Throwback Thursday: Victory unveil V92C

Polaris Industries announced on January 9, 2016 that all production of Victory Motorcycles is to cease, 20 years after the Victory brand was created.

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To celebrate the 20 years of Victory motorcycles, we had a dig through our archives to find the very first mention of the company. Below is an article first run in the July 9, 1997 issue of MCN, detailing the upcoming V92C, Victory’s first bike.

So long Victory, you’ll be missed.

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This is the bike American firm Polaris has launched to sink the US sales of Harley-Davidson.

The 1507cc oil and air-cooled V92C Victory will spearhead the company’s aggressive surge to win the sales battle with firms such as Harley and Excelsior Henderson.

Polaris’s first bike weigh a scale-smasihng 273kg (600lbs) – about the same as Harley’s heavyweight Dyna Superglide. But the fuel-injected four-valves-per-cylinder beast should make a lot more power than its 55bhp rival. An official power figure has not yet been released for the 50-degree V-twin, but it is expected to make more than 80bhp.

No price has been announced either, but Victory chief Matt Parks said: “It will be a competitively-priced cruiser.” It is expected to cost around £10,000 and should go on sale in the UK next spring.

Parks also said the five-speed Victory has been designed to outperform any mass-produced V-twin cruiser on the market in straightline performance and braking.

On top of the stomping motor it has a frame as stiff as some sports bikes. The engine is a stressed member with an aluminium subframe. It uses huge 45mm front forks and monoshock rear suspension. It has a 300mm floating disc brake with a four-pot caliper on the front and a two-pot floating disc on the back.

The tank will hold five gallons (22.7 litres), which the firm claims is good enough for 200 miles at 40mpg.

A Polaris spokesman said: “The Victory represents our entry into the motorcycle market.” The firm is more famous for making jet-skis and snow-mobiles.

A 1000cc version, as predicted by MCN last month, is expected soon. (ED: The 1000cc version would never materialise).

 

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