Iowa-Made Motorcycle Brand To Stop Production
After 18 years of production, a motorcycle brand made in Iowa is being shut down.
Production of Victory Motorcycles, produced since 1998 in Spirit Lake, Iowa will "immediately begin winding down," according to a press release today from Polaris Industries, the company that owns the brand. The news comes less than six years after Polaris bought Indian Motorcycle, the longest-running motorcycle manufacturer in the U.S.
In a news release, Scott Wine, CEO and Chairman of Polaris Industries said,
"This was an incredibly difficult decision for me, my team and the Polaris Board of Directors. Over the past 18 years, we have invested not only resources, but our hearts and souls, into forging the Victory Motorcycles brand, and we are exceptionally proud of what our team has accomplished. Since inception, our teams have designed and produced nearly 60 Victory models that have been honored with 25 of the industry’s top awards. The experience, knowledge, infrastructure and capability we’ve built in those 18 years gave us the confidence to acquire and develop the Indian Motorcycle brand, so I would like to express my gratitude to everyone associated with Victory Motorcycles and celebrate your many contributions.
...this move allows us to optimize and align our resources behind both our premium, high performing Indian Motorcycle brand and our innovative Slingshot brand, enhancing our focus on accelerating the success of those brands. Ultimately this decision will propel the industry-leading product innovation that is core to our strategy while fostering long-term growth and increased shareholder value.”
Polaris will help dealers liquidate existing inventories and supply parts for 10 years. Service and warranty coverage will also continue to be available to both Victory dealers and owners.
Goodbye Victory, a simply beautiful bike.
[via Polaris and Des Moines Register]