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Polaris shuts down Victory operations

7K views 62 replies 36 participants last post by  05nwl 
#1 · (Edited)
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/polaris-stops-victory-motorcycles-production-114457.html


http://www.polaris.com/en-us/company/article/victory-motorcycles-important-announcement


http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/motorcycles/a24667/polaris-cease-victory-motorcycle-production/


Another victim of poor sales numbers so Polaris announced about an hour ago Victory Motorcycle operations and production is being shutdown. Anyone interested in buying one should watch the dealers' prices as they liquidate their stock.


Allen
 
G
#3 ·
Poor guys who financed without big down payments will be stuck.
Visions used are going cheap here in central Illinois.
There is a 2013 Vision with 3300 miles at a car dealership for $10,055 in Peotone,Illinois.


Doug
 
#4 ·
How long before the sling shot is gone?
 
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#5 ·
Good question. They sold like cotton candy when first introduced..... in the mean time, I know of two "DO NOT DRIVE" recalls - and they have certainly had their fair share of issues.

I was browsing the Slingshot forum the other day, and was astonished to see the number of rear swing arm breaks. They appear to simply snap in half.

:surprise::surprise::surprise:

.
.
The local dealer has a couple that have been sitting on the floor more than 6 months. Maybe the new-ness has just worn off. I don't know.
 
#7 ·
Glad I got out back in March 2016. I hate it for the buyer but he seems to be thrilled with it. My closest Victory dealer quit them last year 2016 about the time I put mine up for sale. I liked mine rode it for two years 17k miles it had its quirks like any bike but I had the chance to buy a wing and try it out for few months before I decided which bike I was going to keep. So here I am I think I made the right choice Now more than ever.
 
#8 ·
Surprised; didn't see that coming. There must have been some financial write-ups about their sluggish sales and profits that I missed along the way. Don't recall seeing a thing like that. I hope Indian can keep going.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I was just about to post this. I read about it a couple hours ago but I only had my phone at the time. I kind of liked to think that Victory was a little more high tech and futuristic than Harley. I guess that people get into Big V-twins for the retro look and feel anyway and Indian seems to be more authentic for that reason. I like our local dealer. I might keep my eyes open for a deal. At least parts will be available for 10 years. I have a friend who bought Buell at a great price under similiar conditions.
 
#11 ·
On the street when most people talked about buying a V-twin and not a Harley, Indian was brought up most of the time. I think Polaris made the right decision rather than continue to compete with themselves in a shrinking market. The name alone, "Indian", is a far more recognized name than Victory as a Harley competitor. IMO the Indian name has a better chance of offering more accepted high performance models than Harley. I just wonder if Polaris will offer the Indian brand to the former Victory dealers. I think it would be a mistake if they don't.
 
#12 ·
I would imagine Victory as left a bad taste in many dealers mouths. Why would they be interested in spending more money for and Indian dealership they have to have a certain look with all of the Indian displays. I maybe wrong but HD other than maybe a few Honda dealers is the only stand alone bike only dealer. Honda has there own line of atvs but nearly everyone else you see are multi brand dealers in order to keep the doors open.
 
#13 ·
Welllllllllll, I'm glad I didnt look further into buying one earlier this year!!!!

I'll definitely be watching the used market. I bet people will want to dump the visions now that there's no backing for it, however mechanics that will work on them will be few and far between.
 
#14 ·
Oh I am so sad, I always wanted to get a Victory, NOT!

I sat on one once at the shop and it seemed it had about .5 degree lean at standing still or you would drop it. I can't remember ever sitting on a more top-heavy bike.
 
#16 ·
Then you have never ridden an original concours ZG1000 lol

7.1 gallons at the TOP of that motorcycle, yeah parking lots are lots of fun until you really get familiar with it.
 
#15 ·
Sad as it is, It seems to make good business sense. Concentrate in the Indian name, Its a better known brand. The slingshot, despite its problems is a new market that deserves to be looked at some more.

I just can't see paying that kind of money for the "Indian" name. Hoping they come out with some affordable models.
 
#21 ·
Sad as it is, It seems to make good business sense. Concentrate in the Indian name, Its a better known brand. The slingshot, despite its problems is a new market that deserves to be looked at some more.

I just can't see paying that kind of money for the "Indian" name. Hoping they come out with some affordable models.
The Indian Scout sells for around $11K and the Scout Sixty sells for under $10K. Both nice bikes and very affordable.
 
#17 ·
I read on one of the bike sites that dealers were selling on average about 20 Victory's per year. And there aren't that many dealers. Tough to stay in business with those numbers.

They made a big mistake trying to go head to head with Harley without offering anything to differentiate themselves from Harley. They tried to copy the same formula, big bore, air cooled V Twin cruisers. Just having nice looking bikes is not enough.
 
#44 ·
Sad to hear. And i bet getting parts will be a pain. Everything will have to be ordered. I can't see dealers stocking much
Too late. They have had this problem for a while now. My son bought a 2002 TCD 6 years ago and has never been able to source parts easily (new or used)...and getting worst all the time. This news will kill it off what little is left of availability, I'm sure.:crying:
 
#22 ·
Was looking to buy a Vision about a month ago, glad I chose not to after an up close bike inspection revealed its ugliness and poor build quality. Polaris in my opinion always seem to make junky crap. They need to get rid of the Slingshot thing tomorrow before it bankrupts them.
 
#30 ·
the local police force purchased a bunch of victorys on low bid offer and one officer said hes on his 4th clutch pack in 1 year
 
#31 ·
My friend works on the police BMWs about anytime you go by his shop he has at least one in his shop broke in half doing a clutch job. Police are hard on bikes.


You people saying SLINGSHOTS need to be gone WHY? How many of you have ridden one any miles?
 
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#34 ·
The slingshots are thick around me also.
I know of 8 that are actually on the road locally.
About 80 miles North of me is a dealer that had 6 out front and several inside the showroom.
I think anything Polaris I would stay away from at this point and take the wait and see approach.


Doug
 
#42 ·
I don't know a whole lot about Indian motorcycles but I did check em out at the international motorcycle show this past weekend. I think this brand has potential. One particular touring one caught my eye and it had some nice looking features. Not sure what model it was.
 
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