Victory Demo Ride

Victory Demo Ride

Well, it has been a long cold winter, but spring has sprung!  To kick off the spring riding season, I took a day off work and visited the Victory Demo Tour that stopped in Louisville, Kentucky at Yamaha of Louisville.

My Favorite of the Day!

I have attended many Harley Demo Days and sampled just about every Harley-Davidson, so I thought I would try a wide array of bikes to get a feel for the 2013 Victory line of motorcycles.  I have heard many good things about these American made motorcycles, but have not had much opportunity to try them out yet, so this was a great chance to see what they had.

Victory Demo Tour at Yamaha of Louisville

I decided to start out with the smallest bike and work my way up.  Since it was a cool, cloudy weekday, there was no line to wait in, and I was able to try any bike I wanted.  For those, like myself, who are more familiar with the Harley-Davidson family of motorcycles, I have listed what model I think is comparable in the H-D line.

2013 Victory Vegas 8-Ball

I started out with their most affordable bike, the Victory Vegas 8-Ball.  At $12,499 this bobber style bike is equipped with the same 106 cubic inch (1,731 cc) displacement engine as all the other bikes.  It doesn’t matter which bike you choose in the Victory line-up, you get the same engine and transmission in every bike.  The Vegas 8-Ball fit my 5 foot 6 inch frame (29 inch inseam) from an ergonomics standpoint, the best of any of the Victory bikes.  It has a very low seat height of 25.2 inches, making it easy to handle.  The light (638 pounds) weight of this bike makes the power come alive and the acceleration is tremendous.  To me, it rides, handles, and accelerates like the Harley-Davidson Street Bob ($12,999).

I tried the new 2013 Victory Boardwalk next.  This classic styled bike at $15,499.00, is a beach cruiser style reminiscent of the Harley-Davison Softail Deluxe ($17,399.00).  This bike was more comfortable with it’s large floorboards and very comfortable seat (25.9 inch seat height), but the wide forward reach to the beach bars, and the limited cornering clearance left me uncomfortably leaned forward, and grinding parts on the pavement at every tight turn.  With those limitations said, the Boardwalk was just fun to ride, comfortable in every way except for the reach to the handle bars.  I could see buying this bike and being very happy after replacing the handlebars.  Taller, longer armed riders might be more comfortable with it the way it is.

2013 Victory Boardwalk

2013 Victory Cross Country

The Victory Cross Country, $18,999.00, was next.  A clear challenge to the best selling Harley-Davison Street Glide ($19,799.00).  Victory has a winner with this bagger, with a low seat height of 26.3 inches, great handling, lot’s of storage, and all-day comfort!  This would be my bike of choice if the Cross Country Tour model didn’t offer even more to tempt me away.

2013 Victory Cross Country Tour

The Victory Cross country Tour, $22,499.00, was my favorite.  Equivalent to the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited ($24,199.00) this bike offers most everything (no heel shifter) the H-D offers,  but at a lower price and with some extras thrown in (like a heated seat).  It was a cool, breezy day for the demo ride, and I was in absolute comfort on the Cross Country Tour.  The bike comes standard with heated grips and heated seats.  The wind protection on this bike was amazing.  It is the only bike that I have ridden that I sat in an absolute pocket of still air, with absolutely no helmet buffeting at all.  The comfort of this bike on a cool breezy day sold me on it.  I do a lot of interstate riding, and I have no doubts that I could ride this bike all day long in comfort, and it has the same low seat height, 26.3 inches, as the regular Cross Country.  I would need the H-D Electra Glide Ultra Limited lowered in order to gain the same flat-footed seating position.  The engine pulse of the counter-balance Victory engine is pleasant and muted.  It likes to rev and feels smoother at higher rpm’s.  No need for quick shifts on these bikes, you can wind it up with no complaint from the engine, which adds to the fun.  All in all, this was my favorite bike and one I would be very happy to own and ride.

2013 Victory Vision Tour

The last bike I tried, was the Victory Vision Tour, $20,999.00.  There is no comparable bike to this model (although with a frame mounted fairing I guess you could compare it to a H-D Road Glide Ultra, $22,799.00), with what some call a design reminiscent of a space ship that leaves no room for indecisiveness, you either love it, or you hate it.  I personally do not like the look of the bike, but I wanted to try it out to see how it compared to the CCT.  The Vision has a Cadillac like ride, ultra-smooth, ultra-comfortable, easy, and confidence inspiring for a large bike.  I really enjoyed the ultra-smooth ride.  I have absolutely no doubt that you could ride this bike all day long and still be ready for more miles, but surprisingly the wind protection is not nearly as good as on the CCT, and the CCT has more storage capacity as well.  No matter how good it rides, the design of the bike is so radical that it either appeals to you or it doesn’t.  After riding it, I can certainly see why some, including the legendary Sonny Barger, have chosen this bike as their own.

Victory Motorcycles, in 15 years, has created an American made, air and oil cooled bike, that is beginning to draw some riders away from Harley-Davidson.  Harley-Davidson is celebrating their 110th year anniversary this year, and without a doubt they are an American icon.  Victory is appealing to riders who value modern automotive technology and reliability brought to motorcycles. Harley-Davidson has classic styling, a distinctive engine pulse, and of course, the classic Harley-Davidson sound.  You just have to weigh what you feel is more important to you personally.  I suggest you visit the demo tour and try a variety of bikes.  Like me, you might be surprised by what bike you enjoy riding the most.

Both Victory and Harley-Davidson are great American made bikes and it is nice to have a choice.  With Polaris buying Indian Motorcycles it will be really interesting to see where the American made motorcycle market goes from here!

Thanking Our Veterans

Thanking Our Veterans

During this long Thanksgiving weekend I am reminded of the many things in my life that I am thankful for.  I am thankful for my wife and my family, my friends, my job, and the many blessings that God has showered upon me during my life.  I am also thankful for the men and women who stand, this very day and hour, upon some foreign land serving their country.

My father and uncles served in World War II, I served in the Gulf War, and my cousin has served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I have been in a combat theater over the  Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and I understand what it is like to be there during those times.  So, I just want to say, from one veteran to another,  thank you for your service to our country.

Many veterans appreciate a thank you, but don’t really know how to respond.  It makes them a little uncomfortable, it makes them squirm a little.  This is because they have been trained to be part of a team, they feel they are only doing what they volunteered to do, and they think that there are others who deserve the thanks more than they do, especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and are no longer here to be thanked.  That is o.k., let them be a little uncomfortable, we should still thank them for their sacrifices and their service.  Yes, they volunteered, yes, they get paid, but always remember that they are the 1% of this country willing to sacrifice their life, if necessary, so that rest of us at home can enjoy our freedom!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (KJV)

Riding in the Rain!

Riding in the Rain!

I was preparing to ride home from work recently and it started storming before I could leave.  I knew it might rain that day so I was prepared for it.  If you ride much at all, eventually you will get caught in the rain!  Riding in the rain presents its own unique set of challenges.  Most people get a little “white knuckle syndrome” when they ride in the rain.  I don’t really enjoy riding in the rain, but I have resigned myself to the fact that if I am going to do a lot of riding, I am occasionally going to get caught in the rain.  I have also gone down once in the rain.  It was when I was younger and didn’t know much about riding in the rain.  Like most things in life, we learn best from our own experiences, and pain seems to create a greater impression on me than most other experiences, so I have learned a few techniques over time to reduce the white knuckle syndrome, and yes, to even enjoy the ride in the rain, as much as possible.

Rain Gear

Staying dry makes the ride a lot more enjoyable.  Yes, it is true, you will dry out, eventually, but staying dry in the first place is a lot more comfortable!  I originally had a cheap rain suit that I actually got free with a motorcycle magazine subscription.  As you might expect from a free rain suit given out with magazine subscriptions, it was the cheapest thinnest material possible, and it did not breathe at all.   It did keep me dry for a couple of rides, but about the third time I used it, it shredded apart during the ride.  Once it started to shred, there was no stopping it.  It just got worse and worse until it disintegrated.  It was one of those all day steady rain type of days, so I stopped at Cycle Gear in Louisville and picked up a Frog Togg rainsuit for $69.00.  What a difference!  I have used the Frogg Togg rainsuit many times since, and it works great!  It breathes, it keeps me bone dry in even the heaviest downpour, and shows no signs of wear at all, after multiple uses.  The only thing it lacks is some heat proof material for the inner leg area.  I don’t have a problem with it melting on my bike, but I have see others that have melted holes in their pant legs from the hot exhaust pipes on their engines.

Some people are ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) people.  I have to admit I am not.  I own an assortment of helmets, gloves, and other gear, and I tend to use, or shed, that equipment on a day by day basis depending on the temperature, ride purpose, and yes, even my own mood on that day.  The one time that I do try to wear all the gear, is when I have to ride in the rain.  I went down once in the rain and since then I feel much more confident riding in the rain with a full face mask helmet, gloves, boots, and armored riding jacket.  At least that way, in a worse case scenario, I will have some protection if my bike slides out from under me.  I think the odds of that are greater in the rain, so I am more inclined to wear all the gear when it does rain.

Visibility In The Rain

The full face mask helmet helps for a few reasons beyond the simple confidence of being protected.  First of all, rain can hurt!  Rain drops at 55 MPH can feel more like small rocks hitting your face.  It stings!  I won’t even talk about getting caught in hail with no helmet!  Second of all, a full face mask helmet keeps you dry.  Third, I can simply see better with a helmet on.  A windshield helps as well, as long as it is sized correctly, so that you are protected from the rain and can also see over the top edge.  Trying to look through a wet face shield and a wet windshield at the same time will greatly reduce your visibility, but a correctly sized windshield will allow you to see over the top edge while also diverting most of the rain over the top of your helmet.

Rain Riding Techniques

When riding in dry conditions the tire naturally maintains traction with the road.  Riding in the rain requires the rider to avoid actions that would cause the tire of the motorcycle to lose traction with the road surface.  Even a momentary loss of traction will certainly cause “heart in throat” syndrome, and could possibly result in the bike going down.  Listed below are four techniques to help you maintain traction while riding in the rain.

One.  Avoid sudden braking, sudden acceleration, and sudden movements.  Any sudden change could could cause a loss of traction with the road surface.  

Two.  Slow down!  High Speed, and or puddles, can cause hydroplaning. Your tire tread can only displace so much water at a time.  The faster you go, and/or the less tread depth on your tire, the sooner the tire will begin to lose contact with the surface of the road and begin to float on top of the water.  Hydroplaning is bad enough in airplanes and cars, you do not want to hydroplane on a motorcycle!  Another technique is to ride in the car’s tire tracks that have displaced some of the water.  Also, make sure you have plenty of tread on your tires.  If my tires are worn and have very little tread depth left, I avoid riding in the rain at all costs.  If you do get caught in the rain with bald tires, ride with extreme caution.

Three.  Avoid riding on the painted lines.  Painted lines are “slippery when wet.”  Especially when going around a curve, make sure you stay in your lane and do not allow your bike to move to the extreme inside or outside edges of the roadway where you could drive onto the painted lines on the roadway and lose traction.

Four.  Avoid oil slicks in the middle of the road, especially at stop lights.  If it has been dry for a long period of time, there will be more oil built up on the surface of the road.  If you then get a light rain that does not wash away the oil, it will be extremely slick.  This is exactly how I went down in a very light rain while riding in Texas when there had been no rain for some time and a light rain fell from an isolated cloud  Don’t let that happen to you.  A heavy rain is more likely to wash the oil off the roadway.

I hope these tips will help increase your confidence while riding in the rain.  All riders eventually get caught in the rain, even those who try to ride only on nice days.  As we say in the aviation industry, “keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down!”

The Perfect Ride

The Perfect Ride

In a former life (a couple of years ago), I was a corporate pilot flying executives around the country in Beechcraft King Air’s.  One of the things I enjoyed about flying, was trying to make the entire flight go perfect.  Managing all the risks, using all my skills, knowledge, and experience, with the end result of the perfectly executed flight. I enjoy many of the same things on my motorcycle.

Beechcraft King Air 350

As a corporate pilot I often flew to the same destinations, via the same routes.  I never got bored with that because no two flights were ever exactly the same.  The temperature changed, the load was different, the weather changed (sometimes drastically!), and I always had to be ready because today might just be the day that the left engine quits on takeoff in the King Air 350.  In fact, one excellent simulator instructor I had, told me to always tell myself as I lined up on the runway for takeoff, that today is the day my engine will fail.  He told me that if I would say that to myself on every takeoff, and think through my procedures, then, if and when it ever did happen, it would not come as a surprise, and I would be in the proper frame of mind to immediately execute the correct procedures and survive to fly again another day.  He was right on with his advice, and I put his advice into practice as part of my normal flight procedures so that I would be prepared.

Being mentally prepared for the unknown is important on the motorcycle as well.  I have to assume that the blue hair is not going to see me and is going to turn left in front of me.  I have to assume as I begin to crest a hill that there will be a vehicle stopped in the lane waiting to turn into a driveway.  If I expect these obstacles to be there then I will be mentally and physically prepared to deal with them.  My fingers will already be covering the front brake lever and clutch, and my right foot will already be off the floorboard and prepared to push the rear brake pedal. My speed will also be slow enough to be able to stop, if needed.  If the obstacle is not there, then I am out nothing.  I still get to enjoy the smooth acceleration of bringing the bike back up to speed once I am assured the danger has passed.  I enjoy managing the risks and thinking through and applying all the perfect inputs such as counter steering, lean, ride line, coordinated braking, and smooth acceleration, that all work together, to make the perfect ride.

Two completely different hobbies, but they are very similar in many ways as well.  Ultimately, I find there is a certain unequalled satisfaction for me in riding the perfect ride.  It takes thought, and concentration, and knowledge, and experience.  The end result is perfection and satisfaction.  And, while I am concentrating on the perfect ride, I am not thinking about the to-do list I still need to complete, or any of the other obligations of life.  No, once again, even if only for a little while, I am living in the moment, and just enjoying the ride.

Commuting Saves

Commuting Saves

I ride my motorcycle to work about three days per week.  Some weeks more, some less.  Overall I drive about 75 miles per day during my commute, 35 miles each way plus 5 extra or so if I run an errand or go out to lunch.  My motorcycle averages 50 mpg.  My car averages 25 mpg.  You can already see where I am heading with this.

Assuming a gallon of gas costs $4.00 per gallon, it takes me three gallons of gas per day in my car and costs me a total of $12.00 to get to work and back.

On my motorcycle it takes 1.5 gallons of gas per day and costs me a total of $6.00 per day.

Therefore, I save $6.00 per day, $18.00 per week, $72.00 per month, and an amazing $936.00 per year if I ride all year round!  Not bad for doing something that turns my 1 1/2 hours of daily commuting into a pleasure instead of a frustrating waste of time.  I am also blessed in that the road I commute on is one of the better bike roads in the area.  I used to work in Louisville and my commute was all interstate in heavy congested traffic during rush hour.  It wasn’t quite as relaxing and enjoyable as my present commute, but it still made the drive more fun than it was in the car!

Gotta go!  I just realized I need to go tell my wife about that $72.00 per month that I am unselfishly and sacrificially saving our family finances!  Perhaps you should go do some calculations of your own.  You may be able to legitimately justify the purchase of a new bike!  In fact, I just read that Honda’s new 2013  PCX150 scooter can go 70 miles per hour and gets an amazing 102 mpg!  Calculate out those numbers and it becomes hard to understand why we don’t all have one, they’re free after all!

Motorcycle Dealership Visit Fail!

Motorcycle Dealership Visit Fail!

I received an email with an advertisement about a large motorcycle inventory tent sale going on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Louisville.  I happened to have time so I went on Friday afternoon.  There were tents, and there were bikes under the tents.  There were no salesmen at the tents.  O.k., I can't blame them, it is hot out!

I went inside the dealership and walked around for about 30 minutes looking at just about every bike on  the floor.  Not one single sales person spoke to me or said a single word to me.  I am just about ready to leave when one salesman finally asked me how I was doing.  I said o.k., and he kept walking!

Now either I look like I don't have a penny to my name, (mostly true actually, but hey, they don't know that) or these guys need some serious sales training.  I'm no salesman, but I have read enough Zig Ziglar to know that if you don't even bother to talk to the customers that walk in the door, you probably won't sell much!

This is in direct contrast to experiences I have had at other motorcycle dealerships such as Harley-Davidson of Bloomington where the sales guys are always ready to "talk bikes" with you whether you are buying that day or not.  They know that if they take the time to help you and talk with you and provide you with information, then you are very likely to come back and buy your bike from them when you are ready.  Heck, one day one of sales guys at Bloomington practically insisted I take a new Electra Glide Ultra Limited out for a test ride and told me to ride it for as long as I wanted!  That kind of customer service pays off.  Do you think I won't remember that guy and that dealership when it comes time for me to buy my next bike?  I know when I buy my next bike, it will be from Harley-Davidson of Bloomington because they have earned my business by providing years of good customer service even though I have never bought a single bike from them yet.  And even though I have not bought a single bike from them yet, I have already steered others to them that have.  I steered those others there because I knew they would get good customer service there.

Come on dealers, get with it,  customer service matters!

Taco Salad, Blogs, and Beer!

Taco Salad, Blogs, and Beer!

So, I'm sitting in front of my computer eating a homemade taco salad and reading blogs and drinking a nice cold beer.  Reading blogs seems to be taking up more of my evening time in front of the computer these days.  I am finding there are lots of great blogs around and I often find them by reading other blogs that recommend and link to them.

So here is one motorcycle blog I have been reading that you might check out:

www.dalefranks.com

You can start at the top of the page and read the latest blog, or may I suggest that you scroll down the left hand side and click on the dated archives and begin with his first post in June 2007.  You can then read about how he chose his bike, a Harley-Davidson Sportster, and then later read about the modifications he made, and then how he decided to later buy a sport bike.

I am not into sport bikes, most of the guys I ride with ride Harley-Davidson's or metric cruisers, but I did attend the Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year (my first time attending the event by the way).

I mostly went to watch the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XR1200 Series race.  Bloomington Harley-Davidson had a bike they were sponsoring so it added a little local interest to the race and gave me someone to root for since I don't normally follow the series.  FYI, the 2012 MotoGP is coming up very soon, it is scheduled for August 17-19, 2012.  By the way, if you go, wear tennis shoes, not boots, because you will walk literally miles and miles.  The place is huge!  I didn't heed my brothers advice last year and ended up with blisters and very sore feet from walking all over that infield in heavy motorcycle boots.  I started to feel like I was in the Army again!

I stumbled upon the Ducati area of the track and I was surprised, and somewhat impressed, by the dedication of the Ducati riders and staff, and yes, even their marketing machine, Ducati red everywhere!  They had their own seating area, their new bikes on display, and a parking area just for Ducati riders.  Most of their bikes were interesting, and while not really my style, I did kind of like one bike that they are promoting as their version of a cruiser, the Ducati Diavel.  I don't really know much about it, but I would be interested in trying out just about anything that puts out 162 horsepower and only weighs 452 pounds!

After the race we headed to downtown Indianapolis where they closed off Meridian Street to all vehicles except 

motorcycles.  We got there fairly early and parked along Meridian with the other few hundred bikes that were already there.  We went in and had some dinner and a beer and by the time we came back out there were literally thousands of motorcycles parked along Meridian all the way to Monument Circle.  There was a constant stream of bikes riding up and down Meridian.  They had live music, vendors, and every kind of bike and rider you can imagine.  It was literally the most diverse group of motorcycle riders at any event I have ever been to.  Try it once, and you will be hooked like I am!

By the way, cilantro makes the taco salad, the same way ice cold makes the beer!