Victory vs. Harley – Segment 1
First segment of Victory Motorcycles vs. Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
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Harleys are for sheep, or people with small penis syndrome. How else can you explain people paying so much for no technology? Victory has been doing this for only 15 years and they are already 10 times better. Geesh people, get a clue!
I like HD's and at the end of the day it's up to the individual what they want to ride, no hating from me but I have to say as someone who works in the mechanical field after watching this video I could be swayed towards Victory
Awesome insight thank you for your open explanations concerning internal works in comparison to Harley,obviously a better design and superior engineering …..Please forgive me my fellow Harley owners.
What is the gas mileage on the Victory Cross Country Tour vs Harley Street Glide Special? This was a great 5-part segment.
Wow, they might as well have been comparing the engine in my 2000 Excelsior-Henderson Super-X to the Harley motor. Just about every technical advantage he names for the Victory motor is in the Excelsior-Henderson motors as well. The two motors even look identical (except for the top ends). The Super-X has the same gear driven primary, external stator, 50 degree V, starter at the front, massive solid one piece forged crankshaft, forged con rods, and chain driven OHC. While the Victory engine is a true technical and engineering marvel and superior in just about every way, I don't like the OHC setup. I prefer a true Dual Overhead cam driving the 4 valve heads. They use a system similar to some Honda's with a single cam driving all four valves which makes the valves and valve train end up being much more massive than they are on a true DOHC engine. This has to affect high RPM performance. The Super-X uses a true DOHC with much lighter valves compared to the Vic. It will also run down the road at 7-8000 RPM all day without a strain. Sad that they didn't survive. It would have been nice to have the original big-3 back in competition again (Harley Davidson, Indian and Excelsior-Henderson).
This was not a versus, it was a one sided bash.
after watching these victory segments 4 or 5 in all, i would never buy a harley. everyone want to drive a maint vehicle or cycle.
i want to trade my 2014 breakout in after just segment 1. damn.
Not saying Victory is a bad bike or anything, but the mechanic neglects to mention that a chain drive is the most efficient way to transfer power. You get less parasitic horsepower loss with a chain (even less with a belt) and you don't get the harmonics caused by the gears. You also have less rotating mass with a chain. Having said that, gears are more reliable. HD's stator burns out not due to heat, but due to water getting past an improperly installed stator plug causing it to short out; however, the plug location could obviously be better. I won't make any excuses for the HD starter setup, other than it was an afterthought from the AMF era when kick-start was standard and electric start was optional. I am glad Victory (and Indian) are in the market and doing so well because they will force HD to become more competitive. HD's new water-cooled bikes are proof of that.
Harleys are junk bought my last one going japanesse
Gee I wonder who comes out on top….come on….look who made the video lol. Some what biased don't you think?
My Wrangler uses a chain to drive the transfer case. Just a wee bit more torque being transferred there perhaps than the motorcycles.
you said except for the custom Harleys what about the v rod?
does the v rod have the same problems.
talk about a biased video lol. I've ridden every manufacturer out there and I'm going to say it. Harley's are the easiest to work on by far. Also hands down the best sounding bike. If I want a performance driven bike I'll go back to my japanese liter bike and blast off. Won't sway this guy away, plus victories bikes look like they are more for a runway fashion show then getting bugs stuck on it.
My brother had trouble with his Victory Cross Country Starter after it's first year and it took two dealers and two months and the factory hot line for them to acknowledge the that the starter was the problem.
He was told for starter longevity do not stab at the button. Hold t down until the engine is running. So they essentially put the blame on his operation of the motorcycle.
Aside from that he has been very happy with his bike and never stops bragging about how technologically superior it is to a Harley Davidson.
I like all motorcycles but I have to agree that the HD designs are either to milk service money from their customers or built more for the mechanic that like to turn wrenches than the rider who just wants to ride. Or maybe they prefer selling motor-clothes?
Fuck Harleys
I'm not being a dick just saying if Victory were not so damn ugly they wouldn't need to bash Harley so often. Better made ok ugly not ok.
This guy brought up his points in a very douchey fashion, but they were good points nonetheless.
I drive both. The Victory clunks just as loud when I put it in gear?
Still easier to work on a Harley and you can do a lot of the work yourself. If something goes wrong on this engine which it will. They have to pull the whole engine out of work on it. You're talking between 3,000 or $4,000 for some simple thing like a valve job. But of course he's not going to tell you that.
47% of ALL bikes on the road in the US are Harleys , how do they keep selling so many bikes if they fall apart after 20K miles ? Victorys not a bad bike but it ain't head and shoulders above a Harley , the market certainly doesn't reflect that.
Hmmm. I'm a harley lover and I don't hate these videos Mal. Everything he says, in this segment anyway, is true. Engineering wise harley is waaaaay behind the curve. Rode a Victory 106 police bike last year and it was the most un-impressive bike I've ever had my azz on. That's the truth. Victories sales and re-sale value will never compete with the motor company. Ever. I know it's perplexing to folks like yourself how that can be. It's like the old saying goes…If I have to explain, you won't understand.
Lol! Motor issues after 20K on a Harley. Oh my my, ya right. He is a very good Victory salesman though! I have multiple Harley's (softail, v-rod) and NO issues ever at any mileage. My father in-law has a Victory, nice bike, but not good looking and it uses very cheap parts. Feels more like a four wheeler quality and not road worthy materials. Not to mention a Victory will cost you every penny (save for maybe a few less) as a Harley. My father in-law paid $20k for his Cross Country and I paid the same for my softail custom……both brand new from local dealerships. LIsten guys and gals, ride what YOU want. YOU have to make that payment every month. Who cares, Ford or Chevy. We're both driving on the road!!??
I'm sold. I wanted a Harley Davidson Street glide but now i want a Victory Cross Country. Better made, less maintenance, Better preforming. SOLD!!!
I have logged over 100K miles on Harleys, only replace 1 stator and a clutch cable. Glad Victory and Indian are making good bikes too, but I like my H-D's
harsh words. good engineering.
Yeah – but I would still rather have a real Harley
Honda
This is why Customs and the aftermarket patterns their products on Harley's. Harley is the only true tuner cruiser bike. But I guess Victory is ok if you don't know how to wrench.
Okay, here is my opinion. This morning I had a discussion with a supervisor of mine who is a die-hard Harley fan he was talking about how Hondas and Yamaha Kawasaki other v-twin owners are putting pipes on their bikes trying to sound like Harleys. the truth is nobody riding a Kawasaki Honda Yamaha Suzuki V twin or even victory or Indian for that matter is trying to sound like a Harley bikes these days whether they are beetwen in line for parallel twins whatever the case may be come with restrictive pipes people are putting pipes on their bikes to make them breathe better. now, my point is back in the day people bought Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha Honda V twins because they could not afford a Harley Davidson back then it was born rich people and drug dealers and one percenters, nowdays the big for Indian and victory are just as good is anybody on the road and just as expensive because of technology nobody that buys a Kawasaki Honda Yamaha victory etcetera want a Harley therefore they don't want their bike to sound like a Harley Harley people need to get over that s*** Harleys are great bikes but they are not the best bike and they are not the most advanced bike
Now this is what I'm talking about .. Brilliant simple and excellent expose' .. I would like to encourage victory to come up with a something on the idea of a dirt or a street tracker.
so basically he said if it aint broke dont fix it hmmm gee wonder why harley still use chain drive i never had one go bad on me same with the stator placement and starter so basically this guy is full of shit come back in 50 years of road driving and tell me if this new thing is still running and how much they change it to Improve upon
I had the stator in my Buell go 3 times in 10,000 miles. Stock electronics, no extra load.
Ok, these videos are now five years old. What has HD done since then, to address some (if not all) of these issues raised?
Harley is going down. And that's just the truth! Your 'all american made' bike is actually 43% american made…..just because the bike is ASSEMBLED in the US doesn't mean that it's american made. Why would you go and buy this shitty outdated bike! Because it says HD on it?? That's fucking stupid if you ask me. Indian and Victory are 98% american made, and many people are FAR more satisfied with those bikes once they finally decide to get off their Harleys and give the other bikes a shot.
These vids are one of the main reasons I bought my vicotry and have never looked back!!
Simply put, Harley is all about pushing the Harley image. They spend 10 times more money than any other motorcycle manufacturer on advertising. The other manufacturers spend 10 times more on research and development.
Harley; " How can we keep selling people the same old shit"?
Other manufacturers; "How can we improve our product"?
I'll keep an open mind, ……and give Victory a chance. Let's see where they're at in 112 years.
Definitely a better primary drive and starter setup. Also the primary adjusters on the later Harleys are not hydraulic as you say. They're mechanical and suck. The chain sometimes is too loose and others times it's to tight. When it's too tight it has no way of loosening and you wind up riding around with a tight primary chain. And by the way the Harley V-rod does have a gear drive primary and It's better than the Victory. They don't have an idler in the middle to reverse the rotation. They reverse the rotation of the Engine instead.
Keep on talking shit no matter what you say victory will never beat Harley Davidson keep dreaming.
We're a nation of followers. That's why so many people rush to buy a Harley when they get a few dollars to spend. Image. Need some sneakers? Buy Nike! Image. Need a luxury auto? Buy Mercedes. Image. It's all about marketing, but when the truth comes out, and it will come out, you'll find that among American made motorcycles there is only one that stands in the gap between the lie and the truth – Victory. Mike Schultz is the man. He's right about everything he says in this 5 video series.