The Victory Vision Tour is Victory’s flagship luxury tourer. While it’s still considered a cruiser type motorcycle, in my opinion, it competes with the Honda Goldwing rather than Harley’s Ultra Classic. The Victory Cross Country tour is Victory’s direct competition to H.D.’s Ultra.
Here’s just some of the luxury features standard on the Vision. Electrically adjustable windshield, heated hand grips, heated rider and passenger seats, full coverage frame mounted fairing, cruise control, ABS brakes, 6 speed overdrive transmission, 29 gallons of trunk and saddlebag space, audio speakers in the trunk as well as the fairing with a 3.mm MP3 jack in the AM/FM radio. The bike is also wired to accommodate a CB Radio and helmet communicator system. That’s pretty much every luxury feature anyone could ask for.
The motor of course is Victory’s Freedom 106 50° V-Twin (1731 cc’s) which transfers the Vision’s 100ft pounds of torque and 87HP to the rear wheel via carbon fiber reinforced belt.
The 6 speed overdrive transmission was revised and refined in 2011 for quieter and smoother operation. A very convenient feature is the positive neutral finder. Down shift into 1st at a stop and one click up puts you in neutral and no further.
Styling remains as it was when introduced in 2008. That is, entirely futuristic and remains a love it or hate it look. I’m in the love it category. To my eyes, it is a beautifully flowing and integrated motorcycle that isn’t reminiscent of anything else on the road.
The riding position is supremely comfortable. The bars fall readily to the hands and require no lean forward to reach the grips. The rider’s seat is extremely comfortable with excellent back support. The huge floor boards allow both tall and short riders to place their feet in an optimal position. With a 26.5 inch seat height, most riders will not have a problem flat footing the bike.
Out on the open road, the frame mounted fairing and lowers place the rider in a cocoon-like environment. If more air flow is needed, simply push a button and lower the windshield.
The day I rode the Vision, the temperature was in the 50”s. With the heated seats and grips and the windshield all the way up, I was perfectly comfortable wearing a mesh jacket. I can easily see riding this bike in below freezing temperatures with a heavy jacket and gloves with no chaps needed.
The Vision’s ride is quite plush yet, when the road gets to winding, this 900lb motorcycle can be flicked through the curves like a sport tourer. The lean angle this bike is capable of will amaze most riders. When the floor boards do touch down, you can safely scrape them all the way through the turn since there’s no mounting frame to catch the pavement and lever a tire.
Out on the interstate, the Vision has rock solid stability. In overdrive 6th at 80mph hardly any vibration reaches the rider. There’s no doubt the Vision can take you on a thousand mile a day ride in perfect comfort. It has all the power you’ll ever need or want, it looks great, has a great reputation for reliability and it’s put together with the precision of a fine swiss watch.
For a closer look and a test ride, head over to St. Pete Powersports at 555 34th Street S. St. Petersburg FL 33711 or call 727-456-6088. MSRP starts at a reasonable $20,999. Tell ‘em Motorman sent ya.
