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New user
Posts: 2
| Well I want to start off by stating that I love a V twin. I have a Kawasaki 1600 classic and I love the power and the ride. I also have a Honda Goldwing 1800. Here is my dilemma. I am in the market for a new touring bike. I like a lot of things on the Goldwing and my wife loves the GW but some of the things I am not found of are the riding position and the high revving motor. It has lots of power but I like the feel of the V Twin as compared to the GW.
I realize that this is a Vision forum and that the responses I get could be somewhat be slanted but having read a lot of post on here I also know what I will get some straight up answers. Some of my concerns on getting the vision are as follows.
1) My main reason for getting a touring bike is to ride two up with my wife. Currently on the GW we have an intercom that works O.K but not great. I understand that on the vision I have to purchase an additional CB/Intercom and have it installed at an additional cost. I believe this is about $700.00 added to the cost. Does this unit work well and is it worth the money or should I be looking at a 3rd party system like the JM system. I do not know how often we will use the CB but the intercom is a must have and we use it all the time. Also is the intercom set up for VOX or will my wife have to push a button to talk every time. Also how is the wind noise on this system? We already have JMC head sets.
2) We carry a lot of stuff in the GW and have a rack on the back of the trunk that we can also attach a bag to. It is rated for 5 to 10 lbs. Can we add this type of rack to the Vision and how much weight can it carry? Also how much is it to put one of these racks on? The one I got for the GW was about 70.00 and I installed it myself.
3) How is the comfort level for the passenger on long rides? My wife is not large about 5'4 and 120#. Those of you that are riding two up, what is your opinion on the comfort level on the back seat. Will we need to get another saddle to get a good comfort level? I know the GW stock seat is not great but O.K. I also have a back rest on the GW. My back is not in the best shape and the back rest helps a lot. Is it easy to add a back rest to the Vision and in your opinion is it comfortable? Also what type of cost am I looking at?
4) Does anyone know if the new 3G I phone will hook up to the MP3 player adaptor on the vision?
5) Is it easy to add a couple of 12v power points to this bike?
I have many many more questions and its hard to make a $20K + decision on just a short ride and talking to a Victory salesman. It is very important that my wife is comfortable on back and likes the ride. I do not what to get rid of the GW and get the Vision only to find out that it is not what we thought it might be based on little info. I have read many write ups from mags and online articles but I want to hear from people not getting paid to give me some info and have spend mor then just a few hours on one.
Any input will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| I believe some of your questions would be answered in a search. Perhaps you could talk with a dealer and they would allow you to take the Vision for couple of hours? You could find how the wife likes the bike. Also find the business you will buy your CB set from (if not Vic) and maybe they have a demo set you could try during your demo ride?
Good luck in your decision. | |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | adp, glad you asked. I know those are valid concerns such as to what gadgets will hook and work, and carrying space. I guess my target is always for the ride and I'll work out the others as I get to. So my point and emphasis to you, do you want a long comfortable ride that is hypnotizing for both pilot and pillion, or do you stress over what to carry and fidget with? If comfort is your main focus your best bet by far is the Vision. I've never rode an 1800 but I had a 1200 for 2 years and tried my best to get that thing to ride the way I wanted it too. I "stepped up" to a 1500 and had it a month, and for me that was the worst ride I've had. It had plenty of power and ran smooth as silk, had plenty of space but I couldn't get comfortable on the thing. Having floorboards and my short inseam it was always a challenged when I stopped or was running slow speeds, so much so I refused to ride two up. I looked at the 1800's and even sat on them and I saw I was asking for the same trouble. Enter the Dragon, er the Vision... All I can say is I've never looked back except to change lanes. I've road 1,500 round trip the first month I had it and just had a 3,600 mile round trip this past winter and LOVED every (s)mile of those trips. My wife will fall asleep on the back, even in short runs and we are never intimdated as on the wings on twisties and parking lots. I hope I've given you enough information to make a wise decision, the specs are easily found and the intitial draw to the Vision for me was 4" foam and a 26.5" seat height. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 600
Linwood, MI | 1) I'm afraid I don't use an intercom, so I can't really answer this one. There are several folks here that use it, though, and they have discussed it a lot here. A search of the forums will find the discussions or, or course, one of them will be along shortly to tell you all about it.
2) There is a trunk rack that you can get for the Vision. Cost is around $300. Fairly easy to install. I think it's rated for about 20 lbs and there's a nice bag that some of the folks here have found to fit well on it.
3) Stock seat comfort level is unparalleled. There's even a guy that did the Four Corners Tour (4 corners of the US, 11k miles in 10 days) on a Vision with the stock seat. My wife is 5'2 and loves it. She falls asleep back there. I love it, too. I'm a big, tall, fat guy and I've never had a seat this comfy. The bike also gives me tons of room, even with the wife on back. I'm not cramped, and she isn't either. I took a friend's 1800 GW for a day trip once and hated it. I felt so cooped up on it. I was scrunched up onto the fuel tank and still felt like I was crushing my wife. There is a seat back you can get and several of the guys with back trouble like it. Not sure on cost, and there's a little work involved in mounting it, but not too much.
4) By "mp3 adaptor" do you mean the Vic iPod cable? If so, the answer is "yes," but... it won't charge up off the bike. Check out THIS PDF document for answers about iPods
and THIS 3G charging solution.
5) Yes. Victory sells the plugs, and there are a few aftermarket ones that work well. There are several spots on the bike that they can be mounted, for rider and passenger. And lots of folks here that can give you step-by-step instructions on doing it yourself.
adpsports, I think I can honestly say that you and your wife will both love riding the Vision. It is by far the most comfortable ride around. Pre-Vision my wife and I could only ride about 60-70 miles before one or both of us just had to get off because our back or legs hurt. Now, we ride until we need food, gas, or just want to see something. The bike handles very well, rides smoothly, and has all the torque you need pull away from anything. I've pretty much been a cruiser guy my whole bike riding "career" but this Vision is hands down the best bike I've ever owned or ridden.
Good luck with your decision and I hope we see you around here.  | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 66
Harrisburg, PA | adpsports - 2009-03-11 5:05 AM
1) My main reason for getting a touring bike is to ride two up with my wife. Currently on the GW we have an intercom that works O.K but not great. I understand that on the vision I have to purchase an additional CB/Intercom and have it installed at an additional cost. I believe this is about $700.00 added to the cost. Does this unit work well and is it worth the money or should I be looking at a 3rd party system like the JM system. I do not know how often we will use the CB but the intercom is a must have and we use it all the time. Also is the intercom set up for VOX or will my wife have to push a button to talk every time. Also how is the wind noise on this system? We already have JMC head sets.
2) We carry a lot of stuff in the GW and have a rack on the back of the trunk that we can also attach a bag to. It is rated for 5 to 10 lbs. Can we add this type of rack to the Vision and how much weight can it carry? Also how much is it to put one of these racks on? The one I got for the GW was about 70.00 and I installed it myself.
3) How is the comfort level for the passenger on long rides? My wife is not large about 5'4 and 120#. Those of you that are riding two up, what is your opinion on the comfort level on the back seat. Will we need to get another saddle to get a good comfort level? I know the GW stock seat is not great but O.K. I also have a back rest on the GW. My back is not in the best shape and the back rest helps a lot. Is it easy to add a back rest to the Vision and in your opinion is it comfortable? Also what type of cost am I looking at?
4) Does anyone know if the new 3G I phone will hook up to the MP3 player adaptor on the vision?
5) Is it easy to add a couple of 12v power points to this bike?
I have many many more questions and its hard to make a $20K + decision on just a short ride and talking to a Victory salesman. It is very important that my wife is comfortable on back and likes the ride. I do not what to get rid of the GW and get the Vision only to find out that it is not what we thought it might be based on little info. I have read many write ups from mags and online articles but I want to hear from people not getting paid to give me some info and have spend mor then just a few hours on one.
Any input will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
#1. The Vic intercom is easy to use. Has great volume. I am hard of hearing and have to turn it down. You have option of VOX or PTT Very little wind noise with a large sock and 3/4 helmet with a windsheild in full upright postion. Easy to self install too.
#2 The trunk rack is simple to install too. All holes to be drilled are marked in the inside on the lid. It is rated at 20lbs. I have stuffed much more into the trunk and on top of the truck though.
#3. My wife loves the Back seat. has a lot more room than than G/W (her opinion) we test rode both bike together. I do not use a drivers back rest. Yes there is one on the market. Cost unknown.
#4. I pod stuff??? I use a basic Mp3 player.
#5 yes There is a 12 volt in truck, drivers left side compartment and a hook up under cover at front of seat.
Go test ride a vision, bring the wife with you. Thats the only way to tell... HAve fun, and dont come back to the dealer for atleast an hour...
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Cruiser
Posts: 103
| adp, I have both of these bikes. I like the GW, I love the Vision. I ride solo without alot of goodies (headsets,etc.) so I can't address some of your concerns. I can however tell you flatout, the Vision is more comfortable to ride long distance. There are 2 issues that you may want give some thought to 1. If you long distance ride , you don't have the dealer network that Honda has. 2. if you do a lot of interstate highway riding the GW handles better in high speed traffic conditions. That is not to say the Vision is bad, but a little less stable. In every other way the Vision is superior. I hope this helps you. | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 7
| I have only owned the Vision for a couple of months and only been able to get about 800 miles on it and mostly solo. But so far I would have to say this is the best ridding bike I have had with the exception of a slight vibration through the floorboards, and that is after a Road King, three different ElectraGlides and a 05 Goldwing. And although my wife has yet to put any real time on the Vision she said it rides as good as the Goldwing and she thinks she will be as comfortable as she was on the Wing. As far as the intercom I have had one on a couple of the bikes and have never bothered to try one I do not want a conversation while I am on the bike. | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 125
Kerrville Texas ( now a homeowner on six acres) | My wife has fallen asleep on the back of our vision at least a half a dozen times in the past year and five months. She does like the heated seats when it is cool so I would recomend you get those. You need to look at the passenger floorboard extenders (39-45 bucks)she likes those as well. we have logged over 21,000 miles so far and Iwould say that only about 1000 are one up,the other 20000 are two up.So, she rides a lot with me. I have had absolutely no trouble mechanically with my vision. It is the smoothest riding motorcycle i have ever riden. (i have not riden as many as most guys on this web).You will have poeple looking at your vision everywhere you go and at every stop you will be asked questions about it .
Get your vision and get on the road! you will never be sorry!
SMADGE | |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | I've ridden the GL1800 a lot and currently have a Vision. The Vision is basically everything the Goldwing is, but with a relaxed V-Twin soul. The intercoms are very comparable. If you have the J&M high output headsets, the microphones may be too sensitive for the Vision's system and pick up too much road noise. They can be shielded to make them a bit less sensitive. The standard J&Ms work just fine, but you will need to get the lower cord to match the Vision, as the pinout is different than the Goldwing. The cords are around 20 bucks I think. The passenger backrest is a little more vertical on the Vision than the Goldwing, but just as roomy. The floorboards can be raised inexpensively on the Vision if you wife finds them to be too low for her. The Goldwing has more storage capacity in its saddlebags than the Vision. Roll-on/passing power is virtually the same 5th gear to 5th gear. A stock Goldwing will win a dragrace with a stock Vision, but not by much, and there are aftermarket cams and fuel controllers to cause the Vision to exceed the power level of the Goldwing if this is important to you. The Vision will get a couple more miles per gallon than a Goldwing in all riding conditions, at least mine does compared to my riding buddy's 'Wing. Early reports on the performance upgrades mentioned indicate that fuel economy goes up another couple of miles per gallon. I generally get 40 to 44 mpg on the highway, while my buddy's 'Wing gets 39 to 42 riding alongside. I've gotten 52 mpg once on a tank of gas while running 75 mph with a stiff tailwind on the interstate. The 'Wing got 46. Handling is on par with the Goldwing, as is the ride. Long distance comfort is better on the Vision. Both bikes are hot to ride in hot weather, but in different ways. The radiator layout of the GL1800 puts a layer of hot air into the airstream going around the riders, while the Vision's rear exhaust pipe radiates heat onto your lower leg if you ride with your feet to the rear of the floorboards. Moving your feet forward on the boards, and out into the airstream gets you away from the heat from the pipe. Air deflectors are readily available for both bikes to mitigate the heat. Extreme cold weather protection (subfreezing) may be a little better on the Goldwing than the Vision, but you'll be wearing heated gear in those conditions anyway. Weather protection is very comparable on both bikes, unless you have one of those humungous Tulsa windshields on your 'Wing. You know, the kind you have to duck under to get on the bike.  Tires, batteries, and oil filters are the same for both bikes, should you need any of those items while on the road. Well, actually, the oil filter for the Vision is the same as the one for the GL1500, but still, any Honda shop will have them, and the GL1500 filters do work on the GL1800, even though Honda specifies a different (more expensive) filter for the 1800. Personally, I find the high-pitched whine of the Goldwing to be tiring on long rides, even though the bike is VERY smooth. Too smooth maybe. Bland. Needs the stereo to keep you awake. In contrast, the Vision is also very smooth, but still has a V-Twin throb that I find relaxing. I find that I often ride without the tunes on, just enjoying the miles going by and the sound of the heartbeat of that V-twin. My 'Wing riding buddy disagrees with me, but he has been a 'Wing man for a long time and is partial to the marque. My buddy's 'Wing is a very nice bike and still looks like new after 80,000 miles. He keeps it clean and polished all the time. Whenever we park among other bikes, my Vision gets all the attention while everyone walks right past his Goldwing. He likes to be the center of attention, while I don't. Kind of bugs him, I think. If you get a Vision, be prepared to spend lots of time answering questions at gas stops, restaurants, and motel parking lots. People will walk right past very nice custom bikes to look at your Vision. Bone up on your Polaris/Victory company history so you can answer all the "Who makes that?" questions. "No, it's not a Honda/Kawasaki/Yamaha. No, it's not made by a Japanese company, it's American. No, Polaris is not a Canadian company, it's American. Yessir, that's right, American, made in Iowa." You'll enjoy it and meet lots of nice folks, both bikers and non-bikers alike.
In short, you give up a little storage capacity going from a Goldwing to a Vision, and get a more comfortable long distance ride. Bushtec and Hitchdoc both have trailer hitches for the Vision.
Ronnie
Edited by rdbudd 2009-03-12 12:28 AM
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New user
Posts: 2
| I want to thank everyone very quick for all the great feedback. I have someone coming to look at my GW tomorrow so I might be making a desision soon. I'm online with my phone so I will keep this short. Takes toooo long to type.
Thanks again to everyone
Rick | |
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New vision prospect. NEED INFO !!