i second pretty much everything briman has said. I have a 99 v92c and absolutely love it. be sure to check out thevmc.com like he said there are some great people there that are always willing to share info. as for a website called HDforums that would be the last place i would do research on a vic. that would be like going to the honda forums to find out about polaris atvs. if i would have listened to owners of other brands i wouldnt own a polaris but what do they know.

 

HdForums are not biased against other brands. If fact, many either have owned or still own a Victory Motorcycle. Sort of like this forum, ya know.....most of us either own or have owned other brands of ATV's. I would think its narrow minded to make derogatory statements without knowing the facts....

 

hey sorry if that came off wrong. i just checked out the hdforums and alot of guys had good things to say which shocked me. but there was still alot of " well their fast but its still not a harley" and alot of the issues they had such as "no aftermarket parts" isn't really an issue anymore. sure you cant go to any motorcycle site and find all the parts for a vic but there are a bunch of companies specializing in vics only and doing a great job. the point i was trying to get across is if you want the straight facts go to thevmc.com you will get all the good with the bad. sorry if i stepped on any toes but i ride with alot of harley owners and have met alot of them and and im sure you know there are alot of sheep out there that just follow the flock.

 

I talked to the victory guy one time when I was getting parts for my polaris. I asked him what the differences where between HD and Victory and he pointed out a bunch of things that really impressed me at the time. Obviously thats a one-sided view but the huge thing that disgusts me is that HD is a china made bike now. How can people still buy and so passionately stand behind something thats made in china but marketed as a "American Pride" kinda thing? Kinda goes against everything Harley is about no? Pretty ridiculous if you ask me, I have no respect for HD after I learned that. People are lining up to buy a $25,000 chinese bike? HD executives are laughing all the way to the bank.

 

I know Harley setup some offical China dealers, but I thought they were importing the US bikes to sell in China. No offense intended, but you can offer something to back that up? That's kind of a big deal!

 

First of all, Matt, not all Harley's cost $25,000.00. Mine was under $17,000.00. Of course, you probably heard that info from the same BS artist who said Harleys come from China. LOL. Perhaps some parts are manufactured in China, just like any old U.S. product..... You might be surprised to find out Polaris has some Chinese parts too...Who cares???? I could care less. See what value a Victory will maintain compared to a Harley in ten years. Dont you know everything is economics today? Both manufacturers have a fine product and you shouldnt be downing one without proof. Just my two cents.......

 

A friend of mine just bought the new Victory Hammer directly from the Arlen Ness dealership in Dublin CA. It's a great bike, handles well, plenty of power, leans great on tight turns. What I thought was very funny was that the first thing he did though was removed ALL the Victory labels on the bike. From the tank, the motor covers, you name it. The only thing that he hasn't changed (probably because a part isn't ave yet) is 100 from the aircleaner. People now have to ask him, what is it???

I've ridden street bikes since the late 80's and just sold my ZX6R last year so I know how to 'ride' a steet bike. I see these style of motorcycles, including the VRod, as a sudo cruising/street bikes as a transition bike for people who are moving from the crotch rocket style.

If you look in my page I also ride a Harley Road King. I'm not one of those that will look down on a Yama or Honda cruiser that drives by.... I'm of the frame of mind that at least they're on 2 wheels.... But what I can say from personal experience is that I'd rather break down on a freeway on my Harley then on my ZX6R. When you buy a Harley you are buying into the lifestyle... Yeah, I know, I lost some of you readers attention already with that last comment.... Whatever... but it's real... When my ZX6R broke down on the freeway I waited till the tow truck showed up, paid the man, and was on my way. At least 3-4 crotch rockets drove by, would look over their right shoulders to check out the bike, then would rev it up and go... gee, thanks guys..... But the 2 times I've broken down on a Harley, once in NV and once here in CA. Fellow hog riders would pull over and lend a hand. In NV infact, two guys actually pulled over behind me before I had even gotten off the bike (I had spun a primary gear, nothing major - on my prev Soft Tail Harley). They even waited with me till the tow truck got there and we talked about rally's we had hit over the years after we found we couldn't fix the prob with duck tape or bailing wire. The time I broke down in CA, another biker pulled over about 10 min after I got off the phone with the town truck svc. Found that I had lost a bolt on my intake and caused the motor to rev way to high. Once the tow truck got there I found he also rode a hog and he didn't even charge me for the tow back to my house (about 25 min away). Cool or what....

Bottom line, for all the negative stuff written about HD's, until you own one you wouldn't understand....

And. regarding the comment about them comming from China, they are still assembled in the good old USofA. WI to be exact.... Much of the chrome comes from China because, as it was explained to me, they don't have the strict waste laws like we do here in the states... Have you ever looked closely at Harley chrome to that of other chrome??. The good stuff has a sort of soft blue look. Heck, I guess the tree huggers don't complain as much in China as they do here. But the chrome is nice...

 

"Fellow HOG riders would pull over and lend a hand". Answer #1....Thats because they are used to doing so. Answer #2......because they look so good all posing together vs. riding their bikes. Sorry guys I just had to. I have respect for the H-D line but about a good 40-50% of their riders I don't. You know who you are.....the ones too good to wave to a fellow biker. Or the ones who diss your bike because it's not a hog in front of about 10 of their friends when you're by yourself or in a small group. They can't do it when their outnumbered or the odds evened out. Or the puke who stepped all over my bike at a hillclimb or the ones who knocked mine over because I parked between a couple of H-Ds at a local fair. I'm guessing you guys on here are the other 50% judging by your logical and sensible posts. Brian

 

Hey Briman, sorry to hear of your unfortunate experience with some HD Thugs. And, thanks for considering me in the other 50% class [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]Not all Harley, Triumph, Norton, BMW, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Victory Bikers are thugs however, any of them can be, especially those in a group or partying.

s9195, that is one fine machine you have there! and your response to this thread is noteworthy too!

 

I like the Hammer, Vegas, and the 8 Ball in the Victory lineup. The 06 Hammer sells for around $16900 I believe, with the Vegas around $15700, and finally the 8 ball is the cheapest at around $13400. The Arlen Ness signature series Jackpot goes for around $21999. Really like the looks of the Hammer with the 250mm (10") tire in back!