David Rosie is one lucky man. He was announced as the winner of Allstate’s 2012 Victory Motorcycle Sweepstakes, winning the grand prize, a 2012 Victory Cross Country customized by none other than Arlen Ness.
Events / Promotions
American motocross pioneer, race team manager and motorcycle industry executive Mark Blackwell is getting another honor: being recognized as an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend. Blackwell, who was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2000, will be feted alongside the 2013 induction class during AMA Legends Weekend, Oct. 18-19 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino in Las Vegas.
Blackwell will be honored alongside Torsten Hallman, another member of the of 2000 class, who will be recognized as a Legend for helping introduce motocross to America and for founding gear maker Thor. Like Hallman, Blackwell excelled at several different facets of the motorcycle industry.
As a racer, Blackwell was one of America’s first motocross racing stars, competing in the late ’60s and early ’70s. In 1970, Blackwell was hired to ride for Husqvarna and traveled to Sweden to train with the factory riders. He came back to the U.S. the following year and raced in the Trans-AMA series, winning the American class title by beating Brad Lackey by a single point. In 1972, Blackwell won the prestigious Daytona Motocross before returning to international racing in Europe. Continue Reading »
Harley-Davidson dealers outscored dealers from other brands to take the top spot in the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study for the second consecutive year.
The annual study measures the effectiveness of motorcycle dealerships, rating them on how they perform in different categories, such as inviting customers to sit on a floor model, offering demo rides and asking for a customer’s contact information. The study was conducted from July 2012 to April 2013 with data collected by 2,503 hired “mystery shoppers”.
We’ve included the full scores below as well as the scores from past years. One caveat however: Pied Piper PSI has rejigged its study questions and adjusted the weighting and scoring for the 2013 study to achieve an average score of 100. This resulted in a significant scoring changes compared to last year’s study and a wider range between the highest and the lowest scores.
Polaris Industries reported a 26% increase in net income over the first quarter of 2013, but a 2.9% decline in on-road vehicle sales (comprised almost entirely of Victory and Indian Motorcycles).
The company’s first quarter filings report a net income of $75.5 million, up from the $60.1 million reported over the same period in 2012. Much of the increase can be attributed to a 217% increase in net sales from its snowmobile division, spurred in large part by increase in snowfall across many regions of North America.
Unfortunately, the prolonged snowmobile season also means a delayed start to spring which had a negative impact on motorcycle sales. Polaris’ on-road division reported net sales of $62.9 million over the opening quarter of 2013, down from $64,7 million reported in the first quarter of 2012. Unseasonably warm weather last spring also helped buoy sales in the first quarter of 2012, further affecting the percentage decrease. Continue Reading »
Polaris has added another brand to its growing list of acquisitions, buying out Aixam Mega S.A.S., a French manufacturer of light-duty commercial vehicles and quadricycles – small four-wheeled enclosed vehicles that can be driven, in some markets, without an automobile driver’s license.
Aixam Mega joins Polaris’ portfolio which already includes Victory Motorcycles, Indian Motorcycles, electric vehicle makers Global Electric Motorcars and Groupil. Like GEM and Groupil, Axiam Mega produces small vehicles, though its products include both electric and diesel-powered vehicles. The company sells quadricycles under the brand name Axiam, as well as commercial vehicles under the Mega brand. Its vehicles are sold primarily in Europe with sales reaching US$110 million in 2012. Continue Reading »
Indian Motorcycle revealed its all-new Thunder Stroke 111 engine, the first engine developed under its new Polaris Industries ownership and the powerplant for the 2014 model year. According to Polaris, the Thunder Stroke 111 engine has already undergone over a million miles of testing, including thousands of miles of on-road testing.
Polaris deserves some credit for developing an all-new engine for Indian Motorcycle instead of just re-using the 106ci Freedom V-Twin engine used in the current Victory Motorcycles lineup. Instead, Polaris worked to develop a whole new engine in less than two years after the acquisition, providing modern engine technology to the 112-year-old Indian Motorcycle brand.
At 111ci (1811cc in metric) Thunder Stroke 111 engine is larger than the Freedom engine, while its 49-degree V-Twin configuration is just a tad narrower than the Freedom’s 50-degree V. According to Indian, the fuel-injected new engine is air-cooled with an integrated oil cooler and delivers more than 115 ft-lb. of torque, whereas the Freedom engine claims up to 110 ft-lb. of torque. Continue Reading »
Victory Motorcycles stands behind its products, and is taking great efforts to prove it. In recent years, Victory had been running a promotion where people can test a Victory motorcycle and, if they end up buying a competitor’s product, Victory gives them $100. Victory is taking things to a higher level offering a full money-back guarantee for 2013 models.
“We’ve been saying ‘Ride One and You’ll Own One’ for over a year, and we’ve seen thousands of riders take the challenge and join the Victory ranks,” Fulkerson said. “We’re so confident you’ll enjoy riding a Victory that we’re stepping up to our own challenge and putting our money where our mouth is. If you buy a new Victory and aren’t completely satisfied riding the best, just bring it back.”
There are some restrictions, of course. The “Victory Guarantee” offers applies only to new 2013 models purchased in the United States or Canada from March 1 to April 30. Customers must own the motorcycle for at least 30 days before they can take advantage of the guarantee. They then have another 30 days to return their motorcycle for a refund. Continue Reading »
Victory Motorcycles has released a series of videos showing a behind-the-scenes look behind its 2013 product brochure. This year’s brochure was notable for Victory‘s tie-in with Playboy magazine, including a photoshoot at the famous Playboy mansion.
The brochure featured three Playboy models, Miss November 2011 Ciara Price, Miss January 2011 Anna Sophia Berglund and Miss April 2012 Raquel Pomplun. Victory selected one photo from each model and had fans vote for which one they want to appear on the cover of the brochure, with fans picking a picture of Pomplun on a Sunset Red Victory Cross Country.
The three models later autographed that Cross Country which Victory will auction off, with all proceeds going to Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that sends care packages to deployed members of the U.S. military.
Polaris plans to bring its Victory Motorcycles brand to India by the end of the year, says Pankaj Dubey, managing director of Polaris India.
“Yes we have decided to launch in the market by the end of 2013,” Dubey tells the Press Trust of India.
The American company entered the Indian market in 2012 at the New Delhi Auto Expo. Polaris displayed a Victory Vision at the Expo, but the launch was primarily focused on the company’s off-road product lines. Polaris ATVs and UTVs have since been available at Indian dealerships and the company now appears ready to introduce its motorcycles. Continue Reading »
For the 2012 year ending December 31, 2012, Polaris Industries, Inc., (NYSE: PII) reported record net income of $4.40 per diluted share, a 38% increase compared to $3.20 per diluted share. For the fourth quarter of 2012 Polaris reported a net income of $1.24 per diluted share, up 38 percent from the prior year’s fourth quarter net income of $0.90 per diluted share.
Reported net income for the full year was $312.3 million, up 37 percent from the previous year’s net income of $227.6 million. Sales for the full year totaled $3,209.8 million, an increase of 21 percent compared to sales of $2,656.9 million for the full year 2011. For the quarter Polaris reported a net income of $88.1 million, up 38 percent from the previous fourth quarter’s net income of $63.9 million. Sales for the fourth quarter 2012 totaled a record $900.6 million, an increase of 15 percent over last year’s fourth quarter sales of $782.0 million. Continue Reading »
