victory motorcycles

Thank you!
Yes. It is the 8-Ball. I added the trunk this past summer, my wife wanted the taller backrest

There's a black Victory Vision calling my name over in Waukesha, but my brain tells me to wait and buy used. Either that or work a good deal on the Sunset Red Vision on the floor over at Engelhart in Madison.

Le sigh.

Glad you liked the bikes. As a 2013 Vision owner, I can attest that the gear box will soften up in time. Mine got slicker around the 1500 mi. mark. Also, they all have a positive neutral finder. Be going less than 5mph in 1st and just jab the shifter up, she'll go to neutral.

Remember, engineers built Victorys, not accountants.

2003 V92C with Velorex sidecar chassis (but modded for a Harley sidecar body and Victory wheel). Only mechanical issues so far (33k miles) was a clutch cable at 29k miles and drive belt at 30k.

Overall happy with the rig, though I wish gas mileage was better than the mid-30s I'm getting. But hey, it's a tug for a hack!

I found this thread very inspirational. Good stories. I bought an '09 Vegas new in 2011. Just over 74000 km on it now. Pretty happy with it so far, it takes me places that I probably wouldn't have seen if I hadn't picked it up.
I'll post a few of the weird little things that it does as I think of them, for starters: sometimes it won't start in gear. Also early in it's life the pipes started to make a funny chirp sound so I had the baffles cut in half and riveted back in.

Overall it's been a great bike though.

Beau Peep - Waukesha dealer will deal on prices. I bought a 2013 XCT there in late July. $22.5 MSRP, $18.8 sale price, plus the usual setup, tax, etc. FYI, the same owner owns Cedarcreek Motorsports in Cedarburg and the Vic dealer in West Bend.

Hrm, good advice. The dealer near me in Madison has a trade coming in. 2011, but with 20k miles. They've been nice to me and I told them I'd prefer to buy from them, but if the 18,400 for the Vision doesn't include the $2k in rebates they're offering, then that's hard to pass up.

What do you think they have on markup on a bike like that? a $23k HD bagger has $5k+, right?

Went used and got a 2011 at Engelhart. Nice bike, comfy, and I'll looking forward to taking some loooooong rides next year.

Is that still true on support for the early ones? There's an 'O1, sold in '02 that I want to go check out locally. Estate sale, 17,000 miles. http://santamaria.craigslist.org/mcy/4109933695.html

Think I've answered my own question. After looking thru the VMC, major trans problems common. A semi-orphan motor,and some other small stuff. Nearest dealer's 2 hours off. Think I'll hold off on this one. Now, if it were a Vision.......

The '99's were notorious for transmission problems. Addressed every year and better every year. I would not worry about the '01's transmission. I had a '00 and an '01, no problems.

Dealer two hours away....well...that's a horse of a different color...

Yea, trans problems were 99' only. Sure there have been advancements along the way, but every manufacturer does that.

00's also.

Sorry I didn't get back to you, bdonley, having gone 3 years without a Victory until recently, I've not been to theVMC.com in quite a while. The '01s are actually a pretty good bike IMO, especially for the cheap $$$ they go for.

I am however back on a Victory again now (my 3rd). Picked up a '13 XCT 9/18 and have ~3,000 miles on it now. I have to admit coming off a Rocket III it took me a while to warm up to it. I've never owned this type of bike, but I do think it performs its intended function very well.
Rode from WA down to Laguna Seca for World Superbike, much of the way down in heavy rain. Foggy, rainy, 44 to 55 degrees, wearing Tourmaster gear I was comfortable all day. Luggage is watertight, weather protection works well. Only issue I had is water eventually working its way to the cruise control connection under the right front of the tank. Shook the throttle cables vigorously and it's functioned perfectly since.
The running gear continues to break in nicely as the miles add up. Hope the fuel mileage improves as it breaks in as I'm lucky to get 40mpg whether cruising at 75 or loafing along at 50 to 60.
Complaints at this point? I'm 6'7 and get some helmet buffeting at anything over 65mph or so. This is disappointing as the XCTs I test rode didn't do it and that was my primary reason for choosing this bagger. I'll figure something out I hope.
The gas gauge will need adjusting as it stays stuck on full for about 90 miles and then works its way down rapidly. The idiot light does seem to come on at about a gallon left as intended though.
I've yet to top off the tank without making at least some mess. First vehicle I've owned you have to fill from the right side and even then I have difficulty getting the last half gallon in.
At this point it's not an all day seat.
The rear wheel valve stem needs to be a 90 degree version!!
What I'm liking? Fit and finish. Features for $$$. Heated seat/grips. The quick disconnect trunk. (I'll probably leave it off most of the time.) Brakes are good. The main thing that I like though is the handling. Between my stuff and my daughter's riding gear I had both bags and the trunk stuffed and the thing corners like it's on rails. Good cornering clearance. Ride and handling were both good with 40psi in the rear shock.

Oh yeah, and it did its first water crossing Saturday. Big ol' pig leaves a damned impressive wake.

I may be trading my Kingpin on a Vision. I didn't think I liked the look when I first saw it, but they have been growing on me.

Can anyone compare a Vulcan 1500 Classic/Nomad to a Crossroads? Is the power and handling similar to the Vulcan or much better in either respect?

I've got about 15K miles on an '88 Vulcan, and a couple hundred miles on newer Vulcans and a Nomad. The 1500/1600 Kawi's are smooth and comfortable and the newer ones are reliable. Compared to my XCT though, IMO the Vic's handling, brakes (with ABS if you care), and power are a step or two above. Cornering clearance on the Vic' baggers is also good.

Get a test ride and see what you think.

Vicster. Fill up on the left side of the bike. Turn your bars slightly left, insert nozzle. You will get less splash (if any) and it'll fill all the way to the rim.

Keithert. Victory power and handling would be superior to the Nomad in every respect.

Tried the left side first. I'll try it again now that I'm back in WA and away from the CA evaporative nozzles. Thanks.

Damn good idea. IMO, take the trunk off. It's a 10 minute job, but the bike looks so much better and feels substantially lighter.