Quote:

At least Victory is based on their own design



Is it? Yes, it's their own motor but it's still a V-Twin and that motor design has been around since 1903 or 1904 ever since the Belgian Minerva motor was introduced. Indian was the first American V-Twin, followed by Harley and then Crocker (among others) while many of the original European V-Twins were based on JA Prestwich's wonderful V-twin (first to use overhead valves). At the time HD's first V-Twin was introduced there were over 150 motorcycle brands in the world so the claim of "who's copying who" really depends on what was on the local market.

That latest Indian iteration isn't unlike a custom bike builder using a quality motor in a frame and tins of his own design...exactly what George Brough did with the Brough series of bikes...hand built to order and using a variety of engines including Prestwich's race proven V-Twin.

It's not to say Victory isn't a great ride. After all the owners are like zealous religious converts singing the praises of the bike to anyone who will listen and trying to enlist the masses. They do get good critical reviews, have gobs of torque and horsepower and they're also the new kid on the block so their staying power has yet to be tested. That said, there must be something to them or the legion of owners wouldn't be so loyal.

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)