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Victory Motorcycle Culture

16K views 272 replies 61 participants last post by  jedi-mcfly 
#1 ·
I'm interested in potentially getting a new Gunner, but was curious about what the general Victory motorcycle culture is like. Would you say it's similar to Harley's?
 
#3 ·
Check out some of the meet up and ride threads. I have been "involved" now for about four years and all of the Victory riders I have met, ridden with, and had the oportunity to break bread with have been very fine, sincere riders who love the bikes they ride for reasons they can actually enumerate, and also simple, taking care of their business types with duties, responsibilities , families, and caring friends.

I have learned to trust my wife's instincts, and she "likes" this crowd better than any other "biker" crowd we've been associated with in the past.
 
#4 ·
If you really want to know about the types that buy Victory bikes, look what's been put on the market, specifically the Vision. It takes an extremely open-minded individual to appreciate a space-ship with only 2 wheels. What you'll probably find is a majority of us are riders, similar to Goldwing pilots. Riders, not just owners. There's much to appreciate in these bikes, specifically the power, customization and overall awesome factor.

Edit: Removed HD rider bashing comment :angel:
 
#5 ·
If you are able to make it to an event such as the one in the link below, it would be the easiest way to find out the answer to your question first hand.

Southeast Victory Motorcycle Rally
 
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#6 ·
I may actually be able to make that one. Depends on when I can get out of Oregon. Thanks for the link!
 
#7 · (Edited)
What I have noticed about the Victory riders is that they bought the machine after taking one for a ride and came to the conclusion that it was a prefered choice, not a cultural choice. Just last fall an old friend and classmate of mine was stepping up from his 2001 Kawi Voyager, he was dealing on a fairly new and low mileage Ultra Classic. He called me and said he wanted to try mine before pulling the trigger being he'd never rode a Vic. He and his wife went for an hour long ride and when they got back they both said "the Harley's out". A week later he drove 250 miles to get his new Cross Country Tour.

What I'm getting at is my friend along with the other Vic owners I know all made their choice outside of popularity and more on what they wanted to ride. Not the need to "fit in with a crowd".
 
#9 ·
Tried several HDs. I was dead set on getting one. Could not find one that I really liked; once I rode them. To me, riding a big HD is like riding a Burro compared to the Clydesdale I ride now! :)

For the most part I find that Vic people are nice and more interested in the way their bikes run and look, the trips they take, and are generally easy people to talk to...fun to converse with. We do have our sh!theads though...vestiges of HD culture me thinks. ;)
 
#12 ·
It just occurred to me that I didn't actually even test ride mine before buying it. I sat on it, felt it move and I was hooked. It's the first bike I bought and paid for before even starting the engine.
 
#14 ·
My 2004vegas is my 1st bike. Bought used for a steal on ebay from a HD dealer. I bought it just off of looks and never regretted it. I have never ridden anything else except went to an Indian demo ride. They rode good too but really same company. Am I blessed I have not ridden a lesser bike or cursed?
 
#13 ·
Victory owners don't have to dress like it's Halloween to go for a ride.
 
#17 ·
That is one of my big concerns now that I am buying an HD. I refer to that outfit as the "Clown Costume". Holy ****! Harley jacket,shirt,belt,boots, socks, undies. One of my favorites is the ladies white jacket with Harley spelled out in sequins. Usually seen on larger ladies for some reason. OMG!!! Many of these morons hardly ride. They just want everyone to ask "are you a biker". I have one Victory tee shirt and that was given out free at the dealership.
I am expecting a major ass kicking from the group I ride with. The biggest Harley ball buster just bought a Harley. I'm doomed. My wife was the first to stick the knife in. She gave me a HD tee shirt for Christmas. Said she couldn't resist. If anyone spots me stopping at every HD dealership to buy a tee shirt please do me a favor and put me down. It would be an act of kindness. I would do it for you.
 
#15 ·
I bought my first Vic without ever riding one. The indented swoop on the side of the KP/Vegas tank caught my eye. Still does. It is a 2006 KP and I still have it. The gunner is probably one of the closest bikes Vic has made to the KP. Good honest bike. If you were to buy a Victory at this time in their history that should be it. That is because more than 90% of the bike is the same as the whole Vegas/KP/Hammer/Boardwalk line and there is a lot of part commonality. Nothing exotic or complicated on that bike. There are some REALLY cheap ones used. Look on ebay. Obtained a Vision down the road. Strange circumstance on that acquisition. Didn't choose the bike, it fell in my lap when a buddy bought that as his first bike and quickly had a "come to Jesus" moment and never wanted to ride it again. I picked it up for a song. Never would have bought the Vision on looks, but after you driven it for a while every thing makes sense and you see it differently.
In short, I used to put form over function. Now I am the exact opposite. Vision is gone as all of the items I said you didn't have to be concerned with on the gunner are exactly what I was worried about with the vision. 1 off bike. exotic bodywork and lots of it. many electrical options, and many bike specific items that will be very difficult to source and very expensive in the future. Going the HD route for a touring bike for the reasons listed. Some see my logic. Many don't. Bikes are very emotional purchases. I used to be very emotional with Victory until the announcement. Not its just a machine that either makes sense to own or doesn't.
My long winded answer is: If you can get a Gunner cheap, go for it. If not there are many competent bikes out there. BTW, there are tons of underpriced KingPins out there. You will get the same exact experience on a KP as a Gunner and you can buy in for 6 grand or less. If you do go for one, go with one that has the improved transmission and longer oil change interval. I think that is 2011-2012. Do some research. Good luck. Enjoy the journey
 
#18 ·
I agree with everything said above.There is a very loyal following here in France. My wife and I are in a French club with over 200 members. We have a national meeting every year in a different part of France. The people we've met are absolutely fantastic. They welcomed us like old friends when we went to our first meeting (even though we're English) and we've made some really good friends over the last few years. Like some have said, buying a Victory is a very particular choice. I'm sure if I had bought a Harley I would have met some nice people as well but my wife and I often comment that we could not have imagined the day that we bought our Cross Country (from a Harley dealer) that we would meet such wonderful people who we now have the great pleasure to call our friends. Plus we get to eat and drink fabulous French food and wine. They throw a great party!
 
#20 ·
That is one of my big concerns now that I am buying an HD. I refer to that outfit as the "Clown Costume". Holy ****! Harley jacket,shirt,belt,boots, socks, undies. One of my favorites is the ladies white jacket with Harley spelled out in sequins. Usually seen on larger ladies for some reason. OMG!!! Many of these morons hardly ride. They just want everyone to ask "are you a biker". I have one Victory tee shirt and that was given out free at the dealership.
I am expecting a major ass kicking from the group I ride with. The biggest Harley ball buster just bought a Harley. I'm doomed. My wife was the first to stick the knife in. She gave me a HD tee shirt for Christmas. Said she couldn't resist. If anyone spots me stopping at every HD dealership to buy a tee shirt please do me a favor and put me down. It would be an act of kindness. I would do it for you.
Sad
 
#21 ·
big difference I've noticed, is Harley guys tend to spent a lot of time standing around staring at each others bike, and bragging about how low miles they have....Vic guys tend to talk less, ride more, and brag about how many miles they have
 
#23 ·
Guys at work all give me crap about my Victory. All HD "Owners"....They all dress up on Fridays, but ride to work maybe 2 or 3 times a summer and put maybe 500 miles on a year. Bad Ass Bikers! LOL I tell them I don't worship mine in the garage. I ride!

I don't need a dewrag, the breeze from riding dries the sweat.
 
#24 ·
There isn't much of a Victory culture.

I'm sure there are like minded Vic riders that ride around together but it is nothing like what they got over in the HD world or the Goldwing world.
And even though there is too much HD bashing on this site, there are plenty of us that like Vic's for what they are, not what they aren't.
If you are looking for a good bike, get the Gunner and I'm sure you will run into other Vic riders on the road, but I don't recommend buying one if you are looking to hang out at the dealer every Sunday with the fellas. There are times I enjoy hanging out and shooting the breeze, but I pretty much stay to myself.
 
#26 ·
I'm sure we're not so different than all the other Victory riders scattered through out, but we've sort of had a good little start, here in Texas with a group that has started to try and make a little extra effort to gather and ride. I don't imagine it will become an every weekend kind of thing, but perhaps, if we stay in touch, we can get something going and have more folks come along as time goes by. We got a little push from one of our fellows in Michigan of all places, but it worked.. Now, there's anticipation of more rides together as the seasons progress. So, if you know of a ride happening in your area, try to make the effort to go. It will probably be better than you think. I did this on Saturday and it was worth it!

If you are able, plan rides and invite everyone to come along. Many won't, but some will and it will be great. But get that momentum happening and who knows? Good riding!
 
#28 ·
When I owned a Harley, we spent many a Saturday admiring other Harleys at the dealership. The object is to see and be seen. That's where I figured out that I bought the " yeahbut " model . I would say mine nosedives into corners and the answer would be yeahbut you can fix that with $600. dollars. It rides like a buckboard. Yeahbut you can put on new shocks. Power, seat, smallness of rider area- you get the drift. Anyway, I had a $20,000. Yeahbut. Don't miss the culture in the least.
 
#42 ·
Brand new Victory sounds more like a sewing machine than a motorcycle. yeahbut if you put these $1000.00 tri-ovals it'll sound like a real motorcycle.
There's no passenger backrest or package shelf on my new Cross Country. Yeahbut for $500 you get this presto gizmo lock and ride backrest. And yeahbut for ANOTHER $500.00 you can get this package shelf. Best $1000.00 backrest in the industry. No better than anyone else and fewer places to go for accessories. I am actually glad to be leaving that culture. Tired of having to have parts custom made.
 
#29 ·
There are for sure similarities in the 2 cultures. Harley for sure wins hands down on the size of its culture, Victory's is very small in comparison. Harley does market their lifestyle well look at their success. Have heard that service and clothing are the big money makers at HD dealerships. Call it what you want I call it smart business.

The similarities I see though are Both Victory and HD people bash the opposing brand. Seems a much higher percentage though (maybe cause there are more) of Harley people actually will accept and respect Victory bikes saying they are nice.

Both sides line up very far right of center politically also. So if you love the NRA, Trump, a return to the Cold War period and would like to see the environmental controls turned back to 1940 then you will all get along just fine.
 
#31 ·
There are for sure similarities in the 2 cultures. Harley for sure wins hands down on the size of its culture, Victory's is very small in comparison. Harley does market their lifestyle well look at their success. Have heard that service and clothing are the big money makers at HD dealerships. Call it what you want I call it smart business.

The similarities I see though are Both Victory and HD people bash the opposing brand. Seems a much higher percentage though (maybe cause there are more) of Harley people actually will accept and respect Victory bikes saying they are nice.

Both sides line up very far right of center politically also. So if you love the NRA, Trump, a return to the Cold War period and would like to see the environmental controls turned back to 1940 then you will all get along just fine.
My environmental controls are set at 75 degrees. The wife doesn't like it much, but she has a blanket.
 
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