It was in 2004 that Victory debuted the first Arlen Ness Signature Series model. It was a custom painted Vegas dressed with Ness accessories. Today, 3 generations of Ness, Arlen, Cory & Zach collaborate with the Minnesota manufacturer to each offer numbered, limited edition custom Victory models. For 2012, Arlen worked on the Vision, a bike that you either dislike or love. But if you like this Victory futuristic style, you will like it even more with the special custom features that Arlen added.
First, no doubt that you will not be unnoticed on the road while riding this chrome trimmed fireball. Although the chassis and driveline are identical to those of a standard 2012 Victory Vision (see tech sheet below), special Ness custom features include.
• Nuclear Sunset with custom Ness flamed graphics • Hot Rod Ness billet wheels • Flamed Ness engine covers • Chrome grip ends • Ness flamed chrome billet grips • Ness chrome flamed billet shift and brake pegs • Chrome driver and passenger floorboards • Chrome shift and brake levers • Diamond-cut engine • Ness windshield graphic • Ness ignition key graphic • Ness radio display • Kicker. premium audio speakers • Ness oil line cover • Leather stitched seat. Plus, there’s a metal plate on the engine with the bike’s number, the Arlen Ness logo and a facsimile of Arlen’s signature.
Not really a fan of this.
I like it except for the trunk. Kaneda would rock this for sure.
My God that is ugly.
What happened to the motorcycle?
Yes, very ugly!!!
Yuk! How ugly is this thing….. I’d walk before I would ever ride that.
i can,t believe somebody will buy that ugly thing,,,,,vraiment laid ca se peut pas,,
EGAD! I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t ride this thing down to the local 7-Eleven to pick up a loaf of bread!
Orange color to make this UgliNess (pun intended) even more noticeable.
A lot of haters…The vision may not be your favorite bike or Victory for that matter. But its a nice touch on the vision. Its funny how the people who haven’t done anything recognizable tend to talk the most shit.
Not my favorite Vision from Arlen, but I appreciate the finishing touches and it looks pretty good in person
HD has there their CVO, extra parts bin bikes and now we have
Victorys from the Ness extra parts bin 🙁
Great bike for the; look, look, look at me riders…..fills the void left by BDM 🙂
The whole thing looks off-balance somehow…
Arlen rode this bike to the Hamster Golf Tournament …. it really does look much better in person than in the pictures.
Over & Out,
Jeff
perfect for the cadaver golf crowd, complete with facsimile signature ! let us all pray for what the new Indian is going to look like.
It is futuristic in look but to be honest the lines flow very well. The bags and all of the parts look like they’re meant to go together and were all in the original design. While it may not be my personal style i can appreciate something that’s designed to be functional, look sleek and doesn’t look like every other bagger out there. In contrast look at the bags and gas tank on a new HD bagger, pick a model. The lines don’t flow worth a damn. They’re still using bags that look like they were designed by the guy that designed the Thermos lunch boxes while the gas tank has a totally different look and line to it. The HD beggers look like the fairing, tank, fenders and bags were all designed by different people for different bikes but they somehow managed to mount them all onto the same frame.
sorry, this is exactly the kind of bike that makes me stay of fan of HD, Indians, & most Triumphs. I like bikes that look like machines. If I was George Jettson, I may be ok with this. Sorry, just way to much useless stuff stuck on this bike for my taste..
Also need to add, this is what scares the Beejesus out of me with Polaris buying Indian. I love the Chief as it is now, just needs some fixes to make it a more reliable motor & better crafted machine, but don’t need a futuristic over haul…
Funny too me how most of you bash anything new and different. If any of you had even a small clue as too how things in the future will be you would be busy making it and not be on here bashing the work of a man that has proven time and time again that he does know, understand and can build what will sell in the future. As for Indian; It is a damn good thing that a company like Polaris took over Indian other wise some short sited person such as most of you would sure as hell drove that brand into the ground yet one more time. You guys are the same people that were saying twenty five years ago that the home computer will never catch on. Now look at you sitting in front of that George Jetson creation bashing some other item you have no clue about.
JMO,
LMAO!
Sorry we missed you in the Black Hills!
Over & Out,
Jeff
Hi,
really great bike i like such type of bike nice color i think this is exactly the king of all bikes
thanks..
Jeff; I really wanted to come by and see you but was short handed this year and had to work. We had a good year at the dealership in Rapid. I Hope you had a good rally too. Next year I think I will take to much help then I can go out and play.
It’s not bashing and it’s not hating on something to state your opinion about it’s style or appearance. It’s all subjective. Personally I wouldn’t ride this thing if you paid me. I don’t like the Victory styling at the best of times and this is just ridiculous. It doesn’t look futuristic or like Kaneda from Akira would ride it. It looks dated and over done. The very definition of trying to hard.
@Chopperfreak29…stating your opinion is your right and makes everything interesting. Going over the top with your comments is hating and talking shit.
I’m not biased, I own a Harley and don’t own a Victory. Not my favorite bike but I think your “definition of trying to hard is ridiculous”. Especially with whom your comment refers too
Maybe spend some time on the motorcycle industry instead of your Asian cartoons
Not my style of bike
i wish ness had not gone corporate–more money but less art.
JMO this is one of G Jetsons best quotes, “We wouldn`t last on unemployment checks, a 1000 a week doesn`t stretch very far these days.”
at 869 lbs dry, this bike needs a reverse gear ASAP!!
to polaris please dont ruin the new indian . need a bike that looks like a motorcycle motor, frame and sheetmetal . thanks
I think this is one awesome looking bike. I saw the picture and immediately went to my local dealer and ordered it. Just awesome. I can’t wait. I currently have a 2008 Vision. I love the look. A bike that is not the same as everyone else. To each their own. Don’t you ever wonder why people can’t be happy as long as there a a lot of people to ride with. Who cares who the manufacturer is. I can’t think of a single bike that is not good these days. A qoute from Wild Hogs. “I just wanna ride man, just wanna ride”
Some folks may not care for this Victory but anyone who got a chance to see the two big twin diggers that the Ness guys brought to Sturgis knows that they are still leaders in the custom bike world.
#1 – if you really, seriously don’t comprehend the difference between “to” and “too”, you shouldn’t post your opinions.
It’s a nice bike… but I am not sure I get the difference between this one and a regular Victory …. other than the fact that it has a Ness-style paintjob and some accessories from his current catalog, which is the definition of having an OE model into a Series. The choice of colors is questionable but overall, it looks pretty good. It’s hard to please everybody….
…..Yeah Right! it’s still one ugly big blob of metal painted orange. Honestly I agree it’s a want to be motorcycle riders kinda bike, or the dreamer without the money to buy a bike anyway.
If it said Harley on the side of it, all the people slamming it would be praising it.
While its definitely not my style , if you sort of turn your eye right you can see some Lago-Talbot influences in the design. Thats not bad but being seen, makes the paint scheme all the more ridiculous.
Victory’s designs and color schemes certainly are polarizing, especially the Vision. Notice the only two Vision models they’ve retained for 2012 is the Vision Tour and this Arlen Ness Vision. The big news is that they added the Cross Country Tour. I don’t know the sales figures on the Vision line of bikes but adding the more conventional looking and well received Cross Country Tour suggests they understand the Vision is not for everyone. Of the various Vision models the Vision 8-Ball was the one I could live with, but it was dropped. Notice they added the High Ball and H-D dropped the Cross Bones…interesting.
I sat on a Vision at the local Victory dealership. The salesman did all he could to get me to take it for a ride, but I refused. I surely would have bought one if it rode anywhere near as nice as it sat.
Talk all the smack you want, but there are a lot of nice things about the Vision.
A 2012 INDIAN CHIEF VINTAGE LOOK THOUSAND TIME BETTER
The layout of the graphics is spot on. The graphics are always a matter of taste.
A different choice of wheels may have made all the difference in the world to balance out this bike. The mismatched wheels are curious.
Mike
1550tc
Aug 17th, 2011 at 11:41 am
HD has there their CVO, extra parts bin bikes and now we have
Victorys from the Ness extra parts bin
Great bike for the; look, look, look at me riders…..fills the void left by BDM
I don’t think it is necessarily about look at me, rather I just don’t want to look like every other dumb ass on a street glide.
Is it Halloween yet??
PS, yea Seymour!
Those that ride these… love ’em…. I just don’t get it
To me the Ness series bikes are just as pointless and gaudy as the Harley CVO’s although not quite as over priced at least. To many in this forum doing the customizing yourself is half the fun of owning a bike and cheaper in the long run. But there is a market out there for people that just want to buy a flashy custom looking bike and not have to turn a wrench. And for them both HD and Victory have them covered I guess.
Overall the bike doesn’t appeal to me but I actually like the color and I think the graphics look great on it.
Would I buy it, no.
I know I SHOULD like Victory’s based on everything they do right and I have looked at them several times but they just never seem to be quite right. Maybe someday they’ll pull me away from HD but not with the Vision.
Funny when people say good thing Polaris bought Indian…maybe not. It may be a good thing to let it die & not get bastardized yet 1 more time. & yes I own a 2003 Indian Chief. If not done properly, Polaris will not do the Indian Brand any favors.
Do it right or not at all.
As for Victories, they can do what they like, but they are along way off from stealing the majority of HD riders.
I’m sure that is a nice bike functionally and it’s probably pretty comfortable. However, the styling is overdone. To me, it just is not an appealing look.
Did I miss Cyril’s post telling us to “just shut up and swallow it” when/if a pictured bike on his blog makes us throw up in our mouths? I’m not talking about this one, just asking in general. I don’t see anything wrong in folks giving an honest opinion on bikes, if ya think one is fugly, why not say it? Is this blog just a rubberstamp factory for yes-men or a place where we can be honest? Personally, I don’t care if a bike DID take 20,000 hrs to build or took mad skills above my own-all that doesn’t mean the bike is going to be pleasing to the eye. I’ve seen some great fuckin’ produce really ugly babies…………………..
And everytime I see this view-
http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/NessVision3.jpg
I can’t help but think of this one-
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmBOz5b2ezQ5rO95EZZCkddvstdBxhVP0_0oLZG7AMHHWid3W-
Woody, Now that is just funny as hell.
Hell and I like the vision. It’s like that ugly girl with a good personality. Not much to look at but fun to ride……
Three words, acid trip! peace
This is the bike I want when I plan my first trip to Mars.
When you have been around bikes all your life and seen old photos of your grandpa and great grandpas bikes, you get tired of them. So you create something new, something different.
Nice job Ness ! Fun and entertaining to look at.
Personally, my idea of a motorcycle is a two wheeled motor horse. No saddlebags, no fairing, no gimics. Just ride.
But great job on executing your vision Ness.
WHERE’S BEETLE JUICE? His Bike is unlocked!
Sweet paint- I’ll be copying it…….
Sad that this article gets more responses than the one up above, about Castiglioni.
Goldwing on steroids ?
trunk, handle bars, and ears on the fairing need redone. the trunk very much so. imho, if they’re going to do scifi, they need to turn the dial up on the retro art-deco side a few notches. currently they’re viving with luxury cars for the ‘electric shaver’ look. its not a horrible bike (i’d ride one if given one), but it’s simply not what I would buy on purpose.
For those blasting someone else for their opinion, please go to your fridge, grab a beer, take a deep breath and relax. everyone has an opinion, we don’t have to agree with it, just respect that it’s some else’s view. Else wise we’re no different than nerds at a scifi convention getting into a fist fight over the Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate.
There’s no denying that Ness is a legend in the custom motorcycle world, but if you look at the body of his work you’ll find as many misses as hits (perhaps more). This one’s definitely a miss.
Concerning the Vision itself, different does not necessarily mean better.
Roscoe, not sure why it’s sad. The majority of the US riding population has never owned (nor will) an Italian bike, and if they are like me, really don’t have any qualifications/reason to comment on the death of someone a half dozen time zones away whom they never met nor were affected by. If you meant it as a pro/con thing then yes, I was against his dying.
Woody,
Every motorcyclist was affected by Castiglioni.
With 59 posts this bike seems to be doing what’s it was meant to do and that is create BUZZZZ
Iam not sure how much input Arlen had into this bike’s styling or design ……i will say this, in all honesty and sincerity its hard to criticize anything Arlen does :)….this bike might be ahead of its market and time.
Roscoe yah that guy is what i call one of those 15-20 Italians that have a true god given talent they use in their line of work and life, he is right up there with the great Italian fashion and auto guys……….in the USA HD world most guys would not know of him or his bikes
Roscoe even the Germans with their great engineering know that when it comes to style and design, you go straight to northern Italy where so many of these guys are from and work.
Gawd what a bunch of fucking whiners! so what you’re all saying is if it doesn’t look like the same old thing, I don’t like it… well you’re all conforming to the crowd, aren’t you? Every single person that turned their nose up at this bike said nothing about it’s performance! -Becuase you neanderthals don’t know shit. The Vision out performs the Harley baggers so well, it’s not really even fair to Harley to make the comparison! TONS more power and torque, way smoother, way way way better handling, better brakes, about twice the lean angle clearance, way less maintenance, and gosh, 20% more American parts too! Now wonder so many H.A.’s out west are giving up their dinosaur Harley’s for these bikes… Victory’s fucking SCREAM. and some moron said Arlen wend Coporate.. listen douchebag, the REAL corporate bike IS the Harley, and Arlen has been quoted as saying that the guys at Harley are afraid to try anything new. -that’s why he paired with Victory. their engineers are obsessed with better, better, better. Never disrespect the King, people! Love or hate the look of a Vision, it is THE superior touring bike on the planet. See you in my rear view mirror…
Spaz, I’d much rather ride a slower good-looking bike than a faster ugly one. Besides, it’s easy to make a Harley faster but curing the Vision’s ugliness would cost a fortune.
Todd8080,” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”,
I myself like the Vision but I can do without the flames, they rank up there with skulls, played out a few years ago.
Don’t knock it till you’ve rode it! The Vision is a first class motorcycle. Incredible handling and unmatched air control. The Vision 8 Ball all blacked out is one of the most beautiful production motorcycles ever made imo. People riding 1950’s styling and technology shouldn’t be so quick throw verbal stones. I love HD’s Road Glide, and I also love the Vision. It’s just so awesome that now we have a choice in American Motorcycles.
Trust me your Harley is better because of Victory. Competition yields a better product from both companies.
Ride safe,
Jim
Wow, look at you bastards go off at at each other.
like a bunch of school girls with a skin full of cider at a blue light disco….
Ive had two Visions, I also have a Kingpin. Radical styling, ahead of its time.
These jiggers eat most Harleys for breakfast.
Dont worry about Polaris buying Indian, worry about Harley Davidson scrambling to keep up.
Harden the fuck up.
Spaz, you rock mate. Nobody, so do you.
From Melbourne Australia