2012 Victory Cross Country

THE RIGHT-SIDE SADDLEBAG LATCH IS MISALIGNED TO THE LATCH BRACKET. THIS MISALIGNMENT CAUSES THE BRACKET TO RUB THE LATCH TO WHERE THE LATCH EVENTUALLY BREAKS. SHOULD THE LATCH BREAK, THE SADDLEBAG LID WILL BE LOOSE AND CAN CAUSE INSTABILITY WHILE RIDING AND POTENTIALLY DANGER TO VEHICLES BEHIND SHOULD ANYTHING BE SUCKED OUT OF THE SADDLEBAG. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE AFFECTING ALL "CROSS" BIKES FROM POLARIS/VICTORY. AT THIS POINT ALL INSPECTED CROSS BIKES ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF THIS WEAR AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS CREATING A DATABASE OF ALL LOCAL OWNERS. YOU CAN FIND MANY REFERENCES ON MANY VICTORY FORUMS, SUCH AS THIS ONE: HTTP://WWW.VICTORYFORUMS.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=104498 AS OF THIS POINT POLARIS/VICTORY HAS NOT CREATED A RECALL FOR THIS. I DO HAVE AN OPEN CASE WITH THEM THOUGH, CASE # [XXX]. I'M HOPING THE DOT RECOGNIZES THIS POTENTIAL DANGER TO VICTORY CROSS RIDERS/PASSENGERS AND TO VEHICLES FOLLOWING BEHIND, AND SUPPORTS US IN ADVISING POLARIS/VICTORY TO SUBMIT A RECALL. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

VICTORY MOTORCYCLES HAVE A DEFECTIVE LATCH ON THEIR RIGHT ?SADDLEBAGS? THAT RENDERS THE RIGHT STORAGE COMPARTMENT USELESS. THE FAULTY LOCKING MECHANISM HAS APPEARED SINCE 2010 ON SEVERAL VICTORY MODELS. MY RIGHT BAG WILL POP OPEN FROM TIME TO TIME. IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN THE LID POPS OPEN AT VERY HIGH SPEEDS WHEN LEANED OVER IN GUSTY CONDITIONS. APPARENTLY THE LOCKING MECHANISM IS FAULTY AND CAUSING MY RIGHT SADDLEBAG LID TO FLY OPEN ON THE ROAD, POSING A HAZARD TO ME, THE RIDER, AND OTHER DRIVERS. WHEN IT ?THE SADDLEBAG? POPS OPEN THERE IS A SENSATION OF REAR STEER. *DT

THERE IS A MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE RIGHT SIDE SADDLEBAG LATCH MECHANISM AND THE HOOP THAT IT CAPTURES WHEN THE LID IS CLOSED. THERE IS NO ADJUSTABILITY BUILT INTO THE DESIGN SO THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE RESULTING PROBLEM IS THAT THE SOFTER METAL OF THE LATCH MECHANISM IS WORN AWAY BY THE HARDER METAL OF THE HOOP, EVENTUALLY RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE LATCH. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE LID BLOWING OPEN AND THE CONTENTS OF THE SADDLE BAG BEING BLOWN OUT ONTO THE ROADWAY, POTENTIALLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AS FOLLOWING MOTORISTS WERE EITHER STRUCK BY THE CONTENTS OR SWERVED TO AVOID THEM. THIS ISSUE IS SHARED TO VARYING DEGREES BY A MAJORITY OF OWNERS OF THIS MODEL, SPANNING ALL 5 YEARS THAT IT HAS BEEN IN PRODUCTION. *TR

SADDLEBAG FLEW OPEN ON THE HIGHWAY, LOST MY RAINGEAR, AND SEVERAL OTHER ITEMS ADDING TO ABOUT $200.00. PULLED OVER AND STOPPED AND NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT HAND SADDLEBAG LATCH LOOKED SEVERELY WORN.. THEN CHECKED THE LEFT HAND SADDLEBAG LATCH AND LOOKED LIKE NEW. AFTER DOING SOME COMPARES WITH OTHER OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL, IT APPEARS THIS RIGHT HAND SADDLEBAG LATCH ISSUE AFFECTS ALL VICTORY MOTORCYCLE CROSS MODELS WITH HARD BAGS INCLUDING CROSS COUNTRY, CROSS ROADS, AND HARDBALL. HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH POLARIS THE PARENT COMPANY OF VICTORY MOTORCYCLES AND GOT A CASE NUMBER FROM THEM AND NOTIFIED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AS WELL. SO FAR HAVE NO RESULTS OR ANY CONCERN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *TR

THERE IS NOTICEABLE WEAR ON A LATCH ON MY RIGHT SIDE (THROTTLE SIDE) SADDLEBAG. THE LATCH THAT KEEPS THE BAG CLOSED IS WEARING OUT FROM AN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED LATCH CATCH. WHAT I CAN TELL IS THAT POLARIS INDUSTRIES (VICTORY MOTORCYCLE DIVISION) IS USING THE EXACT SAME LATCH FOR THE RIGHT SIDE SADDLE BAG AND LEFT SIDE SADDLE BAG. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS ONLY WEAR ON THE RIGHT SIDE LATCH BECAUSE IT IS ACTUALLY DESIGNED FOR THE LEFT SADDLE BAG ONLY. POLARIS IS NOT CONSIDERING THIS A DEFECT OR A PROBLEM. INSTEAD OF DOING A RECALL, THEY ARE SUGGESTING THAT THE CONSUMER FOLLOWS A YOUTUBE VIDEO FROM A AFTER MARKET VENDOR TO MODIFY THE HOLES ON THE LATCH CATCH TO MOVE IT BACK ABOUT 5/16". ONCE YOU DO THAT, THE WEAR IS SLOWED DOWN CONSIDERABLY. THERE ARE SEVERAL OWNERS OF THE CROSS COUNTRY BIKES WHO HAVE THIS WEAR. CHECK OUT THE WEB PAGE, HTTP://THEVOG.NET AND SEARCH FOR SADDLE BAG LATCH WEAR. YOU WILL SEE SEVERAL OWNERS WITH THE COMPLAINT AND PHOTOS. I WOULD LIKE POLARIS INDUSTRIES TO OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL OF ALL CROSS COUNTRY BIKES WITH SADDLEBAG LATCH PROBLEMS AND REPLACE THE LATCHES. *TR

THE LATCHING MECHANISM ON THE RIGHT SIDE HARD SADDLEBAG IS WEARING THROUGH, AS A RESULT OF (NON-ADJUSTABLE) MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE LATCH ON THE SADDLEBAG'S LID AND THE KEEPER BAR ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SADDLEBAG. IF THE PORTION OF THE LATCH THAT IS WEARING THROUGH FAILS, THE LID OF THE SADDLEBAG CAN OPEN WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS IN MOTION; IF THIS OCCURS, THE CONTENTS OF THE SADDLEBAG MAY FALL OUT, AND SUCH CONTENTS CAN JAM THE REAR WHEEL -- RESULTING IN A CRASH OF THE MOTORCYCLE -- OR CAN FLY ONTO OR IN FRONT OF OTHER VEHICLES (ALSO RESULTING IN A CRASH). *TR