Has anyone ridden a Victory Cross Country Tour?

[VP8]

If you want power/performance, the F6B wins hands down over the Vic. No comparison... off the line, passing ability, etc.

I had a 2012 Victory Cross Country for one year. I purchased it brand new and managed to put 25,500 miles on it during that time. When the bike runs, it runs great... and it's comfortable. Nice seating position, leg room... longest floorboards you will ever find. And storage capacity...WOW...those saddlebags are huge, and I was able to fit all my gear/clothes for two weeks in them without having to mount anything outside (I know how to pack light). HOWEVER...I had A LOT of warranty problems with this bike. This was my first American made bike, and I only purchased it because all my friends who ride Victory swear by them. I was going into more of the touring route for long bike trips, so I wanted a touring bike. I had over eight warranty problems... two of which were replacing the same rear cylinder head that was porous. I had a pulley replaced because it was squealing like crazy, the cruise control module was replaced because it wasn't working properly, corner pieces from both saddlebags were missing, the primary gasket was replaced due to seepage, the rear shock was replaced due to seepage, and the final straw was when I was stranded due to a bad alternator. That was the final straw...I have never been stranded before with any of my prior bikes, and I had just returned from a three day motorcycle trip at Mammoth/Yosemite. I would have ruined the trip for everyone if my bike was stranded during the trip. I could no longer trust the bike, so I sold it, test rode the F6B and was sold.

Parts availability with Victory were a joke. My bike was at the dealer for over 45 days waiting for a rear cylinder head... but Victory was unresponsive with any kind of ETA. Common parts from Victory typically take a couple of weeks to arrive... if they are in stock. Where as Honda... its a matter of days. When I ordered some accessories from Honda, which were backordered...I received my entire order in a week. I was truly impressed.

As others have mentioned... Victory dealers are few and far between. I had to travel approximately 40 miles just to take my bike to the dealer... and they charged me $120/hour to work on my bike. Typical service interval would cost me over $300 each time. With my Honda...I travel about five miles away, and they charge me $80/hour...so my service interval only costs about $150 each time.

In one month, I will have had my F6B for one year... and it's been trouble free.

Now my horrendous experience with Victory could be an isolated incident. The majority of my friends have no problems with their Victories and are super happy. Oh, BTW, the Cross Country... yes... major wind buffeting. I had to switch to a boomerang windshield and add the crash guard covers to prevent the buffeting... but the bike I had was with forged crash bars, which they don't include on the new bikes anymore.

Good luck with your decision...I hope this helps.

[Cheesyryder]

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!!!

[dickiedeals]

I tell you everybody checks out theSix'xer!!!

+1 from a 30 Harley riding Veteran.................Dickie

[dickiedeals]

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

[jerrysander]

Good thoughts, almost all. Thanks for your honesty, directness. After reading -- and before test-riding -- I'm a little worried about Victory's long-term mechanical integrity compared to the Honda's....I must confess that I'm similarly worried about the Honda's PAINT problems on the F6B (really???) and annoyed to hear about it. Is the paint issue LESS OF AN ISSUE on the '15 Grey F6B Deluxe?

Thanks again, folks.

[Old Ryder]

Jerry, Personally the paint on the B does not bother me at all. After I add up all of the advantages of owning the B and subtracting the paint "thingy", it is still a lopsided decision. I can deal with it. I will add that I have spent a ton on seats, risers and shields to get the right combo for my body. Plan on that before you buy if you are above average size.


BTW--- Did Honda copy the "Honda of Russellville Stealth" with the Matt Gray paint? Am I the only person to notice that??????????
http://www.hondaofrussellville.com/n...85&pov=3845816

[Jimmytee]

Good thoughts, almost all. Thanks for your honesty, directness. After reading -- and before test-riding -- I'm a little worried about Victory's long-term mechanical integrity compared to the Honda's....I must confess that I'm similarly worried about the Honda's PAINT problems on the F6B (really???) and annoyed to hear about it. Is the paint issue LESS OF AN ISSUE on the '15 Grey F6B Deluxe?

Thanks again, folks.

Just my opinion, but the paint issue to me is a little overblown. No, the paint does not compare to the likes of Harley. But with a coat every now and then of Liquid Glass and I've got no complaints. Mine looks as good as the day I bought her. now with almost 11,000 miles.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Just got back from a nice ride with my son on my F6B. It is a kind of bike one feels very safe and confident on. It rides smooth, handles better than a bike of it's size should, and there is simply no worries if it will get you back home.

I hapen to like the looks of it (mine is black), and also the uniqueness of it. There may be other Goldwings on the road but not very many F6B's, which I happen to like a lot.

I usually keep two bikes in my stable. I also like the cruisers a lot. They fit me great and I have no problems with the performance. Sometimes I enjoy riding kind of slow, taking the views of the surroundings in.

I just bought last week a 2012 Victory XC with 1300 miles on it for $10,500. Stock except for Cee Bailey windshield. Beautiful blue metallic color. The pictures do not do it justice.

I have ridden XC's before but not owned one. I have put close to a thousand miles on it since last Tuesday (and I work, too). I like it a lot. I feel excited about it just as much as when I bought my new 2013 F6B. The bike rides great. I find the stock seat very comfortable, it is soft but it does not bottom up when riding for a while. This past Thursday I rode about 370 miles in a day, some very twisty roads. Never once did I touch down and I did a pretty good pace. Handling felt very assured and stable.

It was around 100 degrees that day, yet I did not feel much heat on my legs from the engine (my XC does not have lowers). I also got 45 mpg, bike has 5.8 gallons. I did 240 miles on the way home on one tankful, not sure how much gas is left as I have not refueled yet.

XC has two features my F6B doesn't have, cruise and abs. Cruise works great with no lag whatsoever.

Power is sufficient. I had no trouble passing. I got it up to 95mph on the highway on my way back, bike rode smooth and didn't feel stressed.

Stereo sounds similar to the one on F6B, which is to say it is sufficient but it won't blow you away. I'm fine with that for both bikes. It does have the weather band built in and ipod hook up in the saddlebag, similar to F6B.

I read about their reliability and maintenance. Not bad. According to Consumer Reports, Honda overall reliability survey after 4 years showed it at 12% and Victory at 17% (HD was 26% and BMW and Can Am were at 40% failure rate). XC has hydraulic valve adjusters, belt drive, so just needs oil changes and air filters cleaned for the most part. I also owned two HD's in the past, 2000 Road King Classic and 2009 VRod Muscle and both have been problem free. RK sold with around 75,000 miles on it and VRSCF with over 30,000.

In the same survey they also reported on customer satisfaction. Victory came in first at 80%, HD was at 72% and Honda at 70%. Here is the link to the article: http://www.moneytalksnews.com/the-mo...nd-not-harley/

I would say this: owning a motorcycle is not just about raw numbers and statistics. The emotion plays a huge part. That is the intangible, unmeasurable reason why things happen that don't seem to make rational sense. I love riding the XC, love the looks, the comfort, but most importantly the way it makes me feel about myself. Of course I have these feelings about F6B, just in different way. People (non riders) ask me why I need two bikes, I can only ride one at the time. I say because they feel different, kind of like why the car guys have sports cars and pickup trucks (me too). That is why for some people repairs are just a part of the course and they still enjoy their bikes anyways. Who said the motorcycling sport is cheap, anyways?

[dmdbit]

this has been very interesting reading. I have had multiple opportunities at victory demo days. I have not had the opportunity to ride a f6b. How does the slow speed handling compare? I am close to buying a comfortable 2up touring bike and really like what I see and read about the f6b. The vision was impressive to me on the ride but the cross country tour was close enough with better storage. The f6b is my first choice but am frustrated at dealers not offering a test ride. I have felt confident on the victory's and a borrowed roadglide but would like opinions on the f6b slow speed handling. All bikes are relatively easy at 45 mph moving but that stop and go traffic and parking lot stuff can make or break an enjoyable ride. I have had my current bike(2007bandit) for 6 years and 84,000 miles and still enjoy it but it is not passenger friendly.

[hiflyer]

this has been very interesting reading. I have had multiple opportunities at victory demo days. I have not had the opportunity to ride a f6b. How does the slow speed handling compare? I am close to buying a comfortable 2up touring bike and really like what I see and read about the f6b. The vision was impressive to me on the ride but the cross country tour was close enough with better storage. The f6b is my first choice but am frustrated at dealers not offering a test ride. I have felt confident on the victory's and a borrowed roadglide but would like opinions on the f6b slow speed handling. All bikes are relatively easy at 45 mph moving but that stop and go traffic and parking lot stuff can make or break an enjoyable ride. I have had my current bike(2007bandit) for 6 years and 84,000 miles and still enjoy it but it is not passenger friendly.

I bought the F6 without a test ride, I've owned, let's just say "a bunch" of bikes, and there has never been a regret about this machine. It's that good!