VICTORY GUNNER TEST RIDE REVIEW HARLEY VS VICTORY. WHY DID THEY FAIL?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- I went for a test ride on a Victory Gunner. An American V-twin motorcycle that is no longer in production. Victory made a bunch of models from touring baggers to light cruisers and bobbers as well as being a contender in the racing world, but parent company Polaris pulled the plug when they acquired the Indian Motorcycle brand,
Ive never ridden one of these bikes but I've always wanted to see what they are all about.. This model is similar to a Harley Softail or a Breakout or Lowrider S. Ride along lets see how this bike performs.
Big shout out to Clawson Motor Sports for allowing me to test ride these bikes. They are a great shop with a huge selection! Check them out!
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#victorymotorcycles #Victorymororcycleclub #Polaris #Harleydavidson #Indianmotorcycle #Americanmotorcycles #bluesharpbiker #motorcycles #Motorcycleriding - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Good video, I have my victory hammer s since 2016 when I purchased it new....no a single problem since, only oil changes a battery change and about to do a routine tire change after 6 years really happy I made this purchase
It was a real fun and comfortable bike to ride..
Thx for the video. I've had my 2012 Victory Highball for 4 years now, never had any severe issues with it.
The Highball is pretty much the same bike as the Gunner.
Nice to see you riding in California, can't wait for the weather to become a bit warmer here in Northern Germany.
Cheers Martin
When it gets warm enough to ride in northern Germany it will be too hot to ride here in Fresno CA.. cheers!!
They didn't really fail when you consider Polaris is just putting Indian badges on a very similar bike. I personally favor the victory over Indian models though.
We’ll yes and no… they were two Independently managed companies under the umbrella of Polaris the management of victory wasn’t top shelf. So Polaris made a choice to cut one over the other
We’ll yes and no… they were two Independently managed companies under the umbrella of Polaris the management of victory wasn’t top shelf. So Polaris made a choice to cut one over the other They are both pretty nice bikes I think Polaris had a little more variety in their designs thanks for the comment cheers!
@@BluesHarpBiker No? Have you checked out the 2022 Scout Rogue? It is literally a rebadged Octane with some downgrades.
@@DenvarShay it makes sense for Indian to take over some of victories r&d and design.. they are very similar.. 2022 Indian dark horse chief is reminiscent of a Victory Vegas. Kinda like Oldsmobile and Cadillac.. these days and in the future used victory bikes will be the best value on the used market.. cheers!
@@BluesHarpBiker In my neck of the Woods (New Zealand) Victories are not that good value anymore as they became popular, and the prices almost doubled in the last couple of years. I wish they'd throw the Indian badge straight onto some Vics and roll them out again. Excellent performers and I still find them to be the best looking cruisers around.
Thanks for the reviews seriously considering this one as my first bike in after a 15 year break.
Great bike Thanks for watching!.. cheers!!
I have this same bike. It pulls like a freight train on speed! It is a joy to ride, even after a few hundred miles.
Tons of Torque!!! Great cycle
What an awesome name ! Blues Harp Biker, I am a bass player and already feel a kinship. - Mike
PS - I'd LOVE to ride / own a Victory from what I've heard and seen. It seems impossible that they went under considering what they offered even from the non-fall over feature.
Rock on! Yeah they were really nice machines.. Cheers! Hopefully we will run into each other somewhere
soon..
I have a 2017 Gunner. The one you rode was a 2016 or 15. the 2015 and 16 had a whiteface speedo, and the 2017 have blackface speedo. I went with Victory because I wanted reliability and ease of maintenance. Don't know if the one you rode had a "timing wheel" that allowed you to advance the timing or not. Aftermarket from Lloyds.
I put one on mine and set it at +5 advance timing. Really wakes it up from 0 to 2500 rpm's. Victory's have 1 hole oil changes. Thanks for being honest about the review. They really are fun bikes. The front foot pegs on that gunner are not stock, but the passenger pegs are. So if they looked and felt "cheap", that's why.
Awesome info thanks for sharing it.. I really had a fun ride on this bike. I’m glad you liked the review. I don’t consider myself a great reviewer, but I try anyways sometimes. Stay safe out there !.. Cheers!!
When I first was looking at cruisers. It was a toss up between Victory Gunner or HighBall both the same with minor difference and the Octane. This bike still looks good and could still hold up against most Harley103's or 107's.And now it's reborn as a Indian Chief. If the prices didn't spike back in the day I would of had instead I purchased a Yamaha Warrior and now I'm on a Harley Softail aka My Money Pit. lol Anyway keep up the great vid and stay on two!!!
@@rashiedej it's all good... if we all rode the same bike, this would be a boring world. Harley's are not for me, but I'm not against anyone who decides to get one. What matters is the more 2 wheels that are out there on the road, the less cagers there are out there on their cell phone instead of paying attn. to the road.
Unlike a Harley a stock Victory loves to rev. From the sound of your acceleration you were short shifting and never really got into the full power band between 4 and 5K. Even without feeling the full power you were apparently impressed. Imagine if you had really revved it out. Victory made four engines the 92C, and the Freedom series 92, 100 and 106 CI engines. Freedom 92 evolved into the 100 and 106. Also without Victory there would be no Indian today. The Scout and the Challenger are Victory motors that Polaris held back for Indian. Indians will look more like the Cross Country as time goes on. (Check out the Chief Fairing)
Nice bike for sure tons of torque!!.. smooth but still had character.. cheers thanks for watching 🙏👍🏻
1999-2002 transmissions has problems. From 2003 on transmissions were solid. Rylan at the Vic Shop runs a supercharged 160hp Sport Cruiser with a 2002 trans and it's holding up. There is an E clip that could come loose in 2012+ models, but it was rare. I would ask how many Harley 6 speeds lost main bearings in the first few years.
It takes less than an hour to change a drive belt, too.
Polaris went all in on nostalgia styling with Indian, and closed down Victory.
Victory has some nice bikes. Great video
Very nice! Cheers!! Thanks for watching
Keep riding the blues, Big John! Bless up.
Thanks buddy!!! 🙏
I had 3 Victory's last year, i had a 2007 Arlen Ness Jackpot, 2015 Cross Country Tour and a 2016 Magnum
They were all great bikes but with COVID and the fact the parts are getting tougher to find & the prices for used bikes were crazy so I sold all 3 last March for a great price per bike, i would have been stupid not to sell.
I couldn't bring myself to go Indian because the dealership sucks, so i went back to Harley and got a 2021 Harley Street Glide and found myself a mint 2014 Dyna Wide Glide with 1200 miles on it.
It was a great time to sell bikes last year Allright .. I bought one of my Harleys right before the prices started going up it was still hard to find the right bike for sale. Glad you found something cool to ride and selling bikes for good money is even better.. I think there will be aftermarket companies making parts for Victory in the future, but that’s just my guess.. Cheers thanks for watching!
68 is a great temp to ride. Like the Vic’s but understand why Polaris put all of their eggs in the Indian basket. I really liked to look of their baggers too (not the Vision though). Never rode one. I have ridden an Indian Challenger and an Indian Chieftan. Loved them both….a lot! Good video man.
Thanks!… well the Indian basket seems to be working well for Polaris. It was apparently a good move..👍🏻
Most of the Indians were victory patent. You mentioned the vision, that is now called the challenger. My buddy has a vision crazy fast my father riders a xc and I run the Vegas my Vegas has 97hp 106lb stock. I love it
@@jdgoerke13 I’m sure the Vision is a great bike, and looks are subjective, but I personally think they are painfully ugly. I did end up purchasing a new Indian Chieftain not long after this video. Out of the 20-something bikes I’ve owned over the years, it’s my favorite by far.
@@602North yea definitely not my style bike lol. I like the Springfield and challenger keep going to look at them but haven't pulled the trigger yet maybe wait till the next Daytona bikeweek after they don't move all the ones they bring in
I grew up with HD... LOVED THEM.. SOLD OUT, WENT OVER SEAS, HD DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE SCENE, and their BIKES CAN NOT KEEP UP VICTORY!!!! American Made! TRUE AMERICAN BADASS!!!! Polaris screwed up by NOT MARKETING VICTORY TILL LAST COUPLE YEARS !
Polaris should have kept both brands.. but the crew running Victory
mismanaged it from what I understand
Victorys don't need no steenkeeng parts!!
97hp 108lbft torque top speed 126 MPH?
My memory may be a little off but I think those numbers are close.
My Triumph thunderbird storm is 97hp 115lbft torque 129MPH top speed.
Most Victory bikes will cove 1/4 mile in under 13 seconds.
I was shopping for one when I ended up buying Triumph.
Try test riding Storm if you ever have the opportunity.
“It’s not a speed demon” but will outrun his Harley no problem.
Nice video, I always lived Victory and hope to get one soon. Keep it up and ride a new cheif if you get the chance.
Thanks!.. I want to ride a Chief.. stay tuned I will some time..
good honest review. test ride the new chief dark horse.
I actually did review the Dark Horse in an episode about the Indian test ride event.. thanks for the comment 👍🏻🙏🏻
@@BluesHarpBiker do you have a link?
@@tomedwards159 Sure! th-cam.com/video/54pGR22Enhs/w-d-xo.html
@@BluesHarpBiker thanks
Love mine all chrome stage 1
awesome bike!!!
Is the Victory brand still being made? Or only used ones being sold
No, this is a used bike..
@@BluesHarpBiker ,,,tnx,,,as for me I liked Victory styling and lines better than Indian,I previously owned a few HD models,Indian seems to copy the HD lineup,but Victory had its own lean styling, only one man's opinion
@@kenstar1862 they were quite unique.. pretty cool bikes…
Great test ride John . Sorry but 26 mi. Is a bit to long for a video. But who aim I. You have a lot more subs than I do. Have a good weekend.
I always make them too long haha.. you should have seen my first edit 34 minutes!…haha Thanks for watching!!
And less than a third of the gaskets than a Harley. It's bullet proof.
Great riding bike too
Victory failed because nobody ever heard of them. They never marketed them. They are far superior to Harley as far as handling and engineering is superior. Just so you know I own both a Harley and a Victory. Victory was so unknown everyone thought they were a metric cruiser from overseas. Good point on the buying parts. I can't get factory parts for my 2001 Harley but there are plenty of aftermarket parts for it. It looks like Joe Biden's inflationary economy might kill both Harley and Indian. I'm looking at a 2017 Victory Cross country for a touring bike because price points on Harley and Indian are through the roof just for color options. On a side note about Victory. If you wanted to make them stupid powerful motorcycles you could for a little bit of money. Great review! Keep on riding! On another side note about my Harley. I raised four boys and two had a fifties day at school and each one has pictures next to the Harley and they are twenty years apart in age. Nothing screams the fifties more than a Sportster.
Victory is a good bike.. flat out truth what killed victory was mismanagement of that division of Polaris.. lack of marketing amongst other things… Harley and Indian aren’t going anywhere.. don’t let bias politics frighten you..those companies aren’t going anywhere.. I liked the Polaris., I’m more of a Harley guy I like the uneven raw dirtiness and the unknown danger of a Harley not getting you to your destination without breaking, but somehow they always do… Cheers!
As you predicted the aftermarket has taken the opportunity that occurred due to the Victory shut down.
Beta Max was superior to VHS. The Walther P99 was superior to the Glock. And Victory was vastly superior to Harley. Victory failed because Americans buy into marketing hype.
Marketing can absolutely make or break a company.. it’s not just an American thing. It’s the law of the jungle..
Polaris is up against one of the absolutely most iconic American brands in Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson wraps itself firmly in the American flag. Keep in mind that the Ford Model T replaced motorcycles in terms of basic, motorized transportation with dozens of American motorcycle brands disappearing even before the Great Depression , after which only Harley-Davidson and Indian remained.
Fast forward to the late 1990s with cars providing far nicer transportation than the Ford Model T and Polaris tried to tackle an American consumer brand up there with Apple Computer, Nike, and Coca-Cola. From a marketing standpoint , their only hope was Indian - since 1901 (not counting all the bankruptcies and changes of ownership.)
I ride a Victory Cross Roads Classic I am loving and expect my next bike will be another Polaris product as they look great , ride great , and are pretty inexpensive on upkeep. Harley-Davidson makes some great bikes , but their dealer pricing is delusional.
Don't know anything about bikes. somehow stumbled across these videos and went down the rabbit hole. Just looking at the comments, it looks like Victory has a rather diehard fan base. Obviously, not what Harley Davidson has, but strong, nevertheless. Seems like they'll be on the road for many years to come and develop kind of a cult following.🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂
Victory was the Harley alternative an American made cruiser lower price and easier to get at the time than Harleys. But it’s parent company abruptly stopped producing the bikes. Making service a little difficult they did agree to continue manufacturing parts for 10 years.. they did and still have a fierce loyal following. Thanks for the comment I’m glad you liked the video!
It's a shame that you don't seem to have access to any fun roads to test this bike on.
I do but they are about an hour away. I just haven’t lined the timing up when I go up to the good roads and when I do episodes.. stay tuned I’ll have some stuff coming up
Victory didn't fail. Polaris integrated the victory into indian when they bought the name. Look at the bikes, they're almost identical to the vics
Not exactly true.. Victory bikes did not sell well making up only 3% of Polaris’s total revenue as opposed to indian’s 12%. The company was a mess and mismanaged. They had like 60 models and still couldn’t compete effectively with the rest.. they are nice bikes though..
Victory never really marketed their bikes well until the very end.
Forth gear is 1 to 1, so fifth and sixth gears are overdrives.
Thanks for the clarification.. cheers!
Howdy 🤠
Hello
I've heard that one of the main issues with Victory was the transmission. They didn't hold up. Sounds smooth, but I'll stick with my 08 Dyna.
Can’t beat a Harley…. I could feel the trans wasn’t as beefy as my softail
What you heard was bullshit. In 2017, the last year of production, Victory was the 4th most reliable brand in the world. Yamaha was #1, Honda and Suzuki were tied for 2nd, and Kawasaki was 3rd. That means Victory was more reliable than Harley and all of the European brands.
I have a vegas 8-ball 106 and it has out performed and out styled massey davidson in every way.....oh john deere did i just say that....😮
I can still buy a Harley new... what happened to Victory?.. Doh....
I have both. Victory more reliable. Harley better paint. Harley burns a little oil. Victory not much. Harley Yuppie Poser Trendy. Victory not.