Victory Motorcycles was an American motorcycle brand based in Spirit Lake, Iowa. It began selling in 1998, and in January 2017 its owner Polaris Industries announced that it would wind the brand down; Victory was succeeded by the revived Indian Motorcycle.
Victory Motorcycles at a glance
| Type | American motorcycle brand |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Polaris Industries |
| Headquarters | Spirit Lake, Iowa |
| First sales | 1998 |
| First model | V92C |
| Profitable | from 2002 |
| Indian brand bought | 2011 |
| Wind-down announced | 9 January 2017 |
| Successor | Indian Motorcycle |
| Spare parts | available for ten years |
| Owners’ club | Victory Motorcycle Club, founded 1998 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on Victory Motorcycles.
History of the Victory Motorcycles
An American cruiser from Polaris
Victory was created by Polaris, the Medina, Minnesota manufacturer of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. Polaris began research and development of a motorcycle in the early 1990s, testing numerous makes and models, and set out to build a large cruiser entirely in the United States. The brand was aimed at the traditional American heavy motorcycle market led by Harley-Davidson, with V-twin engines and touring, sport-touring and cruiser configurations.
The V92C and a growing range
The first Victory, the V92C, was announced in 1997 and went on sale in 1998 with a 92 cubic-inch (1,507 cc) counterbalanced, fuel-injected V-twin. Its fenders and tank profile copied the sweeping lines of 1930s cars. Victory became profitable in 2002 and remained so for a number of years. In 2010 Polaris expanded production and marketing of the motorcycle, and in 2011 it bought the Indian Motorcycle brand. The range grew from the V92 cruisers to the Vegas, Kingpin and Hammer, the Vision tourer and the Cross Country baggers.
Winding down in 2017
On 9 January 2017 Polaris announced that it would immediately begin winding down Victory, citing struggles in establishing market share and limited profitability. The brand was discontinued, dealers were to liquidate inventories, spare parts were to be available for ten years and dealers continued to offer service and warranty coverage. Victory had failed to turn a profit in three of its last five years: Polaris preferred to release new model years with no changes to successful models other than paint, and investments in electric and three-wheeled motorcycles were unsuccessful. Polaris judged that Indian could compete with Harley-Davidson on an emotional level, and devoted its production capacity to that brand.
Design and features
- Polaris engineering: a large American-made cruiser designed after extensive testing of rival motorcycles.
- V-twin engines: air-cooled 50° twins, from 1,507 cc to 1,740 cc.
- Full range: cruisers, muscle cruisers, baggers and touring bikes.
- 8-Ball line: five models in black with fewer add-ons and a lower price.
- Owners’ club: the Victory Motorcycle Club began in 1998 as a Yahoo chat site and grew to 2,700 paid members, 11,000 guests and 107 chapters by July 2010.
Victory Motorcycles versions
- V92 family (1998–2006): the original V92C, V92SC SportCruiser and V92TC Touring Cruiser.
- Vegas (2003 onwards): a new chassis that also underpinned the Kingpin and Hammer.
- Vision (2008): a fully faired tourer in Street and Tour versions.
- Cross Country and Cross Roads (2010): baggers built for long-distance riding.
- Judge (2013) and Octane (2017): the last new models before the wind-down.
The first model is described in Victory V92; later families in Vegas, Kingpin, Hammer, Vision and Cross Country. More in the Victory collection.
Video: Victory Motorcycles
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Victory Motorcycles, English Wikipedia: history, models, wind-down
