The Victory Vision Tour commands attention and a desire to roam far.

Ladies and gentleman, say hello to the Victory Vision Tour.

Victory Vision is a luxurious touring bike under the Victory Motorcycles stable.

The emergence of the Victory Vision Tour sparked a great deal of excitement in the touring community around the world.

When the Victory Vision Tour was introduced to market, the selling point of the bike was progressive styling, comfort and luxury.

The Victory Vision Tour was designed with the intention to reinvent the touring bike.

And now this bike is available in Malaysia!

Featuring custom paint and graphics that stand out in the crowd, the Victory Vision Tour that I rode was the Arlen Ness Victory Vision.

This Victory Vision is a limited edition where the godfather of custom motorbikes, Arlen Ness had a hand in putting the final finishes on the bike making it a masterpiece.

Every time I rode the bike in public, everybody stared at it.

The showstopper bike comes with Havasu Red paint and mesmerising Arlen Ness flame graphics.

It is so hard not to gawk at this two wheeler when it zooms past you.

Besides the graphics, my personal favourite is the diamond cut treatment on the exterior surface of the cylinder and heads of the engine. It looks so beautiful. You’ve got to see it to appreciate it. Simply awesome!

The futuristic-inspired design comes with ample leg space and wide floor boards; making my journey from Kuala Lumpur to Lumut blissful.

The ergonomics of this bike is spot on.

The plush rider and pillion’s seat is to die for plus the electrically adjustable screen makes long distance touring a walk in the park.

The easy to read instrumentation on the dashboard reminds me of a car dashboard.

The host of information made available on the LCD screens are range, ambient temperature, fuel economy etc. can be accessed easily via the buttons on the right handlebar.

Meanwhile on the left handlebar has audio controls and cruise control.

The minute I was on the road, this 400kg plus bike felt half the weight.

This is due to the well distribution of the weight on to the bike.

The scooter like handlebar, makes it easy for me to handle the bike at low and high speed without worrying about the humongous weight of the bike.

At parking lot speed, I did not have to put my foot down at all and I was able to do a u-turn very easily despite the weight. One thing I must note here is the reverse gear.

For a bike of this size, reversing a bike will be a nightmare especially for thin and light person like me.

The reverse gear was a great help to me on every occasion I reversed the Victory Vision Tour. How?

There is a lever down by my left leg, I only had to turn it clockwise by pressing on to the ignition button which controls the speed of the reverse. Reversing was smooth and not jerky. Very nice.

On the highway from Sungai Buloh to Bidor, it was very apparent that Victory’s 106/6 Freedom air/oil-cooled, 50-degree V-twin is responsive throughout the engine’s rev range.

The fluid performance was the main highlight of the bike.

The engine was as smooth as silk but has abundance of power only to be unleashed by the rider.

The Victory Vision is very at home on open highways.

For any touring bike luggage space is very important.

The Vision Tour comes with 132 litres of storage space, thanks to two side panniers and one top box.

The side panniers are mid-sized, big enough to squeeze a standard backpack but the top box can accommodate two full face helmets.

So, a few days away from home on this bike is no problem at all.

I was expecting the gears to be clunky and noisy.

But surprisingly, except for the first gear; the rest of the gearing was perfect.

Dropping the gears from high to low and vice versa. It was a pleasant experience unlike the Harleys which are very clunky and rough.

The bike felt planted even at high speed cruising.

But every time a lorry passes by me at high speed, the air turbulence will rock the Victory Vision slightly from side-to-side without affecting my ride.

At first it was very scary, but I soon got used to it.

When I asked the Victory technicians about this, they said the length of the bike that the back portion sway a bit when it goes against the turbulence but to the naked eye it is not visible at all.

While in corners on the back roads of Bidor, the Victory Vision’s firm suspension worked fine.

The suspension cushioned me well from the long stretch of bad roads.

The front and rear suspension worked hand-in-hand to ensure that I had a great riding experience on this big fella.

My bottom and bad back were not sore or tired when I reached Kuala Lumpur on the day trip.

The front suspension at 130mm travel and the rear suspension at 92.7mm travel definitely did the job beyond my expectations.

While conquering tight corners from Bidor to Lumut at speed averaging from 90 to 100kph, I was able to brake easily without grabbing on it.

A light pull on the front brakes with a bit of pressure on the rear gave me the confidence to ride in and ride out the corners and the twisties.

On two occasions I had to do a sudden stop when I missed a turn; the brakes were good enough to bring this heavy weight to stop.

The front comes with dual four-piston calipers and single two-piston calipers out in the rear that squeeze 300mm rotors. The ABS is extremely reliable when engaged keeping any rider safe and sound.

After three days of riding the Victory Arlen Ness Vision, I sum up my riding experience in four words – power, comfort, trendsetter and panache.

> P.S. Can I ride this masterpiece again?

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