The Victory Motorcycle

The Victory Motorcycle

Brian Catterson

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE FOR POLARIS TO KEEP ITS Victory motorcycle secret from the folks at Classic Motorbooks. You see, the publishing company is located right across the street from Victory’s R&D headquarters in Osceola, Wisconsin.

So, rather than blindfold their neighbors, the Victory team simply invited them to chronicle their efforts. And that’s just what Michael Dapper and Lee Klancher have done in The Victory Motorcycle.

Over the course of its 96 pages, the softbound book provides an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the V92C. It’s all here, too, from early market research and field testing of competitors’ machines, through the R&D

team’s adventures with the prototype “Hammer” engine and “Frances” the chassis test mule, to development of a running motorcycle and, ultimately, the production bike’s roll-out.

It’s captivating stuff. Even those who don’t give a lick about cruisers will find themselves turning the pages as fast as if they were reading a Michael Crichton novel.

My only criticism is that the authors some§ times sound a little too enthusiastic, as though I they personally had a stake in the project. But f then, it’s hard not to get fired up about a new American motorcycle. Especially when it’s made right across the street. -Brian Catterson

The Victory Motorcycle, Michael Dapper and Lee Klancher, 96 pages, $15; Classic Motorbooks, 729 Prospect Ave., Osceola, Wl 54020; 800/826-6600