Is Polaris Really “Bullish” On Victory?

It has been said that actions speak louder than words. If that’s true, Polaris needs to stop with the “bullish” lip-service and either pay some serious attention to its Victory brand or put all its eggs in Indian’s basket.

As it currently stands, having two lines of heavyweight motorcycles – Indian and Victory – is redundant. Indians are selling well, while Victorys are collecting dust on showroom floors – and it’s easy to understand why.

Before getting into detail, perhaps it’s appropriate to recall Victory’s short history. Polaris started Victory to take on Harley-Davidson, a company that had 95-year head start. Victory began selling bikes in 1998, touting them over the years as “The New American Motorcycle.”

The promo line was designed to reach into the minds and wallets of Harley owners, who flock to “Made in the U.S.” labels. Despite building what were arguably the best-made, highest-quality bikes on the planet, Harley owners didn’t flock to Victory. Harley’s iconic name and unmatched owner loyalty prevailed.

As attractive – especially when the Vegas and Kingpin models came into being – and reliable as Victory motorcycles were, they just didn’t have the Harley-Davidson name.

It wasn’t until Polaris acquired the Indian name in 2011 and began producing new Indian models in 2013 that Harley owners began to take notice.

Unlike with Victory, the Indian brand dates back to 1901, two years before Harley-Davidson began. Yes, Indian went bankrupt in 1953, and several earlier attempts to relaunch the brand failed, but the aura of the name endured. Polaris wisely knew this and had the deep pockets necessary to pull off a successful revival.

Which brings us back to today. Indian is hot. Victory is not.

Results of a Baird/Dealernews survey unveiled earlier this month show Victory dealers believe the brand to be stale and lineup lacking when it comes to entry-level models. “Victory is obviously playing second fiddle to Indian whether anyone wants to admit it or not,” said one dealer. Another said, “Victory sales are dead” and reported making “more money selling Indian T-shirts than selling Victory bikes.”

Think Victory has a problem? You bet it does.

For 2014, Victory offered 15 models – all powered by an identical 106 cubic inch V-Twin engine. For 2015, Victory is listing four cruisers (Hammer 8-Ball, High-Ball, Gunner and Vegas 8-Ball), two tourers (Cross Country Tour and Vision Tour), and three baggers (Magnum, Cross Country and Cross Country 8-Ball), and all having that same powerplant.

The Magnum is a premium bagger with an MSRP of $21,999. Here’s my question: If someone’s going to spend that much, why not buy an Indian?

Victory dealers suspect Polaris took its eye off of Victory while ramping up Indian. Looking at some of the new Victory models in recent years – the Judge and the Gunner – and it’s apparent that Victory has been doing what Harley-Davidson has been accused of doing for years – diving into a bin and mixing and matching parts to come up with new models that really aren’t all that new.

Polaris Chief Operating Officer Bennett Morgan was quoted in Dealernews last week as acknowledging, “We haven’t been able to give the brand as much news in the short term.” However, Morgan maintained, “We still remain very bullish on Victory.”

If that is indeed the case, swift action is mandated. It is apparent that Victory is at a crossroads, and needs to be rebooted in a dramatic fashion. Indian has claimed the traditional and upscale cruiser/bagger niche within Polaris. So what’s left for Victory? There’s the “affordable” niche. There’s the “sporty” niche. And there’s the “dramatically different” niche.

Existing models like the Vision Tour and the long-standing Vegas and Hammer models (now available only in 8-Ball configuration) already qualify. While the Vegas and Hammer are due to makeovers after 12 and 10 years, respectively, they warrant keeping because of name recognition.

What’s really needed, though, are new models that appeal to new riders and those not into heavy cruisers, such as an entry bike in the 300cc range and a mid-sized model in 700 cc to 1,000 cc range. Why not a sport bike or adventurer. There’s no substantive American brand producing sport bikes (EBR being a boutique) or adventure bikes. Victory was launched as being an alternative. Why not expand that theme into other areas?

Whatever the case, Victory needs to reinvent itself immediately; stake out some different territory while not abandoning its core; and actually be “bullish.” It doesn’t have the time the Polaris gave Indian to “get it right.” It needed resuscitation yesterday.