Why Polaris Killed Victory Motorcycles?

Victory Motorcycles was as American as Harley-Davidson. Unlike most struggling American motorcycle brands that came and disappeared after a while, Victory made a solid impression. Victory Motorcycles was able to stand firm against the giant motorcycle brands.

Despite facing tough competition from Harley-Davidson throughout, Victory still managed to do well. The brand successfully took over the American cruiser market until it remained operational.

Victory Motorcycles was shut down in 2017 not because the motorbikes failed to impress riders. It was shut down because the parent company had another plan, which will be discussed later in this article. Continue reading to learn why Polaris killed Victory Motorcycles.

Victory was a successful American motorcycle brand. The motorcycles it produced quickly became popular among U.S. riders. These bikes were like the modern Harley motorbikes, but they didn’t neglect the true American cruiser culture.

Victory Motorcycles was too young a brand for Harley Davidson. The company started operating in 1997 and released its first model, the Victory V92C, in 1998.

On the other hand, Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Though it has faced numerous challenges so far, it has always successfully overcome them.

As you can see, Victory Motorcycles is like a grandchild brand of Harley-Davidson. It was established almost a century after Harley-Davidson but became among the toughest competitors.

Victory motorcycles were way too stylish, modern, attractive, and classic, yet aggressive. They were neatly designed and built using high-quality parts.

It was only Victory Motorcycles who dared to compete with Harley-Davidson in the same niche. Victory Motorcycles produced top-quality cruisers and touring bikes during its tenure. The company stayed operational for about 20 years. It was discontinued in 2017 by Polaris. During the 20 years of its production, the company produced several notable Victory models, including:

• Victory Vegas
• Victory Octane
• Victory High Ball
• Victory Hammer

If you want to know in detail about the best Victory motorcycles built, read the below article:

If you compare Victory Motorcycles with Harley-Davidson when It was operational, it was ahead of its time. Victory became a symbol of reliability, performance, and smooth ride quality. The company secured a good share of the American cruiser and touring bike market.

Before Victory Motorcycles, Harley-Davidson was considered the only King in the V-Twin domain. However, Victory proved everybody wrong with its superior V-Twin engine technology.

Above all, Victory Motorcycles was quick enough to adapt to changes. This made the company more flexible and better. If you go through the models Victory has ever produced, you will fall in love with this brand. Not just the performance, Victory Motorcycles was on par with almost every notable global motorcycle brand in terms of finishing, parts quality, and character.

Victory Motorcycles didn’t have as strong a dealership network, presence, and aftermarket parts manufacturer as Harley-Davidson, but it managed to do a great job in terms of sales.

There are rumors that Victory Motorcycles is failing as a brand due to less satisfactory performance. Some people believe that Victory failed to live up to riders' expectations. However, this is not true. The 2015 Consumer Survey Report shows Victory had one of the highest owner satisfaction scores. These bikes are reliable.

You will be surprised to know that the Victory Motorcycle Club, which includes Victory motorcycle owners, is one of the biggest motorcycle clubs. They have a huge presence all over the U.S. This club has more than 100 chapters in different parts of the country, and the number of members reaches more than 22,000. It is a great achievement for a brand that existed for less than two decades.

When everything seemed to work perfectly for Victory Motorcycles, what made Polaris stop making them? There were various reasons that made the parent company decide to close down Victory. Let’s get into the details of why Polaris killed Victory Motorcycles:

According to Polaris's financial reports, Victory was shut down due to low sales volumes in its last few years. According to the parent company, Polaris failed to make any substantial profit from Victory motorcycles. A few sources also claim that Victory was unable to make any profit in three out of its last five years of production.

In the last few years of Victory Motorcycles’ production, no new models were introduced, and only a few cosmetic upgrades, including new paint jobs, were made. This became a major reason why most consumers lost interest in Victory motorcycles.

Most practical motorcycle buyers always look for new upgrades on the same models every year.

In the 2010s, competition in the motorcycle market increased. Harley-Davidson is considered one of the major factors why Victory had to shut down. Harley-Davidson rose again to popularity, introducing several changes to the H-D motorbikes.

Other global manufacturers competed in the U.S. cruiser market. Indian Motorcycle, another subsidiary of Polaris, was also making waves with its superior cruiser and touring bike lineups.

Victory Motorcycles failed to fight back the tough competition in its last few years and ultimately had to be discontinued in favor of Indian Motorcycles.

Victory Motorcycles was not as big a brand as Harley-Davidson. Though the Victory was doing great, it didn’t become a household motorcycle brand for Americans. Harley-Davidson was a huge brand at that time and still is, regardless of its current challenges.

Harley-Davidson charges too much for its motorcycles because of the brand name. The moniker on the Harley-Davidson’s gas tank is worth thousands of dollars.

The reason why Victory wasn’t huge at the time of its discontinuation was that it wasn’t an old brand. It wasn’t established as much as Harley-Davidson or Indian Motorcycle.

Though there are many reasons why Polaris killed Victory Motorcycles, this one seems to be highly valid. Discontinuing Victory was a strategic move by Polaris to promote the Indian Motorcycle brand. Operating both brands under the Polaris trademark was not the smartest move by the parent company. It was more like a conflict of interest.

Polaris Industries purchased the rights to both Indian and Victory Motorcycles in 2011. The acquisition of Indian Motorcycle was not the same as acquiring Victory. Polaris decided to revive the legendary Indian brand to compete with Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson has the advantage of being one of the oldest motorcycle brands that is still surviving and successful. They take pride in being the most traditional American cruiser brand. They are proud of taking part in the World Wars and surviving through such tough times. The company claims to be the National American motorcycle brand.

On the other hand, the other brand with a history older than Harley-Davidson is Indian Motorcycle. Indian was established in 1901, two years before even Harley was born.

However, Indian didn’t stay as active as Harley-Davidson during its tenure. To capitalize on its legendary brand name, Polaris decided to acquire and then revive Indian Motorcycle.

Indian Motorcycle, which was going nowhere, suddenly picked up the pace and flourished under Polaris ownership. Polaris deserves to be credited for the success of Indian Motorcycle. However, the success comes at a cost and the cost here in this case is Victory.

It is evident why Victory Motorcycles was shut down despite being successful and trustworthy. The parent company's strategic move was to focus primarily on one subsidiary, Indian Motorcycle.

Both Indian and Victory Motorcycles had almost similar cruiser and touring bike lineups. There were also a close resemblance between their models due to being produced by the same company.

There are still old and used Victory models available in the market. Most of them still hold a good value due to being reliable. However, looking closely at Indian motorcycles, you will see a glimpse of Victory models. To most Victory fans, Indian motorcycles give the same vibe.

Polaris killed Victory Motorcycles because the company wanted to consolidate its resources and efforts to promote one brand. The parent company wanted motorbikes to be known as Indian. According to Polaris, Indian could have been a better competitor to Harley-Davidson due to its old brand identity.

Considering the popularity of Victory Motorcycles, it must have been tough for Polaris to wind down Victory. Victory received too much love and recognition from Americans. Those who are fans of the cruiser riding style know the worth of Victory motorcycles.

Whether it was style, aesthetics, performance, smoothness, reliability, and ride quality, Victory was superior in all departments. It will be remembered for many years or decades to come.