliding out of control in wet or gravel roads or fast power breaking.

Heading to Mom's in Foxboro, I was only going to test drive the new Indians to pass some time for the day. There was a scheduled Indian trailer hauling all the new models for a big event. I took my 2006 HD Ultra Classic with 26,000 miles for the ride to the dealer with no intention of buying. I was lucky enough to meet the owner, Joe, while I was waiting. I was complaining about the awful handling of the Harley even though I had been on it for years and had plenty of experience and so prefer riding my Ducati ST3 39K miles with the additional power and handling it provides. Hearing my style of riding he pointed to a Victory Bagger, his son's bike, and asked if I had ever tried a Victory. I hadn't but had heard they were a great ride. I took it for a ride and was blown away with the ergonomics, balance and power of the bike...but decided to ride it hard. I took it on the highway at speed and then decided to take it down the worst road I knew in the area for potholes. My Harley which I took down that rode just earlier felt like my life was in danger with the bouncing off the seat and horrible handling. The Victory was barely felt it. Returning to the dealer, Joe had the Vision set up and ready for another run and even though I felt a little silly with the style, I decided to take it - WOW. Now I had the same suspension, power, handling but with heated seats and grips and wind tunnel developed fairings. This bike was "amazing"!! It took the best of my Harley comfort and the best of my Ducati horsepower, handling and braking and offered it to me in one bike. Joe made me a great trade when I returned and a huge discount. I'm so glad I took his advice. The only complaints are very minor. Some body fitting lines are a little off, not bad but noticeable. The bike's tour pack is very easy to remove and replace and with the less weight, it offers more sporty of handling. The bike is very heavy but perfectly balanced and the height accomodates my 5'6" self. I am able to ride much later into this fall with the heated features and expect I will start earlier in the fall. Joining the Mass Bay Victory Rider Group put me in touch with other local riders who mostly use Visions and all attested to the fact that these go long distance with ease. Thank you Victory for thinking outside the box and making a high performance touring bike. My girl friend and I love it - and it is made in the USA!!!!

I sold my HD Road Glide in November and went looking for a bike that fit. I found the Vision and knew it was for me. No need to buy extra parts, the bike has built-in adjustments for foot controls. I got it in January, almost 5,000 miles on it now. It fits the big guy great. It has lots of power, super handling and is great in the curves, etc. It averages 42 mpg. overall and handles two up with no problem. It has a large comfortable seat for a passenger. I get many positive comments about the bike all the time. It is a super bike.

OK, I've been a Harley guy for many years. While researching making the switch to a touring bike, I came upon the Victory Vision Tour. Wow!!! So many positives and very few negatives. This bike is the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden, and I didn't have to give up power. Sure, Harley has a little more uumph in the low end, but mid-range and up is amazing, and very smooth. In all the articles I've reviewed and folks I've talked with, we are very happy with our move up to Victory. Handling is second to none. With the lower center of gravity, this bike's handling is awesome. Very well done Polaris/Victory. I love the Arlen Ness package!!!

I bought my VisionTour in Montreal, drove it home and two days later left with some friends to tour the Smokey Mountains. We went down on 219, and what a great ride. My friends had a couple of Harley's and it was funny at idle how they vibrate so much compared to mine. I also like that I can hear my stereo. It is a nice handling bike and I have only had my licence for a couple of years. I went from a 650 V Star which was very good starter bike, but loaded with aftermarket exhaust! The four way flashers helped as we had to stop on Highway 81 coming home for a Harley breakdown requiring a tow to the dealer! It is also great to be able to remove the top box and put pieces in place. It looks like the new Honda Goldwing with no box, maybe Honda wanted to copy ours!! Great for around town.

Just over three years ago I purchased a V Star 1300 Tourer. I hadn't ridden a bike for over 20 years and figured the 1300 would be a good place to restart riding, it was. I outgrew it and my wife has been showing interest in riding with me and the 1300 wasn't quite enough. Six to seven months ago I started shopping around comparing features, reliability and prices. Sorry Harley, you can't beat the features for the price. We looked at the Cross Country Tour initially but I kept looking at and going back to check out the Vision. The Vision's only set back that I see is storage. But, the comfort and features and with a few storage options like the rack that mounts on the rear storage trunk, we can get around that. I still have to get used to the slow parking lot manuevers but out on the road it far out performs the 1300. It loves to go. On back roads and twisties it does not hesitate laying into the turns. Out on the highway, adjust the electric powered windscreen, turn on the tunes, hit the cruise control and just go, anywhere. The Vision is a beautiful bike and a lot of fun to ride.

The plan was to stop by two Victory dealers - one in Katy, TX, one in El Campo,TX, then go home. Well I stop in Katy and traded my M109 in on a Vision. I have been looking at the Vision for a time now. I've been looking at Harleys, too. I still like my M109 but wanted mini van options - you know - cruise and a stereo!! The quality is like Japanese bike plastic body parts. The engine is solid, the tranny is solid also once you understand its quirks. The Vision looks big but handles like my 109 did!! The power is smart, not quick, not fast. The gear selector on the infowindow is useless to me but a neat feature. Victory should have saved the $$ on it and put it into other areas. The first weekend I had it I put 800 miles on it!! My biggest whine is the 20/40 oil they say goes into it. Proprietary sales I say. They are the only ones making 20/40. The mpg. is low to mid 30's the way I drive which is semi-aggressive. I think if you look and ride one, you will buy one!!! P.S. I get asked questions everywhere I go and the Harley people just look but stay in their family. That is OK with me, I do not need to fit in.

I finally decided to upgrade from my sportbike to a touring bike because we are doing much less knee dragging and more sight seeing. Unfortunately, I was not able to make the purchase until November and have not been riding quite the way I would like to. I was so excited about my victory ride that I took it to work the first chance I got. I rode the bike to my job in DC, but when I left I did not realize it was only 41 degrees. I was bundled pretty good, but what surprised me is that I got to work almost 50 miles later without even having a runny nose. I was as toasty as could be after an awesome ride in. The bike handled like a dream and cruise worked great on the open highway. Heated seats and grips are a must in this type of weather. The next time I rode the bike, the temperature dropped down to 31 degrees, but being behind all that fairing was like sitting in the cab of a truck. I could never have done this type of riding in this type of weather on my sportbike. I'm glad I came toward the light and I can't wait until the weather gets better so I can do some long trips.

I have owned a Yamaha V-Star 1300 and then a Yamaha Venture. I loved the Venture or at least I thought I did until I test drove a Vision a week ago. My wife and I went to a demo day and rode home on a 2013 Victory Vision. That was on a Saturday. On the following Monday we headed to the Smoky's. We rode from about 9 a.m. every day until after dark, just going through the mountains and enjoying the view. We left Paducah, KY. late in the afternoon and stayed all night in Cookeville, TN. The next day we rode from Cookeville, to Maryville, TN. and got on HWY 129, also known as the Tail of the Dragon. From there we rode HWY 28 to Cherokee N.C. and then got on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville N.C. and we were never tired!!! We never had the dread of getting back on the bike after a fuel stop or the dread of getting back on it the next morning after an overnight stay. My wife says the passenger seat is like sitting on our couch at home! The Vision has an electric windshield, heated seats and grips and ABS brakes - none of which are offered on the Venture. The bike handled like it was lighter than the 900 lbs. that it weighs. Cornering was awesome, the ride amazing!! The Venture offered as stock a CB and intercom system. I do miss that, but gladly trade that for a more superior ride and comfort. The Venture had a smoother acceleration, but that is due to the V-4 compared to the V-twin. The Venture was also very top heavy. With the Vision having the primary drive and the final drive on opposing sides. the balance of the bike is amazing. My opinion of the Vision is A+++++!!!!

OK, here goes. I got tired of my 2006 Electra Glide - 40,000 miles in five years. The Harley was rock solid and reliable, but the handling always made me a bit unsure. Too much corner speed and it would start dancing. So the wife and I started looking at the Vision. We talked to Arlen Ness in Dublin, CA and he convinced me to try one out. It was love after the first mile. I used to own a BMW 1100 RT - great bike but too tall for me. Well the Victory handles a lot like the RT but much lower seat height and lots more comfort - plenty of power, too. Glad we bit the bullet on this bike. don't ride one unless you are ready to buy, because you'll want one!!!