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Newbie looking for some advice
Hey newbie here. Looking at 1999 v92. Just wondering what y’all’s opinion would be. I have wanted one but on a tight budget. It seems ro have been well taken care of. Custom paint, i know the charging system is upgraded and he said he had to have it rewired but nothing about if trans has been upgraded. He is at $1500 with 14,000 miles. Trying to see if this maybe a gamble worth taking or do they all pretty much go out from 15-20k on the trans. I check it out tomorrow and get to ride it and see how trans feels. Just seeing what yall might think or any advice.
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4 Replies
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I never recommend a 1999 for a guy with a limited budget and skills that is looking for reliable transportation.
This is a bike for an enthusiast with a garage full of other bikes, plenty of spare time and money, and with the mindset of “this is a fun project bike to tinker with”
Victory wasn’t a nice reliable bike until after 2002. 1999-2001 models are terrible.
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Sorry after re reading I came off like I am new to bikes and so on which far from it. I have a good amount of experience fixing my own bikes. Been an automotive mechanic for 30 years so that helps. What I was meaning was would it be a total waste to even mess with. This wouldn’t be my transportation as due to an injury i am lucky if get to put 2000 miles a year on “daily” bike. But I’m far from the collector you speak of. Only have one other bike.
I did end up buying it though as he was the second owner and got it even cheaper. He bought it with 1700 miles and gave me the papers where he bought it along with most of the repairs he had done. Shows a stage 2 upgrade but doesn’t explain if that’s the chip or what. It does have the alternator upgrade which I double checked myself, also had the wiring harness redone. The trans had not been upgraded though. (Thank you for you video on the bike as it showed me exactly what to look for on the charging and trans)
It runs and rides great but does have the clunky shifts. No slips or drops out of gear though. After your comment though I am debating on selling/trading it out or using to roll out here and there and run it around a little. Seems like it’s a chance it maybe a fun bike or a total nightmare lol. Or maybe parts.
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Well, that would have been good to know before I bought my 1999… but I didn’t know you existed. I have serial number 4, with like 6k miles on it. It’s almost in showroom shape, and that, with the low serial number and mileage, made me want it. I paid $2500 for it and thought it would be my daily driver, but now I find out they’re “terrible”? ugh. I don’t have money OR time so should I just dump it?
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Its all about knowing what you have.
You have to understand that this was the first year for Victory. They made a lot of improvements over the first few years. Light years of improvements.
About every two weeks or so for the last decade someone calls me and says “Hey, I’m just getting into bikes and I heard that Victory makes a great, reliable bike. I’m on a fixed budget and work 50+ hours a week and was looking for good reliable transportation to get back and forth from work since my car died. So I picked up this 1999 model for $2000! What a steal, right! 🙂 The only problem is that it leaks, barely runs, makes weird transmission grinding noises, and has a wiring issue. Surely these can be sorted out quickly and by a novice mechanic on a shoestring budget, right?”
And then I do a face-palm at this poor soul’s predicament.
Me personally, I’ve owned a handful of 99-01 bikes and still own a daily driver 2001. But when the wiring issue acts up, or the trans is weird, or it leaks, I know how to fix it. I’m not relying on this bike to get me to work. I have a garage with tools and I know how to work on the bike. And I know that they are known for being less than perfect and I’m ok with that. Then I set forth on fixing it myself, because there is no one else that is going to be able to help me. I know what I have and I’m ok with it. I know that I have a 2008 Victory that I can use as my “reliable” bike and this bike is for fun and tinkering.
Think of it as buying a 60’s hot rod. No one in their right mind says “Hey Ford makes great cars, so I’m going to buy a 1966 Mustang I found on Craigslist for $2500. Surely this will be a trouble free car that will get me to and from work all year ’round.” I mean, we can MAKE it a trouble free car by doing a frame off restoration and fixing and upgrading all the things that are out-of-date. But that is going to take considerable time and money. I know the smarter option would have been to buy a 2006 Mustang for the same money and have the benefit of all the progress Ford made in the last 40 years.
So, for the record, I love the old 1999-2001 bikes! But I don’t go out and tell the world to start buying them up for cheap, reliable transportation because I know that they are not THAT. They are a piece of Victory history. A cool bike if you know what you are doing and have the right mindset. A nightmare if you don’t.
Know what it is: A first year production bike from a company that never made a bike before. A bike that looks great on paper, but like many “first time” experiences may not translate to the end product. I can make a 1999 a nice reliable bike that will last 100k miles and take you from coast to coast without issue. But it’ll take many thousands of dollars to get it to that state. And at that point you may say to yourself “Geeze, for that money I could have bought that 2005 Touring Cruiser I saw on Facebook for $3500”. And then you’d be riding a bike that looks the same, but benefits from the years of knowledge and upgrades that Victory applied to their bikes to give them the good, reliable status they have today.