Victory Motorcycles
 |
|
| Industry | Motorcycle manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Spirit Lake, Iowa, USA |
|
Production output
|
1999-2017 |
| Parent | Polaris Industries |
| Website | www.victorymotorcycles.com |
Victory Motorcycles is an American motorcycle manufacturer with its final assembly facility in Spirit Lake, Dickinson County, northern Iowa, United States. It began production of its vehicles in 1998, and began winding down operations in January of 2017.
Its parent company, Polaris Industries, created the firm following the modern success of Harley-Davidson. Victory's motorcycles are designed to compete directly with Harley-Davidson and similar American-style motorcycle brands, with V-twin engines and touring, sport-touring, and cruiser configurations. The first Victory, the V92C, was announced in 1997 and began selling in 1998. Victory was profitable for many years (beginning in 2002) but was in the red three of its last five years.
Polaris, a Minnesota company with annual sales in 2012 of $3.2 billion, was one of the earliest manufacturers of snowmobiles. Polaris also manufactures ATVs, side-by-side off-road vehicles, electric vehicles and, until 2004, personal watercraft. Seeking to diversify its product line, and observing the sales enjoyed by Harley-Davidson and similar manufacturers, the company decided to produce a large motorcycle built entirely in the United States.
Victory vehicles follow the traditional American style of a heavier motorcycle that increasingly became associated with the Harley-Davidson brand in economically advanced nations after the Second World War, rather than more modern racing-inspired designs.
In 2010, Polaris engaged in a major expansion of production and marketing of the motorcycle. In 2011 Polaris bought the Indian motorcycle brand.
The first model, the V92C, was debuted at Planet Hollywood in the Mall of America by Al Unser, Jr. in 1997. Production began starting on July 4, 1998 for the 1999 model that was the first official model year. At 92 cu in (1,510 cc), the V92C was the second largest production motorcycle engine available at the time, and sparked a race among motorcycle manufacturers to build bigger and bigger engines. All components for the V92C were manufactured in Minnesota and Iowa, except the Italian Brembo brakes and the British-made electronic fuel injection system. Victory engines debuted with five-speed transmissions (later six), single overhead cams, dual connecting rods, hydraulic lifters, and fuel injection; most fuel-injection components are standard GM parts. The V92C engine was designed to be easily tuned by the owner.
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