Moving up to a bigtwin touring cruiser and buying American you have two choices, Victory TC and Harley RK (Road King). I agonized and studied hard the two bikes the companies and decided on the TC for the following reasons. Dealer issues. HD is still in the 1990īs mentality of we sell everything we have out before we get it so grovel up to the thrown and maybe if you pay enough will let you buy a bike. I was hoping things had changed since my last HD purchase experience in 1997 but no. Even though HD dealers have most models on the floor now, they are curtailing production in ī06 and V-Rods are piling up. Victory treated me with interest from the beginning, treated me like they wanted me to be a satisfied customer. Although list prices are only about $3500 off, the net deal on the Vic came in around $6,000 different when factoring in discount, accessory prices, a $500.00 factory accessory credit and the extended warranty costs. The dealer charged no labor for all the performance upgrades and accessories I ordered prior to delivery. Routine service costs are quoted much lower on the Vic than the HD and I donīt wait three weeks for an appointment. The bike issue. I am not a follower, I go my own way by nature. HD are still great bikes too, but they are so numerous now that they have become a parody of themselves in my book. Ten of em live on my home block alone. I didnīt want to see my bike everywhere I went. Close comparison of the bikes showe the Vic had better power, a smoother motor, better brake system including stock metal brake lines, a standard tachometer, volt meter, better fuel gauge set up and a lighter more easily handling feel at low speed. The Vic passenger seat is roomier than the RK but otherwise I find the ergonomics and luggage capacity comparable. The HD has the Vic beat on resale value at this time as Vic is still establishing itself. Vic sales are dramatically up the last two years, not so for HD so Vic is coming up but no denying HD resale and aftermarket parts choices beat Vic now. So compare what you save up front and do your own math on it. Not a factor for me since I will own the Vic for a long time I would rather have much lower payments and save my money up front. Reliability issue. Vicīs are reliable bikes, as much so or mo so than HDīs. First years bikes had tranny issues. Vic trannies are now smoother and much more metric bike like. The Freedom engine looks good, sounds good and makes great power across the rev range. No flat spots in the fuel injection. You donīt have to keep blipping the throttle like so many HD riders do as the engine smoothness at idle, and other engine speeds, make it pointless. Summary. A bike purchase is a very personal choice thing. But if you are at all considering a Vic I hope this write up helps to flush the bike out for you. Take a test drive, Vic dealers are great about it, unlike many HD dealers. The VMC, Victory Motorcycle Club is a great family of riders. Finally, Polaris, Vicīs parent company had 1.8 billion in sales last year, they are a big strong company not going anywhere with a fifty year history of American made machines so donīt worry you would be buying a dead make like Indian, Big Dog, Titan or Excelsior Henderson.
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