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Long Term Test: Victory Vision 8-Ball
Yippee! The sun’s out and there are leaves on the trees that will undoubtedly be reflected in the unadorned sides of Victory’s budget tourer, making the photography easier, but having doubled its mileage does the Vision 8-Ball still stack up?
With its first service under its belt, and my right wrist given greater opportunity to explore deeper into the 106/6 Freedom engine’s rev range, I can only say my enthusiasm for the bike has grown exponentially. It is, without doubt, the most comfortable, tireless touring motorcycle that I’ve ever ridden, bar none, and I’m desperate now to get my hands on a Road Glide to see how much might be attributable to the frame mounted fairing. Until then, I can only speculate as to the amount of extra work created by steering corrections on an Ultra with its handlebar-mounted batwing. I’ve finished journeys in executive cars with more aches and pains than on the 8-Ball, and that’s even with the low screen and an air-stream that’s fine for a full face helmet but is pretty unforgiving. And after a conversation in Mainz with Paul Gomez from National Cycle and Cory Ness, the hope is that the postman will be delivering a Ness ‘Flip’ screen to test, which we’re told will have the same effect as a three inch extension to the screen’s height but sits no higher than the standard blade, and is almost as black as the rest of the 8-Ball’s bodywork thanks to a dark tint. With or without that, however, the Vision will still be sensitive to helmet choice. With the Momo Komposit, Rocketeer Vintage and even the Vemar Jiano ‘System’ helmet – all with very little sound proofing – the Vision’s ABS bodywork rattles incessantly, but the Davida Jet silences it completely. I can’t say that it isn’t irritating, but I would add that if it were my bike, I’d go round the joints with a high-density draft excluder tape to fix it. The worst culprit is the screen in any position other than the lowest, which is noisier than Amanda complaining about the headwind over my head and shoulders when perched upon the oh-so-tall, but well-padded pillion. That will probably be the easiest rattle to fix because with the whole mechanism, above the biggest headlamp adjuster known to man, laid bare beneath
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American-V.co.uk
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04/05/2011 13:20