Posted: 3/14/2011 10:53:23 AM EDT
What's the consensus on Victory Cycles? Quality and durability being a premium. My dealer has a brand new, left over, 2009 106 c.i. "Ness" model. It's wild looking but comfortable to sit on. It's lime green with striping, forged alloys, 250 on the rear, 6 speed overdrive, belt driven,swept up/down exhaust. Just an all around great looking machine. It listed at $22k and he's down to the high 17's. I like the American made aspect combined with the Honda-like maintenance scedule. No pics yet, maybe later if II buy it this week.
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If you like Cruiser Victory is a good bike. My wife and I had a couple of them for 6 years. I like the OHC V far better than the Pushrod V on the HD. People who ride HDs talk about them being louder. What they usually are referring to is the sounds of a Gear Driven primary. They are great performers but have a different torque curve than th HDs.
The down side is finding a skilled Wrench if you want to beef one up,, (Lloyd Greer seems to be the best here in the North East) and the Aftermarket is no where near as deep as the HD's . The One Brand Wonders won't let you inot their Cult if you Ride a VIc. |
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The 106 and 100s are stellar powerplants. Polaris has spent a shitload of time and money simply on bulletproofing the design. What time I have riding them, I've noted how smooth the Victory mill is. It's not really very powerful (I found myself winding it out in a very un-cruiser-like fashion while trying to get it to act like my 750cc inline-4), but it's extremely pleasant. It just has a very easy, loping character that's easy to get along with. The trans was better than I'd expected, too.
So, a brand new '09 is a fundamentally good bike, but $17k is still quite a bit for any 2-year-old, still-"new" model, IMO. If it's green, it's the Jackpot. It's a well-built cycle with a lot of factory-"custom" touches, like the wheels as you saw. Beware, though... the fat-rear-tire models don't handle particularly well. More for looking at, less for riding. The narrower rear tire of the Kingpin makes it a lot more nimble-feeling than the 250s on the Hammer and Jackpot. Victory had a great year in 2010, a record if I remember right. The 8-ball line has really carried them. And there should still be some 2010 8-ball models around for little money (comparatively). Drivetrain-wise they're pretty similar, and sometimes over $5000 less expensive. That's a lot of customization you could buy on your own, rather than having the factory do it... Speaking of Kingpins, I still have my friend's (a Victory engineer - it's his company lease bike) in my garage. I really should take her for a spin when it's warm enough. You know... to be sure all of the cobwebs are blown out before he gets it back. 
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| Thanks guys. A cruiser with commuter capabilities is part of the deal. I have a 105 mile round trip though the White Mtns, as my commute, Ilive north and work south. The bike will only be an occasional commuter, may a couple days a week in summer. The rest of the riding will be around town or the occasional whip around the hills. I dont care about being in the HD crowd although I do like the bikes and dont want an import, Jap or Euro. Nothing really against them, just not what I want at this point. |
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Quoted: You guys know of any good on-line sources for gear; helmets, jackets and the like? http://www.motorcyclegear.com/ formerly New Enough http://www.denniskirk.com/ http://motorcyclecloseouts.com/ http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/ |
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My buddy bought a Ness bike last year or so and he loves it. The only issue it had was the clear coat turning brown after the first 6 months of ownership. They took the bike back under warranty and repainted the whole thing. He's got the bight ass orange one, with the pin striping, exhaust and tune kit.
Honestly, I think the bike is a good quality build, not a HD and has a great engine and tranny; however the thing is loud as hell. When we go for a ride I can hear him coming from 1/2-1 mile away! Other than the loudness of the bike, the only thing I really see as "cheap" on the bike is the steering lock. There is a metal tab on the fork and another on the frame, and you have to go out and buy a padlock to lock the two together. I'm really not a fan of this, shit, even my 76 xs650 has a built-in steering lock. As for helmets and gear, I'd suggest...but I'm not a cruiser kind of guy so I don't know what you'd be looking for newenough helmet harbor motosport |
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Quoted: Well closed the deal over the phone at lunch. The pic below is off the net but is the same thing. http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/rsanborn/Victory_Motorcycles_Jackpot_.jpg  Very smooth |
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enjoy your jackpot i love mine great bikes .
oh and get ready for all the questions ( who built that - who is victory-i didn't know polaris made bikes -when did Harley make a bike like that) and enjoy all the people saying nice bike at the stop lights i get it all the time. 
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| Thanks all. I hope to get it home tomorrow. Spring sort of hit this week, enough to get it home tomorrow anyway. Like a kid at Christmas! Time enough to get my gear bought and ready to go in late April, weather permitting and all. Motorcycle Week in Laconia, about an hour away form me! |
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Quoted:
enjoy your jackpot i love mine great bikes . oh and get ready for all the questions ( who built that - who is victory-i didn't know polaris made bikes -when did Harley make a bike like that) and enjoy all the people saying nice bike at the stop lights i get it all the time. http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/33576_170244452985769_164056443604570_571724_4653772_n.jpg Like that flame job! |
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Quoted:
Well closed the deal over the phone at lunch. The pic below is off the net but is the same thing. http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/rsanborn/Victory_Motorcycles_Jackpot_.jpg Looks good, hope you enjoy it. I had a supervisor in my plant recently that had a Victory Hammer he got hit on (not trying to jinx you) and misses it terribly. |
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Quoted:
Well, she's home! http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/rsanborn/housepics4006.jpg http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/rsanborn/housepics4011.jpg What's all that white shit? We're about ready to turn on the A/C down here in Texas
Congratulations, I've ridden a Vic Kingpin, from the first year the Kingpin came out. Heck of a machine! Also have a good friend up in Indiana who is a big fan of Victory. He rides one of the new Cross Country models, and his wife rides a Hammer. |
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Quoted: Anybody know the best way to remove the fuel warning sticker from the top of the gas tank, without damaging the paint? I'm thinking maybe hot air blower might soften it up enough to remove. Yup, hair dryer and patience. Don't get it super hot just hot enough to be pliable. Goo-Gone or WD-40 will take the residue off. |
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http://thekneeslider.com/images/victoryvisiontour.jpg seen one of these the other day, ugly as hell A red X? |
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Quoted:
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http://thekneeslider.com/images/victoryvisiontour.jpg seen one of these the other day, ugly as hell A red X? i dont see a red x |
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http://thekneeslider.com/images/victoryvisiontour.jpg seen one of these the other day, ugly as hell The Vision is a love it or hate it motorcycle. And yes, your post is just a red X. |