Author Archives: RexRcr

Ordering

After discussion with Dennis at Trumbauers and quick review of the long-term weather forecast, I decided to order the Vision.  I constructed the configuration at the Victory Motorcycles site.

The site is generally well constructed and compelling, but they do need to work on the options packages: it allowed me to add overlapping items and some items that do not fit (really do not fit properly) on the 2016 Vision.  Fortunately, Lisa (Trumbauers Service Manager) knows me well; she called me to work out the details and the problem items were removed.

Pickup Day

Dennis gave me about 2 weeks notice when it would be ready and I was counting the hours.  Saying goodbye to the Kingpin was difficult, but when I arrived and saw the Vision looking beautiful and ready to go, it got a bit easier.  The paperwork didn’t take long and I was on my way in less than an hour.

First Ride

The Vision is large and in charge – the power pours from the Freedom V-Twin (106 ci – 1737 cc).  Once you get it above a walking pace, the Vision is maneuvers easily and is super responsive.  Even though the seating position low and comfortable, it’s still a bit tall for me (I have very short legs), but more on that later.

Leaving Trumbauers, I decided to take Rt 309 South – this gave a mixture of highway and small town riding.  Since the engine needs to break in, I was a bit cautious with the throttle; I generally kept it below 3,500 RPM (redline is above 5,000 RPM), but although there may have been one or two occasions when I wrapped the throttle.  It was amazing!

Differences

After so many years riding the same bike (Kingpin has been my primary ride since 2007), it will take a while to adjust to the Vision.

First and foremost, I need to get used to the sense of speed: 70-80 MPH on the Kingpin feels rather fast, but the Vision does it so easily, you might not notice.  There were several times when I checked the dials and realized I was going much faster than I realized or should be.  One thing had not picked up during the Vision demo rides was beautify & efficiency of the  instrument panel – it has all the information you need, arranged to easy to read at a glance.

Another transition from the Kingpin is simply the size: there’s just no way around it, the Vision is big.  At rallies, I can back the Kingpin into a tight parking spot between two other bikes, while barely looking; when I’m backing up Vision, or just walking forward while maneuvering, I have to constantly check all sides.  That knowledge of exactly where it fit will come in time.

Next Day

I took the Vision to work the next day, which was my first ride on the Turnpike and also at rush hour.  In both the slow-moving traffic and the sections that opened up, the Vision took it all in stride, always feeling comfortable and at ease.

I was lucky with the weather in that pick up day was beautiful and the following day was still pretty nice, although it was overcast and drizzling in the morning.  Even though the morning rain was light, it gave me my first chance to try out Vision’s protection: the traffic to the Turnpike on ramp tends to be slow (15-20 MPH); when I felt some rain drops hitting my face, I hit the power windshield button to raise it an inch or so and the problem was solved.  This little feature will be huge on long road trips.

Wrap Up

I’ve been waiting years to get the Vision and absolutely love it.  Here’s the just the facts wrap up:

Love

• The ride!
• Trumbauers is awesome – Special thanks to Dennis & Lisa.  The ordering process was mostly good, but with the addition of such a great dealership, it was awesome.
• The controls, gauges and all the little details – they really did think of everything.
• It’s gorgeous.  I love the way it looks and will be adding some more accents over time.  I’ve already replaced the cheese wedges:
  •  

Things to Change

• It feels taller than the demo bikes, which probably had a lowering kit installed.  I’ll be looking to add the lowering kit soon.
• Performance Air Filter – I included the Stage 1 Exhaust option, but need change the intake to match.  Even though it has plenty of power, it surges like a wave and I suspect the air filter will create more jump.  (Yes, I’m being ridiculous about the power, but why not?)
• HID kit – I haven’t done any night riding yet, but I’m used to the Kingpin’s HID light so will probably add it to the Vision.
• iPhone connection – the accessory cable plugs in the iPhone headphone jack, delivering the audio to the speakers, but with no control (other than volume).  The tech at Trumbauers told me that I can install the iPod connector then add a Lightning adapter to get the full functionality.

At the end of March, 2016, I traded the Kingpin for a new Vision.  I’d been thinking about the Vision of years and been on more test rides than I can count and the time finally came to pull t…

Source: 2016 Victory Vision

For road trips, my planning is generally vague: while keeping to a general plan, I still get the joy of deciding each morning where to head next.  My preparations tend to be equally minimal – almost agile.  Usually this works out well – with minimal constraints, schedules can be adjusted and plans adapted – but occasionally it bites me in the ass.  This is one of those times.

The Original Plan – Option 3

I scheduled time off from work, starting on Thursday, August 14th and returning Tuesday, September 2nd. Thursday would be dedicated to preparation, so I could leave bright & early Friday morning.  The first destination would be Boston, where I would be visiting friends; rather than taking I-95, I was planning a more scenic route, north out of Pennsylvania and thru New York state.

After spending the weekend with friends, I expected to take a scenic ride thru Maine, New Brunswick and ending up in Nova Scotia by the following weekend.  Something like this.  The second weekend, I’d take the Oak Island tour, then head back home via the fastest route.

After a day or so at home, I expected to spend the rest of the second week on a slow tour of Maryland and Virginia, visiting friends; this slow tour would end up back at home some time Labor Day weekend.  Overall the distance covered would much less than my previous trips, with the focus on visiting new places and old friends.

What Could Possible Go Wrong?

I had arranged all the necessary items – pet care, stopping mail, etc. – but one item remained outstanding: the state inspection for the Kingpin and it was overdue.  I stopped up at Trumbauer’s the weekend before the trip to see if they could squeeze me in on short notice – I have a bad habit asking for service at the last-minute, right before a trip, but they always manage to make time for me and this time was no different. (Thanks Lisa!)

Problem #1

On Thursday morning (prep day), I arrived a little late, but was feeling confident that all the pieces were falling into place.  I was reading the news while waiting for the inspection & oil change, when the first hiccup occurred: the Kingpin needed front brakes.  Not a big deal: it’s relatively quick job, and just one of those regular things.

Problem #2

A few minutes later, Lisa came over to tell me the throttle cable was sticking when fully open.  I rarely open the throttle all the way (that sounded sincere, right?), but the sticking might be an indication it was ready to fail.  Technical detail: the throttle cable, and most of the other cables, runs under the tank; in order to investigate, the tank would have to come off – this job just became much bigger.  I was beginning to feel a bit guilty as they were squeezing me into their schedule, but the work continued.

Problem #3, Uh oh

After a few more minutes, I was invited over for a discussion with the tech / mechanic.  It started with the handlebars, which had a bit of play in them.  This, I knew about: on a trip to Sturgis a few years earlier, I had put the tie downs on the handlebars (they should have been on the triple clamps) which had stretched out the bushings that hold the handlebars.  The bushings are difficult to replace and the problem would not get any worse over time, so I had decided to let it go.

The next topic was much more serious: one side of the front forks was leaking.  I had not noticed the leak, but, apparently, they were overdue for regular maintenance.

In order to replace / repair the forks, the triple clamps would have to come off, which amounts to disassembling the front end of the bike.  To further complicate the repair, the Kingpin has inverted forks that use cartridges (to hold the fluid, I assume) and these are a bit unusual.

To summarize: the tank & triple clamps needed to come off and front forks needed to be disassembled.  Since the triple clamps where coming off anyway, it made sense to replace the handlebar bushings.  This was no longer in the squeeze it in category.  Even if the service department was willing to disrupt their entire schedule, parts needed to be ordered.

What Now?

Although it would not be ready for the trip, I rode the Kingpin home [carefully] on Thursday as I didn’t have any other option.  I dropped it back off Saturday morning (thanks to Bryan for the ride), so it would be available as soon as the parts arrived.  I don’t have a specific E.T.A., but my impression is that the work will take most of a day and won’t start until everything has arrived.  I was promised it would be ready by Friday at the latest, but possibly sooner.

The folks at Trumbauer’s were quite apologetic about all the problems, but, of course, they are not at fault for my last-minute scheduling or failure to keep up on maintenance.  Truthfully, I’m grateful to them for finding the problems now, and saving me from a break down in the middle of nowhere.

The original plan will no longer work as I’ll be starting out a week later than expected (but I am getting some home projects done).  The trip was originally broken into two parts, so now one of them will have to be skipped.  I just have to decide which one.