Polaris/Victory sport touring bike

[Billm67]

I have been seeing some rumblings about Polaris/Victory starting to consider different bikes than just cruisers.  It seems to me that they could come up with a viable Adventure touring bike pretty easily.  They have the 1000 cc parallel twin which would make a great start.  If they mated it to a 5 speed transmission and put it a well designed frame it would be a good entry into what seems like a growing market.  I have an 850 sportsman that uses this engine and it is an impressive engine.  With a very restrictive exhaust is still makes 75 or so HP.  I would think with the right tuning and exhaust the 1000 motor could be north of 100 hp.  I don't have enything to do with Polaris/Victory...but I do own one of their quads and I like it.  I think it would be an interesting entry.

[Sport-Touring]

[blackbuell]

Might be more likely they would use the liquid-cooled V-twin currently powering the Scout. I'd be intrigued if they did,

Jon

[Oilhed]

They need to start with the scout motor and frame and make a series of Roadster, Tourer and Sport-tourers. Like BMW did with the R100R, R100RT & R100RS.  No bells & whistles just solid bikes sharing parts. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kyzrex]

Talked with some of the Polaris-Victory/Indian people at the CWS, and read an interview of the CEO in one of the Brit bike magazines, talked with a local I know that works for them.   They all contend that the Indian platforms will be used primarily for "retro" type bikes.  Don't look for Indian to moving into any new markets, per se.  But they plan to become involved, with Victory, in all segments of the market sooner or later.  A "standard" or "sport-standard" from Polaris, under the Victory banner would not surprise me at all.

[Roadscum]

There  seems to be a few folks hoping for an American branded naked bike. The sight of the Pikes Peak Project 156 bike makes them  wet their pants a little bit.  

Paul

[Cobalt]

Talked with some of the Polaris-Victory/Indian people at the CWS, and read an interview of the CEO in one of the Brit bike magazines, talked with a local I know that works for them.   They all contend that the Indian platforms will be used primarily for "retro" type bikes.  Don't look for Indian to moving into any new markets, per se.  But they plan to become involved, with Victory, in all segments of the market sooner or later.  A "standard" or "sport-standard" from Polaris, under the Victory banner would not surprise me at all.

Agreed, but I wouldn't ever expect to see what this crowd has come to know as a "sport-tourer" from that or any other company who's not already in the mix. Maybe something that could be a more tourable standard, or even something like the FJ09 that is based loosely on "adv" styling but without any real pretensions toward off road at all. But even that would be a stretch from the brands listed.

[kyzrex]

Co...

I'm not so sure about that.  Victory has added "touring" equipment and done some engine/tranny changes to some of their bikes to make them
more touring friendly.  They certainly have the bits and pieces necessary to give a bike the touring part of sport-touring.  In addition, they seem to have the engine platforms within Polaris needed to develop more sporting bikes.  What they lack currently is the chassis.  IF they have the will to develop a chassis for this type of bike, only time will tell.  Right now I think that the Indian brand gives them the vehicle to take some of the HD market share.  They can use the Victory brand to move into segments of the market that they have not been active in yet....including, perhaps, more bikes that many here would be interested in.

I don't think that it is any accident that the latest VICTORY TV commercials show a couple of their bikes being wrung out and accent the PERFOMANCE of them, while the INDIAN commercials seem to accent TRADITIONAL styling and the brands HISTORY.

I'll also point out that, from what the article I read said and from what my friend told me, the major stumbling block to production of current bikes has not been engine or chassis problems, but has been PAINT.  They have done two things to fix this...1) They have invested in a true state of the art system at their factory in Iowa, and 2) They are opening a new Polaris factory in Huntsville, Al.  This will allow them to move the 4wheeler and side by side production out of the Iowa plant, thus opening up that entire plant to motorcycle production.  This will basically double their production capacity for motorcycles.  I wouldn't think that they would do this unless they planned on producing a whole lot more bikes, and soon.  Wither those will be more of the same, or something new?.......we'll have to wait and see.

But, damn! I wish I had bought some of their stock back a few years!  

[Cobalt]

What I'm saying is you're NOT going to see, IMO, something that competes head to head, feature for feature, with a C14 or a BMW KGT, etc. You might see their own take on something that *they* consider a touring/sporty-ish bike, but it won't be in the same class of "tour on Saturday, track on Sunday" bike. That's what I meant.

[kyzrex]

What I'm saying is you're NOT going to see, IMO, something that competes head to head, feature for feature, with a C14 or a BMW KGT, etc. You might see their own take on something that *they* consider a touring/sporty-ish bike, but it won't be in the same class of "tour on Saturday, track on Sunday" bike. That's what I meant.

at this point, I would agree.


but, "never say never"    

[Blue is Best]

I've been dying to buy an American made sport-touring bike for years. The Eric stuff is too hard edged for me and not touring related at all, the Motus, which I really want, is great. I'd buy tomorrow if the price was within ear shot of the radar screen!!

Victory I think can do this. They've got the motor that's water cooled and can be "tuned up" a bit, it could be fitted to a chassis with sporting rubber and then some hard bags with an adjustable wind screen wired on!!. I don't care about all the latest electronics.

A torquey, 130 HP bike, with six speed that has some wind protection and a five gallon tank that weighs a bit over 500 lbs and we're off.    

[kyzrex]

The CUURENT engine offerings from Victory tend to be rather tall and slow revving for the most part.  However, the scout engine, while only producing 100hp, makes a ton of torque, revs like a banshee to its low revline, and certainly doesn't sound like any cruiser engine I've ever heard.  It's not real big (size wise) either.  AND, Polaris already offers both 850 and 1000cc parallel twins with 4 valves per cyl, and a SOHC and a 900cc DOHC parallel twin.   They certainly have the know how and ability to produce something besides a V-twin "cruiser" engine within the companies walls.  

[cyjo]

While I think the scout is a great machine for what it is. I think they will most likely aim at something more like the sportster with real components. Liquid cooled and double disc brakes with a slightly more aggressive steering geometry and more clearance. The powerplant in the scout definitely is interesting and owning a bike that *only* makes a 100 hp I think that in the long run making something along the lines of a FJ-09 is more plausible. On the other hand the new goldwing cruiser I find rather interesting and something along those lines would probably not be too far off the mark for them as well.  There are enough moto-guzzi owners that I don't think of as cruiser guys that they definitely have the opportunity to branch out into more than the traditional cruiser market. I will admit the scout and the octane are about the only cruisers I've had an interest in in recent years.

[Oilhed]

How about a Scout motor in a package something like this?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cyjo]

yep exactly what i was thinking.

[mugwump58]

How about a Scout motor in a package something like this?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But not at 560 lbs.

[kyzrex]

I would like to see them go away from the v-twin for a line of standard type bikes.  This would presumably allow them to produce a smaller package than the bike shown, of various displacements.  Factory hard bags and use of fairings/windshields would allow this platform to become a good touring bike.  Like I said before, I think they have the engine technology, they certainly can get the help they need in the chassis/suspension department, and they are already committed to increasing production capabilities.  Unlike the motor company they don't have to worry about alienating their core market by producing something "modern" and outside the "cruiser" market.  

But, the real questions......is there a market big enough for them to make money enough to justify the development and production costs a new line of bikes would occur?  Or, can they make more money by just concentrating their efforts elsewhere?

WE want them to do this bike, but we are a small % of the market in the US.  I think it comes down to what the overseas market potential is, and the desire of Polaris to sell in that market.

[Roadscum]

How about a Scout motor in a package something like this?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Victory is working  on it. Soon you'll see then  announce  a product that is a dumbed  down version of the Project 156 bike. They wouldn't be investing the big $$$ in this project if they weren't planning on reaping big benefits.

Take a look here: http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/project-156

Paul

[HipGnosis]

How about a Scout motor in a package something like this?

Isn't that basically what the Octane is?
Just add some wind protection and some luggage...  I'd give it a serious consideration.

[stromgal]

Octane is more 'cruiser-esque' than the XR, to these eyes. Single front disc, 3" rear suspension travel, feet-forward. I like vees (as my 150k on Stroms show) but am hoping for a slightly more sporting/standard version of that motor. I related that opinion to the factory guys at the Chicago IMS.  

[HipGnosis]

Agree, the chassis is 'cruiser-esque' - but it's better than anything else they've got.
It sounds like the motor is just fine.