The Death of Victory Motorcycles 

We need to bring back the Victory motorcycles. Way better than Harley

Victory died? hmmmm, My 04 Kingpin is still running strong. Long live Victory!

I bought my first Victory about 4 months ago. An 07 Jackpot and I absolutley LOVE it! Ive owned a harley before but I gotta tell ya, not a day goes by when I dont ride that Victory and fall in love with it all over again. Such an amazing (and sexy) motorcycle! It's a shame they aren't making them anymore.

Idk, I’ve been a loyal enthusiast of Harley Davidson for 45 years, and I just bought a wrecked victory vision for 800.00 bucks last week. It cost me 1500.00 in parts to fix it. Victory may have abandoned the motorcycle business but Harley abandoned all of us. When they teamed up with Budweiser to try and save face they lost a lifetime customer. I mean nothing goes better hand in hand than a ice cold bud and a Harley, but now ….. If I like the victory the Electra glide is probably going to be gone. Fuhk Harley and Budweiser.

My wife's father had his bike shipped up to us from Louisiana to NY State just before winter. It's a 2007 Victory Vegas 8 Ball. It has been sitting for almost 7 years in a shed, he is dieing and wanted her to have it since her and i ride. Surprising it started right up when we got it. Needs a lot of loving though. I have it completely tore down right now and ordered a lot of new and used parts. Just got the tank back from paint. I have also been sandblasting and re-powder coating a lot of the parts myself to make them look brand new again. Slowly putting this thing back together now and hopefully be ready to go by spring.

I had a bad feeling when Indian received the Ride Command and Victory got nada, zip, bupkis. They stopped production but they did not sell the brand. We don't know what the future holds in store for us. Regardless, I will ride Vics until I reach the end of the road.

Victory made a damn fine motorcycle. They should have sold the company instead of closing it down.

Victory motorcycle's are solid! I love my 07 Jackpot!! The public needs to petition for a comeback!!

I love Victory motorcycles. They are better made then Harley Davidsons and have far less issues. I’ll never buy a Polaris but I’ll buy a victory! I consider the Polaris slingshot to be junk I’ll never buy one. Polaris made a HUGE MISTAKE dropping Victory Motorcyles from their line up.

I recently became a VICTORY owner I tell you when I saw it I just had to get it

Just sold my ‘13 Vision couple weeks ago. New owner very enthusiastic .. great to see that

I bought my Cross Roads in 2014 becaue it looked like an Indian and thought it was freaking cool! I dont have many miles on it but I still like it even though I will likely replace it with an Indian someday ...

I think in 2005 something happened that may have been crucial to the death of Victory as well. A New Zealand biographical sports drama film was made called, "The Fastest Indian." It was based on a true story starring Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro. It gave a huge boost to the Indian Brand name. I also wonder if Polaris thought the retro look of alot of Indian bikes, was meant to give the "old school" Harley a run for it's money. Bad decision, because a newer generation of riders was looking for something new, instead just more of the same old. Victory was evolving into that direction in a big way. If there's one thing bullet-proof about a Harley is it's brand loyalty, and Indian was never going to breach that trust. A new kinda' motorcycle was needed for people not looking for a Harley.

I live in Russia and I have two Victory Vision Tour 2008. I also have a 2014 Honda-goldwing and a 2015 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Custom. But I don't know a better motorcycle than Victory. It is a pity that there will be no more such motorcycles. Friends, good luck to all!

Thanks Craig. A good summary from an avid motorcycle enthusiast, long time Victory owner, and an active VMC chapter president. I have had four Victory's since 2005, a Vegas (8-Ball), a Jackpot, a second Jackpot (Cory Ness 2009 ver), and a Cross Country, and put almost 80,000 miles on them in total. What many people don't know, although they looked and performed well, they were/are also one of the most dependable motorcycles ever made. The V-Twin overhead cam motors, with their hydraulic valve lifters and cam chain adjusters and gear driven primary drive, as well as shared motor and transmission casings/oil, made motor/transmission maintenance near non existent other than engine oil changes. The oil cooling passages within the air cooled cylinders, cooled unusually efficiently, in conjunction with a very effective oil cooler, for a non liquid cooled motor. These motors ran strong, were very dependable, and required minimal to no maintenance. Changing the oil on the Vegas, Jackpot, or X Country, took only five minutes, dropping the oil drain plug and oil filter with the bike on the ground, and filling the oil with the easy access oil filler. The drive trains were equally as well engineered. The Kevlar belt drives required no maintenance, other than monitoring the tension, alignment, and wear (last up to 50,000 miles or more). They also had good performing shocks (although basic), and wheel bearings that worked well or easily upgraded. The brakes did their job effectively with no surprises, and pads front and back could be changed within 10 minutes with the bikes on their side stands, easy peasy. Other than the odd clutch cable failure, and annual intake throttle body clean (they tended to carbon up a bit), I never had any issue. These bikes steered straight as an arrow, rode tight and smooth, with steel gas tanks, steel front and rear fenders, and beefy steel rugged frames. They were also very comfortable to ride and seating was easily customizable to suit the owner, with many options for the pillion and luggage. My brother is a Victory motorcycle mechanic, and works on many brands, and agrees that Victories require the least maintenance and dealer support of any motorcycle brand he has ever worked on. He has been a mechanic for over 35 years. So, along with the great looks, and great performance, Victories were engineered like no other, and IMHO were and are the best engineered motorcycle that were made to last. Most of these bikes will still be running with their stock untouched motors long after others have been rebuilt several times over, or have faded away. Long live Victories. Thank you Victory for allowing me to enjoy thousands of miles (touring, and local) of trouble free riding. Craig, thanks again, and I suspect that you and other VMC members get what I am saying.

I will never get rid of my bike ...Victory Vegas - I will always have it running, even if I one day have to rebuild the entire motor!

Have a 2012 Victory Vegas 8 Ball and it's a incredible machine! Looking forward to riding it for many years to come!!!!

I'll admit I'm part of the problem. When I was new to riding I lusted after HD.... I got one and rode it. I liked it.... never loved it. It wasn't until 7 months ago when I picked up my 2011 Cross Roads that I fell IN LOVE with a bike. I can't explain it... vic owners get it. But, there's just something about them. They have personalities, they have quirks (Vic Tick) They crave to be ridden hard and take it well. It's by far one of the most balanced bikes i've ridden and it has more pull in the 106 than my 110 did. I wish they would've survived.... but I know now.... My next bike will be an Indian.

Well said and I totally agree Craig! I don't know why I have not found your channel sooner, being a victory rider myself! Fantastic Video! Thanks For Sharing!

My dad 72 yrs old bought a 2005 kingpin brand new , my brother got the 2005 victory Vegas 3 yrs later I got the 2008 Vegas 8 ball .my brother and dad have sense passed and to this day all 3 bikes ride like the day we bought them . VICTORY !

Just sold the ultra classic and got a 2009 vegas low. 38,000 klms. Best bike I ever bought.

My hat's off to all of you Victory riders,any time a brand of bike packs it in,it's sad event. However,I believe the machines will achieve classic status in the future. I myself ride the road going Barco lounger Honda Goldwing and totally love it,but have always thought Victory was a class act,producing some beautiful bikes. Keep them on the road guy's !

Craig, you're doing a great service to a lot of Victory owners. You've given a lot of folks answers and/or reassurance that their investment isn't going to leave them feeling as if they've been shot in the foot. From you making this video, I can see why you were made president of your club. The world in general would surely benefit if more guys were around like you. I don't own a Victory, but I sure was impressed by your informative presentation. I guess that there's only so much room in the garage and once it's full, something's going to have to get left outside. It's a cruel reality, but at least you've done your part in easing the tension created by this issue. Wishing you and yours all of the best.

Well done video. Thanks for sharing your opinion and insight. I am personally not a cruiser rider but like you I don't care what anyone rides as long as they ride. It is about the experience. Most of my good friends are people who ride that I would not have known had it not been for our common interest.

I rode several Vegases, Kingpins, and V92s over the years, and owned a badass 06 Vegas 8-ball til several years ago when an old lady ran into me and totaled it. I got an 07 Kingpin to replace the Vegas. For me, the Kingpin is the best bike I've ever owned these past 40 years of motorcycling. (I ride about 8-10k miles a year, and find the Kingpin to be fast, nimble, and comfortable for my tall frame.) Plus it's not hard to look at; if my kingpin ever dies, then I'll keep it as garage decoration, and consider Indian if they're still around. Stay safe out there, and ride it if you got it.

All jokes aside man your channel and this episode is top notch..... this is so detailed and well put together. Some one give this man a show?

Just got my first Victory Kingpin a couple weeks ago. Amazing bike. Sad I missed the victory years, and would personally rather have seen Polaris continue Victory rather than Indian.

Great vid. I purchased my first Vic (09 VV Ness #116) a month or two after Polaris dropped the Bomb. I didn't worry too much about the purchase because I knew I had 10 years to get essential parts. I Loved the first VV so much, I purchased my 2nd 09 VV Ness #105 about a year later while riding back North from Georgia.... Funny thing is, I attended the victory rally while in Ga. It was hosted by Polaris. While speaking with one of the big wigs, he explained the same thing about Polaris just dumping billions into T&D for the new Victory motorcycles. Since it hadn't been released yet, they decided to drop the Victory brand and shift the new tech to the Indian. I stated that they would reintroduce the Victory line in about 3-5years. Victory owners love the unique lines. He said, "You are right and wrong. Wrong because we will not bring back Victory. Right because in a few years we will introduce a more modern version of indian along the lines of the Victory styling.". I have to laugh because what we got was the challenger that looks more like a Harley Davidson... I love the Challenger, but I am not a fan of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle.

I have the 2012 Arlen Ness Vision, #13 stamped on the plate on the engine and i love it, both the color and the decals. spooky number though

Love my 2013 CC, bought it two days ago.

Craig, excellent job on your video as always - THANK YOU!! Just to add my opinion (which aint worth much at my age LOL) the demise of Victory started way back at the beginning when Polaris turned their backs on the dealerships and purchasers of the early bikes with the severe design flaws. Our local Polaris dealership kicked them to the curb back then because of their lack of following up on their commitments, our "bikers" never forgot being stuck with boat anchors and seeing a Polaris Victory in our area is a very rare sight to this day. Hopefully we dont have to relive that scene here 18 years later and Polaris honors their commitment to honor warranties and keep the parts supply lines open as they say they will. If they dont, its not inconceivable that their Indian line will end up suffering too - in my opinion of course..

Somehow I had missed this bit of news and your video made me do a double take! I went back to my February edition of Motorcycle Consumer News and there is was, under the editors title called "Brands". There was no emotion in that piece at all, and it is an emotional issue for all motorcyclists. I have never owned a Polaris made bike, but I thought of Victory as a great achievement. I test rode a 2002 model (new) and while I thought they had a ways to go in terms of fit/finish, they seemed to address that as years went on. I thought if Victory survived the 2008 recession that killed off Buell and so many H-D dealerships, they were no longer in danger. Well, corporate responsibility to shareholders is an insidious thing, and Craig here explains some of these nuances very well indeed. My best to all of you Victory riders, I'll see you on the road.

hope you see this comment since the video is over 4 years old but I will give it a try. I am really enjoying this video and wanted to stop before the end to see if I get a response. Looking at buying a 2008 Vision Street. Looking for input. Thanks

In Sonny Barger's book 'Let's Ride' he stated that the Vision was one of the best bikes he's ridden.

After I read the announcement, I walked out of the office to my Vision in the parking lot. I love looking at my vision, I love riding it and I can't describe the warm feeling I get knowing the day will be going away and ride will be starting. Like you I am keeping this fine motorcycle. At 40,000 miles I feel that I am just breaking it in. Years ago I said that if there was only one Vision made I would try to own it. Victory owners, ride on!!

My dad and I just bought a 05 King and we are definitely fans! Was disappointed to hear that their doors were closed.

How’s the service and parts currently? I’ve seen some low mileage judges and gunners for fair prices. Is it worth buying or should I just go Indian?

I'm a Harley rider and I miss Victory. Harley only makes their best bikes when there's viable competition. Plus its nice to have choices. Since Victory went away Harleys have gotten ugly.

Great informative video, thanks. I'm a new rider and Victory was on my short list for my first bike... the search continues

Great video! We here at VikingBags really appreciate your content!

I was really shocked the day they made that announcement. I personally think the Victory bikes are by far the best looking large cruiser bikes on the market. I'm not sure how big of a Victory dealer we have here in San Diego, but I see Victorys all over the place.

I have had 2 Victory Motorcycles (Vegas 8-Ball & Cross Country) and NEVER had a single problem and I sold them and my guy convinced me to get a HD Street Glide...... all it does is stay in the shop and vibrate the hell out of me........ I miss my cross country soooo much and wish I kept it..... Gonna miss Victory

Hi Craig, I'm from Michigan where there are quite a few dealers. I own a 2009 vision with 40k miles, love my bike and have many aftermarket parts on it. I'm with you, just going to keep riding it and maybe some day find another one. Love your channel and look forward to your Alaska ride this year. Mike Cook

This clarified the situation. I have followed Victory since her inception, and felt the global shock at the news of her end. It coincided with the end of my youth, so, although I have never even seen a Victory, I felt a piece of me dissipate.

I am pretty happy with my 14 Vision. I had Lloydz do his magic since there was no real upgrade power done. I have no plans on getting rid of a great bike. It will probably outlast me.

I think you nailed it. I'm also a 2001 Vic owner and a vmc member (#632) IMO they don't want to compete with themselves and Polaris don't want their shareholders to see two companies with so so sales. Put the effort into Indian. It's new, it's all the buzz right now and people are watching. As a victory owner I'm not happy for sure. I think they're going to loose sales on the Indian side to because people like me that are in the market for a new touring bike is going to be afraid to buy an Indian because it's freg'n 30 + grand and have the "curse of the Indian" hit and in a few years they are gone. I don't think they have a foot hold in the market yet so I'm going to lead towards Harley mainly because of the support while traveling. Great vid. 👍

After hearing you do a balanced and complete explanation, I want to join your club!

Haven't watched this yet but you were the first place I looked for a take on this. Thanks sir.

Interesting to hear your perspective. Every manufacturer has had big recalls over the passed couple of years. A good deal of the Suzuki range going back 10 years has been recalled for one reason or another in 2015/6 and there's more coming in 2017. As for performance bikes the Indians have a strong heritage here. Though I'm sad to see Victory go I understand that it will enable Polaris to bring more new motorcycle models to the market quicker under the Indian brand. I think in the long term their two wheel segment will strengthen. It's certainly going to be an interesting few years.

Victory should have survived. Great product that needed some new versions and better marketing support.

Great vid Craig. You have done the best description of the (why Vic is gone) been watching your vids for a while now

Good talk Craig, I have a highball and plan to ride it for a long time. 👍

Good information, professional presentation. Thank you

An important point made here is that Indian sales have come from Victory . Indian , is to me the victim once again of having a noble name badly misused. Indian, since 1901, really? Thru the years some unscrupulous characters have misused it with no respect for M/C history. Indian sales have doubled, wow , they sold 4 instead of 2 .

Your summary is perfect. And I couldn't agree with it more strongly. I've said for the last 15 years of riding, and so have others. It doesn't matter what you ride, it matters that you ride. Here's hoping to see you on the road and I'll give you the wave. Keep safe.

Probably one of the most comfortable bikes I ever had the chance to try out was the Victory Cross Country Tour. Absolutely had every intention of buying one. Was waiting to set up to try one out with my wife when they announced they were ceasing production. Was totally pissed as I had never slung my leg over a more comfortable bike. Not sure what we are going to buy for a retirement bike yet.

Victory is one of the best motorcycles ever made. I would buy and ride a victory anytime. Victory has not the image of a sports or racing bike. Its a touring bike, a cruiser, maybe a cafe racer. So they should concentrate the promotion on that images. Harley Davidson are beautiful bikes. But for this, they are too expensive. It looks like brandnew Oldtimers. With maybe problems, because old or difficult construction. But a Victory doesn´t have it. They are good construction, and easy to use. (so far I know). I have no Victory bike, even no Harley Davidson. For now, too expensive for me. But I ride motorcycles since 40 years. My old bike is a Honda CBX 650 (1983). I owned it, since 25 years. And a 50 cc Scooter (1998) now bought and rebuilding. I can work everything at my bikes and cars. Even welding or engine repair. Thanks for the video, and all the details. Now I think too, thats the reasons why. It´s sad, that no more bikers have chosen to a victory bike. They are better, but has not the image like Harley Davidson. The Indian bikes are too different to the Victory bikes. In the 90s I worked three years on Harley Bikes. But I was happy, to have my Honda. Honda is maybe not the best. But it becomes way more better, as in the past. Anyway, go on riding your victory bikes, as long as possible. Greetings from germany.

Polaris really missed a trick here. Why not just rebadge some of the best Victory bikes as Indian? The Hardball and Highball were great looking bikes which if they had an Indian badge on, I’m sure they’d have sold.

A very cogent discussion about this situation, thank you. That said, my reaction has been very emotional. I'm not currently a rider, as my money is invested in building a Jeep. But, it's always been my intention to eventually invest in a Victory, as I appreciated the technology, design and marketing of the brand. And, coming out of nowhere like this news did, I've committed to not buy a Polaris product of any kind. That means no Indian bike, no Polaris four-wheeler and, now that they've purchased Transamerican, no more Poison Spyder Customs products for my Jeep, either. Business decision or no, I don't appreciate the way this has been handled, and I won't reward Polaris with my money -- now, or ever. Thanks again for your thoughtful perspective on Victory's demise!

Thanks for those interesting comments. Your analysis seems reasonable and helpful.

I’m a Harley owner but I would still love to see a Vic in my garage in the future never an Indian

The victory is my pick for V Twins, I have had a few and also Excelsior-hendersons. Many of the EH engineers moved to Polaris when EH closed so there are many siminarities. I just picked up a V92 Vegas. Great bikes and in my opinion much better than the Indian. Much easier to work on and super reliable.

I am a Harley Davidson rider but I was considering a Victory because cops were using them and the ease of maintenance with one oil plug drops all the oil, no push rods, air oil cooling, and easy change oil filter. The Victory engine platform and design will not die,it will come back with modifications.

Sad victory went under I just picked up an octane the other day with 12 miles on it. Hell of a bike and one I will keep for a long time. Thanks as well for recommending mom's they are a short drive away and I'll be bringing the bike to them when it comes due for the first service.

I still love my 13 judge.

Victory didn't die. years of R&D that went into the victory line of motorcycles went into the new Indians. And the new Indians are amazing bikes

Hi Craig , I have a 2012 XC Tour with 45000 miles on her and I love my bike ,tires and oil changes,I finally need a battery this year. Almost all the miles on this bike I've towed a Trailmaster Aspen classic trailer, I'm going to keep her ,hell I still have my 1982 BMW R100 RT ,it was new in 82 when I got her . The reason I got the XC is I got told that the old BMW was worth more than I paid for it in 82 and I should take her out once in awhile on a nice sunny day,I do. The reason I got the XC is my hip was giving me trouble,a BMW Rt is on the tall side. I could get my leg over the Victory without screaming to much ,I got my hip replacement in 2013 ,getting old is not for the faint of heart. I have rode a Roadmaster it handles a lot like my old RT ,I want one,but I'll keep my XC ,keep your shiny side up Craig Henry Schumacher

That was a really decent presentation, and very informative. Yeah I think Victory really dropped the ball when they dropped the Victory Motorcycle. They had so much potential. Still love my bike to this day. Love the ride....

Indian was an old motorcycle brand manufactured in Springfield, MA. My uncle owned them and he died in 1971. How was the brand name brought back? Did anyone own the trademark, or had it lapsed? And, with the attack on anything related to 'native American' names under way, how long before the SJW's target the "Indian" motorcycle as racist or derogatory?

Very good speech Craig...

I just bought my 07 Jackpot on Tuesday, I absolutely love it. The way I see it they’ll eventually bounce up in value the less of them you see on the road and with the low prices some people are asking now, you get a LOT of bike for your money. Also it’s nice to have a bike that isn’t a huge volume brand, gives the bike a little more originality.

Very thoughtful and accurate play by play. Thank you for your honest approach.

If victory charged the same amount for a Harley , you would buy a Harley. The main reason for people buying other than a Harley is price. One dealership in Florida sold 1600 new Harley's. Not counting all the others they sold.

UK Victory Distribution Management was a joke, I contacted them 3 times to become a dealer, they didnt even bother to make contact with me. Don't blame poor sales on the market, lay it firmly at the feet of the sales management, complete wankers.

Great video with a solid message. I bought my Vision in 2008 from Moms. Bought mine for the same reasons you did. I would have loved to join your club but I retired to Danville, IN (chasing grandkids). Thanks for the information it does lessen the sting of abandoment.

OUTSTANDING video! And you are spot on about it being the people and the experiences more than the brand when it comes to us die hard riders. Although I've only ever owned HD's, I've always been glad that there is competition out there to keep the industry from becoming stagnant. Having 3 "American" brands has been great for us, the consumers, but it will always come down to the bottom line, and when Polaris restarted Indian, I'm sure they knew that they would eventually be dropping Victory, and this doesn't really come as a surprise. I'm sorry to see them go, as far as producing new bikes, but the ones that are out there now will be around for a long time. And if you have some money to spare, and are still young, go out and buy a new Victory, stash it away, and down the road a ways it will be a valuable collectors item as one of those old "American classics"!

Got a ‘17 Octane and I love it so far

I own an Indian. Polaris killed the wrong brand.

What's harder to get parts for, A Victory or a Buell?

I have a victory the Vegas Low. 2009 with 682 miles. Plan on keeping the bike. Thanks for the info.

Very informative and interesting, thanks!

You are spot on, on everything you said. One correction, you said what you're riding doesn't matter. I agree as long as it has the correct number of cylinders a motorcycle should have--2. :-)

Bought my 2016 Victory Highball military edition. I absolutely love it! Still runs like a champ and has tons of power.

A comprehensive view of the situation, nicely done... your last comment raises a good point recently raised on one of the podcasts I listen to, brand loyalty. Brand Loyalty is something both Indian and Harley Davidson have relied upon for years, and its quickly disappearing. If it can happen to Victory over a course of 19 years, then it can happen to any of them, I don't believe Indian or Harley have cracked the question, and that is, how to get the youngsters to start buying their bikes, Harley brought out the street range, and Indian brought out the Sixty but I don't think either make any money off them, they selling them cheap and trying to make the profit on the after markets parts and clothing.

I believe they made a wise Choice. Look it boils down to sales and quality. Indian is the Icon of a true American bike. Still #1 at the track and at the show.

Polaris sure gave the shaft to their Victory customers...

Just found your channel. Although I have a different riding background than yours I've found that we are pretty like minded when it comes to my experiences with the Super Tenere and touring on it. I'm 46 years old. I got my first dirt bike at age 5. I spent a big chunk of my life racing motocross and my true passion is still in the dirt. However, I have always enjoyed the street as well. The type of riding I always focused on was developing skills and performance based bikes ( R1's etc). I still get bored on highways and prefer to be working the edges in the twisties. In 2014 my cousin and I both purchased Yamaha Super Tenere's. I've put about 10,000 miles a summer on it. I do not commute on the bike since my drive to work is highway in traffic. I don't think the extra exposure or chance of an accident for a ride that would not be enjoyable is worth it. I also feel that commuting on a daily basis same road over and over when you have work issues etc on your mind could lead to complacency. When I get on my bike it is focused and purely about the ride. I have thoroughly enjoyed the new travel aspect of motorcycling. The first summer we didn't stray to far doing a lot of weekend trips from Ohio into PA and WV. The second summer we spent a week through Vermont, NH, and ME. Last summer we spent 2 weeks riding the Badlands, BlackHills, Yellowstone, and Glacier out west. I also spent a week down south last summer riding the dragon, cherohola, and blue ridge parkway. I'm totally hooked now! We also have a goal of doing Alaska. Looking forward to following your Journey Brother.

Thanks for the video. Well thought out and when you don't know, you say as much! I wish more people subscribed to this practice!

Ill never get rid of my 2012 highball

Why the heck would anyone buy any of this stuff, just cant see why ............if you want a bike LIKE an HD ..........then GET an HD! .... for a million reasons. There's nothing like the real thing .......

Great commentary. I too ride a 2009 Vision. It has been an excellent motorcycle. I know about the shut down. I don't plan on selling my motorcycle anytime soon or trading it in. It's a shame I thought this was a good product. Thank you for telling us about the upcoming EPA changes. My bike is all stock and I live in California. Although there is no smog checks here for motorcycles, there may be in the near future.

What a very well put together piece. What I liked about victory was the back to basics motorcycling , not as retro as the Indian and not as pre tenuous as HD. I have just completed a 5600 miles trip to Sturgis on a 35 year old Kawasaki LTD 1000 and it never let me down. What I'm getting at is an unbiased view of American motorcycles. I get the whole V twin thing because of the higher mileages you have to contend with.

Your in good company.....Owned two Harleys. Both were disappointments, and expensive mistakes. Just the facts.

Great informative video Craig. Thx

You are correct on lack of substance. One thing that really bothers me is that after the news, , I rode 1,275 miles around Alabama and Tennessee to a total of 6 dealers. They all found out about Victory like I did, on Facebook Victory Motorcycles official post, as you mentioned. I feel for them , stuck with that new inventory, accessories and apparel to give away at cost or a loss, I feel for recent buyers who bought new right before the bad news and now there are fire sales on new units for thousands less. Me, I’m really ok. Sure, I would like to have seen the next step in the evolution of Victory, specifically a next generation Vision. Truth is, the wife and I are still happy on the Vision. There is a lot of miles left in my bikes. It’s really only bad news for people that don’t plan to stay on them, they’ll get nothing on trade, some places will refuse to trade. The thing that is a silver lining to me out of this is I will always be able to find good low mileage examples for years to come. Because some owners will become fearful of racking up miles , others will give them away because there will be no factory support in the future. Still others will be like me and ride them and benefit from the panicked seller. I should be able to pick up my next Victory for a song. I have never been one to worry about future spare parts. People shy away from bikes with questionable or no future, I am actually drawn to this scenario. I like having something different. I loved the new HD with the M8. Very powerful and smooth but the engine was the only thing I liked from my test ride. They claim they will build parts for a projected 10 years worth of need. I don’t know exactly what that means or what formula they concoct to determine needed parts, I doubt they put much effort into it and predict we will see parts shortages long before the 10 years. There are a lot of established independent vendors for Victory now too. They have vowed to stand with us and help us keep them on the road. Passionate people will always find a way. There are 100 year old cars and bikes that are still driven and properly maintained today. The Hanlon’s version of Excelsior Henderson has been belly up for 17 years and are still be ridden and repaired today. Still not valuable but still viable. Victory will be similar in my opinion. Victory riders are a passionate bunch. We will come together and use great resources through networking and social media to keep these things running down the road. I also have not given up on possibly acquiring a Motus in a few years. It’s $30K but so is a 2017 Indian Roadmaster. I like Motus for the same reason, different. I guess I’ll start a museum someday  I really feel they made this decision a minimum of 3 years ago. They kept putting out parts bin mash-up bikes, changing the colors, or amp up the radio, add a big wheel and calling them new models for the last few years. I firmly believe they wouldn’t have built the Octane if they hadn’t had the Scout to put the engine in too. So, with the exception of the Octane , nothing really ground breaking in years since the Cross bike platform. So they say sales were slumping, they hamstrung the product line (trying to further dry up inventory and parts maybe). This caused things to wane and then got to use that excuse as the reason to pull the plug. Indian and Slingshot were growing fast, “low hanging fruit”. Few wanted a Victory just like the one they already had and prospective new buyers could get a good used older Victory just like the new one at the dealer. I know HD is successful selling the same thing over and over , conversely it's what caused Polaris to fail with Victory. You have to have history to do that and history, by definition, takes time. They really misled the customer at the owner meetings, promising things where in the works. Telling us at Sturgis owners meetings year in and year out (the only one I wasn't able to attend was the 2016 meeting) that Victory was outpacing projected sales and leading the industry with regard to percentage growth within the brand. Yes, Steve Menetto said those things to us. It is what it is. Life goes on. #Till the wheels fall off.

I have to say, Thank You! What a great explanation about what's going on with Victory. You're right, it's about the people you ride with, not what bike you're on. Thanks!

In my opinion, when they purchased Indian, they should have moved victory into a more performance based market, start making American made sports bikes, then you wouldn't have two competing companies making the same type of bikes... I think victory was always about better performance anyways....

Your wrong about manufacturers needing to constantly "upgrade" their bikes, especially cruisers. I would happily buy a 20 year old design and save a little money, and probably have a better bike. Every "upgrade" manufacturers make seems to turn into a "downgrade" Kawasaki Made the Vulcan 750 completely unchanged from 1985-2006, except for paint. (yes I own one and love it) It was still selling well when they dropped it and replaced it with inferior bikes. Honda has built the Rebel 250 from 1985-2016. I have owned 4 of them, a new one bought in 1985, and a new 2016 just bought a couple months ago, and 2 used ones. Again, no changes during all that time but paint. The 2017 model is a hideous abomination I wouldn't be caught riding. The EVO is the best engine H-D ever made, and if properly maintained would go past 100,000 miles, then it could be inexpensively rebuilt by H-D for another 100,000 miles. Their current engine is a total piece of junk. My favorite Victory of all time was the original V92C. I would love to own one, and would be interested in buying a brand new one. Yes, it had a few minor issues, but these could have been fixed a long time ago, and once fixed the bike could have had a 25 year+ lifespan. But Victory abandoned it, and it's buyers, brought in the Ness Mess, came out with that horrible Vegas, and things only went downhill from there. Basically if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I only ride vintage and vintage design bikes, because there is no longer anything on the market I want. I bought a Royal Enfield Bullet brand new in 2016, and immediately replaced the EFI with an Amal carb and replaced the 40 pound catalytic exhaust with a MUCH smaller vintage Triumph "peashooter" style muffler that sounds way better, and weighs 1/4 as much. In other words, I had to "replace" the "upgrades" RE made, and go back to earlier type parts to get the bike I wanted. I am the former owner of a 1997 Honda Goldwing, which first came out in 1988. It was a great touring bike. When Honda redesigned it in 2001, they took a great thing and ruined it. Everywhere you look in the motorcycle world, you see manufacturers ruining great bikes by "upgrading" them.

You made some great points here, Craig. We bought a new 2007 Big Dog K9 about 3 years before Big Dog stopped producing. It was still a great bike, and we put thousands of miles on it anyway. I was kind of hoping that Polaris would use the Victory engines to power a modern sport bike, thereby continuing the life expectancy for engine/transmission parts at least. I didn't realize that these engines would be so far out of EPA compliance. By the way, we're keeping our 2015 CCT. It's the perfect touring bike for tall people!

Before I traded my 2009 GoldWing for a Victory Vision August 2016, I must have watched your video with you reviewing your Vision about 20 times. That video was the main reason I picked up the Vision (well, that plus a couple of long test rides). I appreciated your advice and wisdom with that subject, as I do now with your thoughts on this subject. I have no plans on letting my Vision go, but man, what a punch in the gut. As ticked as I was, you are right about the poor dealers out there who are loosing A LOT more than I am. I hope the best for those folks!