Quote: It sounds like financially at this time, the move to halt Victory makes sense, although I wonder how much sustainability there is in a very retro bike like the Indian. I thought that the whole idea of Victory and Indian in the Polaris stable was to create some diversification to cater to two crowds - buyers that might have gone to Harley but want another American option, and buyers that seek a real vintage looking bike.
When Victory was launched I thought why build only big air cooled V-Twin cruisers that are obviously aimed at the Harley Davidson market. Why not offer a modern sport or adventure bike? When John Bloor relaunched the new Triumph he did it with sport bikes not the classic air cooled parallel twins, they came later by popular demand. But like the press statement from Polaris said Victory has failed to gain enough market share remaining in the 2 to 3 percent range. They went straight at the monster and didn't make a dent because it was obvious they were trying to copy/follow the leader. Basic hit them where they ain't tactics might have served Victory better. Look, If Harley Davidson built an exact copy of a Honda 1000RR sport bike enthusiasts still wouldn't buy it because of the Harley Davidson brand name...and when Honda builds a lame copy of a V-twin Harley cruiser well Harley riders ain't interested in rice. This was the gap Victory could have filled but when the strategy failed Polaris bought some heritage cred with the Indian name.
2011 Triumph America (10/2011 to 07/2014)
2012 Harley Davidson 1200C Sportster
2014 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
