Has anyone ridden a Victory Cross Country Tour?
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  1. #1
    Senior Member Old Ryder's Avatar
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    I have owned a few Victorys

    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?
    "Life is hard. Harder when you are stupid"-- John Wayne[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  2. #2
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    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

  3. #3
    Senior Member Old Ryder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesyryder View Post
    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.
    "Life is hard. Harder when you are stupid"-- John Wayne[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Ryder View Post
    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.
    I tell you everybody checks out theSix'xer!!!

  5. #5
    Senior Member dickiedeals's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cheesyryder View Post
    I tell you everybody checks out theSix'xer!!!
    +1 from a 30 Harley riding Veteran.................Dickie
    " A Gun Is Like A Parachute.If You Need One, And Don't Have One, You'll Probably Never Need One Again!"

  6. #6
    Senior Member dickiedeals's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Ryder View Post
    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.
    +1...........Dickie
    " A Gun Is Like A Parachute.If You Need One, And Don't Have One, You'll Probably Never Need One Again!"

  7. #7
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    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

  8. #8
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    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!

  9. #9
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    I'll chime in here as well having owned a Vision and ridden and still ride with several Victories. Here's some bullet points to try and sum it up:

    1. The dealer network isn't as vast as Honda. Take that how you will, if you have a dealer then your great. The bikes are very reliable, like any vehicle some have problems, Honda is the same way for everyone of us who says it's great, someone's had something break or some terrible experience with a Honda, and so on for every bike company out there. Take it with a grain of salt.

    2. The CCT doesn't suffer from the same buffeting problems as the CC, I have buddies I rode with last weekend with CC's and a good screen fixes the issues. The CCT is quite comfortable and you can get a taller screen if you wish. it has tons of storage, more than any other.

    3. Consider the Vision. It's the nicest of them all, it's not much more than an F6B Deluxe (on sale it's probably the same price actually). Electric windscreen, plenty of power, you can remove the trunk with 4 bolts and a plug. So it's bagger and a tourer. There is plenty of stuff out there for it accessory wise (not like Honda but 40yrs vs <10). The handling is right up there with the F6B just with more ground clearance. Power is just fine, it's just in a different place than the Wing, it's not as snappy, you have to rev it out. With a Filter/Tune/Exhaust it's as quick as a Wing. My Vision easily beat my buddies HD that had exhaust, cams, filter, tune, decat, etc. The looks are usually the breaking point for some. it's different. I personally loved it. It's hard to go anywhere on it and someone not ask you about it. The Honda, well it's a GoldWing the same basic look has been on the road for almost 15yrs now, nobody's really surprised by it lol. Oh and little side note on Victory maintenance it's no worse or better than a Wing. Change the oil (do it yourself it's easier to do than a wing) in 15 minutes every 5000 miles and ride on. There isn't anything else to do besides change out the air filter when it's dirty. Well besides the ninny stuff like "lube cables", check this, check that. But big major work, not really. Fork rebuilds around 15k miles I think is the big one, about $500. But keeps the forks fresh and suspension like new.

    4. The 106 is plenty powerful, but the 111 in the Indian is even better. And it has bluetooth, a seat designed by Corbin, killer style, huge floorboards, tons of torque, great tunes and it handles well. Just something to think about.

    5. Accessories. If your the kind of guy that likes to Farkle the daylights out of your bike, the Honda is the way to go. You can buy anything from almost anywhere at almost anytime of the day or night for a Honda. That could be good and bad. Some people don't know when to say "no". I've seen things... Victory doesn't have quite as many as Honda but you can probably find anything you wanted to change or ad.

    6. Parts. Sorry but I disagree. NOBODY carries parts for anything any more. It's all ordered. To many dealers carry to many different lines of bikes or to many models. The Wing is slow mover next to GSXR1000's and ZX14's and Busa's. And even those they don't carry stuff for. Every time I go to the dealer they have NOTHING for my Wing except oil, filter, crush washer. Any other part has to be ordered. Oh and batteries. Very few dealers actually carry any accessories for them in stock, but they'll order whatever you want. No different for Victory you can get oil changes, tire changes, basic maintenance stuff no problem. I did find that my 3 dealers in my area all carried Victory accessories. The only aftermarket part I ordered was my taller screen for my Vision. Everything else one of my dealers had in stock. I put a seat on it, kicker speakers, cup holder, RAM mount, taller screen, highway pegs, trunk rack, etc all bought from the local dealers. My Wing I've ordered almost everything online because nobody carries anything here. Performance Honda has some small stuff now and again but most things they order for me.

    7. The F6B is great, smooth and comfy but does suffer some of the same issues as the GoldWings. The tire cupping, the GoldWing Wobble, etc. It is however super super super smooth and goes like pretty damn good when you twist your wrist. if you want something that just eats miles, the B will do it. The deluxe is the way to go, the center stand is a must have, the cruise also and for the passenger the rear backrest. I love having the radio on it cause I jam out all the time. I put a bigger screen on to calm the wind as well. It will run practically forever, unless your the unlock soul that gets a crappy one (hey it happens to some).

    Ultimately I got rid of my Vision because of the warranty, it was about to expire and they wanted $2000 to buy an extended. Honda is $600. If it would have been that cost for the Vision I'd still be riding it today. The lack of a dealer network does hurt but in 24,000 miles I put on it in two years it never once gave me a problem. The wing is a bit faster, more accessories available and larger dealer network, the Vision/CCT bikes I feel are more comfy. A bit of a feet forward seating position with large floorboards and shifter and brake that adjust 4" forward/backward for comfort. I kept my Vision 2 years, that's the longest i've ever owned A bike at one time. I get ADD quickly and trade them out all the time but the Vision I kept the longest and would still have if not for warranty.

    Right now I have 3 Honda's, the GoldWing, F6B and Valkyrie. I love them. The dealer network is good, the accessories are plenty and the maintenance is easy and low. If they open a Victory dealer closer to me I'll most likely go buy another one of those, I love them as much as I love my Honda's. They best part is we have choices!
    2016 Polaris Slingshot
    2015 Matte Silver F6B
    2014 GoldWing Tourer
    2014 Valkyrie F6C
    2015 Mustang GT
    2014 Focus ST3

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wmorgan2k View Post
    I'll chime in here as well having owned a Vision and ridden and still ride with several Victories. Here's some bullet points to try and sum it up:

    1. The dealer network isn't as vast as Honda. Take that how you will, if you have a dealer then your great. The bikes are very reliable, like any vehicle some have problems, Honda is the same way for everyone of us who says it's great, someone's had something break or some terrible experience with a Honda, and so on for every bike company out there. Take it with a grain of salt.

    2. The CCT doesn't suffer from the same buffeting problems as the CC, I have buddies I rode with last weekend with CC's and a good screen fixes the issues. The CCT is quite comfortable and you can get a taller screen if you wish. it has tons of storage, more than any other.

    3. Consider the Vision. It's the nicest of them all, it's not much more than an F6B Deluxe (on sale it's probably the same price actually). Electric windscreen, plenty of power, you can remove the trunk with 4 bolts and a plug. So it's bagger and a tourer. There is plenty of stuff out there for it accessory wise (not like Honda but 40yrs vs <10). The handling is right up there with the F6B just with more ground clearance. Power is just fine, it's just in a different place than the Wing, it's not as snappy, you have to rev it out. With a Filter/Tune/Exhaust it's as quick as a Wing. My Vision easily beat my buddies HD that had exhaust, cams, filter, tune, decat, etc. The looks are usually the breaking point for some. it's different. I personally loved it. It's hard to go anywhere on it and someone not ask you about it. The Honda, well it's a GoldWing the same basic look has been on the road for almost 15yrs now, nobody's really surprised by it lol. Oh and little side note on Victory maintenance it's no worse or better than a Wing. Change the oil (do it yourself it's easier to do than a wing) in 15 minutes every 5000 miles and ride on. There isn't anything else to do besides change out the air filter when it's dirty. Well besides the ninny stuff like "lube cables", check this, check that. But big major work, not really. Fork rebuilds around 15k miles I think is the big one, about $500. But keeps the forks fresh and suspension like new.

    4. The 106 is plenty powerful, but the 111 in the Indian is even better. And it has bluetooth, a seat designed by Corbin, killer style, huge floorboards, tons of torque, great tunes and it handles well. Just something to think about.

    5. Accessories. If your the kind of guy that likes to Farkle the daylights out of your bike, the Honda is the way to go. You can buy anything from almost anywhere at almost anytime of the day or night for a Honda. That could be good and bad. Some people don't know when to say "no". I've seen things... Victory doesn't have quite as many as Honda but you can probably find anything you wanted to change or ad.

    6. Parts. Sorry but I disagree. NOBODY carries parts for anything any more. It's all ordered. To many dealers carry to many different lines of bikes or to many models. The Wing is slow mover next to GSXR1000's and ZX14's and Busa's. And even those they don't carry stuff for. Every time I go to the dealer they have NOTHING for my Wing except oil, filter, crush washer. Any other part has to be ordered. Oh and batteries. Very few dealers actually carry any accessories for them in stock, but they'll order whatever you want. No different for Victory you can get oil changes, tire changes, basic maintenance stuff no problem. I did find that my 3 dealers in my area all carried Victory accessories. The only aftermarket part I ordered was my taller screen for my Vision. Everything else one of my dealers had in stock. I put a seat on it, kicker speakers, cup holder, RAM mount, taller screen, highway pegs, trunk rack, etc all bought from the local dealers. My Wing I've ordered almost everything online because nobody carries anything here. Performance Honda has some small stuff now and again but most things they order for me.

    7. The F6B is great, smooth and comfy but does suffer some of the same issues as the GoldWings. The tire cupping, the GoldWing Wobble, etc. It is however super super super smooth and goes like pretty damn good when you twist your wrist. if you want something that just eats miles, the B will do it. The deluxe is the way to go, the center stand is a must have, the cruise also and for the passenger the rear backrest. I love having the radio on it cause I jam out all the time. I put a bigger screen on to calm the wind as well. It will run practically forever, unless your the unlock soul that gets a crappy one (hey it happens to some).

    Ultimately I got rid of my Vision because of the warranty, it was about to expire and they wanted $2000 to buy an extended. Honda is $600. If it would have been that cost for the Vision I'd still be riding it today. The lack of a dealer network does hurt but in 24,000 miles I put on it in two years it never once gave me a problem. The wing is a bit faster, more accessories available and larger dealer network, the Vision/CCT bikes I feel are more comfy. A bit of a feet forward seating position with large floorboards and shifter and brake that adjust 4" forward/backward for comfort. I kept my Vision 2 years, that's the longest i've ever owned A bike at one time. I get ADD quickly and trade them out all the time but the Vision I kept the longest and would still have if not for warranty.

    Right now I have 3 Honda's, the GoldWing, F6B and Valkyrie. I love them. The dealer network is good, the accessories are plenty and the maintenance is easy and low. If they open a Victory dealer closer to me I'll most likely go buy another one of those, I love them as much as I love my Honda's. They best part is we have choices!


    Man, I love reading informative unbiased stuff..well done man!

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