Polaris to shutter Victory

[backinthesaddle]

Not really a fan of their bikes, but hate to see a company get shut down. Didn't know their Indian line was doing that well I don't think I've seen one on the road.

Polaris Industries Inc. - Polaris Industries to Wind Down Victory Motorcycles Operations Strengthening its Position in the Powersports Industry

[Falko]

Saw that earlier, sad. I think Victory has the best looking cruiser type bikes.

[Garandman]

Proof that the US market does not need more fucking cruisers.

They could have come out with a kickass sports tourer but went for the black tshirt crowd.

[PhilB]

Victory made good quality bikes. I would like to have seen Polaris move the Victory brand into modern styles and non-cruiser niches, but they have decided that cruisers are where the market is, and Indian covers that well.

PhilB

[Chippertheripper]

That's what they get for building spaceship looking distance tourers.
The regular 'round towners looked fine, but those uber angular fully faired jobs were absolutely heinous.
Hopefully when they "consolidate" the two brands, the Indian line will be that much better of a motorcycle at the end of the day.
As a former buell owner, my deepest sympathies do, in fact, go out to fans and owners of victory motorbikes, regardless of my opinions.

[Falko]

The Vision was something that was a little rocketship-esque. But they are actually a pretty nice bike, very rigid frame. The Cross Country though was a beautiful bike. Can't say I'd turn down a Hammer though either.

[jasnmar]

And unfortunately the motorcycle formerly known as the Brammo is likely dead as well as part of this.

[RyanNicholson]

My roommate loves his Cross Country more than his GF by a long shot... he was crushed at the news. Definitely a shame, as they were the only cruisers that really had some personality IMHO.

[PhilB]

My roommate loves his Cross Country more than his GF by a long shot... he was crushed at the news. Definitely a shame, as they were the only cruisers that really had some personality IMHO.

Moto Guzzis have no personality?

PhilB

[jwm2k3]

This move sucks. Victory has the best cruisers out there by a mile, in my opinion.

Indians are awful looking.

[SVRACER01]

so much for the whole "HD is losing sales to Victory" BS that i hear every year.
word on the street is that Polaris is looking to focus its efforts on Indian and Slingshot.

[csmutty]

Indians look terrible. Was really digging the octane.

[Garandman]

So Indian will continue? I thought they were a goner also.

The Vision was something that was a little rocketship-esque. //

[Chippertheripper]

I just went and looked at the models...
A gunner would probably be the one I was most interested in.

Edit: I suppose the standard bagger isn't that bad either...

[PhilB]

But remember, we're not cruiser riders. The cruiser market is very traditional.

Nobody cares which cruisers look best to a sportbike rider, or to anyone else who isn't going to buy any of them. I think the Indian Scout looks pretty good for its type; at least as pretty as the Sportsters. I'm not wild about the looks of the Indian Chief models, but the cruiser guys seem to be. Harley has always excelled at making pretty motorcycles, that viscerally feel good to ride. That's the goal, the aim, the market.

The Indians I have ridden feel like they have vague steering. That's my biggest complaint with them; Harleys steer better. Harleys also have better ergonomic feel to the switches and controls in general. They're very good at that, and Indian needs to catch up there a bit. I also like that Harleys tend to be made more of metal and less of plastic than most others. Otherwise, it's all up to taste, and I wouldn't have any reason to fault, or sneer at, anyone for choosing an Indian vs. a Victory vs. a Harley vs. a Moto Guzzi vs. a good metric. Cruisers are mostly about looking and feeling good, not measurable parameters.

PhilB

[PhilB]

So Indian will continue? I thought they were a goner also.

No, Polaris is dropping Victory in order to concentrate on and expand Indian, which is definitely staying.

PhilB

[Stoneman]

I know a few folk that made the switch from HD to Victory and said they'll never go back to HD. They'll hafta search a bit harder for their next ride then. On the other hand, I've been eyeballing a couple used Victory models meself. Guess I'll hafta jump on them before the meatheads suddenly think they're sitting on a gold mine...

[JohnnyV]

I seriously looked into Victory prior to buying my HD, but for nearly the same money, the fit, finish and overall quality was nowhere near that of the HD touring models. Everything felt flimsy and cheap. I liked the drivetrain of the Vic in comparison, but the little shit such as controls, switches, etc was just sub-par.

[aldend123]

The Indians I have ridden feel like they have vague steering.

That due to a fat front tire?

I was really surprised at this news. I was surprised that the Indian is expected to sell better than Victories. I figured the Victory's would always sell to the secondary Harley market. I get what they were trying to do with the ridiculous lines, but I think it would have been smart to split between that and some more tame options.

Maybe I don't understand the Indian heritage, but that just seems like an audience that's already aging out of being able to ride a motorcycle. And a bunch of people who have fond memories, but wouldn't be in a hurry to buy another.

[jwm2k3]

I seriously looked into Victory prior to buying my HD, but for nearly the same money, the fit, finish and overall quality was nowhere near that of the HD touring models. Everything felt flimsy and cheap. I liked the drivetrain of the Vic in comparison, but the little shit such as controls, switches, etc was just sub-par.

After testing quite a few Victory's over the last few years and renting a few HD Street Glides and Road Glides, I agree with the quality and fit/finish of the HD controls being better.

However, the ride (due to a superior chassis) of the Victory is light years better than the HD. LIGHT YEARS....

[loudbeard]

That's a shame. I owned Victory's first model, a V92, as my first motorcycle. That bike really did everything well and to this day remains the only motorcycle I regret selling.

[PhilB]

That due to a fat front tire?

I don't know. I don't think so particularly; some Harleys have fat front tires and don't seem to me to have this issue.

I was really surprised at this news. I was surprised that the Indian is expected to sell better than Victories. I figured the Victory's would always sell to the secondary Harley market. I get what they were trying to do with the ridiculous lines, but I think it would have been smart to split between that and some more tame options.

Maybe I don't understand the Indian heritage, but that just seems like an audience that's already aging out of being able to ride a motorcycle. And a bunch of people who have fond memories, but wouldn't be in a hurry to buy another.

The Indian name has the history/"heritage"/image that sells cruisers. Polaris did a good job of design/styling to match the image people have in their heads. I think they hit the target well for the traditional buyers. I just wish they had kept Victory and moved it towards the non-traditional market -- touring/sport-touring/sport/other bikes.

PhilB

[Stoneman]

Before this winter is over, I'm certain to find myself on a Vegas, Hammer or Judge. As I said though, I hope these knuckleheads selling used don't suddenly think their $5K Victory is now some sort of collector...

[Imbeek]

Before this winter is over, I'm certain to find myself on a Vegas, Hammer or Judge. As I said though, I hope these knuckleheads selling used don't suddenly think their $5K Victory is now some sort of collector...

I think it's going to go the other way. The victory dealer in Hartford CT just dropped the price on the brand new empulse they have in stock from 20,000 to 7,999, as soon as the news came out

[Stoneman]

I think it's going to go the other way. The victory dealer in Hartford CT just dropped the price on the brand new empulse they have in stock from 20,000 to 7,999, as soon as the news came out

No shit???