Folding Lexan winglets under the very wide, fixed mirror assemblies also tweak the turbulence, but if all that wind noise is just too much, options like XM satellite radio, iPod or CD connectivity can tailor the sound to your liking. As for those electronics, we were quite satisfied with the user-friendly Garmin GPS on our Street test unit and the intuitive interface for all of the features. Controls were comfortably positioned and easily accessed on the dash and nicely positioned handlebar, and the speakers pumped our iPod's music through with authority (though at high speeds some of the bass was lost).
Love It Or Hate It
No matter how you slice it, the Vision's 21st-century personality and features are impressive; we're glad the company went for the gusto and opted for a radical design. The bold presentation brings to mind Honda's Rune-in the sense that it's one of the most forward-looking designs to enter mass production. The Vision has a well-thought-out feature set and attractive lines; the rear of the Street version especially has a muscular feel to it, and for my money, it's the winner in the styling sweepstakes.These eye-catching motorcycles should make for able contenders in the luxo touring wars, regardless of any hype.
Vision Tech
Talking Shop With The DesignersThe Vision is the result of years of concept designs and refinements. Designer Michael Song explains how it all got started.
Motorcycle Cruiser: Is it safe to assume that the Visteon concept bike was the catalyst for the Vision?
MS: I wouldn't say the Visteon was the catalyst but rather a reference point. A reference to how accepting touring riders were at the 2001 Sturgis intro and how much further we had to pushin our design.
MC: Which came first-the Visteon or Victory's desire to get into the touring market?
MS: Our desire to get in to the luxury touring market was there from the start. We weren't ready at the time, but the Visteon concept was a good opportunity to test the market and creatively have some fun.
MC: Presumably, the higher-ups gave you input into the functionality they wanted. Did you come up with the long and flowing design based on that?
MS: When the type of bike or segment is determined, we have a pretty clear idea what that rider is looking for. We go through lots of research before functional features are finalized. As concepts are developed, they have to embody the attributes of the New American Motorcycle brand. Long, low and flowing lines are one of the characteristics of our design, which originated from Vegas.
Designing a bike with so many angles and curves can be a manufacturing nightmare. Greg Brew, the chief industrial designer at Polaris and a former designer at BMW motorcycles, acknowledges the Vision offered an especially unique set of challenges:
Traditionally, motorcycle bodies are made with either steel or ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). Steel was quickly ruled out as too heavy a material for the Vision, while ABS, says Brew, is too labor-intensive and the desired gap tolerances would be difficult to achieve.
"We knew we needed a material that would provide more of an automotive-type finish while strictly limiting gaps. We also needed the body to be as light, yet as durable, as possible."
The solution was found with one of Victory's plastic suppliers. The 26 painted body panels used on the Vision would instead be injected molded with PC/PBT composite (a blend of polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate), a material more commonly used for automobile bumpers, trim and side moldings.
Jason Hoeve, program leader for the Vision, explains that while PC/PBT is more expensive per pound than ABS, there's a savings in the long run. That's because an adhesion promoter needs to be applied as a primer when painting ABS, which adds a step to the process. Primer isn't required for PC/PBT, so "the finished parts cost less because you don't have the extra process," according to Hoeve.
Meanwhile, Brew is happy with the gap tolerances being achieved with PC/PBT thanks to its low thermal-expansion rate (other plastics expand and contract more, thus requiring bigger gaps between mated parts).
What's In The Package?
The Vision comes in several trim options and special packages, which add style, comfort or performance enhancements to the base model.
Victory Vision Street$18,999 The base model includes a halogen headlight, cast wheels, cruise control and a manually adjustable shield.
Vision Street Premium$24,999
Same basic features as the standard Street, but adds lit Victory logo badges on the tank, an HID headlight, an electrically adjustable shield, heated handgrips and a premium chrome package
Victory Vision Tour$19,999
The base Tour model includes the same features as the Street model, but with the lockable topbox.
Vision Tour Comfort $24,999
This package adds the electrically adjustable shield, electrically heated grips and heated seat to the base model
Vision Tour Premium$21,999
HID headlight, lit badges, premium audio and premium chrome package
Victory also says more than 60 accessories will be available, designed especially for and in conjunction with this model.
Among these will be:
XM Radio
CB radio
10-disc CD player
Vision GPS from Garmin
Heated handgrips
Heated seats
Electric windshield kit
Chrome bodywork (access panel,engine trim, passenger floorboards, etc.)
Different height windshields-
tall, low and Blade (lowest)
Passenger backrest
Footrest risers
Rear trunk (to add to Street model)
Performance exhaust (two levels, following same lines as stock exhaust)Exhaust tips
Tourer Or Cruiser?
Is The Vision A Touring Cruiser Or Simply A Tourer?Victory positions the bike as a competitor to Harley's Ultra Classic Electra Glide, BMW's K 1200 LT and Honda's Gold Wing in the "luxury touring segment." Those are arguably three very different answers to the touring question, but in ways similarly focused. It's in the differences that Victory saw its opening.
The company determined the touring market was sliced up into distinct groups-none of which overlapped. The import brands-Honda and BMW-stress modern styling and a more ready, upright-riding position, while the American brand-Harley-goes for more relaxed ergos and emphasizes heritage in the styling. The open niche was a bike with American heritage yet featuring uniquely modern styling and a relaxed riding position-the Vision.
After that, marketing wonks stress, they extensively "benchmarked the competition." "We've studied the Gold Wing, the BMW K 1200 LT, the Ultra Glide. And we think we have something totally different," says Gary Gray, product manager, Victory Motorcycles.
Judging by the numbers, they do. The Gold Wing base model retails for $19,599, and packs on 1,832cc of displacement, a five-speed tranny (plus reverse) and a 6-gallon fuel tank. BMW's K 1200 LT starts at $21,770, displaces 1,172cc and also has five gears (and reverse) and a 6.2-gallon fuel capacity. And the base-model Electra Glide Classic is priced at $18,095-though the more comparable Ultra model (with the topbox) starts at $20,195. It features a 1,584cc engine, a 5-gallon fuel capacity and six gears. Seat heights for all three average around 30 inches.