Who Made Victory Motorcycles And What Happened With The Brand?

The motorcycle world has always been built on choice. This can be seen in the different niches of riding that exist, whether you want to go off-roading, speed down a racetrack at blinding speeds, or simply cruise along a sunny coastline on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This choice is also evident in the many motorcycle brands that exist today, from Aprilia and BMW to Kawasaki, Indian, and Suzuki. 

Many of these manufacturers are well-known globally, with beloved products that turn heads wherever they go. However, there have existed other companies that, although no longer operational, were also eager to carve a place for themselves in the motorcycle industry. Among these is Victory Motorcycles, a Polaris Industries-owned motorcycle brand that once made a range of bikes meant to take on industry giants such as Harley-Davidson. 

In 2017, Polaris shut down Victory-related operations after it became clear that the motorcycle subsidiary wasn't making as big an impact as the competition. The sales were poor, with brand sellers sometimes only selling an average of 20 bikes a year. Additionally, Polaris had acquired Indian Motorcycle in 2011, and given the fanbase Indian had built over the years, Polaris decided to focus on it instead. 

Polaris debuted Victory Motorcycles' first bike, the V92C, in 1997. The company aimed to win over bikers who had long been drawn to Harley's cruisers and tourers across the country. Full production kicked into gear, with the V92C releasing the following year. Polaris had established itself as a reputable snowmobile and ATV manufacturer, offering some genuinely good vehicles in the off-road market. However, there seemed to be a good market for cruisers and tourers that Harley-Davidson had dominated entirely, a market that the ATV and snowmobile maker wanted a piece of. 

Victory started putting out motorcycles, only managing to become profitable in 2002. The company had almost 60 motorcycle models under its banner, ranging from baggers and cruisers to naked bikes and grand tourers, all of which needed to find buyers, or the motorcycle maker would face significant financial challenges. 

That reality materialized as, over the 2000s and 2010s, Victory didn't achieve sales figures that would justify the kind of investment typically required to run a motorcycle manufacturing company (in its final years, it accounted for only 3% of Polaris' sales). In 2017, Polaris shut down the brand, ending two decades of efforts to establish a foothold in the cruisers and tourers segment of American motorcycles.  

In its 20 years of operation, Victory Motorcycles offered more than a few interesting bikes. Among these was its flagship bike, the Victory Vegas, which the motorcycle maker debuted in 2003. Designed by renowned motorcycle industrial designer Michael Song, who has now worked on several of Indian's bikes, like the Indian Scout, the Victory Vegas featured a massive 1,634cc V-twin that pushed out 123 horsepower. The bike was powerful, to say the least, with surprisingly excellent cornering capabilities — all reasons why we included it among our discontinued motorcycles that deserve a modern remake list. 

Looking at Victory Motorcycles' history, you might say it bit off more than it could handle with whom it chose to step into the ring with. Harley-Davidson has been operational for over 100 years, with the bikes, engines, and fanbase to match. It has the kind of loyalty that has fans tattooing its logos on themselves, a kind of loyalty that cannot be bought. As it stands, Indian Motorcycle might be one of the few American motorcycle brands able to take on Harley, considering that the two started around the same time (although Indian has been dormant for over 50 years), and that Indian has the grit and fanbase required to face such a behemoth.