Vegas in person?

This is what it looks like from one of their ads...

Here is another view of it...

As fate would have it the Vegas has been pushed in my direction more and more. Recently on a trip to NY I picked up the May issue of Motor Cyclist and in it was an article on the new Vegas. The review was glowing and dare I say it? It appears we have an American made rival to the fabled Harley Davidson. When I got back home Munenn shows me a different magazine with a cover story on, you guessed it, the Vegas. Again, the review was excellent. Later Munenn runs into a Victory owner with a business card to a shop called Rocket Rogers Motorcycle Shop. The guy says they have the Vegas in stock. In fact they have a bunch! That's all it took. Off we went for a Friday afternoon drive to Danville, VA. Sure enough when we got there not one Vegas but four greeted us! One was silver, two dark red and one yellow. Now we are talking serious lusting here. The magazines are right. The fit and finish is comparable to any Japanese bike or even the Harley Davidson. Styling is right on. Every little detail is executed with some serious thought behind it. Sitting position is comfortable. No sooner are we admiring the bikes when we meet the owner of the shop, Rocket Man himself! Now here is a person who loves motorcycles. He also makes sure you can take care of all your biking needs in one place. Need apparel? No problem. Want a custom paint job? Done. How about custom exhaust for your new Vegas? In stock. How about a big bore kit? Heck, they are not only in stock, they'll do the install for you too! I was very impressed with the operation. If you ever happen to be in the area, make it a point to stop in at Rocket Rogers. You won't regret it. Here are two of the bikes we were drooling over. Now if I can only convince my wife how much the Vegas with the big bore kit and custom exhaust and paint would be the perfect addition to the family! :angel:

The bikes start at $15,000. The closest comparison would be the H-D Deuce. The MSRP on that is $17,000. Stock displacement on the Vegas is 1507cc. Engine is a sohc, 8V. Stock power is 70.9 hp/93.1 ft/lbs torque. That’s with a weight of 668 lbs (wet). The big bore kit takes the engine from 92 cu in to 105 cu in (if I recall correctly). Power increases to 90 hp/110 ft/lbs torque. My only complaint is that the tach is an option.

Arlen Ness was involved in the development of the bike and now there are a bunch of aftermarket Arlen Ness accessories for it. The billet wheels are a cool factory option. Like a H-D you can get all kinds of chrome parts for the bike.

About the bike market, I too have noticed the way bikes from certain areas of the world change styles practically every year. I think part of that is to be blamed on the magazines. When a bike goes for two or three years without a facelift the magazines start complaining. This coming from riders who don’t have to pay for the bikes they are riding! When you like a bike that costs $15,000+ one of the big factors is always being able to swing that kind of nut. Especially when you have a family, mortgage, car payments, etc. By the time a person can buy the bike of their dreams a few years can go by. Then the bike has changed, sometimes to an uglier version. All the while the magazine riders have tested a version of that bike each model year and complained every time the next one looked the same.

I think bikes should keep their fundamental style, shape, displacement, etc for at least 4-5 years. The factories can always put out a ton of accessories that can make the bike look different. Heck, many parts on bikes get changed by their owners anyway. Why not give them a steady platform to work from?

The cover pretty much says it all...

Now that's a bike!