Factory Custom Tourers - Arlen Ness vs. Willie G.

Riding Positions

The CVO seemed to come with most everything you need ... the bike was very comfortable up to around 70 mph, at which point I was wishing for a bit more windscreen. Ergonomically, everything felt good, in fact I found three different positions to change it up. My back definitely appreciated the bit of backrest the Harley offered, especially at speed. Power was good for a bike this size, making passing at any speed a non-event , just strong and smooth. I found the bike to be confidence-inspiring as it handled well at all speeds and was surprisingly light and nimble in tighter corners. If you are a Harley Man and want something with bags this might be the one.

After walking around the Victory a few times to check it out, I climbed on board the "Starship". I was skeptical at first, but after a short ride realized the Victory is very comfortable. The seat is deluxe, with a nice built-in backrest that I came to appreciate along with the motorized windscreen. The screen in the highest position seemed to really work with the stereo. it.

The Victory did not have the light, nimble feeling the Harley had in the tighter stuff but did not feel like a pig either. In fact, I really came to like the overall feel and really enjoyed going through the corners. It rides smaller than it looks, if that makes any sense. My take on this bike is that it is somewhere between the Harley and a Goldwing and I mean that in a good way. I enjoyed "Cruising" on the Starship, so the Vision is the winner in my book.

When I picked up the 2010 Street Glide CVO with the 110 cubic inch motor I was super-excited to put it through its paces. I was very impressed with the horsepower of the 110 motor as it came from the factory, but it could use some more torque off the line. The frame and wheels made for some incredible handling in high-speed corners, at least compared to the way they used to be. With new Brembo dual calipers in front along with an ABS system, the bike is great.

But then I rode Victory's Arlen Ness Edition Vision. Wow! It looks great and handles superbly. I felt great back support from the saddle and the machine was easy to handle in aggressive situations. I would ride this bike cross-country in a minute, if only because of the way the fairing's design kept wind or cold air off me. The electric, adjustable windshield also proved to be very important on this cold trip. Too, the iPod hook-up worked very well through the handlebar-mounted controls.

Both bikes have their advantages, but for price and riding style, I would pick the Victory. My one complaint is that they should paint on the graphics, and not use stickers-it seems cheap.

You can't go wrong with either of these fine machines, but if forced to pick a winner, I'd pick the Harley. Yes, it's way more expensive, but given the raft of options thrown at this bike, it's value for money. I feel like the Vision just got the blinged-out, pimpified treatment, but with no real substance in its upgrades, and in fact functional things off of the Vision Tour like heated grips and seat, or options like ABS, are just not there (and in the case of ABS, not even available). On top of all that I think Willie (or his CVO design team) simply beats Arlen in the production custom department. When the one thing your bike gets over a stocker is the pretty stuff-and not even that stacks up -that's not a winner in my book.

But it's not the pretty bits that make the Harley a winner to me, it's the overall package. I simply liked riding it more. On curvaceous back roads (my favorite kind), I had way more fun using that totally fun midrange power to rumble form corner to corner, and leaning it in. The Vision took a little more effort and concentration to do the same things. In more open, sweeping stuff the Victory took the lead, but not by too much.

Despite what you might read on the spec sheet, the Harley also has way more usable luggage space (the little extensions do help some too), and those latches are still the bees knees. The look, the feel, the power delivery and all that on the CVO Street Glide just knocks it out of the park for me.