Hey All

 I have been lurking for some time and have done quite a bit of poking around to find out as much as I could about the Vision. I have been monitoring everyone's comments back and forth regarding your personal experiences both good and not so good with your bikes. And I have got to say that I have been impressed by what everyone has to say about the amazing ride of the Vision and terrified by some of the horror stories regarding availability/delivery of parts and accessories, not to mention some of the quality of workmanship issues, i.e. paint, saddlebag covers, etc, etc....

I have only ever sat on one at a bike show. The closest dealer to me is 4 hrs (including ferry ride). I am going tomorrow for a test ride. However, I have to be honest when I say that the issues with this bike raised on this site has really sent up some HUGE flags!

The biggest attractions for me getting this bike are the ride (which I will be confirming tomorrow) and the fact that this is a dual purpose bike: a tourer that I can sit down in and with the turn of a rachet it becomes a cruiser that I can take around town.

Now having said all of that, like I mentioned, major flags have been raised.

My Question is for the Vision Owners: If you had it to do all over again, would you have done anything different with regards to buying your Vision?

Buying a Vision is not for the faint of heart.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat but I have the best of all worlds.  I have a great dealer within 10 miles of my house and a bike that runs perfectly.  I don't have dimple or fitment issues.  I've got several coats of marine grade carnuba wax on it and the scuffs just buff right out.  It has far exceeded my expectations.  6 months/10,000miles. 

My dealer closing it's doors would be the ultimate downer for me.  I really feel for those guys.

Since you are going to be 4 hours from the dealer, be sure to order a shop manual. 

$22K is a ton of money for a motorcycle.  What did I get for my money?  A perfect bike?  No, there's no such thing.  Did I get a comfortable, powerful, limited edition, head turning design that gets comments everyday I ride it and has my wife constantly thinking about where we can go on it?  Absolutely. No regrets.

I'm pretty upset about the bike, actually. I've just ordered a new Harley Ultra Classic Electra Glide and have put my Vision up for sale.

Ok. Actually, that's not 100% true. I'm not buying a Harley and I'm not selling my Vision. I love my Vision. Every bike has things you like and don't like. Yes, this is a new bike and has some minor problems and some accessories are delayed. These things pale in comparison to what you're getting. There simply isn't a better touring bike on the market. For the paint, just get the paint protection kit. Problem solved. The bags are a little small but they're workable. Just pack light and get a rack with a pack. Problem solved. Most of the other issues have already been worked out. The time to buy is now because they're not making any more for 2008.

golfer - 2008-05-29 2:48 PM It was very tough for me to wait for one since I was very unhappy on my Harley. I have had a Vegas, Kingpin, HD custom, 2 HD Ultras, and now the Vision, all since 2004. My problem was that I do alot of miles, and most of them are 2-up. I really had to get a dresser, or it was just not working out with the gf...I bought the Ultras to get me by until the Vision was ready, meaning, the bugs worked out. But I really found the Harley to be boring, and it was killing me. I swore I would not buy a first year model, although, my Kingpin was an 04' and was perfect. I found a great deal on the Vision, and decided to take the risk. If I could go back in time, I would not have bought it. I would have suffered another season on the Harley and waited until all of the 08' Vision buyers did the testing and fixing for Victory. I did not count on so many problems! Don't get me wrong, I love the bike. But to buy a new bike and have over $20,000 invested, and in the first 3 weeks of owning it have the following problems, SHEESH!!! crooked windscreen windscreen shakes like crazy crooked bags gouged seat rubbed off paint cheap paint in general broken plastic ignition recall stereo recall hole rubbing into a hose exhaust leak near the end of the muffler IPOD problems stereo problems no fm reception no weather band reception chrome problems on the trunk rack tremendous heat from the engine on the legs tranny whine jerky throttle response surging while cruise control is set (bad) bags do not open or close right IPOD compartment does not pop open right checking/putting air in the rear tire is ridiculous Luggage for the bike does not fit in the bike These are only problems on my bike, there are other people having other problems I don't have such as: stalling out backfiring cb problems volume control changing stations exhaust leaks other than at the tip like mine There are more problems as well, I can't think of them offhand. But for the flagship touring bike of a company as large as Polaris, these issues are way too many, and the remedy for most of them is far from acceptable. I am sure at least 2/3 of thses problems will not be on the 09's...What bugs me, is that it is a certainty Polaris will not help resolve all the problems we are having. Just the same as the 99' trannies, some will get help, other will not. A matter of who you know and who you blow type od deal....I don't really have that much of a bad taste over all the problems, I have a bad tatste over the lack of the willingness of Polaris to correct them. 20 + years with polaris and nothing has changed. I just keep putting up with it because they make the best overall product, most of the time. If I could go back, I would wait. If they were being discontinued, I would get the 08' either way. It is a fantastic bike all in all. Such a shame Polaris saves a penny, but forgoes making a dollar by doing it.

Hmm... I got my bike in March and had none of these problems except the clearcoat issue. I think most of the problems you had have already been worked out.

Hey lurkers, another consideration too! Not every Vision owner is here on the board, so there is a great percentage out there that has not chimed in. Talk with the dealer in your area, or take a trip to another dealer and see what issues their customers are having, if any. Sadly, someone can take a few negative comments and make it the whole picture. The main thing about this bike that is undisputed, and that is the way she sits and rides. The last time I checked with myself, that is all I care about. I'm satisfied 100% that this is the best ridding bike in its class, no doubts. It is rattling the cages of the other makers, and I like the looks on my Harley friends face when they ask how it rides, and I tell them "Smooth as glass." while they're still shakin'.

Footnote: 13,800+ Miles on and I'm working with the dealer to do the 15,000 mile service in about a week or so, so I can minimize down time. Solid baby, solid!

PS: I was the first voter on this one, guess which one I picked?

devilboy - 2008-05-29 8:30 PM You passed me again! I am "only" at 13025. I should rack up another 1500 or so to SE meet in Helen and back. Then the 15K and fork service. Forks will be powdercoated black as well as wheels pulley, grab bars, rear tipovers and grey tips under tail lights. The Gatling tips will be powder coated black and honeycomb portion will be chromed....also lyndall front rotors and pads black discs black carrier and red buttons..

I pulled over 700 miles in just three days and looking at doing some more 300 mile days in the coming weekends. I'm looking into the powder coat thing, but it's not that big for me. I've settled to the fact I'll ride this bike for a very long time, so I'll save the upgrades for variety a year or so down the road. Plus I want to see what others do to get to that "Now that's what I like." So when you get done, send some picts so I can grab some more ideas. I know it will look great.

The Vision has been the best purchase I have ever made. I now have 8,400 miles on my Vision in just less than 90 days and each mile just gets better. This is the sweetest bike I have ever ridden and I have ridden all the touring and sport touring bikes and most of the cruisers.

My Vision has been almost trouble free. The paint is no worse than any of my other bikes. I installed the vinyl paint protection kit and I wish I had done this on my other bikes. I had to do the ignition recall which was a really quick and simple fix and the audio system firmware update. I have friends with new Gold Wings and Harley Ultras that have had a lot more issues then I have had. This first year bike has fewer issues than many other bikes that have been out for years. I think the Victory team hit the ball out of the park!

Hey All

 Its late Thursday night and our bikes are all packed for the weekend trip including my test ride tomorrow......Yipeeee!!!

I would sincerely like to thank all who took the time to offer their thoughts and experiences with their new ride. Understanding no bike is perfect, the general consensus seems to be that despite the hiccups and inconveniences, the majority are very happy with their purchase.

I gotta say that after I made this post I had hoped that I was not stirring up a hornets nest, however, like I have witnessed so many times on this site, I got honest and valuable info from both sides of the coin both good and bad, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

I have a plan to take a few test rides in the next few months, and then because of personal circumstances, I will only be ready to make my purchase in the spring of 09. However, in large part due to the excellent info that I have received from people on this forum I know that I will be going into this very well informed. I will be able to get exactly what I want and know exactly what I am getting.

Once Again Thanks To All

Gerry 

And, well, there is always that.......

 Ha Ha!

golfer - 2008-05-30 9:34 AM Hey Bobby, Since my problems are so minor, would you be willing to cover the cost of my new paint job and other fixes? Shouldn't be more than a couple thousand dollars...Let me know when that check is in the mail. Thanks!

Hey, Golfer. Granted I've only been here for a couple of months, got my bike in March and have had few problems, but most seem to agree that this bike has had few problems for a new model and they love their bike and they would buy it again under the same circumstances knowing what they know now. That says a lot. I agree with you, though. If I'd had the problems you seem to have, I would be upset too. However, it could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others. Thanks for the warning but I still love my bike and would buy it again.

Hippo - 2008-05-30 2:52 PM I think I would buy it again rather than wait. The positives clearly outweigh the negatives, however, I do believe that Victory should have done a little better in several areas: 1) Their iPod interface is a great feature, except that it doesn't work that well. They went the cheap way and did not license Apple's 30-pin connector and used a 3rd party counterfeit connector instead. This resulted in bad pin-outs for some of the newer iPods. In addition, the harmonic frequency issue with hard drive-based iPods is another issue Apple engineers would have assisted upon. One more iPod issue is that while the LCD display indicates song title it is often truncated and could have been a scrolling display that indicated song and artist. 2) Fit and finish issues. The saddlebags are not properly aligned on many Visions and there is little adjustment. Some are difficult to open, too. The clips holding the front fairing in place are fragile and prone to failure with a price tag of about $250 for the part. Victory continues to decline warranty coverage for these clips. Some early models also have an annoying barely discernible dimple in the saddlebag - only annoying to the owner who has to see it every time they clean the bike. 3) I do not think enough thought/engineering was put into maintenance accessibility on the bike. There is a lot of seemingly unnecessary disassembly to accomplish simple tasks. This bike was not built with the mechanic in mind. All that said, though, the Victory Vision is clearly the most comfortable and well-equipped bike I have owned in my over 40 years of riding. I can ride all day and I still want to keep riding when the sun goes down. I see an Iron Butt patch in my future on my Vision... Hippo

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with your Vision. I use the iPod Touch, maybe the most finicky of the iPod's and it does work fine. Maybe you need another cable. If you are use the hard drive type you will have problems and they are very spefic not to use those types. Other may have had success, but they are not recommended, understandably.

Also, as a mechanic, I have yet to see something that was built by an engineer with the mechanic in mind. Some very basic things, yes, but overall, no. I would be afraid to see what something looked like that was built by a mechanic, I know what I would build would be functional, easy to work on, but cerntainly would nto be a pretty sight. Thanks for your comments and I think they'll have to come up with yet another category for the Iron Butt, because to me 1,000 miles is a piece a cake compared to that I did on a GL1200. I would feel guilty just ask for the certificate.

Assuming I could get my same bike each time, I would do it again and again and again and again..............well, you get the point.

Everytime I ride this bike I am more impressed with it. As it gets "broken in", I am getting better mileage (averaging 45-50 mpg), the pipes are "rapping" more and the bike does everything "just right".

I did get a "recall" notice, but, haven't had anything done yet and haven't had ONE problem.

So, maybe I got the only "good" one, but, as my eighth Victory, definately the BEST.

...........and again, and again, and again.................

lowtone9 - 2008-05-30 7:58 PM No. How many minor issues does it take to make a major issue? The paint is ridiculous, none of the plastic fits right, the shock has blown a seal, and the audio is pure cheese. I`m going to sell mine before the stampede. Shoulda kept the Yamaha...

I am sorry you are having these problems. Sounds like you need a good dealer as all of this can be fixed. My plastic fits great, the stereo rocks and the shock  and total suspension is totally awesome, especially doing the tail of the dragon.

The only stampede will be people to dealers to buy this awesome bike. As the poll shows you couldn't pull the Vision out of 90% of our cold dead hands. If there was a better bike I would buy it but there isn't. 

pollolittle - 2008-06-04 11:31 AM I come from the similar age where a hand shake meant your word was good. But since the creation of automobiles there has never been a make or model without problems, no matter the amount of prep work or QA. I bet during your generation where the line workers took pride that you will remember, the old saying " Don't buy a car made on Monday or Friday!" That comment was very prevalent through the 60's and 70's. I bet if you lined up a car built on Monday and one on Wednesday during the 60's or 70's YOU could tell the difference. In addition I know for a fact a lot of assembly lines were designed by engineers and ran by non-engineers and there was no communication between the two. When the machine quit working or making parts out of spec, they would continue to run the equipment and run parts out of spec, even though the engineers said it was up to spec. AHHH! Quality! Pride! This is something that runs the span of time. I don't see "just an effort", the engineering prowess that went into this bike and all the new pieces and out of the box norm thinking. There is no other bike like it on the road, I'm not talking about just the fancy bodywork, but look under the skin and a lot is NEW not old school mentality, or that is the way we have always done it. To go out on a limb and use some of the modern, new, technologies and materials is a JUMP or LEAP into the more modern era with advances in engineering and materials. Kudos to the Victory Teams. As for being calm, show me where in your lifetime it pays off in the long run for you or the person you are venting expressively too, to get off your rocker and get uncalmed. Sure the loud and squeaky wheel gets greased and gets what he wants, happens a lot. So does, being patient and being squeaky. I have seen the same post about the same things over and over from the same guy, I too have grown tired of the tirade. How about you go to the dealer or good dealer and then see what they say. If no love, see who you can get in contact with at another dealer or pursue up through the dealers Regional Rep. Normally, they can be scheduled to talk with you, you just have to schedule it. Still no love ask for help here if you are so inclined. I have seen a lot of people offering help to either post their fixes or put you in touch with someone that can. Do you know for a fact that the people built it don't have pride in their work or the engineers. Could it be that there were circumstances beyond their control and deadlines to meet. You can only test so long before you have to take a chance and produce what you have at the moment. Then put out recalls and TSB's to fix stuff after the fact. It happens and always has. If Victory stop supporting or putting out fixes then there may be a problem. But at the moment, I see people getting help for their toys. Then again you could be driving around in a horse drawn buggy, but then it too would have recalls and something to bitch about. Ride it, repair it, ride it some more, repair or maintenance it! Ride it some more till your done! Then sell it to someone who will enjoy a new toy. I'm done! Pollolittle out!

 Okay, who got Pollolittle's login and password? Whoever it is, I agree with what you said using his monicker.

Indiana RoadRunner - 2008-06-04 2:00 PM This all reminds of when I rode back in the 80’s. We Honda guys would ride by Harley guys who were repairing their bikes on the side of the road as they made fun of our Jap Bikes. It seemed to insult them if we asked if they needed help. That’s part of the bike culture that I never understood. Many love working on bikes as much as they love riding them. Heck, I see it here. Many had to take their Vision apart as soon as they got it home. Back to the culture, I have noticed that many put much on power, performance, and style, but put little on reliability. As for as an American made bike Victory is number from what I have read. The others need a box of tools to make road trips. Reminds me of the millionaire furniture manufacturing company owner I know real well. His wife bought him a brand new top of the line Harley. He rode it a little around town to show everybody how great a real bike is. Then came Sturgis. His employees loaded it and his friend’s bikes on a trailer and they pulled it all the way to Sturgis for them with his Motor Coach. He and his other rich buddies fly out on his plane. When he got there it was gas, cleaned, and ready to ride. 2nd lap around Sturgis it threw a rod. Loaded back up on trailer and he went and got drunk! Hmm, sitting around drinking and relaxing couldn’t be all bad. But ‘I just wanna ride’ the bike not work on it. I am strange that way. I used to love to sit around on weekends in the woods and drink, reason being I am selling my camper. Need to move more and drink less.

Well, IRR, that is part of our culture, ride, ride ride. I take it that is why you are a truck driver. I have that same blood running through my veins, I can't sit still long and driving seems to sooth that restlessness. Others, it is show and no go, or just to ride ot have a war story to tell. I found it all part of the game when I was riding to see my son in Texas last September and my clutch was going out. Fortunately it was during the day and I got a hold of my mech back home when I was in Georgia. He said use DOT3 Brake fluid as a temporary fix of the DOT4. The fluid was old and all that stuff. It worked but if I rode for a long time, I had to "pump" the clutch to get it to disengage. I finally made to corpus christi, Tx some 900 miles later to get it fixed. I was pushing for my 1,500 Bun Burning and didn't want to fix it until I made the trek, which I did. The funny thing is that the papers still sit on my floor to send to IBA, but you know what, that certificate is not as important as knowing I did it, because I love to ride. I made my second "group" ride last Saturday, my first was last years Rolling Thunder. I'm not into group rides either because it is not a 200 mile trek to an unknown, it is a 65 mile trip around the block but for a cause. 75% of the time is sitting and talking about the ride and 25% is the ride. I like to ride, not talk about it, but the cause was good, and the fellowship was great. I'm more of what the wife and I did Memorial Day. What turned out to me a 10 mile ride to get breakfast ended in a 175 mile ride to Baltimore for soup. Then a 200 mile meandering on the way home. What a day of riding, perfect in every aspect and totally unplanned. I'm sure there were many out who only saddle up on the weekends, and that is fine. I don't understand it, but more power too them. I work with a few people that don't understand why I ride everday to work, rain or shine, and even in wintery conditions. I don't understand why they don't ride everyday, but they have an excuse when they don't. It might rain, I have to do something else, didn't have time (?), blah, blah, blah. Okay, I just let them be, and we talk about motorcycles when we can. So, while I'll agree with you, as I have been in the same situation in stopping to help a Harley rider who won't even speak to you, but I've also got help from a biker who rode a Harley when my little 350 broke down. So I say to you and the rest who really love to ride, ride on!

I am very sypathetic to your situation, Golfer.

Some people are going to find problems where there are none and are "professional" complainers.

I don't know you, but, I don't get that about you. Your issues seem legit.

I am wondering if it has something to do with that particular bike?

As I recall, you got a "flaming" deal on it and had to go pick it up....so the seller isn't the dealer that has to "fix" it.

Do you think he knew something about that particular bike and was happy to unload it?

I think too, on these forums, we are inclined to hear about "problems". People talk longer and louder when they are dissatisfied than when happy. I don't see anyone that is happy with there bike, going on and on about it, day after day.

The problems you are having (and you seem to have them all) may be experienced by one or two owners (which seem to get resolved by dealers or Victory), but I haven't read anything like what you are experiencing on one bike...........any model........ever.

I wish there was something I could do to help and yes, I am very happy it's not happening to me.

From time to time you hear these "horror" stories about cars, trucks, motorcycles, whatever and there seems to be no explaination for the occurance, but, they do seem to be the anomoly.

Anyway, I hope it all works out for you because I know riding is very important to you and that you enjoy it..........all the best...

But, yes, I would do it again and probably will, soon.....