What Is It about a Vision that Engenders Such Rapture?

[PeteXS/GS/CB/XZ]

Okay, former CW editor Dave Edwards thought we were crazy, but why do the people here love their Visions so much?  I've never driven mine, which is still is the process of becoming roadworthy. I do know that I like my 1980 XS650 because, with its performance mods, it's bad-a$$ and I like its vibration.  I like my 1975 CB400F because it looks great, is fast (it's also performance-modded), and it makes neat sounds and vibrations that feel sort of precise and Honda perfect.  A 1980 Suzuki GS550 was just okay.  It was reliable and looked good but it rarely put a smile on my face (it didn't make me frown though, either).  So, what's it like to ride a Vision?  How does it feel?  How does it make you feel? 

[Walt_M.]

Ok, the Vision has the 'V-twin' feeling and sound, not too busy, very nice low end torque and it will rev. It is nimble, good riding position. It has shaft drive and you seldom see another one on the road.

[Raj1988]

+1 walt

and it FEELS fast...

[Re-Vision]

It can run with the big boys, it thrills me ever time I drop the hammer and it is the best looking bike ever made. It also has the right sized engine, I'm sure that if it had more power I would have finished myself off long ago. Shaft drive and water cooling leave nothing to be desired with the exceptions that we share amongst ourselves here at ROV. Anyone who doesn't agree with me probably doesn't have good tastes.   BDC

[YellowJacket!]

Hmmm... Where to start.  I'm by no means a regular motorcycle rider but I've ridden my share of other bikes anywhere from the smaller MSF training bikes up to my friends V-Strom and a few in between.  For me, the Vision is a perfect fit.  Although its not a more modern bike loaded with performance goodies, its a good (and somewhat forgiving) seat of the pants bike with a lot of power for its size.  

While the braking may not be the best, it makes up for it in torque which does a great job of assisting my brakes and slowing me down.  That very same torque does a great job of getting me up to speed quickly.

Its also a relatively comfortable bike to ride that feels well balanced and handles quite nicely.  Its also somewhat forgiving as when I was a newbie rider learning how to transition from dirtbikes to a decent street bike.

It looks good.  YMMV on this one but a nicely restored vision DOES look good and not a time goes by that I am riding my Vision that someone says something nice about it.

It sounds good.  Somewhat relative as the stock exhaust is pretty quiet but when equipped with a set of MAC's that are pretty well packed, it really sounds good.  Even better when two are riding together.  The Vision, like a ahem, Harley has a sound all its own.  I can tell you a full minute in advance that Lucky is coming to visit.  Sounds like no other bike.

Relatively inexpensive to restore and maintain.  Again YMMV on this one as it depends on what you put into it to get it and what you want to put into it to get it to the way you want it.  I paid $1.00 - yes, ONE dollar for mine but I put somewhere around $2000.00 into it.  For what I have, I couldn't come close to match it with a more reliable and modern bike. (some may argue that point)

Reliable...well, the jury is out on that one.  I've been lucky, but some not so much.  Things like stators, you just cant predict but it seems that if you blow one, your'e gonna blow another.  Just ask H2O.  A lot of other things depend on how the bike was treated before you got it.  Mine sat outside for about 12 years and looked like crap but cleaned up nicely.  Fortunetely for me, it was somewhat well cared for aside from being neglected outdoors for 12 years.

I have plans for another bike after I finish grad school but no plans for getting rid of my Vision.  I just like it too much.  It fits me well and treats me well too.

David

[Rikugun]

It's not the fastest or best handling bike I've owned but it may be the most fun. It's not one or two attributes that make it fun. It's many things, some being deceptively simple. Some I can't really explain.

Although not my first twin, it is my first V twin and there is something to that mystique - the sound, the feel?. Idling at a light you can't help but chuckle at the front fender's leading edge shaking and the blurred images in the mirrors. Despite it's modest displacement, it offers good torque and isn't terribly fussy about what gear your in as you roll on the throttle. Take off from a light, short shift 4 times and before you know it you're at highway speed. Just then you noticed the vibration is gone. It's remarkably smooth once under way.

Although highly subjective, I think the seat and riding position are comfortable . I once scoffed at shaft drive bikes but now I cry when I have to adjust and lube the chain on my "other" bike.  It will turn very quick with minimal input to the bars. Once in a turn it feels quite neutral and is more than willing to change lines.

When you stop at that diner all the riders frequent, you probably won't see another Vision. You might get "Oh, yeah, I sorta remember them...."  Then there's the thrill of wondering if you'll make it home. Will it be mechanical failure? Electrical? Both? Overheat and vapor lock? Oh wait, how much usable fuel is left??   :)

[kev10104]

This is my first bike and I love it.Maybe I don't know any better but I have so much fun on it.I ride with many buddies aroung my neck of the woods but the best thing about owning a vision is all the wonderful people I have met because of it.

[PeteXS/GS/CB/XZ]

I'm a gearhead and what got me when I saw the bike in 1982 was all the technology.  Four-valve head?  Water cooling?  Shaft drive?  Longitudinal v-twin instead of Honda's Moto Guzzi-copy crosswise--and slow--CX500?  Electronic ignition and tach?  Forged, one-piece handlebars?  Weber-like downdraft carbs?  Faster than a GpZ550, which was the reigning "wow" bike of the time?

I think it's a surprisingly good-looking bike.  Back then it seemed too angular but now it looks contemporary.   I still don't care for square headlights though. :-\
Nobody cared back then because the Big Four were making UJM cruisers and specials as fast as we in the USA would buy them. 

[supervision]

Their just the proper ratio of engine, and flickability. Good torque, comfortable riding position, and no vibration, what's not to like? not much power at high elevation? not so great suspension? oh well, ride it

[Coil Coyle]

Their just the proper ratio of engine, and flickability. Good torque, comfortable riding position, and no vibration, what's not to like? not much power at high elevation? not so great suspension? oh well, ride it

And, Nerds can dig them!

$0.002
;)
Coil

[Glyn]

Got to be one of the rarest bikes on the roads here in New Zealand. Mines been off the road for 6 months due to a pesky oil leak when plumbing in an oil cooler. It will be back! I'm running an armyfied CX500 now to get to work. The CX (you may find hard to believe) is almost as fast and torquey as the XZ. More similar than you may think. A good second bike, also cheap to own and run. I love unusual stuff and am bringing in a Benelli Tornado from the states. Unfortunately that one has a chain.

[motoracer8]

 It's funny the machines we get attached to, of the 13 motorcycles I own I do enjoy riding the Vision, I also have a 75 Norton MKIII that I like as well, it will probbably be with me till I die.


  Ken

[Woz111]

I'm sure I've seen the odd picture of the clocks with a fuel gauge on them? Here's one pic:- http://www.pbase.com/moffetb/image/80754131/original.jpg

[Night Vision]

I'm sure I've seen the odd picture of the clocks with a fuel gauge on them? Here's one pic:- http://www.pbase.com/moffetb/image/80754131/original.jpg

those are the OEM gauges on a US 1983 Vision.... Fuel gauge, temp gauge, 140 mph speedo and the 55 mph "redline"

[Cdnlouie]

The Vision just sort of grows on you. I think everyone sort of looks at it initially with suspicion that it really can't be so special, but can't help themselves from looking closer and before long gets drawn into an affair with something that they really never fancied themselves doing.

This motorcycle is one of the closest to the Universal Japanese/British/American/Italian/German Machine you will ever encounter.  It is all of these, and at the same time, none of these. It defies comprehension sometimes when you consider all the intricate pieces put together to make an amazingly reliable, sophisticated and yet ordinary motorcycle that just does everything so darn well (at least for 1982/83). It works just as well today as it did over 30 years ago because it still has a universal appeal.

Nothing is in better harmony with the human body than a standard riding position, who is going to argue against that after a days riding?  The seat does a darn good job of keeping the average weight rider comfortable and even the passenger fares better than anything less than a full bore touring platform.

Suspension needs improvement but all that is easily modified and well worth the money.  Surprisingly the Vision needs only minor investment (compared to anything aftermarket today) to really step up the enjoyment level, this is plain old common sense value.  The kind you'd expect from German engineering that did not always deliver.

Who does not appreciate getting the shaft (in the good sense)? The vision proved the worthiness of the V-twin performance design and others capitalized on it.  I say good for them, but I got the original. Hey, it works, and it works so darn well I can't imagine getting rid of it.  Change for the sake of change does not turn my crank, so looks like I've got a part in the best kept secret in motorcycle history.

Glad to be a believer!  ;D

[VFan]

I bought my RJ a little over 3 years ago and since then it's dominated most of my free time when I'm not stuck on the honey-do list. The first two summers that I had the RJ I didn't bother to un-winterize the boat. Last year, I didn't even pull my two dirt bikes out of the shed all summer long. I was always out riding the RJ. For this coming summer I've promised myself to be more balanced in terms of boating around on the lake or climbing the trails with my dirt bikes on the weekends. My strategy is to ride the RJ more during the week and do other things on the weekend. So a month ago I purchased a warm riding jacket and gloves so I can ride whenever it's above 32 and not raining. I'm determined to extend the riding season well into December.

I was a motorcycle nut as a kid so it's kind of a surprise that stepped away from it for 25 years.  The RJ is perfect for me to get back into it because it has the power and handling to be a lot of fun, but at the same time is the right size for me not to kill myself (I don't envision me trying to push a ZX10R to it's limits).