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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 7
Florida | I just returned from a 2000 mile ride on my 08 Nomad. Great trip, trouble free but when we returned the wife was HURTING!. She is set on me getting a new Wing. My brother went with us on his 08 Ultra, we changed rides some and the Harley was a lot more comfortable but the seat was too wide for my wife (5'2" 105 lbs) and hurt her hips after a while. We sat on a wing and I noticed the seat didn't feel real comfortable and it was cramped, she noticed the rear seat was wide. Of course the salesman said it would be fine and she would LOVE it. We then went and sat on a Vision. I liked the seating position. She noticed the "thinner" seat. She really has her heart set on a Wing but I'd like to give serious consideration to the Vision. Both bikes I looked at were about the same asking price. I've never rode either bike. My negatives on the Vision were:
Clutch actuator on top of the motor...UGLY! No reason that should be showing.
Fit and finish did not seem up to the Wing.
No power outlets that I could see.
No Intercom
No reverse
Not water cooled. (Is there a fan on the oil cooler?)
Honda reliability is proven.
My negatives on the Wing were:
Seat seemed uncomfortable.
riding position seemed to be "fixed"
no floorboards (biggy for me)
Cylinders sticking out, makes it hard to use hiway pegs?
We want comfort not performance so the Wings advantage there is meaningless to me. Are the Vision handle bars adjustable? (No need for risers) Is the stock seats on both bikes comfortable or will I need to buy aftermarket? I'm not too concerned with reliability as I think Victory has a good record now. How do the bikes compare with noise, I like smooth and quiet. My Nomad vibrates fairly bad over 70mph (makes you itch) but the Ultra is glass smooth so I know a v-twin can be smooth, is the Vision? Thanks for any advice and opinions.
Rob |
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Cruiser
Posts: 55
Las Vegas, NV | I've ridden the GW, but own a Vision. The GW has a lot going for it. It is incredibly smooth and the seat is comfy. There were some deal killers for me:
1. The mid mounted foot pegs are awful. You can't move your legs around or stretch.
2. I found it's weight to be way to high. This made it a bear in slow city rides
3. Somehow, Honda found a way to take any form of personality away from it. It's about as exciting as driving a civic.
As for your list of dislikes:
Fit and finish on my Vision are excellent.
There is a power outlet in the glove box
The intercom is available as on option with the CB
Reverse is an option
No, it's not water cooled. It doesn't need to be. I ride in temps in Las Vegas way over 100 degrees. The bike never overheats.
Both are good bikes. I just found the Vision fit what I was looking for much better. It's totally and completely smooth at freeway speeds (and way beyond), it has a personality, and it's SO comfortable. My wife has never complained about the seat.
So, ride both back to back. You'll know what's right then. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 170
Houston, TX | I'm 6'2" and 240. The vision is way more comfortable for me than the goldwing. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | bucfan11 - welcome. when it comes to bikes we'll either talk ourselves into them or out of them. your wife says the seat is thinner, i'm not sure what she would mean by that. the pillion is 3 1/2 inches of foam and is wide. the pilot seat is 4 inches of foam and is narrow where it counts and wide where it counts.
i share your same concerns with the wing as you do and had i bought an GL1800 without ever knowning about that spaceship looking bike from Victory, I'd be one unhappy puppy right now. I rode a GL1200 for 2 years and hurt for it for the feet positioning and the seat. I got a 1500 and it was worse, dumped it to get the Vision after only a month.
when i read about the two most important things that mattered to me the most that was on the Vision my mind was set; seat height and floorboards.
early on i said after getting the vision this bike was made especially built for me. that is, it was like they asked me to come in, sit down, and say, "now chris how do you like to sit when you ride?" and then built the bike around me. 50,000 miles and 21 months later i still feel the same. i've never looked back or ever wanted "something better" since owning the Vision.
though the Vic's have been around for only 10 years, they have solid proven reliability. you can say so with the wing, but they breakdown too and have their share of problems, frame and motors. Vision riders sit around a whine about iPod issues and popping noises from the over regulated emission control mods and belt whines, i just don't which is louder, the pilot or the belt.
ipods were never made to stick on a motorcycle, i fixed my popping by fixing a simple exhaust leak, and my belt doesn't whine. but my point is, problems with my Vision are the least of my concerns and I feel out of place hearing my wing friends whine about how messed up their wing is as I have nothing to complain about like they do.
and as far as the clutch actuator, if those kind of things bother you, stay with the wing, they've got it covered really good.
hope you make the choice that fits you and the wife. either way, don't look back unless you're changing lanes.... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 600
Linwood, MI | bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
Clutch actuator on top of the motor...UGLY! No reason that should be showing.
True, but you can get a little chrome cover to make it look a lot better.
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
Fit and finish did not seem up to the Wing.
The Vision is a new design and there have been a few F-n-F issues, but most of those we've come up with our own fixes (do a search on saddlebag alignment and you'll see what I mean). About the only one that is still eluding us is trunk rattle on quite a few bikes, but we're working on it 
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
No power outlets that I could see.
There's one in the left "glove" box and one in the trunk, plus there's knockouts for two more on the dash. The 08-09's use one type of plug and the '10's use a more common one. I don't ever use them so I can't really give you a better description than that. Sorry.
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
No Intercom
As Biff mentioned, it isn't standard, but it is an option.
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
No reverse
An option for the 09-10's. Not for the '08, though.
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
Not water cooled. (Is there a fan on the oil cooler?)
Not necessary for the engine. Depending on where you live, though, you could run into some heat issues on your right leg. Some of our Southern-residing brothers and sisters do complain of too much heat on hot summer days, but Vic offers a set of lower deflectors that helps with that.
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
Honda reliability is proven.
So is Victory's.
bucfan11 - 2009-08-15 10:22 PM
Are the Vision handle bars adjustable? (No need for risers)
No.
One last thing, my wife is also "vertically challenged" so you would want to have the passenger floorboard risers installed on the Vision to make her leg position more comfortable. Without them she'll probably have issues with her calves resting on the saddle bags and getting uncomfortable. My wife has pretty short legs, even for her height, so I'm considering adding another set on top of the first to get her a closer-to-perfect leg position. |
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Northeastern Penna. | Bucfan11, Are you a Buccaneers fan ? Just kidding, Anyway, I don't know what you mean with your wife saying that the GW seat is wide. Reading that, one would think that the Visions seat is narrow, I'm assuming we're referring to the rear seat, as the Visions front seat does narrow out towards the front. I believe that the GW's rear seat and Vision are very close in seat width,maybe the Gw being 1" wider, not a factor. The front seats are too, similar in width where your fanny sits, but the Vision is narrower towards the front, but comfort being about the same, with regards to
cushiness. The deal breaker as mentioned many times, are the giant floorboards versus the itty bitty ridiculous pegs and the lack of room to stretch your legs on the GW. They are two different style of bikes,no doubt, but only being a 3rd year model in the Vision, it's right up there with the
30 year plus old GW. The Vision does not vibrate at speeds of 70 +. You can certainly outfit it
with the communication and music listening pleasures as well. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 7
Florida | Yes, I've been a long time Buc fan, (1976) Not so much anymore as I've aged my priorities have changed. The Ultra seat "spread" her legs too far, after a while it began to hurt her hips. The Wing was just as wide and she complained. When we sat on the Vision she made no mention of the seat being to wide so I assumed it was a narrow seat. Thanks for your imput.
Rob |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 619
Southeast Iowa | bucfan11
I think everyone covered your concerns so I will talk about something else. For some reason the Vision seems to fit EVERYONE well. I'm 6'8" and I have more room on the Vision than any other bike I have ever ridden. Amazingly enough I've seen riders 5'6" who love the bike because it "fits them" Go figure?? I have ridden my father in-laws Gold Wing and hate it. My legs are too long and can barely shift the damn thing. If I had to ride it a 100 miles without stopping my legs would fall asleep.
Looks...........most love it and a few hate it. One thing for sure you will talk to more strangers ridding a Vision than you ever will riding a Gold Wing. I had mine up at the local festival last night and talked to 20 people about my bike. I love it when guys in HD shirts crowd around my pony and tell me how cool it is! The Vision stands out in a crowd and you will get noticed where ever you go.
I say ride the Vision and Gold Wing back to back and pick the one you feel the most comfortable on/with. |
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Cleveland, GA | My wife told me to buy one after we took a demo ride. So I did! She absolutely LOVES riding with me on it. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 60
Denver | A lot of the posts here are right on, but most show a lean towards the Vision which is to be expected. I have had my Vision for almost 2 years now after about 15 years on different Wings. The two bikes cannot be compared. Buying a new bike is a big choice and should be made by you without a lean one direction or the other. Go over to a Wing board and ask this question and see the lean the other way. The Vision is a great bike, but so is the Wing. They both do what they are designed to do, and personal preference is all that really makes a difference. If you are looking for smooth power (without adding S2, cams and all that crap) the Wing beats the Vision hands down. You will get some argument here regarding that, but after owning 3 1800's I can say for sure there is a noticeable difference. Comfort is subjective.. what is comfortable to me is not to you. The Wing has one particular drawback to me(which can be fixed with an add on called Mic Mutes) and that is wind/road noise in the mic. This is not a problem on my Vision. The main thing in my estimation is, get what you and your wife really like and do not settle for one or the other based on what you read here or there.
Willy |
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New user
Posts: 1
| This video is what convinced me to go with the Vision over the GW.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB1gtpKS2Wc |
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Cruiser
Posts: 60
Denver | You did notice that when they had the GW scroll across the bottom of the screen it was the 1500 and not the 1800... right. Big difference in bikes. He never did say which GW he owned....
Willy |
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Cruiser
Posts: 103
| Hi bucfan I live in tampa and if you want to seat on a Vision and a Goldwing side by side let me know. I have both and would be pleased to let you and your wife feel the difference. If you are interested email me at Swordsmon@aol.com to get in touch. Bruce |
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Cruiser
Posts: 212
Tavares, Fl | My GW 1500 was much more comfortable than my 1800. A lot more room to stretch out, but neither one can hold a candle to the Vision, plenty of room to stretch out, lower center of gravity, handling is different but once I got used to it I love it. You have to get used to riding with a light grip. Personal experience shows the lay down points work, in fact they helped right the bike after skidding several feet much to my supprise. The intercom system is much better than the GW's once you get used to adjusting it from slow speeds to highway speeds...My passanger loves the ride, we just returned from a 1500 mile trip with less fatigue than I would have had on the GW. As far as dependability, read the 50k post. |
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Tourer
Posts: 332
Dale, Indiana | Drove a Goldwing trike the other day.
Put my feet on the pegs.
Got the feeling I was supposed to give birth to something!
Hurts it does! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 143
Birmingham, AL 08 MC Tour Premium 2012 Bronze Mist | I've had 7 wings, 3 1200, 2 1500 and 2 1800, all great bikes, but as a previous poster noted, no personality. The 18's were great performance, handling and superb electronics. I've had 4 Harley's 2 Softails, a road glide and a screamin eagle ultra classic. Personality out the wazoo, but handled like a wet pig.
To me, the Vision is a good mix of them both. It has phenomenal handling and performance that won't put you to sleep. Great riding comfort, position and seating. I've got an 08 and been through more electrical problems than I'd care for but I love the bike and so does the wife. BTW she's around 5'8" and won't tell me how much she weighs :0). I'm guessing 145lbs. I'm safe cuz she doesn't read the forum posts.
But anyway...... test ride them both 2 up and spend a little time on em. You'll figure it out.
Good luck! |
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Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | bucfan11 - 2009-08-16 9:17 AM
Yes, I've been a long time Buc fan, (1976) Not so much anymore as I've aged my priorities have changed. The Ultra seat "spread" her legs too far, after a while it began to hurt her hips. The Wing was just as wide and she complained. When we sat on the Vision she made no mention of the seat being to wide so I assumed it was a narrow seat. Thanks for your imput.
Rob
My wife had a similar problem.... on a Road King, of all things!!!
The problem turned out not to be the seat per se (although THAT was hard, compared to a Vision or GW). The problem was that all the HD's were cramped front-to-back. That required my wife to sit very close behind me, which required her to spread her legs and suffer in her hips.
I suspect this is what is happening with your current bike.
I know nothing of the GW's arrangement, but the Vision allows my wife to sit well behind me, which keeps the air cooler and lets my wife ride in a more natural position(and also keeps air circulation so farts can escape).
Perhaps having a really firm definition of the problem might help you decide which way to go. Personally, my size 15's simply could not operate the GW, so I did discarded the thing out of hand before looking at the pillion, acoutrements, or handling.
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Cruiser
Posts: 271
Belding Michigan | I was the poster child for the GW I rode them for 25 years and started 3 GWRRA chapters. Do I miss the Wing sometimes the local get together and ride thing bothers me as the Wingers look at you like you lost your mind. That said at 6'10" and 400 lbs and a wife unit that is 5'2" and 130 lbs this is the best of all worlds comfort for her and I both. The bike has soul and is fun to handle. It is certianly not in the GW catagory on things to buy to flash it up and make it your own but with so few of the around that does not seem to be a problem. Have I thought about going back sometimes but then I go for a ride and the reason for the Vison becomes clearer. I love my bike but I had to go to the Corbin seat to get real comfort for my size. Archie |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 12
| JUST THOUGHT YOU LIKE TO KNOW WE MAKE RISERS FOR THE VISION REAR FLOORBOARDS THAT ARE much better quality that the 1 1/2" junk the factory offers. We make 2", 3", 4" heights and they fit like a glove not like the factory ones. If you would like a picture e-mail me! |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | Not sure what I can add to what others have already said. The bike sells itself. Go ride one. Actually, ride them both. They are both great bikes. They both have advantages and disavantages when comparing one with the other. They are both as reliable as the day is long. We used to have a Goldwing and now have an '08 Vision. I find the Vision to be more comfortable for me. The passenger comfort is about the same on both bikes, but the Vision offers two features that my wife really likes better than the Goldwing. She sits higher, so can see over my head instead of having to look around me to see straight ahead. She absolutely loves the power windshield. If she wants less air, she asks me (via the intercom) to "roll the window up", and when she wants more air she says "roll the window down". Can't do that on the Goldwing without buying one of those expensive (and ugly) aftermarket power windshield conversions, and even those do not offer the adjustment range of the Vision's.
The passenger's audio controls are independently controllable on the Vision, while the Goldwing passenger has to live with whatever the rider does with the volume. There are aftermarket accessories to address this for the Goldwing. The Vison's intercom is VOX operated, while the Goldwing's is active constantly, so you get to listen to the wind noise in your intercom full-time. There are aftermarket accessories to address this for the Goldwing.
There is a large aftermarket for the Goldwing. Not much for the Vision, yet.
The Goldwing has fixed pegs and cylinder heads that lock your feet into one position. You can get "highway pegs" that force your legs wide and your feet are locked into a second position. These are also great for snagging things as you ride close to them. I've seen more than one "Wing rider go down after catching his highway pegs on something, since they stick out.
The Vision has long floorboards that are integrated into the design of the bike. They include adjustable (forward and backward) controls so you can set the bike to fit YOU. Add-on highway pegs are also available for the Vision if you have extremely long legs, but they look to me like they would be as likely to snag things as the ones for the Goldwing. Unless you have very long legs, you probably wouldn't need them anyway.
The real world power difference between the two bikes is practically nil. The Goldwing feels and sounds faster than the Vision, due to 6 cylinders buzzing away in perfect unison, compared to the Vision's V-twin, and due to the lower 1st gear of the Goldwing compared to the Vision. If you go drag racing, the Goldwing will beat the Vision by a half second in the quarter mile. That's not how we typically ride our touring bikes, at least not ALL the time. If you're both in 5th gear behind some slow traffic running 45 MPH, and you both pull out to pass at the same time, the bikes are dead even up to about 100 MPH. That's the kind of performance that really counts in a touring bike. (5th gear on the Honda will get you to a GPS indicated speed of 128 MPH and 5th gear on the Victory will get you to a GPS indicated 120 MPH). The Goldwing cruises at 3000 RPM @ 70 MPH, while the Vision cruises at 2650 RPM @ 70 MPH (6th gear) and 3150 RPM @ 70 MPH in 5th gear. The Vision has a factory speed limiter in 6th gear that prevents it from going over 120 MPH, but there is a a way to over-ride it if it concerns you, and Vision riders with the limiter disconnected and power upgrades to their bikes have seen GPS verified speeds of 138 MPH. If you've got a BMW K1200LT and a Harley UC with you, the Beemer will be shifting like crazy to keep up with the Honda and the Victory, (each of which just stay in one gear) and the Harley will be watching all of you disappear down the road. Referencing stock bikes here of course. There are power upgrades available for the Harley (very expensive, and reliabilty is an issue), and for the Vision ($1100 to $1300 will get you another 20 to 25 horsepower at the wheel, reliability is as good as stock, and fuel economy actually goes up).
Both bikes will typically go 225 to 250 miles on a tank of gas, but the 'Wing rider will be wiggling around on his seat long before the Vision rider starts thinking about taking a break.
Ronnie
Edited by rdbudd 2009-08-19 1:01 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| As someone else mentioned the ONLY really true way of knowing which bike you should get would be to ride all of them, preferably back to back and then make your choice. EACH of the bikes you mentioned have certain advantages ad disadvantages which one must bear in mind. For example you said your wife didn't like the seat on the HD. For a few dollars you can replace it for something she is more comfortable with. You can't do this with the other two bikes. Having owned all three bikes in the equation I know how different they all are, what they do well and what they do not so well. Ride and decide for yourself and don't let something as simple as a seat replacement dictate which one you choose, that's an easy fix.
A coupe hings about that video link to VOG. First off the guy is a GW rider but we don't know what model wing, BUT that isn't factor really because they aren't comparing the Vision to his GW, the GW is just a reference point for long distance touring. What you should discount is the ENTIRE evaluation as it did NOT compare two bikes of equal caliber. They used an EG Classic when the fair and monetary comparison would have been an Ultra. The EG Classic doesn't have lowers or Cruise control and costs 3 grand less than the Vision. The Ultra on the other hand is the same $$ as the Vision and comes with lowers, cruise and fairing air deflectors. Also comes with a different seat, so the comparison is purposely faulty and deceptive. The dudes biggest beef was he had to use his thumbs from both hands to hit the turn signal button, and yet he had NOOO problem reaching WAY down with his right thumb to play with cruise buttons? Please!!!!
Here is my take. The Vision can not and should not be compared to the HD or GW. It was NOT designed to compete against these bikes, so why would the consumer try to do so? Silly! The Vision was designed to attract those riders who would normally go for a custom but want something that will make trips to the bar or cross country with equal ease, it does this very well. So all these what should I get a GW or a Vision, or HD or a Vision are a waste of cyberspace. Which bike appeals to you visually, ergonomically and functionally? That's the bike you buy. If you buy based on someone else's opinion you really didn't want the bike, your just looking for attention and ego stroking. JMO |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | My girlfriend mentioned several times of being uncomfortable on my Vision. I couldn't understand why because all these forums talk about how great the comfort is. I finally came across a thread that mentioned the passengers legs rubbing on the saddle bags. That must be it I thought. I had the girlfriend sit on the Vision in her Normal" riding position. Her feet did not touch the floorboards. She is 5'2". I called the dealer and asked about raising the floorboards. They had 1.5" risers from Victory. Not near enough. I asked the girlfriend to put her foot at a height she would like best then measured to the floorboard. She needed 3" riser. I called many shops to see if someone had heard of any longer risers than Victory's. I finally found 3" risers at the Arlen Ness dealer in Vegas. They arrived at my door in 2 days. The risers are exactly what she needed. She says she is much more comfortable. Before, she was stuck in one position and her legs went numb because they dangled. Now she can easily move around using her legs because she can press against the floorboards.
I am 6'2" and have no complaints about comfort up front. |
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Goldwind VS Vision
