If I could afford a cruiser...

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab Was in the reading room looking over the new Cycle World and saw the new Polaris Victory Vegas cruiser. Now the blue version is one sweet looking machine! I couldn't find a good shot of the blue online, but here is a good shot of a sliver one, also sweet looking:

2003 Silver Victory Vegas (http://sfriday.com/twtpics/SilverVictoryVegas.jpg)

No stupid naked women or goofy skulls. Just nice clean, elegant and simple. Do away with the tank badge and I'd say it is darn near perfect.

[hillcountry]

I'm with you! I saw one at the Dallas motorcycle show last November and and thought "Now that is what they SHOULD look like." I hope that Polaris has a winner here. I doubt that I'll ever do more than just admire one, but I would like to see them give Harley Davidson a little bit of competition. When I heard Willie Davidson called a "Design Genius" I thought I heard it all!

:hail "Hardley" marketing

:puke: "Hardley" design

[buck000]

I agree with you about the Vegas. I got close to it at the Dallas Moto-Show (http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/rogersp98/lst?.dir=/2002+Dallas+Motorcycle+Show/Show+itself&.src=ph&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/), really like the look.

http://home.austin.rr.com/rhome/images/vegasbike.jpg

I really like the design of the seat/tank:

http://home.austin.rr.com/rhome/images/vegasseat.jpg

Edit: argh, farging Yahoo! Photos links....

[scratch]

Yeah, the Vegas is one nice ride. How about Kawasaki's Mean Streak? Stupid name, but that's another good-looking cruiser.

[AggieVFR]

How about Kawasaki's Mean Streak? Stupid name, but that's another good-looking cruiser.

It may not have the power the other big metric cruisers have, but with ZX-9r brakes and suspension bits, it sure seems like it would be exciting to ride on a twisty road. I wonder how hard it would be to move up the pegs a bit for extra clearance... :wink:

[Strom Trooper]

Great topic!

I do like the Vegas also but I have really fallen for the Moto Guzzi California. It isn't a technological marvel but there is something about it I like. The Guzzi is on my short list if I ever decide to go with a cruiser style of bike.

[10-95]

Nice looking bike, but...............

The thing weighs over 600lbs and it only has one front disc. When will cruisers ever come with sufficient braking power?

And the gas tank is tiny-looking. I think I would prefer more bulk. I know it holds about 4 1/2 gallons, but to me it just looks funny.

All in all though I'm glad HD is finally (maybe) getting some competition.

[kawi jm]

I think the whole inadequate brake & loose chassis thing is part of the charm of a cruiser :roll: :wink: I was talking to a Kawasaki rep in California a month ago and he said"I never thought I would be discussing performance brakes w/ a Vulcan owner" I just don't get the whole power cruiser thing. Most/all of the cruiser owners that I know are afraid to lean one hardly at all, and they think I am crazy for trying to learn how to corner faster. I think the cruiser sector in general is all about posing :? 8) Look at me I have more torque than you :P :x Look at me I got dual disk up front :-D .... too bad you only use the rear brake .. poser :mrgreen:

[John Bennett]

Several of my friends ride Yamaha Road Stars. Those big ol fat things are fun to chug around town on. Gobs of low-rpm torque is fun.

The vibration is there, but not obnoxious like on a single-pin, hard mounted American V. It's actually quite pleasant for short periods of time, but gets tiresome on the interstate.

At idle you can actually feel the individual strokes of the pistons. Makes you grin.

Victory is no competition for Harley and never will be. I think they sold under 3000 bikes last year, while Harley and Honda sold hundreds of thousands.

Victory's are interesting, I looked closely at buying one a couple of years ago for a LD-touring bike. Good hard bags were what I was looking for. Problems were; poor dealer support, transmission issues, electrical issues. Fit and finish is slightly better than Japanese metric cruisers, but not 40% better to go along with their 40% higher price. That won't fly.

Plus, many Victory riders have a weird love/hate relationship with HD riders. They disdain HD riders for being arrogant, prejudiced, and cliquish, but swoon with exctasy when one gives them a compliment or "good parking lot" as they call it.

The bizarre thing is that, they vigorously emulate the HD mentality by trash-talking people who don't "ride 'Merican". More intensely than do even the old HD faithful.

Not all Victory riders are this way, but a very large minority of them are. So large a minority, it's the primary reason I chose not to buy one.

Reasoned criticim is fine, but I hate knee-jerk brand bashing.

[Kidder]

If I bought a cruiser...and it wasn't a West Coast Chopper...it'd be a Yamaha Road Star Warrior.

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab Hey John, you are right about the Victorys with respect to the first versions. They never lived up to their billing and flopped. According to the guys at Cycle World, the new management and engineers have done the job right this time. The engine has been simplified and made more reliable. Personally, the styling blows away the fugly original Victorys. If the performance lives up to it's billing, I think the Vegas and any future similar bikes will do very well. No, I don't think they will ever pose a real threat to Harley in the near or distant future.

:tab Personally, I don't get into the whole biker dude image so commonly associated with cruisers. I don't feel the need to run out and get tattoos, lick on or otherwise. I don't feel the need to wear a vest covered in patches showing how cool I am. None of that posing or culture appeals to me. If others like it, more power to them. For me, the cruiser is all about the experience of the ride, not an image. I love the thrill of riding a sportbike. However, I also like the laid back, no hurry to get anywhere, just soak it all in aspect of actually "cruising." When you ride a sportbike all the time, sometimes it is hard to just sit back and relax, enjoying the ride and not having to be riding the edge all the time. This is why I would love to have a nice simple, clean and elegant looking cruiser like the Vegas. It doesn't have to be ear shattering loud. Heck, I used to enjoy runs on my wife's old 535 Virago! And of course, I'd still be wearing an uncool full face helmet!