Any Victory Vision Owners made the F6B switch?

[Morpheous]

I am another one who has been lurking and researching the 6 and on the fence. I am approved for a F6B deluxe which is just waiting on me to show up next week. I have seen the responses which have all been positive from those who made the switch including some die hard Harley fans. I am wondering what some other Vision owners have to say that made the switch. I love the comfort of my Vision 8Ball with the low seat height and i actually sit "in" the bike and the 6 sits a bit higher. I have not test drove one yet since every time i head to the dealer its raining. Any Victory viewpoints would be appreciated. Only have a bit over a week to take advantage of the $1k in accessories which will help if i get rid of the cold feet!!'freezing-cold'
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[opas ride]

I came off a Victory Vision Tour with the lower 8-ball seat after a 3 year stint..The Vision is, in my judgment, a better touring bike than a Goldwing or BMW1600...I really loved the ride and ease of handling on the road. It had plenty of power and was head and shoulders above any HD touring bike in my opinion..No longer take trips of any length and wanted something a little lighter and smoother and the F6B fit the bill...Had a Valkyrie for 6 years and really enjoyed the smoothness and power of the flat six motor. I am totally satisfied with the F6B and absolutely love the thing!!..Test rode the Indians and other Victory's at the last demo rides a few weeks ago and was glad to get back on my 6 and ride home......BTW, if you want a lower seat Mustang is the answer for most...Mine is on the way soon....

[XKnight]

I didn't have a Vision, but did have a Cross Roads with the same 106 motor. I can tell you that the Flat 6 is a much smoother and more powerful motor in stock form over the 106. The F6 also handles better than my Victory. I would think the wind protection is pretty close to a Vision once you get a tall windshield installed on the F6. One thing the Vics have over Honda or Harley is the ability to stretch your legs out on those extra long floorboards. The Vic was probably the most comfortable bike I've ever had. Too bad mine was a lemon with all kinds of issues from oil seepage/leaks to electrical problems. :icon_frown:

[Morpheous]

Thanks for the input. I am thinking looking for the smoothness that i keep hearing about. I guess after a test ride ill know what you all are experiencing. Just love the comfort of the Vision and did not want to give that up. With that said... I hope the mustang seat will give me the same feeling as the 8Ball seat.

Thank guys.

[Jimmytee]

Thanks for the input. I am thinking looking for the smoothness that i keep hearing about. I guess after a test ride ill know what you all are experiencing. Just love the comfort of the Vision and did not want to give that up. With that said... I hope the mustang seat will give me the same feeling as the 8Ball seat.

Thank guys.
I have not owned a Vision or any Victory. I was on the fence a little bit about choosing between 3 bikes for a new purchase. I have a pretty decked out Honda Valkyrie. It is my second Valk. So I was definitely excited about the new Valkyrie. I test rode the new Valk, and wow :icon_biggrin: I also liked the styling and feel of the Victory cross country.

The seating position/Ergonomics of the F6B to the Victory are quite different.Quite a bit different than my Valkyrie even. But my Valkyrie has different risers, Ultimate King seat and highway pegs. These kinds of things will be on the to do list for my new F6B.

For me it came down to could I live with running on only two cylinders? I mean , I really love the flat six smooth, buttery power. I love the uniqueness of it's exhaust note with the right exhaust. It's all in what you want in a bike. The new Valkyrie ,for me, will need some nice hard bags & a fairing. Corbin is working on the hard bags, but no timeline. The F6B just seemed like the logical choice.

[Scotrod]

In the last model year, if Vic would have updated the Vision w/larger capacity saddlebags and offered a version w/o a trunk, I might not be here,,,

Some 'not so flattering' issues on certain Polaris bikes,,, porous castings, cruise doesn't work if it gets wet, 'middle of the road' power unless modified, 'utilitarian' appearance of engine/transmission, limited dealer network/aftermarket,,,

IMHO, Vic set the bar too low with 'just' beating a certain US made bike as their overall goal. (That's a lot of the squawk Indian plays as well,,, 'better than a HD' :jerkit:)

Would love to see them make 'world class' bikes, and perhaps,,,,,,,, in some ways,,,,,,,,, they do, but,,,, hard to beat a Honda,,,

[fast eddie]

after a full day of riding the vision here is what I found. First thing hard to get off kick stand with a passenger, the mirrors are blocked by the riders hands an bikes levers, a lot of heat coming from the motor very uncomfortable on leg . When trying to fuel up could not open the plastic cover where fuel cap is ( dealer had to pry open with a screw driver hmmm ) the power was no where close to an F6B clutch a lot harder to pull in and brakes were no match to wing. But here is the topper the next day a guy parked next to me admiring my F6B ( he was on a beautiful red vision) started telling me how his bike's head lite fills up with water his belt squeals and he had oil leaking from his cylinders he wished he had bought a F6B instead. I smiled and thought I'm glad I did.

[opas ride]

The guy with the Red Vision must have gotten a lemon or was just flapping chops...I had my Vision for over 3+ years without one single issue..Never had any problems with fuel cap or anything...Not defending Victory and I love my F6B..but the Vision is a whole lot better bike than any HD out there in my opinion....Ride safe

[XKnight]

after a full day of riding the vision here is what I found. First thing hard to get off kick stand with a passenger, the mirrors are blocked by the riders hands an bikes levers, a lot of heat coming from the motor very uncomfortable on leg . When trying to fuel up could not open the plastic cover where fuel cap is ( dealer had to pry open with a screw driver hmmm ) the power was no where close to an F6B clutch a lot harder to pull in and brakes were no match to wing. But here is the topper the next day a guy parked next to me admiring my F6B ( he was on a beautiful red vision) started telling me how his bike's head lite fills up with water his belt squeals and he had oil leaking from his cylinders he wished he had bought a F6B instead. I smiled and thought I'm glad I did.

Good point! My Vic was the hottest running bike I've ever owned. In the summer my ass felt like it was literally on fire and that was after I had the typical Stage 1 mods done. Lots of issues with Victory bikes as well. Anyone looking to buy one should research the various Vic forums and you'll see many owners experiencing the same issues and Ma Vic doing nothing to fix anything. Porous casings and electrical issues are prevalent.

[VP8]

I currently have a 2012 Victory Cross Country and a 2011 Yamaha FJR1300. I use the FJR for commuting and the Victory for touring and rides with my Vic riding buddies. Everyone is right, the Victory is comfy even with its stock seat and long floor boards, however, the reliability and the availability of dealers and parts are sparse. I purchased my Victory a little over a year ago brand new...and have had to take it to the dealer for multiple warranty issues. I've had a porous rear cylinder head TWICE (at 5,000 and 10,000 miles), my primary casing gasket had to be replaced due to oil seepage, my cruise control module had to be replaced because it wasn't working properly, my pulley had to be replaced which cause a loud squealing sound, there were missing corner pieces inside my saddlebags which caused air gaps, and last but not least...my most recent repair...my alternator died and left me stranded in a middle of a ride. Victory took two weeks to deliver an alternator to my dealer...which to me is unacceptable.

Now, this is my first American made vehicle I've ever purchased, and I only bought it cause all my buddies said Victory motorcycles are bullet proof. Well, I proved them wrong. So I'm going back to my roots and getting a Honda.

I'm looking for something that meets both my needs, the sportiness and touring factor...and I think the F6B fits the bill. I'll be selling off my Victory and trading in my Yamaha.

[tozco]

I've logged 40,000 miles on Vics, and I finally gave up on Victory when I test rode a F6B. I love everything about the Honda better. I especially hated the engine and drive train on the Vics. They are fatiguing to ride. They shift like an old dump truck that needs a tranny rebuild. They have an unpleasant mechanical feel to them unlike a Harley, that has a pleasant mechanical feel. Over 150,000 miles logged on HD. I really wanted to stick with the Victory because I liked the idea of a modern American big V-twin, but I found the Vic increasingly less enjoyable to ride. So I traded my 106 Cross Roads for the F6B and I'm starting to rack up some very enjoyable miles. I also have an old '51 Panhead in the garage to satisfy the antique urge.

[Scotrod]

They have an unpleasant mechanical feel to them unlike a Harley, that has a pleasant mechanical feel.

Interesting,,, trying to see if I can understand,,,,

This probably won't sound 'right' but does HD clunk a bit smoother? Vibes not quite as 'edgy'? :shrug:

I have no real idea of what you are describing due to my lack of 'true ownership experience' with either model,,,

:shrug:

[KGREEN]

I had a 2011 Vision had ABS problems almost from day one. Dealership could never find the problem until the warranty went out. Then all of a sudden they found the problem, bad ABS module. 1015.00 dollars to fix, which I would not pay and they would not fix, because it was now out of warranty even though I had the problem from almost day one. Victory/ Polaris dealers suk. I no longer have a Polaris product nor would I ever buy one again.

[opas ride]

I understand your frustrations with Victory, but on balance they are a very reliable bike with minimum issues...Check the HD web-site and see the many problems with Harley's, always having some kind of issue...I love my F6B and have had good luck with Honda's so far, but many have not...We all get a problem product at times and it is difficult to fault one brand as bad just because a few have had issues. Look at all the folks that think Toyota cars are tops, I wouldn't buy one if you gave it to me as break down issues drove me away from the brand.....Don't you love America and the land of choices!!!

[Scotrod]

Years ago, I had a Polaris PWC that was the biggest POS made,,, They replaced it with a new one and it, too was a POS.
It was an adventure, though,,, all the 'excitement' of hoping you'd make it back to the ramp!!! :icon_rolleyes:

Needless to say, that's been a while back as Polaris hasn't made any watercraft for about a decade now,,,

Still, left a bad taste in my mouth, so it's perhaps harder for me to warm up to anything Polaris makes after the experiences I had,,,

Bad news travels fast, and you'll hear about it long before anyone has anything good to say, but,,, the Vic forums do show a 'trend' of issues,,, Issues common to multiple owners/bikes.

The 'Wing has had its faults as well, but due to the shear number of them made over many, many years, most of the 'bugs' were worked out. Not all, perhaps. :shrug:

[XKnight]

I understand your frustrations with Victory, but on balance they are a very reliable bike with minimum issues...Check the HD web-site and see the many problems with Harley's, always having some kind of issue...I love my F6B and have had good luck with Honda's so far, but many have not...We all get a problem product at times and it is difficult to fault one brand as bad just because a few have had issues. Look at all the folks that think Toyota cars are tops, I wouldn't buy one if you gave it to me as break down issues drove me away from the brand.....Don't you love America and the land of choices!!!

I think there is a big difference in overall problems with Victory versus Honda. When I owned a Vic I use to check the various Vic forums daily and not a day would go by when another Vic owner wouldn't complain about the various issues that were occurring. The most common problems were and continue to be porous casings, oil seepage/leaks, various electrical issues, motor cutting out for no reason, cruise control not working when wet and the infamous Vision front fender breaking while riding.

I come to this forum daily now and have checked other Goldwing forums and there are very few problems being reported in comparison to Victory. Plus, there are very few Victory bikes on the road whereas there are lots of Goldwings so you would expect more reports just due to the sheer volume of riders, but that's not the case. Having owned a Victory that was nothing but problematic I have no faith in Victory bikes and just by reading the few former Vic owners posts that have chimed in on this thread the pattern seems common. Also, the Victory dealer network is known to be horrible in most parts of the country which just makes the problem worse since they can't seem to fix anything properly. I wish my Vic had been reliable and trouble free, but that just wasn't the reality for me and many other Vic owners.

[Ixol Phaane]

I think there is a big difference in overall problems with Victory versus Honda. When I owned a Vic I use to check the various Vic forums daily and not a day would go by when another Vic owner wouldn't complain about the various issues that were occurring. The most common problems were and continue to be porous casings, oil seepage/leaks, various electrical issues, motor cutting out for no reason, cruise control not working when wet and the infamous Vision front fender breaking while riding.

I come to this forum daily now and have checked other Goldwing forums and there are very few problems being reported in comparison to Victory. Plus, there are very few Victory bikes on the road whereas there are lots of Goldwings so you would expect more reports just due to the sheer volume of riders, but that's not the case. Having owned a Victory that was nothing but problematic I have no faith in Victory bikes and just by reading the few former Vic owners posts that have chimed in on this thread the pattern seems common. Also, the Victory dealer network is known to be horrible in most parts of the country which just makes the problem worse since they can't seem to fix anything properly. I wish my Vic had been reliable and trouble free, but that just wasn't the reality for me and many other Vic owners.

So this got me thinking about the quality of the Gold Wing when it was first introduced. Honda has had 40 years now to work out the bugs, and we all know now the high quality build that distinguishes the bike today.

But how did things go for the early models? I've been riding my own Hondas since 1980 and have never been let down, but I gotta believe there were issues with the original models, no?

So now heres Victory with their big bikes... and I'll bet that in another 40 years they'll have their bikes dialed in also.

Anyone here have knowledge about the early years of the Gold Wing? :shrug:

[XKnight]

Anyone here have knowledge about the early years of the Gold Wing? :shrug:

This is my first Wnig so can't say how reliable to early Wings were, but you're right that Honda has had a lot of years to get them just right. It's a shame that they have changed the paint used and have gone backwards with that instead of forward. That seems to be the main gripe with the new F6.

I have owned a few Hondas and modern day Harleys as well as a Buell over the years and all have been very reliable. Victory has been the only newer bike that was a real disappointment for me.

[Jimmytee]

This is my first Wnig so can't say how reliable to early Wings were, but you're right that Honda has had a lot of years to get them just right. It's a shame that they have changed the paint used and have gone backwards with that instead of forward. That seems to be the main gripe with the new F6.

I have owned a few Hondas and modern day Harleys as well as a Buell over the years and all have been very reliable. Victory has been the only newer bike that was a real disappointment for me.
Wings have a long history of dependability. That's part of their heritage. As you know, the Wings, while having been around since 1975, have gone through several technological advances plus going from a 1000 cc 4 cylinder to 1100 4 cyl to 1200 4 cyl to 1520 6 cyl( the first with reverse option), and then the 1832 cc 6 cylinder.
All these motors have rock solid reputations. Each ,over the course of many years have had their minor issues, but mostly due to age of some of the older mods. I just replaced the pulse generator on my dad's 1986 Aspencade. Still runs like a top.

[hossners]

Anyone here have knowledge about the early years of the Gold Wing? :shrug:

Just got off an '81 GL1100. Had it for 9 years and it was my daily rider. Over 113K miles on the clock - maybe only half-way to a rebuild. No leaks. Strong, reliable, dependable. Alternator was weak (typical) but otherwise rock solid. Honda had it dialed in very early, imo!
:yes::yes:
Steve in OR

[Johncmendenhall]

I have my f6b for three days now.
Victory Polaris never supported the motorcycle,
Fabulous motor poor suspension,
My r1200 gs is and always will be a motorcycle I cannot speak highly enough about,
However that ride was entirely different in scope and purpose.
Victory thumbs down
BMW r1022 gs thumbs up
Honda f6b. Two thumbs and silky and heck

Here's my quote " if it ain't broke - keep fixing it until it is " .