1999 VICTORY V92C — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

TRAVELING 495N WENT TO SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD THE GEAR KICKED BACK TO 2ND GEAR AND AFTER THAT, TRIED SHIFTING BACK BUT THE TRANSMISSION GAVE AWAY NONE OF THE GEARS WORK NOW, THIS WAS AFTER THE TRANSMISSION RECALL WAS DONE.....VICTORY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE BUT YET THEY KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE... *TR

I WAS TRAVELING HOME AFTER PURCHASING THE BIKE FROM THE SECOND OWNER. A VICTORY V92C MADE IN AMERICA, ONLY 5,203 MILES WHEN I GOT IT. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED A VERY HARD HITTING, LOUD SOUNDING CLUNK WHEN I SHIFTED GEARS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE IT WAS JUST THE NORM FOR THIS BIKE. I FOUND OUT I WAS WRONG AND IT NEARLY COST ME MY LIFE. THE FIRST INDICATION THAT I MAYBE IN TROUBLE WAS THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT PROPERLY SHIFTING IN TO 2ND GEAR OR 3RD GEAR. WHEN I WOULD SHIFT INTO SECOND IT WOULD POP INTO NEUTRAL AND SOMETIMES WHEN SHIFTING INTO 3RD IT WOULD SEEM TO GO INTO 3RD FOR AN INSTANT AND THEN DROP INTO 2ND AGAIN. I AM NEW TO MOTORCYCLE RIDING AND THOUGHT THAT I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND TRIED TO BE MORE ATTENTIVE TO MY SHIFTS. ABOUT 80 MILES INTO MY TRIP HOME IT STARTED TO RAIN. I HIT EXIT 50 OFF OF I-71 IN OHIO AND INTENDED TO HEAD FOR COVER AT THE PILOT FUEL STATION THERE. AT THE TOP OF THE EXIT RAMP WAS A STOP SIGN. I STOPPED AND PROCEEDED WITH CAUTION. JUST AS I HIT THE APEX OF MY LEFT HAND TURN I SHIFTED FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR, RELEASED THE CLUTCH, FELT THIRD GEAR ENGAGE AND WAS IMMEDIATELY THROWN THE ROAD WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED BACK INTO SECOND GEAR. AFTER RESEARCHING THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDS TO THESE TRANSMISSIONS. LUCKILY MY INJURIES WERE MINOR. PLEASE DO SOMETHING BEFORE THERE IS A DEATH IF NOT MULTIPLES. SINCERELY, NEW TO CYCLING IN GALLOWAY, OHIO. *TR

ON 9/1/11 RIDING MY STOCK 1999 VICTORY V92 THE MOTORCYCLE ON A LONG TRIP THE BIKE BEGAN MISSING 3RD GEAR THEN EXITING AN INTERSECTION (DRY, SUNNY, 80, LIGHT ACCEL) THE BIKE RANDOMLY DOWNSHIFTED FROM 3 INTO 2 AT 40 MPH. DUE TO UNEXPECTED RAPID DROP IN BIKE SPEED, CONTROL OF BIKE WAS BRIEFLY LOST AND LEFT FOOT SLIPPED OFF THE FRONT FLOORBOARD, HITTING PAVEMENT AND BOOT BEING PULLED UNDER THE FLOORBOARD/FRAME. BIKE WAS KEPT UP AND STOPPED ON ROADSIDE. WITH HELP OF COMPANION, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY GET OFF BIKE. FOOT WAS BRUISED/SWOLLEN BUT NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. AFTER REST AND VISUAL INSPECTION WE CONTINUED TRIP. I HAVE OWNED THIS BIKE FOR 5 YEARS AND IT ALWAYS HAD SOME NEUTRAL ISSUES IN BETWEEN 2-3 GEARS, BUT NEVER RANDOM DOWNSHIFTS. AFTER THE INCIDENT, THE CONDITION REPEATED AND GREW WORSE UNTIL IT OCCURRED ANYTIME THE BIKE WAS IN 3RD GEAR. BEING 1500 MILES FROM HOME I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CONTINUE MY TRIP BACK VERY CAREFULLY AVOIDING 3RD GEAR WITH FEAR OF PIECE OF DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION LOCKING UP GEARS UPON TAKING BIKE TO VICTORY DEALERSHIP, THEY REFUSED TO SERVICE 1999 BIKES DUE TO LACK OF POLARIS CORPORATE SUPPORT. THEY ALSO FIRST INFORMED ME OF THE HISTORY OF PROBLEMS ON 1999 TRANS AND CANCELED RECALLS. I HAVE BEEN THE SOLE REGISTERED OWNER OF THIS BIKE SINCE 6/2007 AND HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION FROM POLARIS ON DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS, SAFETY ISSUES, OR RECALLS. NOW AFTER MY OWN EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, I SEE THE SAME FAILURE ON MY BIKE IS VERY COMMON (OVER 600 GOING BACK 12 YRS) NHTSA INVESTIGATIONS BUT NO CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. SAFETY STUDY DOCUMENTS HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC BY POLARIS LAWYERS. WHY WAS THIS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE/UNSAFE TRANSMISSION NOT RECALLED? WHY ARE THE STUDY DOCUMENTS HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC? WHY WAS INVESTIGATION CLOSED WHEN THERE IS SUCH A CLEAR AND PRESENT SAFETY ISSUE TO THE TRAVELING PUBLIC USING THESE UNSAFE TRANSMISSIONS? *JS *KB

I HAVE A 1999 VICTORY V92C. AND NOW AT 23,000 I HAVE LOST 4TH GEAR WHEN SHIFTING FROM 3RD UP. I SEE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH THE EARLY MODELS FROM VICTORY. VICTORY OFFERED TO PAY FOR HALF THE COST OF PARTS BUT NOTHING FOR LABOR COSTS. THIS OFFER ENDED 10-07. I PURCHASED MY V92C IN JUNE OF 2008. IT SEEMS THAT VICTORY KNOWS THERE IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM OR THEY WOULD NOT MAKE THE OFFER AT ALL. IF THAT IS THE CASE WHY ARE THEY NOT BEING HELD 100% RESPONSIBLE LIKE OTHER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VICTORIA V92C MOTORCYCLE. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 30-35 MPH THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY SLIPPED OUT OF THIRD GEAR AS A RESULT OF THE VEHICLE STALLING. THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS THEN SHIFTED INTO SECOND GEAR AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000.