2020 Indian Challenger engine details revealed

[scot in exile]

Navigator what did the postmortem say about Victory shutting down? Did Polaris make a big mistake ?

Big mistake -NO --a wee bit of a calculated risk yes even though Victory had been around for quite a few years its name means nothing when used against Indian and that is what Polaris was counting on. now could they have kept both -yes but why? they would only be fighting against one and another.
I think it was a very good business move and one that is paying off for them.

 

[vindex1963]

Big mistake -NO --a wee bit of a calculated risk yes even though Victory had been around for quite a few years its name means nothing when used against Indian and that is what Polaris was counting on. now could they have kept both -yes but why? they would only be fighting against one and another.
I think it was a very good business move and one that is paying off for them.

Victory had remained basically unchanged for a number of years. Different handlebars, new bike, different front wheel size, new bike, different front fork, new bike. Polaris didn't try succeed with the brand. The Cross Country was the big seller and from the first to the last bike, you guessed it...unchanged. From 2010 to 2016 they changed the front wheel and called it the Magnum. Indian was/is the big name for sure, and like today they are luxury land barges the Victory would have been the performance brand, no competition. If one sells more than the other it's not competition the center profit point is the same, Polaris. It was a bad business move telling customers and dealers the brand is strong, new and exciting things are in it's future and then pull the plug. Most brands have the luxo-cruiser and the performance section just like Triumph does, BMW does, all the Japanese do. I respectfully disagree with you.

 

[R3T-Too]

Like the new R3-TFC; I'm excited about the future models of this bike.
A liquid cooled, full dresser with those performance numbers, from an American manufacturer is good news.

I'd love to see an American competitor for the Goldwing or BMW Grand America. Hopefully with better styling than the GW and better ergos & aftermarket support than the BMW.

I'm mostly happy with my RM; it does what it was designed to do..... But, it'd be nice if the designers had made performance more of a priority.

I think this bike continues to push HD in the right direction. And maybe even other mfgs to refine their touring models.

 

[R3T-Too]

Better pics & vid. Stolen from the Indian Forum.

PowerPlus - Indian Most Powerful Engine | Indian Motorcycle

 

[Kojack1970]

I was never a Victory owner but rather one who was stunned by Polaris's decision to shut down production, just when it had earned it's reputation as one of the best V-Twins on the market. Quality, fit and finish were top notch. While I've read several postmortems about the decision by Polaris to discontinue Victory production, I still don't understand it and still believe the decision stunk. I was a few weeks away from buying one when the decision was publicized.

I'll second that. Never was a Victory owner, but I liked where they were headed. They provided a different fit, finish and mechanicals from the stand HD menu. Have a few buds who have them, love them and traded their HDs for them. I was shocked by the poor decision by Polaris do discontinue the line. To me it equals the poor decision by former Harley CEO Wandell to trash the racing division, show Eric Buell the door and focus only on heavy cruisers because racing and sport bikes don't make sense.

 

[Dr.D]

Check into the profits of Victory as a division of Polaris and tell me that you could afford business like that. Victory was a strong V-twin reliable machine but it was never going to go big in the market. The futuristic designs just did not appeal to the majority of V twin riders. I can understand the frustration with the way the company shut down but Polaris is a large successful company that made a move that was needed.

History will prove the wisdom of dropping the Victory line in favor of Indian. Watch and see that Indian will not stay a big slow low power bike company.

 

[vindex1963]

Look up about any Victory advertisement, they are doing a burn out, they promoted the Octane by doing a record setting burn out. Promoting like that hurt them and removed sales.

They pushed the us against them, them being HD instead of developing it's own identity.

Victory turned a profit in 2012, the momentum was there they failed to capitalize on it.

I was president of the Valley of the Sun Victory riders in Phoenix and was a board member of the Victory Motorcycle Club so through them I was around the brand a lot. I've resigned both positions, my heart just wasn't in it anymore.

End of the day an Indian won't be setting in my garage and the best V-Twin is now a part of history. We all lost out.

 

[Dr.D]

How did the discussion of Victory ever get on an Indian challenge thread? If you hate Polaris please start another thread to get that going.

 

[vindex1963]

Never said or hinted hate.

 

[Navigator]

Big mistake -NO --a wee bit of a calculated risk yes even though Victory had been around for quite a few years its name means nothing when used against Indian and that is what Polaris was counting on. now could they have kept both -yes but why? they would only be fighting against one and another.
I think it was a very good business move and one that is paying off for them.

Essentially what the piece I read stated. Polaris wanted to concentrate it efforts on Indian and let the Victory go. I shouldn't have said I didn't get it but rather that I was just very disappointed. One can procure a Victory now at a very low price and Polaris has said it will provide parts and repair support for 10 years following the closure.