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Well, the Vision is gone

5K views 54 replies 16 participants last post by  zebber 
#1 ·
Well, I did something on Monday I thought I would never do,, I traded the Vision in for an Indian Roadmaster.
I went to an Indian Demo event couple weeks ago and rode about every model Indian makes and fell in love with the Roadmaster. At first I didn't think about trading the Vision but thought about it,, I ride that bike a lot of miles from home , it's almost 14 years old and has 48000 miles on it , if it ever breaks several hundred miles from home I'm probably stuck wherever for several days waiting for parts to get it fixed. I still have the Magnum but it's a lot newer and only has 6000 miles on it , I never take it over 3-4 hours from home so I'm not too worried about it breaking. Besides I really love my Magnum. The Vision is a top notch comfortable touring bike but I was never in love with the looks.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Congratulations @zebber on keeping your Magnum and getting yourself a beautiful Road Master. I friend of mine recently bought a 2021 Road Master and simply loves it. He traded in his Challenger for the Road Master and has never looked back.
 
#4 ·
Congratulations @zebber on keeping your Magnum and getting yourself a beautiful Road Master. I friend of mine recently bought a 2021 Road Master and simply loves it. He traded in his Challenger for the Road mMaster and has never looked back.
Curious why your friend traded the Challenger for the RM ? Personally I would pick a 116 Chieftain my self over the Challenger. Not a fan of the Challenger style.
 
#7 ·
Roadmasters use Spector oil too.
Spector or SPECTRE (an acronym for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion)? Oil typos are the worst, Vic!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Victory’s don’t break down, they just have rare moments when they need a moments rest
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
@md2420 Lol, I was just zooming in on those body lines myself, did @zebber match the new bike to the car cover or what? Is it a falcon, a deuce 2, looks early 60's & I see it has a hood scoop & another hiding on the other side, quite being a lil car tease & don't say it's a corvaire
 
#16 · (Edited)
Me too, IF I were to buy a brand new bike it would be between the RM & the Yami venture transcontinental. Neither come close on storage space but short of a car nothing does. He’s got the best of both worlds having a RM for trips & the Magnum for day trips, congratulations again, your living right!!! I hadn’t realized the RM’s front forks are old school right side up telescopic, do they have any type of adjustment & is the rear shock an air type or have any adjustability?
 
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#20 ·
Me too, IF I were to buy a brand new bike it would be between the RM & the Yami venture transcontinental. Neither come close on storage space but short of a car nothing does. He's got the best of both worlds having a RM for trips & the Magnum for day trips, congratulations again, your living right!!! I hadn't realized the RM's front forks are old school right side up telescopic, do they have any type of adjustment & is the rear shock an air type or have any adjustability?
Yes it has an air shock just like the Magnum and Vision has . Came with a nice little Indian branded air pump. The rear shock has a Fox label on it so I guess it was made by Fox. I don't think there are any adjustments on the forks .The trunk is actually bigger than the Visions, saddlebags about the same as the Magnums far as room goes. I might eventually get the extended reach seat to give me a little more legroom but Darn that thing is expensive , $1200.00 !!!
 
#17 ·
Over the years, the Vision owners on this forum love the bike. Wider so a better seat than that on the CC&CCT. Can’t beat the legroom on these two models too. The Indian dimensions and ride stature is that of a Harley. To attract the Hog riders to switch over. I rode a Chieftain lent to me by the owner, the shop manager of Reno Cycles in 2015 while I was having new tires installed. I found the seating position to be upright and much less roomy compared to the CCT, the dash much closer like the Electraglide but the quiet shifts impressed me. But that was 6 years ago though I doubt any physical changes have been made. Those were my impressions at that time. Although the front fenders have been altered from the traditional valenced style for some models, it’s an Indian and should wear those valenced fenders, like them or not. One striking change Polaris made after purchasing the Kings Mountain builder was dropping the upside down teardrop headlamp. I really liked that touch. It instantly identified the bike as an Indian if looked at face on. And unlike the Wild West, the Indian killed the Victory, just like they killed Custer and his conscripted army. :sick1:
 
#18 ·
Over the years, the Vision owners on this forum love the bike. Wider so a better seat than that on the CC&CCT. Can't beat the legroom on these two models too. The Indian dimensions and ride stature is that of a Harley. To attract the Hog riders to switch over. I rode a Chieftain lent to me by the owner, the shop manager of Reno Cycles in 2015 while I was having new tires installed. I found the seating position to be upright and much less roomy compared to the CCT, the dash much closer like the Electraglide but the quiet shifts impressed me. But that was 6 years ago though I doubt any physical changes have been made. Those were my impressions at that time. Although the front fenders have been altered from the traditional valenced style for some models, it's an Indian and should wear those valenced fenders, like them or not. One striking change Polaris made after purchasing the Kings Mountain builder was dropping the upside down teardrop headlamp. I really liked that touch. It instantly identified the bike as an Indian if looked at face on. And unlike the Wild West, the Indian killed the Victory, just like they killed Custer and his conscripted army. :sick1:
That upside down head light would be a hit on the Springfield.
 
#22 ·
@zebber You are a man with excellent tastes
 
#24 ·
I can tell you from owning all 3 the indian sitting position is equivalent to Harleys. If your over 6’1” the chieftain in any form is gonna be a bit tight for you. They do make a seat that sits you 2” farther back which I’m sure would help someone taller. Balance and feel IMO indian and Vic neck and neck Harleys last. Ride quality I gotta go indian Vic Harley. One thing I could do on my Vic and indian is upright it off the stand without touching the Handlebars. My Harleys grab bars with both hands and heave Ho just my experience with a few miles put on them. Fit and finish Harleys got that but indian is running a tight 2nd now.
 
#28 ·
I don't think I would ever pay 30k for a bike, way too much money for a motorcycle in my opinion. Mine is a used 17 model with 10000 miles and half the price of a new one. I paid 20k for the Magnum new and that's about my limit for a bike. Hopefully at my age I'll not ever need another new one. Wife would kill me if I paid that much for a bike.
 
#29 ·
a used 17 model with 10000 miles and half the price of a new one
That's the way I buy m uhh huh uhh huh that's the way I like it uhh huh uhh huh!!!! Where's kool & the gang when I need them, super nice. Buyin new's nice but buyin a few yrs used for half price is even better!!!! So what shop has ur old farted on vision? Did you leave any clue's hidden so the new owner knows what's been done to her? Someone's gonna get your nice old bike & hopefully will find their way here, I remind every Vic owner I see about this site
 
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#33 ·
There are things I liked better on the Vision like the legroom , seat comfort and the way you feel like you are sitting in it , not on it. But there are things I like better on the Indian,, better looking (my opinion ) tech goodies , torque. I think the chromed out Indian engines are just beautiful. I'm not a black out fan. I like the shiny bling.
 
#34 ·
Nothings like the vision, the RM’s more comparable to Xct. I like both, I’d want the RM from fairing back & the Challengers front wheel / fender combination and more storage
 
#38 ·
Ohhhh how I hate knowing winters just around the corner, I do love my area in the fall, olive south eastern oh, into WVa & Penns, Va, Kentucky, Tenn, nc, sc all have gorgeous scenery as the leaves change colors. I encourage all to come see
 
#43 ·
Love my 09 Vic Vision, but have the same traveling concerns.
Keep an extra flasher module, a 40amp breaker, save ur ride cable, factory tool bag plus few extras such as an halo jump pack in the saddle bag, do your scheduled maintenance so you'll know your bike very well & you should be good. If you want extra piece of mind keep enough money aside for a Uhaul trailer / truck combo or a van rental, my tie down straps stay in my bike just in case the wife's feeling frisky
 
#46 ·
Welcome to the forum Twitch. You may want to start a new thread with your question instead of hijacking this Vision to Indian thread. Also post more information about what aftermarket exhaust you're referring to would also be helpful.
 
#48 ·
I agree with CM. I would not hesitate to go on tour with my Vision after my usual going over it. If you think being on an Indian on tour & breaking down will be a faster repair than a Victory I believe you're mistaken. My Vic's have never left me stranded on tour, limped in for tires twice was as bad as it got.
I'm most likely out of the new motorcycle business, every bike I look at is a huge step down that I'm not going to take & will continue maintaining & enjoying my Vics as I always have-without Polaris support.
 
#49 ·
@Chattanooga_Mark i totally agree with what you said but to a point. Luckily only once believe it or not LOL did I have to rent a uhaul to drag my Harley back home. From PA to Chicago. But in the 42 years on Harleys before I jumped to Vic in 16 parts we're always readily available due to the great network they had cross country. And god knows I had to use them numerous times thru out. I think it's the thought of $hit can I even find this part anymore that gets everyone a little gun shy on the longer ones. Even with Harley I've waited for stuff to be overnight to get me rolling again. But it's obtainable nonetheless.
 
#50 · (Edited)
I fully agree with your assessment.

Everyone needs to do what keeps them in their comfort zone to the extent they can afford to. I want Polaris to be wildly successful with Indian. Partially because I'd never want Indian owners, dealers, vendors etc to go through the killing of Indian like they did with Victory.

It's awesome when people get a new Indian, Victory or whatever brand they buy. New owners use a wide variety of reasons to validate their decision to buy their next bike. I have my validation markers while others have theirs.

I find the 'what would I do for parts if I'm xx miles from home' reason quite hollow in most instances. But again, that's me. Others have different concerns than I do. If I were 3 days from home and something like my voltage regulator or starter went kaput I 'think' I'd know how and where to have a replacement sent to me within a day. Again, others have differing thoughts on that.

I could be wrong but I think some forum members would take a part off their bike if needed to get a stranded rider home.

I also don't have a good list of how many parts like starters and voltage regulators etc Polaris reused on Indians. I suspect more than we think.

Even when I was in High School and took my first couple 1000 mile rides away from home, I always made sure I had a credit card with me with a lot of room on it for emergency 'tow home' type scenarios.

Like others, many of my fondest motorcycle memories are from obstacles overcome along the way. Even more so than many of the destinations.
 
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