Quote: The slow selling Thunderbird and now discontinued America/Speedmaster might be an example of what Triumph has done right and why Victory continued to struggle until the end.
Victory went all or nothing at the high profit high volume cruiser and touring market while Triumph "went their own way" and quickly built a well rounded product line that covers every type of street motorcycle. If Triumph had the same strategy as Victory it may have failed just the same.
Yep, but in the case of Triumph and its initial offerings from the new Hinckley plant, it would have been more the thought of that it might not have succeeded IF they would have stayed solely with a line-up consisting of the modern water-cooled sport/sport touring machines they offered upon their re-start.
It would be the very successful retro-styled air-cooled Bonneville line which later would primarily place them financially speaking the black and out of the red, and begin to give John Bloor the return in his investment about ten years after his factory opened operations.
Yep, if it hadn't been for the fact that Triumph possessed the "Heritage factor" and would eventually use it to their advantage by bringing to the market updated and modern versions of the fondly remembered Bonnevilles of old, and something Victory didn't possess, the chances of Triumph succeeding would probably have been reduced, to be sure.
And also considering that in both the cases of Triumph and Victory there were and are "deep pockets" involved...Bloor's deep pockets for Triumph, and Polaris Industries deep pockets for Victory, and unlike so many other of these recent failed start-up and/or revival of motorcycle marques such as the Gilroy Indian venture, the Excelsior-Henderson venture and Kenny Dreer's Norton venture.
(...and which also now seems doomed after Brit Stuart Garner purchased it from Dreer a few years ago and returned operations to the UK...my guess: Look for an announcement very soon about Norton also closing down operations, as Garner's pockets were never nearly as deep as Bloor's)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
