Sneak Peek! Victory Goes Custom

SNEAK PEEK! VICTORY GOES CUSTOM

ROUNDUP

MOST FOLKS KNOW POlaris for its ATVs, snowmobiles and personal watercraft. And for good reason: Last year, these three divisions accounted for 85 percent of the Minnesota manufacturer’s record $1.5 billion in sales. Over at Victory, the company’s fledgling motorcycle group, however, sales were flat. Again.

That’s likely to change. And soon.

In an effort to inject some much-needed excitement into the brand, Victory called upon none other than famed customizers Arlen and Cory Ness. “We had a good chassis and new engine, the Freedom V-Twin, but the bikes have never had a lot of style,” explained Victory General Manager Mark Blackwell. “We couldn’t afford to have another SC,” he added, referring to the poorly received-and now discontinuedV92 Sport Cruiser. “That would

be the end of the company.”

Aimed at Harley-Davidson’s award-winning Deuce, the Ness-styled, yet-unnamed 2003 model is longer and lower than previous Victorys. Costly touches abound, from the scalloped gas tank to the optional HID headlight (an industry first). Rolling on 21and 18-inch bias-ply tires, the steel doublecradle frame is similar to that of the V92C, but its new linkagetype monoshock drops seat height by 3 inches. Get-up-andgo comes from the fuel-injected, air/oil-cooled, sohc 1507cc Freedom motor, which puts out 75 horse-

power and 88 foot-pounds of torque at the rear wheel.

Victory also has a new Custom Order Program. “We want to change the way bikes are bought, sold and built,” explains Blackwell. “The idea being, the customer gets more bike for his money, a big savings on custom

ts, no leftovers and no downtime.” The program includes the current V92C Classic Cruiser and V92TC Touring Cruiser. The new bike won’t be part of the program ’04. Buyers paint, engine and frame color, cast or wire wheels, blackor whitewall tires, and add extra chrome or deluxe touring packs ages. There are more than 500 combinations. “Chances are,” beams Blackwell, “you won’t see ¡¡s another bike like yours.”

-Matthew Miles