Polaris is intent on taking on Harley-Davidson in the market for all-American motorcycles, and it’s done so with not one brand, but two. That dichotomy is about to come to an end, though, as the powersport vehicle manufacturer has announced the end of the Victory Motorcycles brand.
Based on its expertise producing snowmobiles and both tandem and side-by-side ATVs, Polaris got into the heavyweight cruiser market with the launch of the Victory brand in 1998.
Victory’s market share climbed over the subsequent years until 2012, when it peaked, and has been in decline ever since. By this point, Victory motorcycles account for only 3 percent of Polaris’ sales, with the average retailer selling only 20 of them each year.
The company reports that it has lost money on Victory in three out of the past five years, so it’s pulling the plug and focusing its energies elsewhere – principally on the Indian Motorcycle brand that it acquired in 2011, leaving Victory in a position of redundancy ever since.
The factories in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and Spearfish, South Dakota, will now focus on producing Indian bikes, while the Slingshot trike will continue production in Huntsville, Alabama. The manufacturer will help its dealers liquidate the bikes they have in store, and will continue supplying parts for the next ten years.
Meanwhile Polaris may yet rebrand the Victory Empulse line of electric motorcycles it acquired from Brammo. “All Brammo patents, technology, intellectual property and Polaris enhancements remain the property of Polaris,” a spokesman confirmed to Carscoops, “and will be applied to other products and business units as appropriate.”
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