I bought my first bike in February of this year. Its a Suzuki Boulevard 800cc cruiser. I like the bike, but for riding I want to do, long rides/cross country, it doesn’t really get it done. I want to get a bagger with a minimum of 1200cc and a 6th gear. I have looked at Harley and I honestly don’t care for them. I also don’t want an “old man bike”. No offense to the old men out there that have them.
Does anyone have any history with the Victory bikes? Things I should be aware of? Specifically I was looking at the Hard Ball model.
Not to go off topic but have you seen the new Honda Goldwing bagger, it’s not bad looking if you don’t care for H-D and the performance leaves the H-D’s and Victory’s lagging if that’s important.
I recently bought an HD Switchback after owning a Suzuki SV1000S. I did mucho research on a variety of bikes, some Victorys included.
IIRC the Hard Ball is based on the touring frame, which is supposed to be much more stout, but heavier. From what I’ve read, most owners are pretty happy w/ their Victories. There is one guy I’ve read about that lives in MI. He’s had a Vegas, Kingpin and now on a Vision. He’s done 48 states in 10 days, many 1000 mile days, gone from Key West to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska…hard core rider. Check this thread out… http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=519939
If you’re into a more modern expression of a cruiser, Victory is a good way to go, along w/ Yamaha, Moto Guzzi and now Indian. The Vic’s are supposed to have strong motors, good brakes and handling and good QC. To me, they seem like an American take on a Japanese cruiser. I like them, but they have a lot of plastic and feel chinsy in some ways. If you like it, cool…go for it. When they finally come out w/ a Vegas w/ Hammer front end, I’ll be interested.
A friend of mine has a Moto Guzzi. Holy crap…that is one fine ride!
I could not believe it was only a 750…he told me that after I rode it.
The styling on the Moto Guzzi H7 is sweet. It has an old school track bike look…like some of the early Truimphs.
The Moto Guzzi is not cheap - I thought 9500 was steep for a 750 bike but oh man it rode nice and was amazingly fast for a 750cc bike.
Other cool thing is almost nobody on the road has one…unlike the tons of loud and shiny Harleys and Honda Shadows…with a Moto Guzzi…it is pretty unique.
Before I bought a Victory I would look at their dealer network. If you ride long enough you WILL have a problem. A very small problem will be a big deal if the nearest dealer is 750 miles away!! you don’t mention a budget. If I wanted to go long and fast it would be on the BMW 1600GT but I have only been riding for 44 years. It would be the wrong bike for someone with 10 months experience. Put some side cases on the bike you have and ride it for a few years. GH
I have seen a TON of people on BMW motorcycles while out and about in my travels. These are guys that ride all over the country(saw a bunch in Alaska, bunch in Colorado mountains). Looks like the K model might work for what you are after.
Ill preface this with admitting that I am a harley fanatic. The only other cruiser out there I would consider is a victory, several guys in my club have one, and they are very nice.
Also, I dont own a victory myself, but I do own a polaris, who makes victory, and its been very reliable.
The Switchback’s bags are tiny. But I do love the concept. The reviews I’ve read on them and after seeing them in person, not riding, makes me want to skip it.
Keeping the one I have and adding bags and screen have crossed my mind. But the return on investment isn’t worth it in my opinion. I’m better off trading it in sooner rather than later and putting any money into the bike that actually fits my riding that I want to do.
My budget is pretty much anything other than a custom or the highest end bikes that anyone makes. So lets say $19k to set a limit. Of cousre if I can get what I want for less it be great! I have 3 Victory dealers near me and as everyone knows, everything breaks. BMW has the same problem as Victory in that regard.
They really caught my attention when I first saw one. They’ve got the Gold Wing comfort, styling, engine, reliability, etc but they don’t scream “My wife and I just started Social Security”
They’re not necessarily the cruiser style you’re after I don’t think, but it’s definitely something to consider if you want to go on long, comfortable rides. I think they are right at or within your 19k price range as well.
Most of what I’m finding is that the bikes I’m looking at are all heavy. Most are about 50-60 pounds wet within each other. I wish they made a bike 500-600 lbs with decent size bags (can fit a full face helmet) and a QD windscreen that worked well.
It seems every bike I look at that has what I want always has a drawback or is overpriced for what you are getting. Example being a Kawasaki Vaquero. They look great and come at a awesome price point. But they are flimsy as shit, the bags have the quality of Rubbermaid and everything else on the bike is plastic.
Totally understand, different strokes and all. Someone else mentioned the lack of a dealer network. Dealers are out there, but not plentiful. Other than that, go for it. Sounds like a cool ride.
You’re just going to have to find the one for you. Baggers are heavy but that doesn’t mean they’re not nimble. The military makes us take the beginners and advanced MSS courses. I took the advanced on my Harley and had zero problems with any of the slow speed maneuvers. They’re kind of like AR’s, what you like might not impress me. Bikes become very personal. I currently own a Harley, a Triumph, and a Yamaha. I ride them in that order. You should look at all of them but don’t discount any unless you put eyes and hands on. What you may like as far as looks may feel like garbage when you sit on it or ride it. I initially discounted Harley and it’s more enjoyable to me than any street bike I’ve ever owned, and that’s quite a few bikes over the years.
From what I’ve seen, and I have a couple of buddies that own them, Victory is an OK bike. I’m also interested in the Indian brand, now that Victory builds them. However, I do agree… Victory dealers are few and far between, even up here where everybody sells Polaris snowmobiles and quads. OTOH, every small town in America has a Harley-Davidson dealership, it seems. I don’t really care for baggers, and in years past would have favored a Gold Wing over a Harley in that big a bike, but the newer Harley FLH’s are really durable, reliable bikes and I wouldn’t hesitate to go that route and stay out of the “geezer” brands.
I have 3 Victory dealers near me and as everyone knows, everything breaks. BMW has the same problem as Victory in that regard.