Polaris and the End of Victory Motorcycles

Goodbye, Victory Motorcycles. It's Been a Ride.

Well, it happened. It’s been a rumor that’s been circulating since 2015, so while it may not be as big of a surprise as ‘surprises’ typically are, it’s a final confirmation.

Polaris Industries, who are primarily famed for their excellent work done with Indian Motorcycles, has officially cut the rope loose for what is Victory Motorcycles. So if you were in love with this brand and bike style, unfortunately, you should not expect any new releases. Forever. Yeah, it’s that final. The reason behind this not-so-shocking decision is so that Polaris can focus on their top two selling brands, Indian Motorcycles, and Slingshot Motorcycles.

When it came to style alone, the Polaris Victory Motorcycles brand seemed to be a competitor with the traditional and classic brand that is Harley Davidson. And while they were never on the level that Harley was- and not many motorcycle brands are- Victory at least tried to hold its own. However, Victory was not performing at the level that Indian was, so it was a fate that was seen pretty vividly. We really didn’t need a crystal ball to predict this one.

Polaris first created Victory back in 1998, so when it comes to the long and winding history behind a brand, Victory was seriously lacking. While we can credit Harley Davidson and Indian for designing and creating some fantastic beasts of the road, we have also to acknowledge that history can play a massive part in the success of a brand. Victory didn’t have that to fall back on. While Polaris owned Victory before they owned Indian (which would come in 2011), it was hard for Victory to compete against a powerhouse brand like Harley.

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We can expect some killer bikes to be released for the Indian line.

It is likely that Polaris saw the immense potential in Indian and Slingshot bikes, and decided that this was for the best. It’s challenging to balance three very different brands successfully, regarding time and resources, so it was only a matter of time until the weakest performing would be cut out of the relationship.  

This will be upsetting news for a lot of passionate riders, as Victory offered a style and design that most jumped at when they weren’t interested in buying a Harley. However, with the rise of success Indian bikes has seen as of late, it has likely given Polaris a better idea of what people are buying and what they aren’t. And, as always, you got to give the people what they want.

Polaris will still be helping dealers to liquidate their current inventory of Victory bikes, and they will also continue to supply bike parts for the next ten years for those people who still own Victory rides.

If there is ever a time to show that history in a brand goes a long way, this is a prime example. But for those of you who love Victory and the bikes they’ve created, be expecting a hefty amount of Victory Motorcycles for sale as they try to get rid of the inventory they have left. They’re still a great bike brand, just with an unfortunate ending, so if you ride a Victory bike, ride it proudly in memory!

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