News

XtraPix: Maximum Baggers - First Look

Harley-Davidson Road Glide vs. Victory Vision Street.

February 8, 2008

Harley Haterz—you know who you are—should do themselves a big favor before opening their yaps again: Get thee to a demo ride and see what all the fuss is about!As we rediscovered yet again in our March issue’s “Battle of the Max Baggers” comparo, the MoCo’s Twin Cam 96 is one of the most satisfying V-Twin cruiser motors on the market. Years of refinement, well-sorted fuel-injection (now with fly-by-wire electronic throttle on the FL series!), a positively light-effort clutch and a six-speed overdrive gearbox make this a powerplant package that’s very easy to like.

For this 2x2, the TC96 was housed in a Road Glide chassis, H-D’s most well-appointed touring-cruiser and the only model in the Milwaukee lineup with a frame-mount fairing. We paired the Glide with the all-new, extravagantly styled (for better or worse, depending on your point of view) Victory Vision Street—a “cross between an Art Deco locomotive and George Jetson’s sky scooter” was our description.

It really was a battle of Old Guard vs. Avant Garde, each with its own strengths. We picked a clear winner, but for you the choice may be more difficult. How much do you cherish a truly charismatic motor? What’s your take on the Vic’s bold new styling?

...the Victory?s 106-inch Freedom V-Twin laid down 18 more hp and 18 more ft.-lbs. That?s a difference you can feel out on the road, despite the Vision weighing 62 pounds more than the Harley.

In its element: Sunny day, brisk but not bozo pace, the Road Glide lives up to its name.

A lot to like here. Our well-broken-in Twin Cammer funneled 70 horsepower and 87 foot-pounds of torque to the rear wheel. Nice, but?

Comin? at ya, the Victory looks a bit like a mechanized long horn. The still-air pocket behind all that plastic is impressive, though.

The Vision Street showing off its backroad prowess. Stout aluminum frame and monoshock rear suspension help. Lower vertical wind deflectors are optional.

Those teardrop-shaped saddlebags look humongous but it?s a ruse. Actual interior dimensions are about normal for a tourer; the openings may be even a little smaller than average.

Ridden with a steady hand, the Road Glide accounts itself well in the twsities. Really press the issue, though, and its ancient underpinnings make themselves known. Not a concern for the vast majority of touring-cruiser riders.