Vision Vs. Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic
My first thought when I climbed on the "big" harley after a couple of weeks aboard the vision was that the Electra glide suddenly felt like a minibike-it simply feels much smaller. The harley is roomy enough for me (unlike the gold wing), but adding a passenger feels more crowded than either the Victory or the Honda.
The Electra glide's "smallness" translates to more manageable handling at low speeds, but the victory's superior suspension gives it a handling edge out on the road, especially if the road is bumpy. Harley dressers still wiggle around in fast (more than 80 mph) turns when loaded, but the victory was always rock-steady. The smaller, narrower harley is much better if you plan to split lanes. The victory has more cornering clearance, stronger power, a much roomier "cabin" with less engine heat, and better (and more adjustable) wind management. The drivetrains-clutches, gearboxes, final drives-are about equal, though the harley's directs less noise at the rider. The antilock option gives the harley's brakes an edge, but without it I'd prefer the victory's brakes. The harley luggage doesn't actually hold quite as much, but its saddlebags' top-loading feature makes it easier to use what space there is. -AF
Vision Vs. Honda Gold Wing
Honda's ultra-smooth six is the reigning king of the full-dressers, but the vision comes surprisingly close to unseating it. That is especially true if you are on the tall side. At 5 feet 10 inches, I was noticeably more comfortable on the victory because of its greater roominess. The ergonomics of the gl1800 crowd me, though Cherney (5 feet 7 inches) says the gl fits him better than the vision. Of course the gl engine design, which mandates footpegs, means you have nothing like the flexibility of foot position that you get with the victory's floorboards. The gl offers more windmanagement features but also seems to need them more, and its manually adjusted windshield can't be raised or lowered on the fly. Passengers gave them about equal marks. The Honda is a bit easier to handle at low speeds than the victory, but both are equally adept at high-speed cornering, although the victory has more clearance.
The 1832cc flat-six in the gold wing is stronger, smoother, quieter and more civilized than the vision's big v-twin, and the honda pulled away from the victory in every side-by-side performance contest we could come up with except one. When we put both bikes in fifth gear (which is top gear for the honda) they accelerated evenly. The victory's clutch engages more predictably.
Except for the windshield the gold wing's touring amenities outshine the victory's. It has the only audio system you can actually hear through the speakers at highway speeds and includes more features. Its electronics are generally better integrated. Consider, for example, the gps, which plays through the standard dash display on the honda and harley but is a separate module on the victory. The honda has somewhat more useful luggage space than the others. It also offers optional antilock braking and its pioneering airbag system (which looks promising but lacks any real-world data to confirm that yet), neither of which is available on the vision. Finally, if you want to go backward, the gold wing is the only one with reverse. -AF