[Porky]

A local Powersports dealer where I bought my 2014 CTX1300D is running a sale right now and a couple of bikes look good enough to me to add to my Stable:

2015 Victory Vision® Tour in Springfield, Missouri
2015 VICTORY VISION® TOUR
Stock #:
3042200
Engine Size:
106 ci (1,731 cc)
Miles:
25,293
Color:
Sunset Red With Black Pinstripe
Vision® Tour:grin:

2012 KAWASAKI VULCAN® 1700 VOYAGER®
Touring • Used
Stock #:
A009801
Engine Size:
1700.00 cc
Miles:
14,134
White metallic:smile_big:

Both bikes are LOADED and ready to go the long distance. They are both spotless too:wink2:

I'd like your opinion's that I do value on many topics:smile:

 

[Offcenter]

Ok, I'll give you my opinion for what it's worth.
My friend Mike721 from here on this forum has several Victorys and he loves 'em!
I don't know much about the Vulcan, but they were supposed to be good bikes. Is it air or water cooled?
If it's air cooled, I'd be worried about that huge engine cooking my legs on hot days.

 

[mike721]

Buy the Vision as long as the price is right. Look on cycle trader to see what they are selling for. I can't say enough good about mine, my 'old' one is coming up on 100K miles, I ride it every day in every kind of weather and it comes back for more and still looks good doing it. A vision has the best wind and rain protection I could ever ask for, I've ridden in downpours and stayed dry as long as I kept moving I expect 150-200k out of it with no major issues.
My new one is all that and more, 11 or later have a quieter, smoother gearbox that shifts better. That one your looking at is a 2015 Tour, heated seats, heated grips and I guess ABS brakes too..just like my 16. From the picture I can even see the front fender recall was done, I see the extra bolt on the rear half-fender. The only thing I've changed on mine is I swapped 3 headlight bulbs for LED. Visions handle well overall, corner amazingly well at high speeds, and become weightless at 15 miles an hour, they are a bit heavy going slowly but I got used to it, now I prefer that bike to my lighter ones even for slow stuff.

 

[Porky]

"If it's air cooled, I'd be worried about that huge engine cooking my legs on hot days." OC quote

The 2012 Kawasaki is water cooled and even has a special factory developed powered fan and air duct's to take any heat from the rear cylinder, to an area behind the rider.:grin: It is $7,998 OTD.

The 2015 Vision is air/ oil cooled:smile: It is $8,698 OTD.

Sam:nerd:

 

[GatorJoe]

Personally with 80,000 Trouble Free Miles on my 2012 Cross Country and may well have done another 80,000 think you know which way I'll Vote .. On another Note my Riding Buddy had problems shifting on his 2013 Voyager not the Tranny itself but hard shifting sometimes and slipping out of gear , after his 2009 Vulcan was doing this as well he is done with Kawasaki ..

 

[mike721]

Buy the Vision

It is $7,998 OTD.

The 2015 Vision is air/ oil cooled:smile: It is $8,698 OTD.

Sam:nerd:

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I vote Vision because they seem like quite unique bikes!

 

[Porky]

They are unique all right:surprise:

Honestly, the first time I saw one, I either wanted to laugh or cry, I thought it was as ugly as 'Godzilla' coming out of the Tokyo bay:grin:

I thought it looked like the Starship Enterprize or some other CGA creation:wink2:

Of course I thought the same of my past BMW K1200LTC and my Goldwings too:smile_big:

I know they are great touring bikes but come on now, the design is sorta kinda way out there:crying:

HOWEVER, the bike has grown on me and I could see myself owning one. I have a friend that has had one since the model first came out and he loves his.:smile:

I will probably go look at both of them in person late next week and see what they will give me for my CTX1300D in trade??:crying:

Mike, is the stereo system strong or weak as far as volume/ sound goes and do they have USB inputs for Flash Drive music?

Sam:nerd:

 

[vistavette]

The Victory hands down. I took a number of test rides on them when the demo days came to town and love the bike. Much of what they learned from the Victory line has been incorporated underneath the new Indians. That frame and the way they handle is great and I love the motor. Had the timing been different I might have owned one. The Kawasaki looks the same on paper but it doesn't translate to the road/ride. It feels like a lower quality, dressed up cruiser. Too many people mistake touring bikes as cruisers with bags and a fairing, when in fact it's the frame that makes the difference. The Victory has the frame. It's similar to Harley in the way that HD has a specific frame for the touring bikes.

As far as the heat from and air cooled bike goes, I wouldn't worry one bit about it. I road an air cooled Harley Ultra for 9 years and 90k miles here in Las Vegas with no issues. In fact, my '15 BMW GTL doesn't handle the heat as well as my Harley did.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Kiwi Steve]

I'll go against the flow Sam, take the Kwaka.

Kawasaki is still in business, are there Victory agents around now and since they've been discontinued do they devalue at a greater rate (just thinking of when you see that next bike that you've just got to have!). Also the Voyager 1700 is a good bike, save yourself the $700, the Vision does have a unique styling that makes me even more of a fan of the Kawasaki.

But whichever you decide, they're both good bikes and look like excellent value for money. Hope you enjoy whichever one you choose.

 

[GatorJoe]

Don't know if you have rode a Vision without a doubt give you the best protection against the Elements and the excellent handling just shocked me .. But I'll have to admit couldn't get past the looks of it and why went with a Cross Country instead but sometimes when got caught in the rain with other Victory Riders on a Vision they just laughed as they barely got wet while I was drenched ..

 

[mike721]

Clearly the looks of a Vision are not for everyone, it's one of the most love it or hate it designs in the history of motorcycles. Clearly it was 20 years ahead of it's time when it was released in 08, the world of style still has 10 years to catch up

Stereo is average, it's not bad and pretty loud but I have heard better. I really don't play music much so I'm a pretty poor judge though. There is no USB input for a flash drive, stock there is a AUX input, what I did was plug that into a bluetooth adapter in the glove box so my phone can bluetooth into the AUX, it actually works very well, even though I rarely use it. There was an optional iPod connection available, they might be hard to find today but it was the old 30 pin apple plug, then you had to convert it to a lightning plug..I have one but never installed it.
Want to get some laughs when riding a Vision?, try playing the sound of George Jetson's car when cruising past a group of people or pulling into a bike night

Warning, I predict that if you ride the Vision, you'll buy it.

They are unique all right:surprise:

Honestly, the first time I saw one, I either wanted to laugh or cry, I thought it was as ugly as 'Godzilla' coming out of the Tokyo bay:grin:

I thought it looked like the Starship Enterprize or some other CGA creation:wink2:

Of course I thought the same of my past BMW K1200LTC and my Goldwings too:smile_big:

I know they are great touring bikes but come on now, the design is sorta kinda way out there:crying:

HOWEVER, the bike has grown on me and I could see myself owning one. I have a friend that has had one since the model first came out and he loves his.:smile:

I will probably go look at both of them in person late next week and see what they will give me for my CTX1300D in trade??:crying:

Mike, is the stereo system strong or weak as far as volume/ sound goes and do they have USB inputs for Flash Drive music?

Sam:nerd:

 

[Porky]

Thanks Mike!:grin:

Sam:nerd:

 

[RonK]

--

Presuming you've already worked out if one or the other needs tires or brakes and if any warranty comes with either one, then I would consider two things most important. First would be as Kiwi pointed out, there are still Kawa dealers out there for parts and service. In the long run, if things need to be done, that would be important. Polaris, in 2017, agreed to purchase dealers' inventories and provide parts for the next ten years, but then what? I have somewhat that situation in that my Yamaha Road Stars aren't being produced any more. Some parts are not available. Of course the Victory does have three more years of possible technical advances after the production date of the Kawa, so there may or not be technical improvements. It might be good to really go over the little things on a sheet with the two listed side by side for things like linked brakes, charging capability, types of lights (led's), shifting improvements, serviceability by you, gas octane rating needs, recalls, etc.

Second is the old advice of how it feels to you. If you can't sit on it and feel good while saying, "This is the one.", then it's not the one.

--

 

[Glenn54]

I really liked my 2013 Voyager. The frame mounted fairing was great for fighting any wind. It was a smooth ride and handled very well at 70 to 80 mph. I think the factory seat is plenty comfortable. Others don't. The original speakers are just OK. Adding the rear speakers made a big difference. If yours doesn't have rear speakers, that will be another $300+. After I added mine, I loved listening to music while riding. You can add an MP3 player but you have to have the adapters, $100+. It had plenty of storage room in the saddle bags and trunk. If I would have kept it, I would have added the handlebar risers that lifted and pulled the bars back a little. You get a clunk when shifting the transmission, especially in the first few gears. That bothers some folks so they change the oil viscosity which helps a little. It's a heavy bike. At parking lot speed, you have to be careful not to let it drop. I'm 5'8" and I wouldn't have wanted to be any shorter or you may not be able to flat foot it at a stop. Even with the water cooling and the air deflector, that 1700 can get extremely hot on the right side in the summer. Some folks flush the coolant system and add engine ice or some other product to try and get the temp to drop a little. Others wrap the exhaust pipes from the cylinders to the mufflers. I never did that mod. There is one recall I can think of. Some wires running between the seat and frame aren't protected enough so Kawasaki camp up with a fix for that. The last thing I can think of is the belt can make noise if it's too tight or the rear wheel isn't lined up right. Good luck with your decision. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[hogcowboy]

2 years ago Vision was on my short list of possible purchases. There are a lot of things I like about that bike but looks isn't one of them. Fit and finish won out so I got a Indian. But I still like Vision. Especially if you are going to put miles on bike. And you certainly can't knock the price right now. I would not be afraid that Polaris dropped them at all. In fact I think they are dumb for not making that engine into another model of Indian. That is an awesome engine. So if you haven't already, take a test ride. A long one if they'll let you. If it feels good to you, and I'd bet it will, go for it. You might just find a bike you'll keep for more than 18 months. Like I said before, my only complaint was the cheap feel of the luggage closures but I was comparing that to Indian. I would not be afraid to own a Vision but I sure don't like the looks, although at that price it looks better than it ever has.:grin:

 

[Porky]

"I really liked my 2013 Voyager." Glenn54 quote:smile:

In 2012, I had just received the insurance payoff for my 2012 Suzuki C109 Touring cruiser that was ran over by a big rig, while parked in the parking lot at my business :surprise: and I was hot to get another bike to replace it:wink2:

I had decided on either a new Goldwing but at my local Powersports dealer, there was a new 2012 Kawasaki 1700 Voyager:smile_big: Exactly the same year and color as the one above.

I took both for a 10 mile or so test ride and was impressed by both bikes but you know, there's nothing like the power and smoothness, reliability and reputation of a Goldwing so after a lot of soul searching, I bought the Wing on the spot but I still had fond feelings for the COW.:wink2:

The Voyager actually looks like a dresser motorcycle, whereas, the Wing and the Vision at least to me have always looked like a 'personal space ship' star wars' type of vehicle:grin:

When Polaris dropped Victory, the death knell was sounded for their entire bike lineup. New prices plummeted and used prices fell so badly that they almost couldn't be given away:crying: It is a real shame and their loyal owner's were very upset at this business decision:surprise:

I guess it will all depend on what the dealer will offer me for my 2014 CTX1300D, which is as nice a bike as either of the ones above, only lacking cruise control and some fancy electrical devices of the other bikes.:crying:

Sam:nerd: