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By Michael Dapper
VRA Page Webmaster
There’s a new energy, a new excitement generated by people taking delivery of, and buying Victory Visions. Even those of us who aren’t riding those sweet new touring bikes are a little extra jazzed because our buddies are sporting THE bike of the year, our friends are riding what should be the consensus Motorcycle of the Year, and people we know are riding a bike that’s been on dozens of magazine covers in recent months.
Those of us riding older bikes aren’t complaining. We’re jealous, sure, but we love hearing the stories from our Victory Vision-riding friends:
• “I couldn’t stop at a red light without being asked about the bike.”
• “I stopped for a coffee and came out to find a group of people gathered around the bike. I finished the entire large coffee while talking to them and answering questions.”
• “When we got to the top of Pikes Peak last weekend, there was a Victory Vision there and it drew a crowd. The first comment I heard was, ‘I guess they’re making spaceships now,’ but they stuck around to give the bike a very good look.”
It’s a wild phenomenon and we should enjoy the attention it brings to the Victory brand.
During the Sturgis rally, I left the Top 50 Rally Park at the end of an afternoon, rode back to Sturgis and stopped at a grocery store with orders to buy a specific kind of onions I wasn’t familiar with. I parked the Victory Vision I was riding and was instantly surrounded by riders – Harley riders, truth be told.
They had a million questions, many of which were answered by them sitting on the bike and my starting it up. They took photos of each other on the bike, they checked out the radio and other electronic features and they begged to take it for a ride.
“My dad in Florida has reserved one of these. Can my boyfriend take it for a ride to tell him about it?” a woman asked.
Couldn’t do it, but the chance for all of them to have a seat and hear the 106 engine sufficed. As they apologized for tying me up, I told them I was after some Visalia onions. The only thing I knew about Visalia was it was a California town where the Minnesota Twins used to have a minor league team.
That was off-track. We were, apparently, talking about Vidalia onions.
So after a brief discussion about these garden rarities, one of the women grabbed my wrist and said, “come on, I’ll take you in and get you your onions.”
Well, 20 years, one wife and two children ago, that might have been the start of a great, or at least briefly exciting relationship. But we went in, she helped me find the proper onions, and I loaded them into the side compartment of the Vision Street under the close eyes of a new wave of observers.
Love it, hate it, the Victory Vision is exciting. It elicits a response, it is anything but say, a Honda Pacific Coast, which, as it says on Wikipedia, had styling described as “body by Tupperware.”
The Victory Vision makes you respond, it makes you react. It jolts you or moves you. It might repulse you, or it might connect with you like a magnet.
The cool thing is, our friends and fellow Victory Riders are now out there riding these stylish creatures, rolling up sick high mileage – returning to dealerships for 500-mile checkups after a day – and having a ball.
Those of us who aren’t on those Victory Visions live vicariously through these friends of ours.
“What’s that? You saw a Victory Vision? Oh, yeah, I’ve seen one. I’ve ridden one. I’m a Victory Rider.”
Got a Vision? Let’s See It?
If you’ve got a new Victory Vision, let’s see you and your ride. Send us a photo and some info about you, your bike and your Victory dealer via the Victory Mailbag.
All you (fellow) non-Victory Vision riders, check out the V Rider of the Month feature here on the VRA Page. We’re featuring numerous Victory Riders throughout October.
Ride Time for Yankees
Those of us who live “up north,” in the snow belt, in the land where “get in the boat” is pronounced “get in the boot,” well, the clock is ticking on our riding season.
There’s nothing like talking to a rider from Florida or Arizona and asking them, jealously, “you get to ride all year, don’t you?”
No, they’ll tell you, it’s so hot in the dead of summer that we really don’t ride during the day if we can avoid it.
Pulleez. You’re killing us Yanks. The leaves up here are turning, They’re blowing off the trees at an alarming rate and it won’t be long before the tree are merely black sticks and we’re riding in snowmobile gear, praying that it doesn’t rain while we’re out on the road because it’s so cold, it won’t be rain, it’ll be sleet or snow.
And then there are those Colorado riders, folks who can watch it snow three feet one day and see the roads melt dry the next so they can go riding into the mountains with their electric vests and gloves.
You people make us sick – with envy.
That sort of riding is just not a possibility in the land of winter sand and salt, so all you northern riders: Rev it up, get riding and send us some photos of you enjoying the last tastes of the open – snow-free – road. Let’s see some fall riding photos from the snow belt.
victorymailbag@polarisind.com
Salute to the Victory Ride Coordinators
A tip of the helmet to all the volunteer Victory Ride Coordinators who have helped organize and plan numerous Victory Rides all year.
A special shout-out to Lonnie Dickens and Dub Perry in Houston, Texas. Each of these guys plans a ride a month, and it makes a lot of us jealous of the Houston-area riders. They do a fantastic job. A tip of the Stetson to Lonnie and Dub.
The following list is absolutely by no means complete, so drop us a line to tell us about your local dealership’s Victory Ride Coordinator. Here are several of the stalwarts who have sacrificed a lot of freewheeilin’ riding time to plan and lead Victory Rides so far in 2007:
• Dub Perry, Houston West Side coordinator
• Lonnie Dickens, Houston East Side Coordinator
• John and Dee Rollins, Colorado
• Mike Schultz, Arizona Victory
• Mark Luz, New Jersey and New York area
• John Dextras, Colorado Springs area
Thanks to all of you folks. If there’s a Victory Ride coordinator in your area you want us to mention here, just drop us a line.
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