death of victory
Polaris killed Victory motorcycles!!
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Dude, your pain is my pain. Did my 2014 Cross Country value just drop by half? Maybe. But I am glad I found your channel and want to learn more about your performance improvements. Fuck Indian in the mouth.
They should have merged the brands. Victory's are all basically the same bike and Octane is basically the Scout. They should have made the Victory the middle line between the Scout and the Cheifs.
Broke my heart! I was going to upgrade from my Sportster to a Cross Crountry this year because I wanted to buy American. I'm looking at EBR now. Indian is a fine product but not in my taste. I feel the same way about the large H-D bikes. What are my choices? If Buell buys Victory and gets into the ADV/Standard game, that may work. No more affordable American bagger/fairing option. Is the Kawi Vaquero an option?
This is a consolidation. The best selling Victory models will just be tweaked & rebranded as Indian to round out the Indian lineup. I was told that by federal law, Victory parts will be manufactured for 10 years after ceasing operations and all warranties must be honored.
I'm grieving with you brother. Been riding Victory since 2003. I can't say I won't ever own an Indian but it is not likely, but my wife is mad and says we won't haha. Polaris got greedy and picked the low hanging fruit cash cow Indian. Victory always made money but it was slow growth compared to Indian. Polaris was lazy and didn't market, stopped innovating . We became the stepchild.
Think about it , they didn't put out anything new in 7 years or so. Octane only and it wouldn't have existed if they didn't have something else to put that engine in, enter the Scout. All my rant is totally speculation too but I think this decision was made more like 3 years ago but they kept putting out parts bin mash ups to use up some more parts before closing down. They told us in every owner meeting that Victory was doing great, "ahead of projections" and "Industry leading" growth as far as percentage, Steve Menneto said, every year. I rode to 6 dealers last week and they all found out on facebook like the riders did! Till The Wheels Fall Off! Victory forever.
I was strongly considering getting a victory at one point in my life. But then they put the same gas tank on very bike they made. I know not every bike but a few of them. That's when I was like "I can't do it" as well as some of the bikes share the exact same rear fender. They're just aren't as diverse in their models. But now even though they stopped production I would still consider getting one. But I couldn't do Indian, they are to gaudy and hd just makes a better looking bike than Indian imo. I'm more upset that a company that was keeping hd on their toes is now pretty much gone and keeps competition down. Oh well. Rip Victory.
I wonder what the age demographic is for those that buy the Indian line? The art deco fairing and huge butt ugly fenders are…UGLY. I really think in 5 years–unless Indian produces another model line that is Victoryish–it will be out of business, too.
And I agree, H-D street glide and Road King looks a heck of a lot better than the cartoonish, retro Indian. (The only person I know who really likes the look is 64 years old. Make sense).
audio is good but the buffeting from left to right channels are really bad
Why would they make something no one buys. There in business to make money not lose money. They have a payroll to make, expenses employees want raises every year. You think they magically have money because they're a corporation. They can't keep spending money on a product that people aren't buying. They couldn't beat Harley so they decided to join them.
It's marketing, man. Polaris had two badges in the market, Indian and Victory. Indian's badge was a stronger presence; Polaris was dividing it's resources promoting two badges that had more in common than not. And you're probably going to see an expansion of the Indian line into more of the styling and bikes that you like–there's still a market for them. So don't be surprised if the Victory name pops up again as a performance branch of Indian. Did the loss of Oldsmobile doom GM? Did GM suffer? I'm sorry, the weeping over the absence of a badge–when the engineering of Indian and Victory bikes is nearly identical–is more about nostalgia than any real loss.
I'm bummed too. I couldn't buy one of those 1950 styled Indians either. I also couldn't buy a Harley as I don't like to follow the crowd. As much as I like to stay "American made", my only option is buying a used Victory in the future. My wife and I will be in the market for a bagger in about 8 years. Whoever has my future 2017 CC bagger (in red), please take good care of her! I do plan on riding my Victory Judge for as long as I can find parts. I'm just starting a channel and will have ride videos up so others can witness Victory's awesomeness. Ride on brother and be safe out there!
I agree with your Kawasaki POV. I love my Vision but when the time comes I will move to the Vulcan Voyager.
good riddance! never liked 'em. Harley rules.
It won't be long before Polaris sells off Indian or closes the Indian operations. They are out of there depth promoting their roads bikes making them a threat to Harley Davidson who are the masters of marketing or the Japanese brands who produce bikes that are well priced with undeniable reliability. It's hard to believe that the 106 Freedom motor will be no more a great motor in great bikes.
Polaris wanted indian in the 90s but couldn't make it happen so they created the victory line. They tried again in the early 2000s again nothing. They finally got it in 2011.
Your right brother! Indian was brought in to destroy Victory! Hoping someone will buy the Victory line! They done with Harley's and Indians!
Hey General Motors how about you guys?
I came off sport bikes also. I'm a victory owner. I guess I will go back to sport bikes.
You are right, it is money and profit based. Bottom line for Polaris is Victory has a 3% market share vs. Indian with 15%. I saw the writing on the wall when the Victory / KTM proposed partnership fell through. I have a 2013 Victory Cross Country and I purchased it for the same reason you did as a performance cruiser with quality and styling that Harley didn't have at the time. I should know as I was a past member of the Harley Davidson Consumer Board. Doesn't do any good to rant on Polaris, as business is business and making money is making money. I will continue to ride my Victory Cross Country until there are no more parts to repair my bike. At that point I will part it out to keep someone else Victory on the road.
Victory. Lol
Indian lol
I love Indian bikes!
You forgot about the new Moto Guzzi bagger.
I want a fuel injected v4 two stroke with a CVT.
if they want to sell motorcycles that's what they should make.
If you want to talk, talk. If you want to ride, ride. But don't do both. And stop sniveling. Hopefully Polaris will bring it back. But there is a limited market for big, V twin bikes. Harley and Indian have the name recognition.
Slaughtered as a sacrificial lamb to cover for Scotty Whiner's consecutive failures since he took the wheel. Congrats, dumbasses, you killed the one brand that didn't crack in half, try to kill it's riders, or burn itself to the ground. Disgusting.
Stand by folks. Indian is bringing it this year.
Dude I feel exactly the same as you except for 1 thing. Im not switching to Harley lol or anything for that matter. these bikes are so damn easy to work on no way I would get rid of my Magnum or Vegas 8 ball. You can tear these bikes down to the frame with literally a handful of tools. Head and baseplate gaskets were the only thing I had to get from the dealer when I bumped mine to 11-1 pistons and the VM-1 cams. Im thinking ill buy a parts bike and some gaskets for sure before the 10 years is up but ill bet I can get them to last another 25 years no problem. Hell I drive a 45 year old Buick Skylark as a daily driver so no doubt I can get these bikes to last.
what planet is this guy on. I have seen maybe 5-10 Victory bikes in Georgia in the last 18 years.
I agree with you I like the styling of HD over the Indians, plus HD is cheaper. I also think the 106 is a better, more powerful engine than the thunderjoke 111. I have a buddy that has one and I think (know) my CC outperforms it all day long.
They are making a big mistake.
Here what I think they should have done…
To cut cost they could have reduced the Cross Country models to the Magnum and XC Tour,
Dropped the Vision, because the XC is selling better.
Dropped the Hammer because the Octane is their new performance model.
Reduce the Gunner back to one color.
Sold off the Epulse to interested parties.
Created a Cafe variant of the Octane to broaden their market.
Dropped The Slingshot because it is a smaller Niche market than motorcycles and likely will be forgotten in a few short years anyway.
Even if motorcycle sales slow they'll always return. A motorcycle takes up a lot less room in the garage than a Slingshot and I am certain most of us can not fit a Slingshot in our shed, even if we wanted one.
Polaris has displayed a lack of commitment to a brand they developed by discontinuing Victory. Especially when it was finally gaining increased popularity and getting some respect.
So now, how committed am I suppose to believe they are to a brand they picked up from some where else?
Is Indian going to get the Ax in twenty years or less?
What ever small profitable margin they believe they will gain for a brief time is going to hurt a lot aftermarket companies that have invested in the development and production of accessories and specialized services that have grown around the Victory brand.
Polaris should have at least put the brand up for sale.
Let us not forget this decision follows an economic low point in U.S. history that has lasted eight years and the company still saw growth and gained recognition.
If the U.S. economy swings up from here there is a chance Polaris if forfeiting a greater percentage.
Not everybody wants a new Indian or a Harley that is shopping for an American style cruiser and Victory offered a contemporary take on an old tradition that was welcome.
This news was disappointing to say the least.
A sad day indeed. I won't ever buy another Polaris product ever. my retirement bike was going to be an Indian Roadmaster, but feeling like I got super fucked on my purchase of the 2015 Victory highball I can tell you my next bike will be a HD Dyna and my retirement bike will be a Road King. I now really wish I bought the Dyna 2 years ago. The Harley guys I ride with who really thought my Victory was great were right all along. Stick with a true American motorcycle, not a Bullshit wannabe bike from a company that makes snowmobiles and seadoos. Indian will be the next to go once some cocksucker in a suit doesn't see enough profit to make his big fucking bonus that year.
i have a feeling Indian is going to have a few "new" models soon.
Mancuso has brand new Cross Country's for $16,999 with stage one already done on them. I still ended up getting Street Glide Special. Oh well.
I bought a 2017 Victory High Ball, first bike in 23 years! Three weeks later they said, "Sorry we're gone!" WTF!!! Looks like your riding around S. Houston, if so I'm a little south of you, hope to see you on the road.
love my vic XC.
Are Victory's are cool now that there finished.
Polaris is not a motorcycle company period. I love my Vic. But the next bike will be a Roadking special. The Indian 111 has major clacking problems and Polaris customer service is terrible you know that.
3 years of losses. you have to end it before you go broke. Indian is the way to go. I hope they make a bobber and put the 106 in it. Indian needs something in between the scout and the chief.
car paid off in 4 months, still plan on getting a Victory Cross Country, hopefully can find one at a dicounted price. parts will still be available, so not too worried atm. Not to many stock bikes fit my 6'6" frame, so will be looking for my cross country soon. R.S.M.F.
Polaris owns Indian now
Yamaha has the stratoliner a 1900cc bagger, Zuki has the c90 and the 109. Indians are cool but a bit too pricey, I think their aim was to convert Harley owners I doubt they gave Vic owners much thought. They did offer that 10yr promise on parts though which was nice I suppose.