#victory

The motorcycle world got knocked for a bit of a loop last week when Polaris Industries announced it would be shutting down its Victory Motorcycles division after two decades of trying to cut into Harley-Davidson’s stranglehold on the American cruiser market.

With the unfortunate news of Polaris shutting down Victory Motorcycles, it only seemed right for this week’s Church feature to be about Victory. Oddly, despite Victory’s beginnings in 1997, it took a few years – and a new millennia – for MO to get its hands on one. We’ve featured some of those models already in past Church features, so for this week we’re going with the oldest Victory review we have yet to showcase: the 2003 Victory Vegas. Ridden and written by Eric Bass, sit back, relax, and enjoy this early road test review of what might become a collector’s item in 20 years. Oh, and for more pictures, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

Today marked the end of an era, with Polaris announcing it was closing down its Victory Motorcycles operations after 18 years of building cruisers to compete with the might of Harley-Davidson. It would’ve been 20 years ago this June that Al Unser Jr. rode a V92C into the Mall of America’s Planet Hollywood at its debut to the world.

Polaris Industries is shutting down the Victory Motorcycles brand after 18 years in business. Polaris says it will assist dealers in liquidating their remaining inventory and will continue to produce parts for another 10 years to support Victory owners.

The great American West never suffers fools. When you look at the harsh conditions faced by the hardy souls who set out to claim their fortune in California’s Mojave Desert, the stakes get even higher. Do a little research, and you’ll discover an impressive number of hamlets were born, sometimes prospered, sometimes didn’t, then died – often in dog years. Most have disappeared without a trace. A few still have bits of their remains visible in the arid landscape. Still others hang on in a semi-zombie state between self-sustaining life and their final desiccation plotted by the patient desert.

The original plan was to be in Calico to shoot the wrap video for last week’s “Bagger Brawl” four-bike comparo tour (which should get posted next week, maybe…), but you know what they say about best-laid plans. That goes double for MOron plans. Instead of being an hour-and-a-half from the barn, we wound up running low on daylight and needing to roll tape while we were still in Death Valley, four hours north. Motorcycles tend to make you think things are a lot closer than they are, even if you were just there last year. By the time the cameras were packed back up and the Harley Street Glide, Victory Magnum, Moto Guzzi MGX-21 and Indian Chieftain were ready to roll, the sun was setting and the “mega moon” was rising over one of the most desolately beautiful places in North America.

Dear MOby,

Due to Euro 4 regulations, this week Victory announced its European lineup would be reduced down to four models: the Octane, Gunner, High-ball and Judge (which, ironically, isn’t part of Victory’s 2017 U.S. lineup). After reading the news, it seemed fitting to make Victory the marque of choice for this week’s Church feature. Specifically, the 2007 Victory Hammer S, as ridden (and written) by MO alum, Pete Brissette. With seemingly just an appearance change and a swap of handlebars, Victory had turned the standard Hammer into something Pete couldn’t resist, going so far as to say “Victory got it right!” The collective MO staff have long been fans of the underdog Victory, and Pete explains in this review why that’s so. Enjoy. And, as always, for more pictures be sure to visit the photo gallery.

Victory is reducing its European market product line-up to just four models for 2017 because of new Euro 4 regulations kicking in next year. We’re not sure Euro 4 was supposed to stand for “four European models,” but here we are.

One-hundred and six pound-feet of torque is an addictive drug if you can get your hands on it, and it’s even better when it’s available to you almost instantly. Thankfully for us this dream has been a reality since 2014, in the form of the Zero SR. It accelerates like few other bikes can thanks to its 660-amp motor controller and higher-temp magnets. Couple that with new-for-2015 bits like Showa suspension, Pirelli tires, and Bosch ABS, and you have the makings for our Best Electric Motorcycle of 2015.

By 2005 Victory had been around for slightly less than a decade and in that time the company knew it had (and continues to have) a big mountain to climb in order to upseat Harley-Davidson, the king of the cruiser market. From the start, however, the company has put out strong challengers centered around a 92 cubic inch V-Twin we’ve long enjoyed. By 2005, though, the muscle cruiser craze had taken shape and Victory already had an engine to bring to the table – the same one it’s always had. And in these reviews of the 2005 Victory Hammer and 8-Ball, Big Dirty Sean Alexander  explains what made (and continues to make) Victory viable alternatives for those who want more performance and attitude in their cruisers. To see more pictures of both models, be sure to visit the photo gallery.  

Peace, love and understanding is what we’re all about here at MO, man, and on this excellent junket to the great Midwest, we made some serious inroads. One dinner, after a day spent rolling along the east bank of the Mississippi through springtime Illinois and Wisconsin, Editorial Director Sean Alexander (who thinks the Aprilia Tuono is the perfect casual traveling bike) actually admitted that the bikes we were on were ideally suited to our ride. Well, hello. He also admitted it was his first time riding in “flyover country.”

A Roadster, Scout, Bobber and Octane roll into a bar…

Dear MOrons,

There are a lot of reasons that we moto journos get into this gig. It goes without saying that we all share a passion for the sport of motorcycling, but it’s about more than just the opportunity to ride and test motorcycles and gear for a living, see things that we might not otherwise see, enjoy memorable experiences and then tell stories about them. It’s also about meeting great people from all walks of life who share our passion for this amazing sport.