Victory Motorcycles has a new section on their website where you can get in line now for one of the new Victory Vision touring motorcycles coming out later this year. You can choose your color, select from a list of local dealers and then visit the dealer to make your deposit.
The Victory Vision sparked a lot of interest when it was revealed this past January and those of you who want to be among the first to get one can reserve a spot at the head of the line for this fall’s introduction.
Although I think the online reservation idea is convenient, I’m not sure I understand the requirement to visit the dealer to make a deposit. The Smart Car which is finally coming to the U.S. also has an online reservation form but you fill out a form and make the deposit from the website which is kinda what the word “online” means. Maybe there’s some legal problem but if Smart can do it, why not Victory?
At any rate, if you want to park a Vision in your garage as soon as possible, drop over to their website and sign up.
Link: Victory Motorcycles
Related: Reserve a Smart Car Now
Walt says
I imagine the ‘visit your dealer’ provision is designed to drive floor traffic and give the dealer a chance to sell, or at least say howdy.
kneeslider says
I understand that but if the person has already made a deposit online they have shown some real intent and with the info from registering, the chosen dealer could easily follow up with the customer and invite him or her to stop by for a cup of coffee and do all of the howdy and handshake stuff.
If you have to go to the dealer anyway, the customer might just wait until he gets around to it before registering at all, which might be a long time. Get the customer to commit a little bit without pressure while they’re on the website and interested and everything else is just friendly follow up contact which the dealer can initiate and keep moving a bit more because they have a real interest in doing so. There might even be a little giveaway gift for the future owner to pick up at the dealer to cement the deal, a keychain or jacket patch or whatever. At least that’s my view …
todd says
Does the reservation begin as soon as you apply online or after you have submitted your deposit and the dealer has turned it in? I can imagine some people getting their online reservation booted because they waited to pay and a number of people just came in to reserve one without applying online – or the dealer was slower to submit than other dealers.
-todd
Richard says
When I stopped by a Victory dealer on a sportbike, they weren’t the least bit interested in letting me take one of their bikes out for a ride, even though their test bikes were all parked outside next to a sign advertising free test rides, gassed up and ready to go. When I drove there in a truck, they practically begged me to take a bike out for a spin, despite the fact that I wasn’t wearing any gear. This leads me to suspect that the requirement to register online but then make the deposit at the dealer is because they want to prevent “undesireables” from getting their bikes, or maybe it’s simply because they can’t think too clearly.
GenWaylaid says
Not interested, but let me know when I can pre-order the OTHER Victory Vision, the bison-shaped snowmobile-powered 800cc automatic concept they were showing off over a year ago.
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2005/12/12/victory-vision-800cc-parallel-twin-automatic-concept/
Sean says
Cor, that bison-esque bike looks good. I’ve been trying to capture that silhouette of something extremely muscular in my designs for a while now, but given that my aesthetic is for stripped down, easily accessible bikes it’s been hard. Now that this comes along, I might have to rethink my aesthetic….. Pity the SUV on two wheels is striking, but hardly beautiful.
Dorian says
If the manufacturer starts selling online direct to customers, then the dealer is cut out of the loop, and they usually don’t like that. In fact it’s usually prohibited in the dealer arrangement. I don’t know if that’s the case here, but it sure sounds like it.
hoyt says
The Manufacturer/Dealer paradigm might change for the better with this arrangement.
A lot of dealer profit comes from good customer service with accessories and maintenance. Accessories are cheaper to hold in inventory than $12k – $18k motorcycles on the showroom floor.
Factory-direct-to-dealer-to-owner (just in time).
A selection of bikes will still need to be on display since bikes look so much better in the flesh. It will be interesting to see this bike in person.
What will Victory do as their encore for the 10th Anniversary? Keep going Victory – I dig your bikes.
http://customtorque.blogspot.com/
skeeter says
GenWaylaid Says: “let me know when I can pre-order the OTHER Victory Vision, the bison-shaped snowmobile-powered 800cc automatic concept…”
Huh? I thought I was the only twisted mind that loved the original Vision-800. The bike has a cast aluminum alloy frame and 43mm inverted telescopic front forks. The triangular dual under-seat side exit exhausts are styled much like the exhausts on the Polaris Revolver concept. The front storage bay holds two full-face helmets (compare the new Aprilia 850 Mana with auto-tranny and front storage). The fuel-injected 800cc parallel-twin and CVT are borrowed from the Sportsman-800 ATV – not from a snowmobile. Even with the fat 18-inch rear wheel the seat height is only 28.5-inches. Considering the fact that the riding position is cruiser-ish, the one thing it lacks is a nicely integrated windshield. Put me on that pre-order list too.
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