First Impression: Victory Vision - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

Sunny · 12-08-2008, 09:31 PM

TEXT AND PHOTOS: Sundeep Gajjar (Sunny)

Often companies try too hard to incorporate a design element that is off norms in a bid to get labelled as radical and trendsetting, sometimes creating a product which fails to appeal in the market despite being very good. Stark examples are the Yamaha MT01, the Suzuki BKing and the Ducati 999 which were not well received primarily because of the styling aspect.

The Vision is one such effort, but one which has succeeded in creating a new object of desire amongst the rich and the famous, and cross continental motorheads as well. It takes a lot of dare to style a bike this radical and force into its elements to look like a ‘V’. The styling is certainly futuristic and might be a hint of things to come in the future, today.

Living in India, you see machines like the Fireblade and R1 once in a blue moon. And then this behemoth comes along. Combining curves of a princess in distress on the shoulders of a bodywork and engine so massive that it will outclass the current breed of tanks on the roads of Iraq.

The first look at it was from upfront, and it had me literally searching for the rider behind its all encompassing frame and the painfully bright headlights which could have probably woken up the pale winter sun to compete for its throne.
It has enough techno-wizadry too: Electronically controlled windscreen and side fin deflectors for better airflow. Satellite Radio, GPS Navigation MP3 ability and more.

Frankly I hadn’t been consciously aware of the bike until I actually knew it was possible to see it in flesh in Delhi. Having ridden some of the good Japanese bikes like the Concours 14 and the Blackbird for considerable distances, my ultimate dream always has been a Goldwing, especially if I was riding it across a country with roads and infrastructure supporting it.
But this one actually has that exotic feeling to it. The one which you probably get when you own a MV or a Benelli. You know that the Japs are equals, if not better, and they cost less too. However this one will help your status go north, even if your wallet balance goes south. And you ask the owners and they will sing out in perfect harmony – it is a different experience to own something so exotic and less common.

People here might be forgiven to think that the bike is manufactured by Harley or a Japanese company. In fact the company is called Victory Motorcycles and it is an American company. The company is based in Minnesota, US and is just 10 years old, while the parent company, Polaris Industries, was founded in 1954. They are better known to make ATVs and Snowmobiles.

The Victory lineup was developed to be in direct competition with the big motorcycles produced by the All American bigwig – Harley Davidson. They wanted it to be the epitome of American motorcycles – larger and louder.
Larger the Victory maybe, but louder, I am not sure. At times I wasn’t even sure the bike was running on wheels because the massive extending bodywork used to curtain them. It used to come across almost as a hovercraft due to the lack of serious nasty noise work.

The Victory was introduced in February 2007 as additions to the 2008 line up, the Vision is a touring configuration. It comes in two versions, the Street, which includes a full fairing and hard saddle bags; and the Tour, which also has a hard trunk with a wide range of luxury electronics.

To most people in India, it was a shock when they saw the Victory running on dried river beds in Lansdowne. In fact I was circling around the Victory on my R1 when it was being ridden on the narrow roads to the small hill station in Uttranchal, India. The rider has to be appreciated for he has shown that no machine is incapable of handling the Indian roads if you know the way to handle them. One of the reason probably was the 5.1 inches of travel in the front telescopic suspension. And the 26” inches low seat height. The Victory indeed commands all the eyes on the road to stare at it. In fact I call it the ‘Mothership’ because it used to come at the end of the fleet in the trip generating gasps and other elements of pure bedazzlement from the onlookers. And we mere mortals used to take sigh of relief as all the poky crowd was drawn to it and away from us!

Specifications

Engine Type Victory Freedom™ V-Twin

Cooling System Air and Oil-Cooled

Displacement 106 ci / 1,731 cc

Bore and Stroke 101 x 108 mm

Maximum Torque 109 ft.-lbs.

Compression Ratio 9.4:1

Fuel Injection Closed Loop

Transmission 6 Speed with True Overdrive

Final Drive Carbon Reinforced Belt

Rake/Trail 29 Degrees/5.4 inches

Front Tire Size 130/70-18 radial

Rear Tire Size 180/60-16 radial

Wheelbase 65.7 inches

Width 44.9 inches

Length 103.5 inches (Street)

104.9 inches (Tour)

Front Suspension /
Wheel Travel Conventional telescopic fork /
5.1 in / 130 mm

Rear Suspension /
Wheel Travel Adjustable /

4.7 in / 120 mm
Front Brake Type Dual 300mm floating rotor with 3-piston calipers

Rear Brake Type 300mm floating rotor with 2-piston caliper

Fuel Tank Capacity 26 litres

Total Storage Volume 3370 Cubic Inches (Street)6750 Cubic Inches (Tour)

Seat Height 26.5 Inches

Dry Weight 365 kg (Street) 325 kg (Tour)

Colors Black, Super Steel Gray, Midnight Cherry

Pricing Starting At (Street) $18,999 US (Tour) $19,999 US

A 360 degrees spin can be seen here: Vision : 360 Spin : Touring

See the Victory Vision in action here: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/5...-escapade.html

Photos

I needed an ultra wide lens for that mate!

Flight to Victory

Thats a lot of compressed air!

Are they nuclear warheads?

Is this a Hovercraft?

Out of the ranch and onto the highway, all 97 of the horses!

You need a big canvas for that!

Ride Royale!

^He knows where to spend, and he knows how to ride!

Sunset Villa

I ran out of black ink!

The owner!

Soon taxis will be like these!

Vlert! Vuge Vehicle vpproaching! velp vs!

Where are my Raybans?

Straight out of a HG Wells novella!

Yours for only USD 20000 (USD 40000 in India!)

aman_pulsating · 12-08-2008, 09:40 PM

!! Simply Superb Sunny!!

inder.cool · 12-08-2008, 09:41 PM

BREAKING NEWS...!!!!! Courtesy Aaj Tak...

A new alien ship spotted on new delhi roads near to India Gate...!! People are advised to stay out of its vicinity...!!

Btw, nice clicks there Sunny....and not to forget every damn part of that vehicle has "Victory" embossed....were the manufacturers having some copyright issues...lolz....!!!

augusta · 12-08-2008, 10:16 PM

HOLY MASSIMO TAMBURINI..this is one heck of a two wheeler(i guess its tough calling one),but neverthless its insanely beautiful!

rpmboy · 12-08-2008, 11:27 PM

its really huge bike with loads of persona. nice pics !!!

chetanpulsar · 12-08-2008, 11:44 PM

Wow... this is beauty with sophistication... its bigg and build quality is mind-boggling... pics are amazing... nice tourer bike.

Jonak · 12-08-2008, 11:48 PM

I was waiting for this ever since I saw the bike in the other thread....
Awesome write up and pics......sunny bhaiya......

ravi@17bhp · 12-09-2008, 12:34 AM

Merlin's beard! Is it a speace ship? Amazing pics Sunny.

Aryan · 12-09-2008, 06:57 AM

Ah! The VV finally lands!

And what pictures. Lovely stuff.

P.S: That terrific compression ratio means it would be lovely to tour on!

The headache where one needs high octane fuel, for once, can be forgotten..

satyenpoojary · 12-09-2008, 07:55 AM

Woah! I still have goose pimples all over me...

that 'thing' is super fabulous!

12-08-2008, 09:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sunny SlowMotionInfinity Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Delhi Posts: 6,824	First Impression: Victory Vision TEXT AND PHOTOS: Sundeep Gajjar (Sunny) Often companies try too hard to incorporate a design element that is off norms in a bid to get labelled as radical and trendsetting, sometimes creating a product which fails to appeal in the market despite being very good. Stark examples are the Yamaha MT01, the Suzuki BKing and the Ducati 999 which were not well received primarily because of the styling aspect. The Vision is one such effort, but one which has succeeded in creating a new object of desire amongst the rich and the famous, and cross continental motorheads as well. It takes a lot of dare to style a bike this radical and force into its elements to look like a ‘V’. The styling is certainly futuristic and might be a hint of things to come in the future, today. Living in India, you see machines like the Fireblade and R1 once in a blue moon. And then this behemoth comes along. Combining curves of a princess in distress on the shoulders of a bodywork and engine so massive that it will outclass the current breed of tanks on the roads of Iraq. The first look at it was from upfront, and it had me literally searching for the rider behind its all encompassing frame and the painfully bright headlights which could have probably woken up the pale winter sun to compete for its throne. It has enough techno-wizadry too: Electronically controlled windscreen and side fin deflectors for better airflow. Satellite Radio, GPS Navigation MP3 ability and more. Frankly I hadn’t been consciously aware of the bike until I actually knew it was possible to see it in flesh in Delhi. Having ridden some of the good Japanese bikes like the Concours 14 and the Blackbird for considerable distances, my ultimate dream always has been a Goldwing, especially if I was riding it across a country with roads and infrastructure supporting it. But this one actually has that exotic feeling to it. The one which you probably get when you own a MV or a Benelli. You know that the Japs are equals, if not better, and they cost less too. However this one will help your status go north, even if your wallet balance goes south. And you ask the owners and they will sing out in perfect harmony – it is a different experience to own something so exotic and less common. People here might be forgiven to think that the bike is manufactured by Harley or a Japanese company. In fact the company is called Victory Motorcycles and it is an American company. The company is based in Minnesota, US and is just 10 years old, while the parent company, Polaris Industries, was founded in 1954. They are better known to make ATVs and Snowmobiles. The Victory lineup was developed to be in direct competition with the big motorcycles produced by the All American bigwig – Harley Davidson. They wanted it to be the epitome of American motorcycles – larger and louder. Larger the Victory maybe, but louder, I am not sure. At times I wasn’t even sure the bike was running on wheels because the massive extending bodywork used to curtain them. It used to come across almost as a hovercraft due to the lack of serious nasty noise work. The Victory was introduced in February 2007 as additions to the 2008 line up, the Vision is a touring configuration. It comes in two versions, the Street, which includes a full fairing and hard saddle bags; and the Tour, which also has a hard trunk with a wide range of luxury electronics. To most people in India, it was a shock when they saw the Victory running on dried river beds in Lansdowne. In fact I was circling around the Victory on my R1 when it was being ridden on the narrow roads to the small hill station in Uttranchal, India. The rider has to be appreciated for he has shown that no machine is incapable of handling the Indian roads if you know the way to handle them. One of the reason probably was the 5.1 inches of travel in the front telescopic suspension. And the 26” inches low seat height. The Victory indeed commands all the eyes on the road to stare at it. In fact I call it the ‘Mothership’ because it used to come at the end of the fleet in the trip generating gasps and other elements of pure bedazzlement from the onlookers. And we mere mortals used to take sigh of relief as all the poky crowd was drawn to it and away from us! Specifications Engine Type Victory Freedom™ V-Twin Cooling System Air and Oil-Cooled Displacement 106 ci / 1,731 cc Bore and Stroke 101 x 108 mm Maximum Torque 109 ft.-lbs. Compression Ratio 9.4:1 Fuel Injection Closed Loop Transmission 6 Speed with True Overdrive Final Drive Carbon Reinforced Belt Rake/Trail 29 Degrees/5.4 inches Front Tire Size 130/70-18 radial Rear Tire Size 180/60-16 radial Wheelbase 65.7 inches Width 44.9 inches Length 103.5 inches (Street) 104.9 inches (Tour) Front Suspension / Wheel Travel Conventional telescopic fork / 5.1 in / 130 mm Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel Adjustable / 4.7 in / 120 mm Front Brake Type Dual 300mm floating rotor with 3-piston calipers Rear Brake Type 300mm floating rotor with 2-piston caliper Fuel Tank Capacity 26 litres Total Storage Volume 3370 Cubic Inches (Street)6750 Cubic Inches (Tour) Seat Height 26.5 Inches Dry Weight 365 kg (Street) 325 kg (Tour) Colors Black, Super Steel Gray, Midnight Cherry Pricing Starting At (Street) $18,999 US (Tour) $19,999 US A 360 degrees spin can be seen here: Vision : 360 Spin : Touring See the Victory Vision in action here: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/5...-escapade.html Photos I needed an ultra wide lens for that mate! Flight to Victory Thats a lot of compressed air! Are they nuclear warheads? Is this a Hovercraft? Out of the ranch and onto the highway, all 97 of the horses! You need a big canvas for that! Ride Royale! ^He knows where to spend, and he knows how to ride! Sunset Villa I ran out of black ink! The owner! Soon taxis will be like these! Vlert! Vuge Vehicle vpproaching! velp vs! Where are my Raybans? Straight out of a HG Wells novella! Yours for only USD 20000 (USD 40000 in India!)

12-08-2008, 09:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
aman_pulsating Be Anything But Obvious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dwarka, New Delhi Posts: 556	!! Simply Superb Sunny!! __________________ \| Judging a bike by a cubic capacity yardstick is like judging a female by her bra size \| My Leh 2010 Photo Log My GQ 2010-11 Photo Log

12-08-2008, 09:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
inder.cool Senior xBhpian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 5,603	BREAKING NEWS...!!!!! Courtesy Aaj Tak... A new alien ship spotted on new delhi roads near to India Gate...!! People are advised to stay out of its vicinity...!! Btw, nice clicks there Sunny....and not to forget every damn part of that vehicle has "Victory" embossed....were the manufacturers having some copyright issues...lolz....!!! __________________ 16 Days\|Mountains\|Lakes\|Smooth/Off Roads\|Leh Road-trip Saga 2010

12-08-2008, 10:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
augusta Biker....by default. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: lajpat ngr, new delhi Posts: 365	HOLY MASSIMO TAMBURINI..this is one heck of a two wheeler(i guess its tough calling one),but neverthless its insanely beautiful! __________________ No Nonsense Biker.

12-08-2008, 11:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
rpmboy noTHing to Prove !!!! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: LondoN/Delhi/GGN Posts: 698	its really huge bike with loads of persona. nice pics !!! __________________ "BiKiNg in INDIA is like JOGGING in IRAQ ,something may HIT YOU" --rpmboy "Seniority is NOT how fast u ride ,its in how 'Well' you ride " --rpmboy ''Bajaj-ing Since 2000 AD'' --rpmboy Ride A Bajaj ? make it big. Join BBIG -- A Social Group of xBhp.com . Ownerships going strong :- Bajaj Chetak 1981...clocking 2,00,000kms+ Pulsar 150 DTSi 2004...clocking 75,000kms+

12-08-2008, 11:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
chetanpulsar responsible ripper Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bangalore / Mumbai Posts: 734	Wow... this is beauty with sophistication... its bigg and build quality is mind-boggling... pics are amazing... nice tourer bike. __________________ Chetan

12-08-2008, 11:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
Jonak Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kolkata -> Seoul, South Korea Posts: 1,001	I was waiting for this ever since I saw the bike in the other thread.... Awesome write up and pics......sunny bhaiya...... __________________ Facebook Fan page - Check, 'Like' and be in touch. https://www.facebook.com/Jonak.Photo

12-09-2008, 12:34 AM	#8 (permalink)
ravi@17bhp The Explorer Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 3,688	Merlin's beard! Is it a speace ship? Amazing pics Sunny.

12-09-2008, 06:57 AM	#9 (permalink)
Aryan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Delhi/ Shillong Posts: 18,275	Ah! The VV finally lands! And what pictures. Lovely stuff. P.S: That terrific compression ratio means it would be lovely to tour on! The headache where one needs high octane fuel, for once, can be forgotten.. __________________ ...in search of that perfect world - My Travel Blog :) Last edited by Aryan; 12-09-2008 at 06:59 AM.

12-09-2008, 07:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
satyenpoojary Sports CommuTOURer Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: On road Posts: 6,124	Woah! I still have goose pimples all over me... that 'thing' is super fabulous! __________________ Super CommuTOURer™ - Your Biggest Critic, is usually your Biggest fan! *.: Facebook :.\|.: iTweet :.\|Do Not Click!\|.: Old Blog :.* #Give thy opinion, write em, dont throw em #Everyone errs, accept it, defending/cribbing about it only makes it worse #Dont defend a manufacturer as if you work for them #Write. Think. If relevant hit submit. If not hit yourself #Be kind in your choice of words, you never know who would make you gulp em ™ Satyen Poojary

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