For the ride, I flew out to Ontario, California to join Victory PR man, Robert Pandyia, and put the bike to test on a variety of different roads and situations. Robert had picked out a route that would involve everything from droning the super slab, to carving mountain roads. It would be the first time I had experienced the “other” American V-twin, and to be quite honest I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Just from looking at it, the Victory Vision looks large, futuristic and like no other on two wheels. The big question in my mind was how would it perform?

Weighing in heavier than a couple of Biggest Loser contestants riding a tandem, the 2009 Vision disguises its 850 pound dry weight very well when lifting it from the side stand. With a low center of gravity, 26.5 inch seat height to get your plates of meat (feet for those not raised in England) flat on the floor, the ultra wide bars make levering it to an upright position for take off a breeze. The seat, as with the passenger perch, features 4 inches of padding, but it is also very narrow at the front to help the rider reach the ground. The riding position is extremely comfortable from the second you drop the clutch, and with the biggest floorboards in the industry, there’s lot of room for your feet. The wide bars fall easily into your hands without necessitating any unnatural bending, and steering effort is minimal. The chassis immediately feels tight and responsive, and when the roads turned twisty, the Vision was easily up to the task of straightening them out.

Powering the beast is a 1731cc air-cooled engine making 92 horsepower and 109 ft-lbs of torque. Using closed loop fuel injection, the throttle response is superb, and with the four-valve engine using counter balancers it’s also very smooth. These valves are hydraulically adjusted, as with the cam chain, and the unit engine takes power to the back wheel via belt drive for ultra low maintenance. Overtaking maneuvers are performed without stress thanks to the broad spread of power from idle through redline, but for the best progress around 3-4,000 rpm seem to be the magic numbers. It is certainly not the most powerful engine on the market, but it makes steady power across the range and doesn’t require a lot of gear changing once under way.

The weather was warm leaving Ontario, and even though the day was slipping away from us, we had a fascinating ride up to Big Bear City. Climbing in altitude, the temperatures rapidly started to fall, and somewhere around the mid ‘40s, I switched on the heated grips. It wasn’t possible to activate the heated seat on the move as the button is too small, but wearing the full compliment of Victory touring gear and tucked down behind the ample fairing, I was certainly not getting cold.

When it came time to use the brakes, it took some adjustment after more regular street bikes. I had to remind myself about the linked brake system, as trying to scrub speed two-finger braking with just the front brake doesn’t get the job done. What is needed is the application of the rear brake, and more than just a light tap. When used for moderate to heavy braking, the rear brake brings the two front brakes and the rear into action together and really gets the bike slowed well. It also keeps the Vision settled and makes turning into tight bends a lot easier. Used lightly, the rear brake just operates the rear caliper, which is a big help when turning in parking lots. The two front calipers are three piston affairs, and the rear is a two piston with both ends using floating calipers.

Using an 18-inch wheel up front wrapped in a 130/80-18 Dunlop Elite 3 and a 16 incher with a 180 profile in the rear, these sensible wheel and tire sizes contribute greatly to the bike’s handling abilities. The Vision is fitted with Kayaba suspension front and rear. A conventional front fork comes with well-chosen damping, neither diving to hard under braking or being too harsh to take the bumpier roads. The rear is adjustable for pre-load, and a small air pump is located on the bike to make changes on the road. At a photo stop Robert suggested swapping bikes, and here he added some pre-load to help the bike turn quicker on the extremely tight and twisting roads. Finding our way onto Highway 155, Robert really put the hammer down to show me what he Vision could do in the turns. Riding faster and harder than I have ever been on a big luxury-touring rig, I grew more fond of the bike by the mile. It tips into the bends with such confidence and stability and exits them on the gas with such authority. It simply defies its size and designation and really gets down the road in a hurry.

Blitzing any conceptions I might have had about a luxury touring rig’s abilities on a tight, country road, it was here I discovered the Vision would touch metal to the ground if you get too enthusiastic. It takes a high degree of lean angle, but in this class it has no equal for the amount of ground clearance available before the sound of scraping comes over the stereo. By this time I was fully at home in the modern tour riding position, and the Californian landscape was peppered with small trees and shady valleys. Breaking up the ride, the occasional farm would cause Robert to roll off the throttle so we could catch a breath.

The seat with its nice thick padding doesn’t let your buns sink in after an extended period in the saddle. The fairing does a great job of deflecting the on-coming breeze and can be raised and lowered to you personal preference with an electric switch on the handlebars. I am never too comfortable looking through plastic screens so appreciated the clear view with the screen fully retracted. And at all times you can have music to accompany your ride.

The one function of the Vision that gave me some initial headaches was the multitudes of switches on the handlebars, and buttons on top of the tank to control the radio or my i pod. Waiting till we took a break to fully investigate, once familiar, they are simple to use and can be operated without problem wearing thick winter gloves. The handlebars switches are all mounted in attractive chrome consoles, and there is an LED readout on the tank to let you know if you are using the satellite radio, CB, or your i Pod.

With the Vision’s large top box, saddlebags and backpack strapped on the passenger seat, I had comfortably packed a week’s worth of clothes, all my camera gear, laptop, cables, wires and a bunch of stuff I didn’t really need. We had been drawn into more discussions about the bike’s looks than any other motorcycle I have ever ridden, and I developed a newfound interest in luxury touring bikes.

I had flown to California not knowing anything about the bike and the company, and had left a lot more informed. The bike is without doubt totally unique in the current world of touring bikes and has plenty of soul to keep you company on the road. As wild as the Victory Vision looks, and as well as it performs, the only complaint I had was I really didn’t want the ride to end. The comfort levels are as good as anything I have ridden, and with a six-gallon fuel tank there are many miles to be made between fill ups. Retailing for $23,199, the price of admission is not cheap, but when you consider the Premium comes with extra chrome, power windshield, billet wheels, and HID headlight, the increase over the standard model at $19,999 is certainly not out of line.