Normally I'm a car guy, but this motorcycle made me gasp

Usually, my opinion about motorcycle design is kind of critical, mainly because I've never subscribed to the macho Harley mythos, and don't ride myself, so I think I should keep my mouth shut.

However, I saw several Victory Vision touring bikes over the summer here in Michigan. Of course, Michigan is very much the spiritual home to many things macho (hunting, fishing, V8s, Bob Lutz, drunken snowmobiling on frozen lakes, etc) so I was somehow not surprised that a) this beautiful piece of design didn't come from a traditional motorcycle maker, and b) it's made by a snow-mobile company.

Long and short of it is that the pictures don't do it justice. This bike is just sensational. Swooping, flowing, tight design. Widely expressionistic, beautifully engineered. The industrial design team got away with so much here, its a wonder. My favorite feature is the huge V shaped tailight that would give the Vision huge road presences as it glides past you in the night. The bike is huge. It's hard to grasp the size from the pictures below, but the website has better pictures of the bike in its element - rolling hills and forests of the North American summer.

This is the sort of design language that I've been waiting on for years from Harley Davidson, but they are staying true to their deliberately noisy exhausts, and hopelessly nostalgic retro design language, despite the fact that their core market now is 55 year old baby boomers who probably would appreciate a little more comfort  and style.

At $23K, this is a pricey ride, but one which every owner would regard as a personal Victory, I'm sure.

Photos: Victory Motorcycles