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Cruiser
Posts: 141
| Anyone who has had a passenger on their Vision for any amount of miles, check out your side bag cover where your passengers leg is located. I have a total of 1,000 miles out of my almost 3,000 miles so far in 2 up mode. I was cleaning bugs off the windshield and noticed a bunch of smudges on the front portion of the side bags..Well, they aren't smudges...The clear coat is gone, and the rub is into the paint. I tried wax, cleaner wax, no go...1,000 miles 2 up and my bags are RUINED!!!! Looks like hell. My girlfriend was wearing jeans for the 1,000 miles, 800 of which were to Cedar Point and back this past weekend. This is really nice, you can't have a passenger on your Vision or it wrecks the paint...
Has anyone else discovered this yet, and did you ask Polaris what they will do about it?
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Cruiser
Posts: 102
Northeast Pennsylvania | I may look into getting that 3m on my bike now that you seem to be having problems already with yours. I do have the extensions and the wife's legs don't touch the side bags. No solace to you though. Thanx for the heads up. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 52
Park City, Utah | it was blatantly obvious right off the bat that contact with your paint was going to create problems. The paint is TOO soft!!!!! it's horrible. I have owned over a dozen bikes of all kinds and never seen such a thing. Talked to Poo and they said it was w/in spec but that they would improve the spec in the future. NO help to us early buyers. If my last Kingpin had paint like this I'd have never bought another Victory and if they don't fix this I never will either. you have to be able to touch your bike. First place I saw the problem was on the gas cap cover where smudges were appearing from just closing it with clean hands. ut-oh I said!!! I took the bike to Clear Bra and had all contact points done. My dealer was able to buff out all the scratches first. a stupid expense. The painter who did all my silver metal parts black said it was either done wrong or just very cheap paint. Some bean counter probably made the call and it will cost them more in angry buyers then they will ever be able to measure. As much as I love the bikes they build, they are still Polaris... That must be foreign for stupid and cheap in some language. These are NOT 4 wheelers or sleds and need to be built to a different standard. And they continue to have to learn the simple things the hard way... They have NO good reason for bad paint. I have the Cherry Red by the way. maybe it's just that color, no idea. The ONLY thing that would make me happy would be to have the bike sent back and totally repainted properly. my fix is a fix for now but you know the future of this bike is going to be all dulled and marked from just normal wear and tear washing. My last Victory was a show winner. Always spotless. This one, I am afraid to wash. sucks. See your dealer and have him try to get the marks out and then protect it after that. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 141
| Rock Star - 2008-05-29 9:35 AM
it was blatantly obvious right off the bat that contact with your paint was going to create problems. The paint is TOO soft!!!!! it's horrible. I have owned over a dozen bikes of all kinds and never seen such a thing. Talked to Poo and they said it was w/in spec but that they would improve the spec in the future. NO help to us early buyers. If my last Kingpin had paint like this I'd have never bought another Victory and if they don't fix this I never will either. you have to be able to touch your bike. First place I saw the problem was on the gas cap cover where smudges were appearing from just closing it with clean hands. ut-oh I said!!! I took the bike to Clear Bra and had all contact points done. My dealer was able to buff out all the scratches first. a stupid expense. The painter who did all my silver metal parts black said it was either done wrong or just very cheap paint. Some bean counter probably made the call and it will cost them more in angry buyers then they will ever be able to measure. As much as I love the bikes they build, they are still Polaris... That must be foreign for stupid and cheap in some language. These are NOT 4 wheelers or sleds and need to be built to a different standard. And they continue to have to learn the simple things the hard way... They have NO good reason for bad paint. I have the Cherry Red by the way. maybe it's just that color, no idea. The ONLY thing that would make me happy would be to have the bike sent back and totally repainted properly. my fix is a fix for now but you know the future of this bike is going to be all dulled and marked from just normal wear and tear washing. My last Victory was a show winner. Always spotless. This one, I am afraid to wash. sucks. See your dealer and have him try to get the marks out and then protect it after that.
Mine is silver...This was the last straw in the caring what the bike looks like category. I really consider it a driving bike now, and nothing to show off, ever. Crooked bags, gouged seat from the crooked bags, rubbed out hose from the plastic being misaligned, blotched out rubbed off paint, shit doesn't close right, shit doesn't open right, broken plastic from the bags not closing right, windscreen is crooked....Sorry for the rant, and excuse my French, but this is frickin' pathetic.
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Tourer
Posts: 496
Scottsdale AZ | golfer - 2008-05-29 7:56 AM
Rock Star - 2008-05-29 9:35 AM
it was blatantly obvious right off the bat that contact with your paint was going to create problems. The paint is TOO soft!!!!! it's horrible. I have owned over a dozen bikes of all kinds and never seen such a thing. Talked to Poo and they said it was w/in spec but that they would improve the spec in the future. NO help to us early buyers. If my last Kingpin had paint like this I'd have never bought another Victory and if they don't fix this I never will either. you have to be able to touch your bike. First place I saw the problem was on the gas cap cover where smudges were appearing from just closing it with clean hands. ut-oh I said!!! I took the bike to Clear Bra and had all contact points done. My dealer was able to buff out all the scratches first. a stupid expense. The painter who did all my silver metal parts black said it was either done wrong or just very cheap paint. Some bean counter probably made the call and it will cost them more in angry buyers then they will ever be able to measure. As much as I love the bikes they build, they are still Polaris... That must be foreign for stupid and cheap in some language. These are NOT 4 wheelers or sleds and need to be built to a different standard. And they continue to have to learn the simple things the hard way... They have NO good reason for bad paint. I have the Cherry Red by the way. maybe it's just that color, no idea. The ONLY thing that would make me happy would be to have the bike sent back and totally repainted properly. my fix is a fix for now but you know the future of this bike is going to be all dulled and marked from just normal wear and tear washing. My last Victory was a show winner. Always spotless. This one, I am afraid to wash. sucks. See your dealer and have him try to get the marks out and then protect it after that.
Mine is silver...This was the last straw in the caring what the bike looks like category. I really consider it a driving bike now, and nothing to show off, ever. Crooked bags, gouged seat from the crooked bags, rubbed out hose from the plastic being misaligned, blotched out rubbed off paint, shit doesn't close right, shit doesn't open right, broken plastic from the bags not closing right, windscreen is crooked....Sorry for the rant, and excuse my French, but this is frickin' pathetic.
Why don't you just sell the Vision and be done with it! I have had my Vision since last September and LOVE it even with all these little problems. These things have been discussed on this forum in detail in the past without the "rant" you admitted to. Since we can all have our 2 cents, thats mine. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 141
| DesertJim - 2008-05-29 10:40 AM
golfer - 2008-05-29 7:56 AM
Rock Star - 2008-05-29 9:35 AM
it was blatantly obvious right off the bat that contact with your paint was going to create problems. The paint is TOO soft!!!!! it's horrible. I have owned over a dozen bikes of all kinds and never seen such a thing. Talked to Poo and they said it was w/in spec but that they would improve the spec in the future. NO help to us early buyers. If my last Kingpin had paint like this I'd have never bought another Victory and if they don't fix this I never will either. you have to be able to touch your bike. First place I saw the problem was on the gas cap cover where smudges were appearing from just closing it with clean hands. ut-oh I said!!! I took the bike to Clear Bra and had all contact points done. My dealer was able to buff out all the scratches first. a stupid expense. The painter who did all my silver metal parts black said it was either done wrong or just very cheap paint. Some bean counter probably made the call and it will cost them more in angry buyers then they will ever be able to measure. As much as I love the bikes they build, they are still Polaris... That must be foreign for stupid and cheap in some language. These are NOT 4 wheelers or sleds and need to be built to a different standard. And they continue to have to learn the simple things the hard way... They have NO good reason for bad paint. I have the Cherry Red by the way. maybe it's just that color, no idea. The ONLY thing that would make me happy would be to have the bike sent back and totally repainted properly. my fix is a fix for now but you know the future of this bike is going to be all dulled and marked from just normal wear and tear washing. My last Victory was a show winner. Always spotless. This one, I am afraid to wash. sucks. See your dealer and have him try to get the marks out and then protect it after that.
Mine is silver...This was the last straw in the caring what the bike looks like category. I really consider it a driving bike now, and nothing to show off, ever. Crooked bags, gouged seat from the crooked bags, rubbed out hose from the plastic being misaligned, blotched out rubbed off paint, shit doesn't close right, shit doesn't open right, broken plastic from the bags not closing right, windscreen is crooked....Sorry for the rant, and excuse my French, but this is frickin' pathetic.
Why don't you just sell the Vision and be done with it! I have had my Vision since last September and LOVE it even with all these little problems. These things have been discussed on this forum in detail in the past without the "rant" you admitted to. Since we can all have our 2 cents, thats mine.
Glad you are happy with subpar quality, and don't care to have it improved. Get enough people like you and we can turn Victory into Harley, except that Harley's quality is far superior to Victories as it stands. Victory has a better bike for certain, but no where close to the QC at the motor company...By the way, I didn't ask for your opinion anyway, I asked if people had contacted Victory, and what they were told. But thanks for telling me to sell my bike because I am pissed off about PATHETIC quality issues with a $20,000+ motorcycle. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Okay folk. We should be a different set of folks with a different attitude, this is starting to sound like a GoldWing site. But anyways, as I mentioned before, writing to Victory with your concerns in a mature fashion will be the only way to resolve the issues. I am totally satisfied with my Vision, but do not like the substandard material they used for paint, and the fit of the body in some places and a few other things. I talked with my dealer about my 15,000 mile service and told them I would be giving them a list of my warrantee claims as well as sending a letter to Victory with those same concerns. The last time I brought up the dimples on the bag covers, I was told No Way! when others were hearing Way! So I want my covers replaced under warrantee or a letter from Victory addressing why not. I'm having radio problems and moisture getting into the controls, which seems to indicate that the electronics are not weather proofed as they should be. All of us need to take in consideration it will take a while to identify the real problems and the real fixes. Fussing at each other will not get anything resolved, so I hope we can refrain from that kind of stuff here. If you are satisfied with your Vision, errors and all, don't make it sound like that someone who is not satisfied and has voiced it here is in the wrong, we all want what we paid for. Victory, as well as other companies need to stand behind their products. I paid just as much for a Jeep Liberty and the dealer bent over backwards to fix minor things. So, I want the same for the same price merchandice, my Victory Vision. I may never ever buy another Victory Motorcycle ever, because my expectation is that the Vision will last me on up to the hundreds of thousands of miles. So that puts me a long way out before I consider another purchase, but I already stand with Victory as having a superior product in the making. Happy Faces and Happy Motoring!  |
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Cruiser
Posts: 52
Park City, Utah | With all the things wrong with his bike a man has a right to Bitch and loudly at that. Mine is just paint. Was my 2004 Goldwing a better bike? by a mile. But I wanted to buy American and I wanted a full bagger. Polaris has come light years in just 10 years but issues like bad paint are unacceptable. Misfit parts are an issue. These are the things that affect resale, something us earlier Victory riders took in the shorts. If a quality product that stands up to normal use is built, resale will stay reasonable. That's all I want is reasonable resale. I am happy to pay to play. Can a 2008 Vision clean up good enough to show? no way. I would not sell your bike. I would get a dealer who would back the product and get everything fixed. I actually would like my paint warrantied.
Fact. for the $21k plus most of us paid, there are 100 autos on the market that are well equipped and have fit, finish and paint that BLOWS away this bike. Polaris could do better. That said, I'm riding my bike to work today. 
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Here, here! I ride mine to work everyday. 13,850+ and counting...  I was afraid you were going say the GoldWing rides as sweet as the Vision... |
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Tourer
Posts: 495
Carrollton, TX | The paint is hard to fix but all the bag alignment issues can be fixed by the dealer under warranty, The dealer can get from Victory a detailed document that tells them how to fix al the alignment issues. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 294
rhode island | ME thinks we may have some infiltrators here. They should be ferreted out and bannished.
First rule of fight club is : when talking about the vision don't dis the vision, second rule of fight club Don't Diss the
Vision! Third rule: when one starts a rant take a poll to see just how many problems there really are, and not just
one or two lemons out of thousands of visions made. I think the paint should be handled with a
little care when cleaning micro fiber polishing cloths only. The paint job on my vision is fantastic.
midnite cherry of course. My radio plays loud enough to make your eyes bleed. And every panel
is aligned perfectly. 
Edited by sandman 2008-05-29 6:53 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 52
Park City, Utah | I have perfect panels. a stereo that would make sandman's eyes bleed and soft paint. Not gonna stick my head in the sand and say it's good. many talks with Poo about it too. just the facts, mam. Do I love it? yep. saying something by many has already led to Poo saying they will upgrade the paint spec. mission accomplished. Hey, I have a lot of toys and even the high end ones have factory issues. pointing them out gets them corrected and makes for a better product long term.
peace out. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 256
Florida | With all due respect guys, it's important for us to be able to voice our opinions on the Vision...good or bad. The best way to get the factory to take notice is by posting legitimate complaints in an orderly fashion. Since I don't ride two-up often, I haven't experienced the saddlebag paint issue. With the riding season just beginning, if this issue becomes widespread and rears it's ugly head, will Polaris/Victory offer to re-paint our bikes? Probably not. However, what they could do is to provide a free modification to the passenger floorboards that move them forward an inch or so to keep the legs away from the bags. Maybe next year they will come up with a higher quality paint that will alleviate this issue. Until then, good or bad, let's talk about both sides of the story.
While I truly enjoy the civilized tone of this forum, it seems that many times the posts are of the "fanboy" variety. Personally, I'd like to hear both sides of a problem...that's how we come up with solutions. Think about it, if we hadn't gotten together and realized there was a stalling problem, how would we know that this was a common issue and how would the factory realize that it's something that needed to be addressed.
Information is power and by sharing it, we have a voice against the corporate world. After all, WE are the customers and we CAN make a difference. Let's face it, all of us had that thought, prior to purchase, that we're early adopters and some risks come with being the first on the block. Is Victory the Microsoft of motorcycles? I surely hope not. The way to retain customers is by addressing problems and providing solutions in a timely manner. Communicating with the customer is a good thing. I'm still a bit miffed in the slow release of the ignition recall. And, I still can't believe they haven't fully informed ALL the dealers to replace the damaged bag lids to keep the customers happy. That's not a good thing.
There are plenty of Fanboy sites all over the web...those are the ones I avoid. Communication = Good! |
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Tourer
Posts: 400
| I took my Vision to the dealer to get the bags aligned, and they are still very bad. I also noticed the reason why the right side bag rubs the seat is the seat is not properly installed. I have a quarter inch gap to the handle on one side, and the seat actually overlaps the handle on the other side. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 294
rhode island | P.B.R
good to hear from you again, A good ref. is just what the doctor ordered. someone needs to bring some balance to
the forum. If being a fan of the vision makes me a fanboy then a FanBoy be me! I think the vision rank's in the top
five motorcycles ever built. Thirtytwo years riding with a little luck 32 more. 
Edited by sandman 2008-05-29 9:07 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 256
Florida | Hi Sandman,
I agree, it's my favorite ride of all times. But, we do need to stay honest in our opinions and when there is an issue, there's safety in numbers. If we are experiencing the similiar "issues" with our Visions, the smart thing to do is to air them out and let others know.
While I knew there was a risk of being an early adopter, I truly did not expect Victory to be another Microsoft and hoped they would be proactive and find solutions to our issues. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 294
rhode island | P.B.R
I'm hoping what we have here is a future 55 T-bird or a 64.5 mustang or the 53 vett, early adoption's sometimes
work out quite well. These vehicles are legendary and the vision might also become an Icon. 09 should be a telling year
if the engineer's have been paying attention to some of the complaint's, we should see some revisions. By the way how's
your stereo at 70mph? p.s we all should have bought stock in microsoft in the begining then
we'd be sipping margaritas with jimmy buffet
Edited by sandman 2008-05-29 9:49 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 400
| I have been to a couple dealers and all Visions I've seen have the same problems. I was told to take pictures of everything I didn't like and have my dealer submit items for warrenty work. I was also informed by a dealer that there is a customer service number on Victory's website. I am a Quality Engineer, and I have worked in mold injection and painting. I understand tolerances for paint defects, mold defects, and gap clearance depend on the surface, meaning highly visible like the dashboard is an A, semi visible B, non visible a C. Tolerances increase when visibility decreases.
The vision has some significant issues with alignment, gap tolerances, mold defects such as flash, bad gate cuts and dents or mold wash. I just don't understand why the problems were not fixed when it was evident on the demo bikes. I have paint missing where the bag shuts due to improper alignment causing pressure rubbing on mating surfaces. I really hope Victory steps up and fixes the issues and makes it right with the people who pre-ordered. I bought my Vision because on how well my 2002 92C Deluxe was built. I have over 19,000 miles on the 2002 and it has not been in the shop. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | You won't know how well Victory listens until the '09 models come out. There's not a whole lot they could have done once the '08 was released. I'm betting that the '08 will be the poorest made Vision ever. Every new model Vision will be better but it will never be the first.
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Fountain Inn, SC United States | SongFan - 2008-05-29 9:52 PM
You won't know how well Victory listens until the '09 models come out. There's not a whole lot they could have done once the '08 was released. I'm betting that the '08 will be the poorest made Vision ever. Every new model Vision will be better but it will never be the first.
Quite true SongFan. Every year Victory has made improvements over last, throughout its product line. This was the first year for them using plastics for most of the bodywork, and the first year for the closed-loop fuel system. I'm convinced they will learn from the problems (few as they are) and improve on things.
For those folks considering getting a Vision, don't let these pages stop you. As in all forums, you generally hear complaints more than you hear about everything working smoothly. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | Im betting the '08s will be a collectors item someday. Limited run, first of its kind. IF we all dont wear them out first! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | cjnoho - 2008-05-29 8:58 PM
Im betting the '08s will be a collectors item someday. Limited run, first of its kind. IF we all dont wear them out first!
I think you're right cjnoho. This really is an iconic bike. However, I didn't buy it for an investment. I bought it to ride the he** out of it. 2500 miles in 30 days, I think I'm off to a fair start. This is a bike I can see keeping for a good many years. The collectibility, if it happens, will be a happy plus.
Just as a bit of perspective on the dealer/factory service issues:
I have an 06 Suzuki C50T. Two weeks after I bought it, the snaps on the soft bags broke and the studs on the passenger backrest began popping off. (No, I wasn't hitting them with my boot when I mounted - it was a crappy cover.) I won't bore you with the whole long story, but after months, and I mean MONTHS of hounding both the dealer and Suzuki I finally got a new cover for the backrest. It was like a $40 part. Not a new backrest mind you - just the cover. I never did get the bags fixed.
Fast forward to the Vision:
1st week we noticed that there was definitely something wrong with the switches/connections on the heated seats. It was cold here in the Pacific NW, but a random hieny toasting was not appreciated. Way too hot, and would come on when we hit a bump even with the switches off. I told the dealer about the problem and took it in for the first 500 mile service a week to the day of delivery. When I picked it up, the tech said "Yeah, there is something wrong here. We are ordering you a new seat from Victory. Should be delivered in a week or so, and we will swap the seats then."
With my previous experience from dealerships, I wasn't holding my breath.
About 4 days later, I get a call that the seat is in. I drive down, give them the bike and 20 minutes later I'm driving away with a new seat that functions flawlessly. When they guy gave me the invoice (no charge just paper) he said, "Wow, that was an expensive seat!"
I asked him how much and he replied that it was "around $600". I whistled a bit, and he laughed and said "It's okay, that's the way Victory does things."
I'm not saying the bike, Victory, or my dealer is perfect. But they are a darn sight better so far (knock on wood), than previous encounters.
As for the imperfections, I don't really notice them when I'm cruising down the road trying to keep the beast under 80 mph. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 52
Park City, Utah | LOL. and one thing leads to another. I thought I was crazy that my butt would roast while my switches were off. Thanks. it was intermittent. ha... thanks for that tip. Nice to know I'm not crazy. sort of... as always and with everything we buy, a good dealer is worth the price we pay them. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 266
Stockton, Ca. | The best option for 2 up riding is to raise the passenger footpegs with the riser kit. That will reduce passengers legs rubbing the paint or even more comfort for the passenger at the same time. No numb legs. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 904
29 Palms California | Golfer mentioned CEDAR POINT! THE AMAZEMENT PARK! He's probably living in Ohio, and you have to understand the mentallity here. He has every right to complain, however his issues seems to stem from a moron putting his bike together. Misaligned windscreen? Saddle bags misaligned? Take the bike to the dealer and force them to make things right. I'm looking at 10k and about 5k is 2 up. I always make sure it's understood to be cautious where and how you place her feet, and legs. My 2003 Harley Electra Glide bags looked like crap after 2 rides. Hell, prior to trading it in for a Vision, I was afraid to ride anywhere, because it was apt to break down any moment. It's common knowledge that there is a risk when buying a first year production. I'm sure Golfers dealer probably can't help. I can probably go out on limb and guess they make him feel like everything wrong with his bike is his fault. Thats the Ohio way. Venting about the negatives is the only way to retain your sanity. Doesn't accomplish much, but make your jawls hurt. Be proactive, vent a way, and hold your dealer acountable! GO BUCKS! I need some coffee...you buzzards need to take a chill pill. |
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Vision side bag problem, really bad!!!
