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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| I am at that age where if I get a vision it will be my last bike ever. The part that scares me is the gear noise from the primary. My harley is way quieter by far.
I love the looks of a vision. I have my eye on a 08 gray one its so pretty to me. Just trying to work a deal with a dealer. I have ridden 4 vision so far and the only thing is the gear noise and the over priced parts.
Yes harleys parts are over price too. It pains me how our income doesn't go up but the price of what we need and want in life goes up.
So am I really going to get used to the gear noise or do I buy lots of ear plugs.
Keep the shine side up  |
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Cruiser
Posts: 256
| I don't even notice it. Maybe because I have the stereo up or just ignore it, I don't know. But I am very pleased with my Vision, happier with it than I was my BMW LT. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 95
Alberta, Canada | I concur with Prime Power, I have a 2008 Vision and hardly notice the tranny sounds! Just turn up your stereo if the noise is to excess and enjoy your "bullet proof" Vision!!! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 935
Rockford, IL | After a couple thousand miles the tranny settles in and the noise decreases....pretty dramatically. And many folks (inc me) have found that running Amsoil quiets it down even more. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | I got the cams installed last week and have not turned the XM on since. Rode 1100 miles home with nothing but the sound of the motor. The tranny gets quieter as you rack up the miles. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | John:
I agree, no matter how hard I work a 60's era Strat and the Vincent keep getting further and further away from reality. I fell in love with the 08 SSG Vision on my first test ride, and bought it the after the wife pronounced the passenger accommodations far superior to our HD.
I have not regretted the decision for one second.
As to the gear noise - my BMW makes more noise than the Vision and vibrates more at low rpm. Ear plugs will save what is left of your hearing and aren't expensive I buy mine at the drug store.
If you ride like you mean it, the transmission shifts smoothly and flawlessly, the only time I get a clunk is dropping into first gear, or when I'm being deliberate. If you shift like you're trying to get to the first turn ahead of the rest of the pack its almost noiseless (shifting either direction). The harder I ride it the smoother it seems to be.
Buying a 1st year bike you will have a slightly less refined machine than the 09-11s but you're joining an exclusive club by acquiring the SSG. I love mine and my advice is "go for it". |
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Cruiser
Posts: 51
Edmonton AB, Canada | I found the same thing, once I got my new 2010 broken in and did the first oil change the tranny sounds changed.
One big highway run later and it sounds way better, plus it really seems to be made for winding up the throttle! |
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | Every machine made has its own special sounds, two cycle bikes, one cylinder 4stroke dirt bikes, harleys, honda valkyri, ducatis and so on. I've read somewhere on here that the vics have very substantial gears and that is part of the reason for the clunkiness and the drive noise. Their track record speaks for itself, they are bullet proof. You just have to accept that this is the sound of a Vic and learn to appreciate it. Take the plunge and join the rest of us enjoying the Vision life style!  |
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Tourer
Posts: 415
| 26,000 very hard miles on my bike. She sounds exactly like the day I bought her.
BULLETPROOF!
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | My first car was a Jaguar XK150 - I was 20 and just married. Transmission scared the crap out of me it was so noisy.
So WHAT?
A good XK150 goes for a few hundred grand now....
And the noise didn't stop it from doing 150 mph, and never gave me any grief.
Nor has my Vision. Noisy? Big deal.... quieter now, but has never mattered to me. It works. THAT'S what matters....
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Cruiser
Posts: 52
Fort Covington, NY | thinking about running asoil in my 2010 vision, what are you using for amsoil? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 260
| vision10 - 2010-08-25 4:43 AM
thinking about running asoil in my 2010 vision, what are you using for amsoil?
I use 20/40 |
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Tourer
Posts: 374
Tucson, AZ | Just turned over 50K on my 08 with zero problems. It sounds different than all of my Harleys, but rides so much better. And as said before...turn up the music and ride.
mike |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | It's not only the straight cut gears in the transmission you're hearing. it's also the geared primary drive, it makes alot of whiring, the Harleys have chain driven primaries in a constant oil bath and are almost silent........ |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | The noise does quiet in time, but in fairness to Victory, the noise you do hear is amplified through the front tunnel. There is a significant difference between being on the bike and off the bike.
I was ready to hang up the chaps as it was getting more and more difficult to handle my Goldwing. I got a deal on a Vision and decided to try it as my last bike. I am happy to say that I believe the Vision has added many years to my riding capability. |
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Tourer
Posts: 444
Bay of Gigs, WA | I know, huh?. The racket does bug me too, if I'm around town and all the lights are red always (would it hurt these city clowns to take a friggin' stopwatch and time a few of these damn things?), and I have to shift a trillion times per mile (sic). Not bad on the slab, though. Funny, 4th is quieter than the first three, and 5 & 6 are silent.
You know, I'm glad all the parts are robust and all that, but c'mon-it's 2008 or better. Helical cut gears have been around for a long time. Would that really have hurt Victory to put some in? Maybe 5 & 6 already are...
And I hear the '11's have a "new and improved" tranny, good for 100K. What's up w/that, if the noisy ones are so good? Do I have disappointment on the horizon?
Still, nothings broke on my '08 Street yet, so I can't complain. Unless my blood sugar is low or something. :0) |
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Tourer
Posts: 432
Gettysburg, 2008 Tour Premium | The Vision is just plain easy to ride. Just did 2,800 miles to AVR and back. lot of 12-13 hour days running back roads and highway. Noise was never an issue. I wear a FULL FACE HELMET so that helps but if I had a half helmet I would use earplugs, not because of the noise but to save what is left of my hearing.
Edited by wroman 2010-08-25 6:51 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 432
Gettysburg, 2008 Tour Premium | The Vision is just plain easy to ride. Just did 2,800 miles to AVR and back. AAlot of 12-13 hour days running back roads and highway. Noise was never an issue. I wear a FULL FACE HELMET so that helps but if I had a half helmet I would use earplugs, not because of the noise but to save what is left of my hearing. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| John a couple things. First off yes the Vision is noisy and NO it will not get any less noisy. As an owner you'll get use to the noise so it will SEEM to be quieter, but it isn't really. The engine and bodywork kind of work together in amplifying what you hear from the seat.
Now here is a bone tossed your way: I got rid of my 08 Vision in June and got back on a Harley, I know I can hear the booo's, lol. I had committted to assisting the Vic dealer and club with the demo rides and such before making the decision change bikes. So upon returning from Montana I set up the ride route for the demo runs and led/followed for two straight days. I hopped right off my HD and onto the Vision and was completely at home with handling, braking, etc... without any need for readapting. Rode the X bikes as well and felt just as at home.
The point I'm making is you can buy based on form, or you can do so on function, only you can decide.... but here is another simpe truth: My wife was perfectly comfy on the Vision w/only the addition of a taller windshield. The Harley needed $1500 worth of parts to make it as comfy as the Vision in stock form. You mentioned accessories being expensive... What accessories, the Vision NEEDS NOTHING??? Right out of the box it is ready to ride across the road or across the country.
So here is my suggestion: If the Vision motor/tranny is too noisy for you, buy a Goldwing. The HD will piss you off just as much. If you want to add a bunch of bells and whistles. Again buy the Goldwing with cup holders, dishwasher, and central heating/AC....
In other words if this will be your last bike, you can't do any better than the Vision. JMO |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Teach,
No Boos here. Everyone should ride what they feel is best for themselves.
Ride Safe!
Edited by radioteacher 2010-08-26 2:43 AM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | Its funny reading on this site, 50% of the posts are from guys who want the bike to sound louder with upgraded exhausts, bigger badder pipes, lloyds tuning blah blah blah blah. 20 % of the posts are from guys who want a bigger badder sound system so it can be louder
noiser, heard from space, turbo blast the car next to you blah blah blah.... Then someone posts that the bike in its natural form is too loud from its inception.. Thank God the Vision is like a Lego, snap on what you want, snap off what you dont want..........
My own personal experience on my own Vision ......................... what noise...........??
To Teach, man im hoping that your switch to HD was for some real reason and not because of "brand recognition, peer pressure, or a need
to wear a bandanna with a fake pony tail sewn on the back of it". I cant believe someone would trade back after owning a VV. What gives, because your posting is illogical, you said " it has everything you want, your wife was more comfortable, and if its the last bike you own you cant do any better then the Vision.............. so you can see why we all question the......ummm downgrade........ whats up buddy |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | Don't rag on the Teach. He had a Vision that was the "Chucky" of bikes. He stuck with his far longer than I would have.
I do not care about noise or bells and whistles, but I do expect a bike to go out on it's own power and come home the same way without a stop at the dealer.
I have never heard anyone that had the problems with a Vision like Teach. I doubt no one will ever know the the root of the problem, but I suspect a flawed frame that only xray or magnifux will reveal.
Anyway, my plus for the Vision is that it has allowed me to continue riding, for the reasons I earlier posted. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 132
Durango, Colorado | Bought my 08 street premium SSG sight unseen just over a year ago from Performance East in Goldsborough N.C. for 17,000usd out the door with the s1l1 pipes and gatlin' tips. I had the bike shipped to my home in Bayfield, Colorado and had never even seen one outside of photos before it arrived. When I rolled that bike down the ramp off the truck and fired it up it was an EPIPHANY! After figuring out how to open the fuel door (with help from the shipper) I grabbed my helmet and jetted off to the filling station. I swear I could feel the corners of my mouth touching my earlobes . I have logged 11,000mi. since then even with the bike wintered in the garage for 5 months and every ride is like the first; Permagrin....Sure, I have had some of the issues associated with the 08's, mainly the belt noise that I have been able to resolve on my own with help from the fine gentlemen on this site. Occasionally my bar mounted volume control will change the radio station but since installing a sirius radio that is a non issue. By the way, I never knew the tranny noise was a problem until I read about it here. Maybe they put a 2010 transmission in mine. Take the leap, John, I did and I couldn't be happier. I would suggest avoiding the 08's just not to have to sort out the belt noise issue but I guarantee you wont be dissapointed. I would also highly reccommend Performance East as a dealer, they have a link on this site. Give them a look. -paulhu
Edited by paulhu 2010-08-26 4:56 PM
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Fountain Inn, SC United States | Compared to my 2003 Victory cruiser, the Vision had a louder engine noise initially. Now it has quieted down considerably after just 2k miles and a switch to Amsoil. 4th gear was louder than the others but it is now as quiet as the other gears. The fairing definitely amplifies engine noise back to the rider but once you get going, other noises (wind, road, etc) mask it. The bike could be ALOT louder and I'd still love it. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I guess the noise is all relative, I grew up around heavy machinery and I was in the Army for over 20 years around trucks, tanks and heavy equipment. I have hearing loss in a certain range and its directly related to the tone of diesel engines. So perhaps the Vision doesn't bother me as it does others, but in the scheme of things, noise is a great trade off for the way the Vision rides. The ergo in all regards is perfect for my body and even if the Vision came with a man playing the bagpipes on the luggage rack for all it's worth, the ride would still steal the show for me. I can't ride on a cramped Wing or Harley for endless miles like I can on my noisey Vision.
But seriously, whether it is something you "get use" to, or whether it quiet down with use, the Vision is the ultimate riding machine for man, IMHO. There, that's my 1.2 cents. |
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I am so scared
