Victory Motorcycles - A Brief History

by: Michael O'Brien

Victory motorcycles, though relatively new to the market, have captured the attention of riders and motorcycles enthusiasts, sporting a classic retro style combined with American manufacturing. Victory motorcycles are manufactured by Polaris which is best known for their snowmobiles and off-road all-terrain vehicles.

First introduced in 1999 the V92 series anchored the Victory line until 2006 when production of the series was finally discontinued. The V92 was available in several different configurations from road cruiser to sport cruiser and a touring model. The V92 represented the first new American-made production bike to come along in a very long time. With engine displacements up to 100 cubic inches, the V92 had plenty of power.

While production of the V92 series was winding down, Victory was poised release a new design, the Vegas. This motorcycle was design around the large-displacement Freedom engine, the same power plant used on the old V92’s. Introduced in 2003, the Vegas featured a restyled chassis and rear suspension and were sold in a Vegas 8-Ball and Vegas Jackpot configurations, with substantially blacked-out, high-style bodyworks. Shortly after the introduction of the Vegas, the Kingpin was rolled out as a touring motorcycle, replacing the old V92 Cruiser.

The father and son design team of Arlen and Cory Ness helped Victory revamp the basic Victory designs with their Signature Series line, sporting more chrome and custom accessory options. The Victory touring line saw a change with the recent introduction of the Vision series motorcycles, available in both a street and road touring configuration and sporting a sporty, futuristic look.

About the Author

Michael O'Brien is Staff Writer for Motorcycle Sales & Service