Any Victory Vision Owners made the F6B switch?

[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'?

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

[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!!!

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.

[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?

[XKnight]

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

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?

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!

Steve in OR