Has anyone ridden a Victory Cross Country Tour?

[jerrysander]

I'm closing in on a purchase soon, folks, and the contenders are: 1) The F6B (which I've test-ridden and liked a bunch, although it was a short ride); 2) The Triumph Thunderbird LT (which I haven't ridden but was somewhat put off by the floorboards, having always had the shifter directly under my upright riding position) and 3) The Victory Cross Country Tour -- an outside-the-box last-minute consideration that I'm finding myself drawn to, but haven't ridden yet. I thought the odds were pretty good that one of you has ridden the Cross Country Tour and can compare it to the F6B's ride. All comments are welcome, including thoughts about fit/finish of Victory, long-term reliability, etc. I did notice that Victory scores the highest in owner-satisfaction surveys (beating both Honda and Harley, as far as I could see), but this might just be statistics playing games with us.

Thoughts about the Victory Cross Country Tour?

[Injun Joe]

I'm closing in on a purchase soon, folks, and the contenders are: 1) The F6B (which I've test-ridden and liked a bunch, although it was a short ride); 2) The Triumph Thunderbird LT (which I haven't ridden but was somewhat put off by the floorboards, having always had the shifter directly under my upright riding position) and 3) The Victory Cross Country Tour -- an outside-the-box last-minute consideration that I'm finding myself drawn to, but haven't ridden yet. I thought the odds were pretty good that one of you has ridden the Cross Country Tour and can compare it to the F6B's ride. All comments are welcome, including thoughts about fit/finish of Victory, long-term reliability, etc. I did notice that Victory scores the highest in owner-satisfaction surveys (beating both Honda and Harley, as far as I could see), but this might just be statistics playing games with us.

Thoughts about the Victory Cross Country Tour?

I'll let others hate on it and the company. For me, it didn't fit me right. Wouldn't be my first choice of Victory. I'd go Vision sans trunk and almost might have except the dealer started jerking me around on price.

[dickiedeals]

My buddy traded his Gold Wing for the Victory. He said he liked it at first but after a factory recall, transmission issues ,tune issues, and several other trips to the dealer he's hating life. He has also found that like Harley the maintenance is much more costly. Plus it requires Premium Fuel.
I personally enjoy riding with him while he gets it serviced, not to mention he gave me 4 Oil filters, oil plug washers, and an air filter from his wing. I'm loving life on my F6B. Good luck on you decision.......Dickie

[ths61]

I'll let others hate on it and the company. For me, it didn't fit me right. Wouldn't be my first choice of Victory. I'd go Vision sans trunk and almost might have except the dealer started jerking me around on price.

It is kind of ironic, I had a few Honda dealers jerk me around on price (read: used car salesman that can't quote an all-inclusive OTD price if their life depended upon it) and it was a Victory dealer that gave me the best deal on my F6B and trade-in (straight up OTD price, rode in, signed papers, dropped cash, traded keys, shook hands, rode out, no games, no tricks, no surprises), go figure.

As for the CCT, it depends on what you are looking for. The Tupperware is not on par with HD's, but it is billed as the having the most storage space of all baggers. If you are used to the GL1800 engine, you may not be satisfied with the power of the stock 106. I thought the ride of the Vision was better, but it has less storage space than the CCT. The wifey didn't like the back seat of the CCT compared to the Vision or the F6B. If you decide on a Victory, make sure you have stable dealership(s) and wrenches in your area. Go out and test ride one, it shouldn't be hard to arrange a test ride. Also, the OEM 106 (stroked 100) has been out since 2007 and maybe due for a change. The aftermarket 114 and 116 (106 big jug) kits have been out for a while and Polaris delivered the OEM 111 on the Indian in 2013.

HTH

[DaWadd]

I took out the CCT and the Vision for test rides last year and both were comfortable for me but I did find them underpowered compared to my 6. But they are nice bikes. When leaving I was happy to get back on my 6. Honda is having a Come Ride with Us event today at a local dealer and for fun I am taking a new anniversary edition Goldwing and VFR 800 for a spin. Tried the Valk last year and enjoyed it but the buffeting drove me nuts. I'd also look into the Indians as they are really nice but pricey.

[Old Ryder]

They are fine motorcycles. They fit perfect, and the Cross Country is the most popular. I had the Cross Roads, which is the same bike less the fairing---and not as popular. If I were to by another Victory---which I am not and will explain in a few minutes--- it would be the Vision---and I would look for the 8 Ball version. Much better ride. The CC has a serious wind buffeting problem that takes a lot of tinkering to make go away. Their transmissions have a loud CLUNK when going into first and a lot of guys hate that. It has to do with the compensator ratio---in addition the clutch is manual/cable driven and not hydrolic. That may not sound like a big deal at first--but Google "Sav-UR-Ride". Clutch cables break so often that they make a product designed to get you home WHEN--not IF-- but WHEN it breaks. Even the name of the product tells you it is going to break. EDIT---here is a link. http://savurride.com/

The Vision does not have cable clutch and has no such problem. Like the B, Victory has paint issues as the clear coat scuffs very easy. The Freedom 106 is bulletproof and is very low maintenance compared to Harley and produces decent power, but not nearly the torque or smoothness of the flat 6.

What ran me away---and yes I said RAN ME AWAY from Victory is their dealer and parts. there are some good dealers out there and if you live close to one your life will be much easier. That clutch cable is going to cost you $125 WHEN it breaks--not to mention the $50 Save-UR-Ride you need to spend to get you home when it does break. Your dealer probably won't stock it and you will have to wait a week to get it. Get used to it, because most Vic dealers don't stock ANY parts other than oil filters and spark plugs and my dealer would charge shipping charges. TRUE STORY--I needed the plastic inserts that plug into the dimples on the bars that hold the cable zip ties in place---$1.19 each so I bought 5 at $6 and paid $10 in shipping and handling for a total cost of over $17 with tax! The final straw was when I needed a tire and the 2 closest Vic stores only had Dunlops and it would take a week to get and I was leaving for Bike week in 4 days. I bought the correct tire from a Honda store, but the Vic dealer would not install it because I bought it elsewhere---the Honda store would but did not know how. Not just any shop can switch a rear tire on a Vic, because of the aluminum frame that must sit overnight to cool or your belt tension will be wrong and if the belt is not perfect, you will destroy the rear bearing. So I screwed a sheet metal screw in the hole and rode it 80 miles ONE WAY to get the rear tire installed from a more "sympethic" dealer who also did not stock a tire but understood my deliema. BTW---anybody need a great deal on a belt tension gauage that I bought after the experience --never used!

Summary: The bike is a great design for the most part and probably will never give you trouble-----BUT IF IT DOES, YOU ARE IN FOR A WORLD OF FRUSTRATION!


Shall I continue?

[Cheesyryder]

My 2 cents. Had a ThunderBird, traded it without second thoughts on the Six'xer. No problems with the T Bird the- F6 was just all that. Dealer lent me a Cross Country at my last service, gladly returned it before they called me!! The 6 is just a hell of a machine, the problem is that I want to like the American V twin-yet the F6B just wins in my opinion

[opas ride]

I have owned and ridden the Victory Kingpin and Vision..Tested the Cross Roads and Cross County several times and they are nice bikes ...Much better in all aspects, except paint, than HD..The Vision is the best all around long distance touring bike I had..It is super quiet, handles great, no wind issues, and very comfortable..The XC bikes have a lot of wind noise from the fairing area and just did not feel as good to me as the Vision..Traded my Vision for the F6B as I wanted something lighter, and after owning a Valkyrie for years was longing for the silky smooth ride of the flat six again...I personally had no issues with parts or service as the three Victory dealers in my area were no problem..Yes, parts are expensive and take a long time to get which can be an issue...I personally would not buy an XC/XR Victory, but would buy another Vision if needed., but not before I would look at the BMW or Indian Touring bikes...Pretty hard to beat the F6B for the money in my opinion....Ride safe

[RickJ]

I'm kinda a Triumph fan- I have an 04 tbird (triple) and my son has the new Bonnie. The Thunderbird LT was a strong contender- as was the Trophy- till I compared forums...a lot (not all) of the Triumph is about issues, OK warranty,,,but I live in Cooperstown NY and I don't know where the nearest dealer is (Syracuse?) AND they seem to be closing a lot of them (well, not a LOT- but dealers are frustrated working with corporate) The Honda Forum is mostly about where they went, what to add, and how bulletproof it is AND what bikes they switched FROM to get the F6B. Lastly- it's another twin (albeit it parallel) "is that a Harley that just went by?" I KEPT the 2004 tbird sport because it is cool, unique, fast, I MIGHT have gone with the trophy for a comfy cruiser- but there seemed to be some kinks yet to be worked out.

To be honest, I almost feel as if I have to defend my choice when people ask me what I ride- when I'm on it, the bike speaks for itself!

[Old Ryder]

The 6 is just a hell of a machine, the problem is that I want to like the American V twin-yet the F6B just wins in my opinion

LOL Cheezy--I am the exact opposite. After a decade of V Twins, I want the world to see me on something different! To each his own. I simply love meeting the Harley guys on the road with a median and out of the corner of my eye watching their head rotate 180 degrees to see what I am riding. No greater feeling in the world.