Harley-Davidson dealerships topped the rankings for the 2012 edition of the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, an industry benchmarking study examining how well dealerships treat customers, and turning shoppers into buyers.

The Pied Piper PSI rated different manufacturers’ dealerships in a number of categories to produce an overall score. The study was conducted between July 2011 and April 2012 with 1,653 anonymous “mystery shoppers” gathering information at different dealerships across the U.S.

The study gave Harley-Davidson dealers a score of 108, a four-point improvement from 2011 and five points above the industry average. According to researchers, Harley-Davidson dealers scored the highest of all brands in 16 different categories, including offering test rides, obtaining contact information and asking customers if for the sale. Continue Reading »

Polaris Industries reported a 44% increase in on-road vehicle sales revenue and a 40% increase in North American Victory Motorcycle unit sales over the first quarter of 2012.

According to Polaris’ first quarter report, its on-road vehicle division (which consists of the Victory and Indian motorcycle brands as well as electric vehicle brands GEM and Goupil) generated $64.7 million in sales revenue, compared to $44.9 million reported in the same quarter of 2011.

Of course, the Polaris didn’t yet own Indian, GEM or Goupil during that quarter last year, so the figures are a bit misleading. Nevertheless, the new acquisitions accounted for just half of the division’s first quarter revenue growth (about $9.9 million). Victory Motorcycles accounted for most of the remaining $9.9 million growth, thanks to a 40% increase in North American unit sales. Continue Reading »

South Dakota-based Klock Werks Kustom Cycles is raffling a custom Victory motorcycle to benefit the family of a late employee and raise awareness for organ donation.

Klock Werks created the one-off custom, based on a 2010 Victory Kingpin, to honor the life of Vic Bragg, an employee and tattoo artist who died in a car accident in 2011 at the age of 29. The tribute custom, dubbed “Tattooed for Life” was presented at the New York stop of the 2012 International Motorcycle Shows tour in January.

The cafe-styled  Tattooed for Life Kingpin will be raffled off, with the funds raised going to a trust fund for Bragg’s four young children, Brooke, Brittany, Brandy and Brycen. The raffle also seeks to raise awareness for organ donation. Bragg was a registered organ donor, and after his death, his heart was given to help save the life of a teenage boy. Continue Reading »

Victory Motorcycles is showcasing a collection of Polaris-designed prototypes and custom models in its display at the Minneapolis stop of the IMS tour, Feb. 3-5 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The collection will feature concept models and prototypes from over the years by the Polaris Industrial Design studio. The exhibit will include the Victory CORE concept (pictured above) first unveiled at the 2009 IMS, the Victory Vision 800 concept first shown in 2006, and the Polaris Revolver sports ATV (pictured after the jump).

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Polaris Industries reported a record net profit of $227.6 million for 2011. Polaris’ on-road arm, which consists primarily of Victory Motorcycles saw a 79% year-on-year increase in sales.

Sales from on-road vehicles, including Victory and Indian motorcycles as well as small electric vehicles from the newly-acquired GEM and Goupil brands, totaled $146.3 million in 2011, compared to just $81.6 million in 2010.

“Our record fourth quarter results were a fitting ending to a year in which we generated record annual sales and earnings and significantly exceeded our initial expectations,” says Scott Wine, Polaris’ Chief Executive Officer. “Our top and bottom-line expansion, and the momentum we are sustaining throughout our business, directly results from our focus on driving innovation, enhancing our product offering, reducing costs, and growth through new global markets and adjacencies.”

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Alongside the official unveiling of the new 2013 Victory Judge at the New York IMS came the unwrapping of a custom Café racer version of Victory’s new cruiser by Zach Ness.

The grandson of Arlen Ness and son of Cory decided to give the Judge a café racer makeover, completely re-doing the Judge’s rear including getting rid of the number plate area below the seat that seems to be hit-or-miss with critics.

Ness is still tinkering with his custom Judge, and he says he intends to ride it into Daytona Bike Week. In the meantime, Victory released a video (look for it after the jump) of Ness going over the work he put into the custom Ness Café Victory Judge.

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The 2011-2012 International Motorcycle Shows tour hits the Big Apple this weekend with a number of debuts, Jan. 20-22 at the Jakob K. Javits Convention Center.

Headlining the show is a new 2013 Victory model being introduced by R. Lee Ermey, a.k.a. The Gunny. According to Victory, the new model will be a cruiser that reflects “the American muscle car scene”. The brand new 2013 model will be joined by two custom Victory models, a Zach Ness customized version of the new model and a custom bike produced by Klocks Werks Kustom Motorcycles in memory of one of its fallen employees, Vic Briggs.

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Hot off the trails of the Hard Ball’s release just last month, Victory Motorcycles is showing no signs of slowing down in 2012, as it’s set to debut yet another new model January 20 at the New York International Motorcycle Show. Continue Reading »

In past years, the biennial Auto Expo in India slipped under the radar while the industry was focused more on shows such as EICMA in Italy and Intermot in Germany. But with India’s middle class starting to flex its financial muscle while other markets continue to struggle, the New Delhi show is becoming much more prominent, with major OEMs positioning themselves to claim a piece of the India’s 13 million vehicles-a-year market.

We’ve already looked at India-produced Royal Enfield’s new Thunderbird 500 and Hero Moto’s hybrid scooter concept which debuted at the Auto Expo, and today we’ll look at what the major international OEMs presented.

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A 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run. That is what defines the Ironman Trianthlon, one of the most physically grueling competitions in the world, a race so harsh, the sport’s mantra is “Just Finishing is a Victory.”

Victory Motorcycles has released a video showing a different side of the famous Ironman World Championship at Kona, Hawaii, taken from the perspective of the motorcycle-riding camera operators which film the  annual race. Victory sponsored some of the camera teams that filmed this year’s race for outlets such as NBC television and the 12-minute video shows some of the work that goes into this subset of motorcycle riding.

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