Been riding the Vision

[vl5150]

I've been really liking the miles I've put on the Vision.  For me it's more of a around town or B road bike.  I'm not sure I like it as much as a highway cruiser since it's pulling really high RPM's.  This engine makes great low end torque and could have used a nice 6th gear OD.   I know there's plenty of guys here that tour with the Vision, but maybe I'm just used to 1 liter bikes for the highway.

Thoughts?

[The Prophet of Doom]

You don't say where you are, but the USA versions have lower gearing than the rest of the world.  You can fix this by swapping out your primary drive gear and clutch basket with someone from a different country.

[Rikugun]

Without having ridden the Euro version I'd still agree with vl5150. As I recall that gearing isn't a significant change and you've still only got 60 HP.

While I've owned nothing larger than 750's I've ridden plenty of litre+ bikes. For the kind of riding I do now, the Vision is perfect. That riding consists of predominantly 4-5 hour jaunts on back roads. I've ridden it (and other smaller bikes) on the highway and it's just not fun for me. 

The state I live in dictates the pace but one can still use a lot of what half litre bikes have to offer. To me that's the fun. I've switched with other riders' larger bikes and you're barely loping along. It's a constant struggle resisting the urge to get the RPM's into the happy zone. That would eventually bite me in the backside with Johnny Law. Posted limits in a densely populated state are shockingly low.

If I lived where secondary roads stretched for many miles between towns with posted 65 mph limits, the Vision would get replaced with something bigger.

[vl5150]

It's a shame Yamaha didn't add that 6th cog.  They would have come close to the ideal do-it-all bike.  My '83 nighthawk 650 does have the 6th OD gear for highway cruising, but the bike feels much heavier and is much less nimble around town.  And don't get me started on the "custom" styling.

[Rikugun]

It may be a universal complaint amongst Vision owners regarding no 6th gear.

Those Nighthawks - despite the "Boulevard" styling and cam chain issues - are still quite nice. Definitely in my top 5 midsize 4 cylinder offerings for the period. Plenty of motor and gear choices for most situations, no valve adjustments, shaft drive, hydraulic clutch, cool gear position indicator....
(edit) oh, and a GD fuel gauge.

[QBS]

Indeed, a 6th gear or higher final drive ratio would be nice.  Keep in mind that 30 years ago six speed transmitions were virtually unheard in bikes or even cars.  In many cases five speed units were considered major advances.  If one accepts the V for what it was at the time and can ignore the high operating rpm it requires, one will find that the very over square design, combined with an excellent counterbalancing system, and the wonderful '83 fairing work to produce a very comfortable high speed long distance ride.  The bike can tolerate sustained high rpm operation indefinitely.  For me, it really doesn't get annoying until around 8k rpm at which time vibration starts to creep in and wind buffeting gets tiresome.  Bigger bikes may offer the perception of more comfort but their significant extra weight is not worth it.

[dingleberry]

  Bigger bikes may offer the perception of more comfort but their significant extra weight is not worth it.

Umm... isn't the Vision around the 200kg mark?

[Rikugun]

Compared to a 800+ lb. touring bike the V is svelte. The difference is highways are gobbled up at 500 hundred miles per day with ease on the "heavy" bike. And, you can listen to music and have a spot of tea while doing it behind an enormous protective windscreen.  :)

[jefferson]

I have to say I liked the bike on the trips I took, the first one being a 4,500 mile trip to California right after I got things sorted I thought. The only bother was wind noise and buffeting off the fairing. With the euro gear set in it made the trips even better. It is always nice having more power, but the Vision has plenty for getting out on the highways in my opinion. Without the fairing the trips were alot quieter and I started wearing ear plugs too. I wish I had done that on the trip to Cali. There are also things to do that will help the vibration at higher rpms as well as make the bike handle better. My vote is a wonderful sport tourer.

[QBS]

For hand grip vibration attenuation on any bike, foam hand grips can't be beat.  Rode my V for many years without them.  Never really felt the need.  Then I put a pair on (can't remember why), and now will never ride without them.  The '83 ergonomics and fairing combine for a very comfortable long day in the saddle.  My longest has been approx. 1100 miles.  The fairing does have significant buffeting negatives.  Post a bit on the pegs into clean air and it becomes very apparent.  However, for a real eye opener,  drop down completely behind the windshield at speed and take a listen.  The cacophony of the short stroke engine at high rpm is amazing compared to what you hear out in the breeze.  It's really a little scary until you realize that its' been doing that for the last 20 years or so and still isn't showing any bad effects.  Just business as usual for our very well designed engines.

Wow!  I just had an epiphany!  The passenger foot pegs on the V really vibrate a lot.  I would hate to ride as a passenger for longer than about 10 minutes.  My daughter and wife will both verify.  What if one was to wrap each passenger foot peg with foam water pipe insulation and attach it with Zip ties?  The function would like foam hand grips.  The appearance might be a little unsightly, but the benefit could be wonderful.   I've never done this, but it seems like it could make big difference in passenger comfort.  That's an important thing.

[Rikugun]

Jefferson, interesting observation on the fairing and wind noise - I agree. If it weren't such a hassle I'd remove mine during the warm months. Ear plugs are a good idea with or without a fairing for sure.

I've never ridden on the back of a Vision but do sometimes rest a foot on the rear peg.  I haven't noticed a lot of vibration but then there isn't much weight bearing on it from that angle.

[jefferson]

The fairing is nice for cooler weather and it really looks nice, but I would rather go without it I think. Ideal setup would be some kind of quick change setup, but I don't see that as being doable. The best setup would be one with and one with out the fairing.