What to expect when you attend a Victory Motorcycles Test Ride Event
If you are in the market for an American made big inch cruiser you owe it to yourself to attend one of Victory Motorcycles test ride events. Victory Motorcycles has been sending 18-wheelers from one end of the country to the other since the company began producing bikes in 1999. You can see the schedule of test ride events here.
Each truck has at least one of every model on hand so you can try each one back to back and see which would best fit your needs. Often times people come to the event to ride one specific bike that they have been considering only to find out that they actually liked the ride and handling of another model. Each bike has it’s own unique character and there is no better way to see this than riding them all.
Each factory Victory semi-truck will have around 15-18 different motorcycles on board with different accessories already installed. Some of them will be fitted with Pure Victory performance products like the ever popular stage-1 exhaust kit. Others will have optional Lock & Ride windshields, backrests, saddlebags and chrome kits.
The bikes will be fully fueled and ready to go. The company will provide helmets but it is always best to bring your own lid. Make sure to wear long pants, over the ankle riding boots, gloves and eye protection. Please do not show up in shorts expecting to ride, you won’t be able to no matter how much you throw a fit…not going to happen! You will also need a valid I.D. and cycle endorsement to ride. After you sign the standard waiver you’re good to go.
Get there a little early and sign-up before the crowd so you can choose the bike you really want to ride. I like to set my helmet on the seat or mirror to reserve the exact bike I want to ride first. If you don’t get the exact bike in the beginning don’t worry you can ride as many bikes as you want, all day, if you want to.
The ride route is usually between 15-20 miles in length and consists of twisty backroads and a section of highway so you can really get a good feel of how well the bike corners and 6th gear cruising. We usually try to make all RH turns to avoid turning into traffic but occasionally we have to concede to get back to our starting point. In both cases there will be someone there to lead the group and usually someone at the tail end to make sure no one gets lost.
Big John will give you the eagle eye and sniff test to see if you’ve been drinking, if we sense that someone has had a couple of drinks, we will politely deny them a demo ride. Don’t be offended, it’s just due to liability. Also, we will not tolerate aggressive of dangerous behavior while riding with the group. Again, we are concerned about the safety and well being of all riders. We know that some are more skilled than other but the pace should be brisk enough for everyone to enjoy the test ride.
After the ride, stick around and have a burger and a soda and hang out with other riders that came to the event. It really is a fun day to meet new people and get a sense of what they liked about one model versus another. If you’re interested in purchasing, speak to one of the salesman, there’s usually a little factory incentive to buy within a certain period of time, wink, wink!
Please join us at Mt.Hood Polaris in Boring Oregon on Friday May-2nd and Saturday May-3rd to test ride a Victory Motorcycle during the Factory Authorized Demo Event. Please feel free to contact us if you have more questions.
See you here!
John, Sue, Robin, Little John and the rest of the Mt.Hood staff
Mt. Hood Polaris 