September 2012 - CityBike

engine and road speed before shifting is
observed, shifting can be accomplished
with reasonable alacrity. Apparently, with
113 foot-pounds of torque available, the
gearbox needs to be built a bit sturdier than
other bikes, even those with more than
twice the horsepower. The stock fueling
is exemplary: it’s always spot on with no
burbles, hiccups,
or glitches
anywhere in the
rev range and
under any load
condition. I wish
my 10-year-old
Japanese bike
fueled this well.
Underway, the
suspension is
surprisingly
good. Struggling
to keep fellow ex-Honda Hawk roadracer
and current madman (and Victory press
liaison) Robert Pandya in sight gave the
suspension a comprehensive workout.
Right up to
dragging
floorboards and
beyond, the
Boardwalk was
as steady and
predictable as
the proverbial
rock. If a former
roadracer
Boardwalk
owner should
desire more
cornering
clearance, there
is a one-inch
longer shock
available as a
factory option.
Obviously, it
will raise the
back of the bike
a bit, but the
aesthetic tradeoff
is worth it. If
you’re thinking
“hey, why didn’t
the jerk just crank up the preload...” it’s
because the preload adjuster is buried
under bodywork and other bits, and the
average owner would likely take it to the
dealer for that adjustment.
One of the beauties of the Victory line
is the available factory options. One of
our test bikes was equipped with a wider,
cushier seat, saddle bags, and a windscreen.
Another test bike was equipped with a
freer-flowing exhaust, a re-mapped fuel
injection—together, these mods create
a noticeable increase in thrust—and a
“speedo unlock” which enabled a host
of features on the electronic dash such
as instant fuel
economy: a neat
diversion for
the technicallyminded.
Victory is
justifiably
proud of its
number-one
reliability rating
and is actively
improving
reliability with
a testing program. Every model and every
factory accessory is subjected to numerous
torture tests to ensure reliability. The tests
include extended time on a shaker table (a
machine which
can simulate
a variety of
frequencies
of vibration
that mimic
actual use), and
environmental
testing to
determine if
finishes and
materials
such as paint,
rubber, vinyl,
and chrome are
satisfactorily
durable.
The real bottom
line for any firstperson
testing is
to ask if I’d buy
it personally, or
recommend it
to a friend. The
answer is yes,
I would. It’s a
technologicallysuperior
machine dressed up in really cool
vintage duds. If someone miraculously
emptied my garage of street bikes, and
told me I could have a well-accessorized
Boardwalk and an iPhone full of surf
music… I might just be okay with that. And
that’s really saying something.
Victory 2013: New
Logo, New Strategies
By Alan Lapp
Victory hosted a memorable press
launch at the luxurious Canary Hotel in
beautiful Santa Barbara, California. We
were wined, dined and Powerpointed, we
fondled the new line of apparel, and rode
some motorcycles. Shiny new Boardwalk
aside, there is plenty else of interest to
Victory fans or just those curious about
the inner workings of a
big company like Polaris,
Victory’s parent company.
If you’ve followed Victory
since its early history, you’ll
know the 14-year-old brand
has been working hard to
establish its market niches. Product
Manager Ben Lindaman described how
Victory views the heavyweight V-Twin
scene. The Victory Boardwalk occupies
the “Traditional Cruiser” segment of
an organizational tool for the entire
Victory product line called “The Nine
Block,” a matrix used to guide product
development. Each row is a market
segment, and each column is an attribute:
Cruisers, Baggers, and Tourers, crossreferenced
by Attitude, Modern and
Classic. The Victory Judge is a Modern
Cruiser model, and the anti-freeze green,
flamed, Arlen Ness-designed Arlen
Ness Victory Vision Tour is an “Attitude
Touring” model. The Cruiser line is less
expensive: introductory models that focus
on style and performance. The Bagger
line is designed to appeal to riders that
do intermediate-distance touring and
need some storage on their bikes. And
obviously, the Touring category is for
long-distance riding and concentrates on
comfort and features.
Polaris VP of Motorcycles Steve Menneto
shared that since acquiring the Indian
brand in 2011, Victory will need to
adjust the strategy of its product line.
Victory will focus on its Modern and
Attitude lines and leave the Classic line
to Indian. The overall styling direction
will be to design Indian models
as if they had been in continuous
production, with evolutionary
development over time, instead of
recreating vintage designs. Indian’s
people also mentioned that Indian has
a racing heritage, but that teaser was
left un-explored—modern board-track
racer, anyone? How about a land-speed
record attempt in the footsteps of the
great Burt Munro? These amazingly
cool possibilities could be assets of the
Indian marque.
Indian’s Director of Industrial Design
Greg Brew showed off the new Victory
logo after explaining the need to redesign
it. As the art director of a motorcycle
publication and 30-year veteran of the
advertising industry, I feel moderately
qualified to discuss both the shortcomings
of the old logo and the strengths of the
new one. The old logo was a multi-layered
image on a blue field. It had a number of
problems; for instance, it looked derivative
of both the Ford and Subaru logos. It had
seven distinct elements—the blue oval,
three separate typographic
parts, the wings, the
globe,
and
the
“V.” Most
people
who are not
intimately
familiar with the logo don’t even
realize there is a globe in it—a sure sign of
clutter. In my experience, companies that
are tentative or unsure of the popularity
of their product adopt a
conservative logo like this
one to avoid alienating
potential customers. The
downside of that safer
approach is that the old
logo was ambiguous
and forgettable in a
noisy marketplace of visual
communication. In short, it was
a flabby, corporate logo
designed by a committee.
The new logo speaks in
a completely different
language. It is significantly
pared down to a clean,
lean tautness that was
lacking in the old version. The
color palate is different as well: the
use of red signifies aggression and
masculinity. The metallic volume
suggests solidity, durability and
reliability. The prominence of the
Victory name within the logo is a sure
indicator of more confidence in the brand
and direction. Its bold simplicity will be
much more “sticky” to the viewer and
have more appeal to
motorsports buyers.
This has broad impact:
not only is the new
line of bikes badged
with the logo, all
Victory-branded
apparel will carry the
new mark as well. It’s a
good move by Victory,
and properly timed
to support—but
not compete—with
Indian.
The new
line of
apparel
and
gear was
debuted
by Apparel
Manager Ian O’Reilly.
These products have
also undergone
comprehensive
changes; Victory
no longer re-brands
other manufacturers’
gear. Victory now
has taken charge of
manufacturing all of its
products, and has launched
an entirely new line for the Fall/
Winter 2012 season. Look for the release
of a new line for the Spring of 2013.
Victory is one of few OEMs that subjects
its apparel to a series of destructive tests
for abrasion resistance, color-fastness,
waterproofing, and
durability, indicating a
strong commitment to
customer satisfaction.
There are two lines:
leather and textile, with
design informed by
The Nine Block. Each
garment is targeted
at one or more of the
matrix entries. Perhaps
the most interesting
and exciting addition
to the Victory riding
apparel line is the
textile touring suit.
It is nicely appointed
with features such as a
zip-out lining, useful
venting, a built-in “air
dam” at the neck, and
waterproof zippers. It’s
also very attractively
priced. All of Victory’s
gear comes equipped
with Knox brand
impact armor, which
is a huge step in the
right direction for
the American V-Twin
apparel market. While
I doubt that Victory
will move market
share from BMW, it
is nice to see another
manufacturer take gear
seriously as protective equipment, and not
merely a fashion or branding exercise.
Another impressive fact about the entire
line: every garment has versions that
are cut for men and women,
available in sizes from XS to
XXXL and tall sizes. It is now
possible for couples to enjoy the
European tradition of matching
suits when riding two-up.
Their apparel line also includes
gloves, boots and casual wear
such as branded T-shirts,
baseball hats, and woven caps.
It seems to me that Victory
is playing the long game,
playing for keeps, and they’re
doing all the right things to ensure that
they thrive in the current economic
downturn and beyond.
September 2012 | 22 | CityBike.com
September 2012 | 23 | CityBike.com