Polaris was the parent company for Victory and Indian motorcycles. Recently, they have been under pressure with competition from other brands that make cruiser bikes. Nonetheless, the company dominates the North American market for off-road four-wheelers and cruiser bikes. With the steady growth in the recent past, the company’s stock prices have been on the rise consistently. They have managed to acquire and maintain a sizable market segment contributing to their success.
Nonetheless, the company’s road to the motorcycle market success has been faced with many challenges. Back in 1998, it introduced its first motorcycle but did not break through into the market for approximately ten years. During this period, the company redesigned their motorcycles and upgraded inbuilt technical features enabling them to survive through the turbulent time. During the hardship era, Polaris gave the motorcycle division an ultimatum to either get profitable or split from the company.
The ultimatum played a fundamental role since there was renewed focus on Victory as the acquisition of the Indian brand was being done. More investment was channeled into the company enabling them to manufacture high-quality engines and motorcycle accessories. The revamping and redesigning of the company lead to a rapid rise in sales that has been maintained up to date.
The 2017 Victory Octane is the latest design released by the corporation.
Engine
The motorcycle’s source of power is a liquid-cooled 1179cc engine. It is a 60-degree V-Twin eight-valve with a DOHC operation system. The bore on this design is 101mm while its stroke is 73.6mm. The engine has a six-speed gearbox transmission and a wet multi-plate cable-actuation clutch. It has a belt final drive with its power-train expected to produce 104 horsepower at 8000rpm and 76 lb-ft of torque at 6000rpm.
The bike is fitted with full manual braking systems consisting of 298mm cross-drilled discs at both the front and the rear. Additionally, the front braking system is paired with twin-piston calipers with a stainless steel hydraulic line while at the rear is a single-piston calipers system. It will have an electronic fuel injection system with a 60mm throttle body.
The motor will deliver a compression ratio of 10.8:1. The engine will have a fuel capacity of 3.4 gallons. The bike covers its first quarter mile in 12.0 seconds when subjected to full acceleration.
Chassis
The frame of this motorcycle is made of tubular steel and cast-aluminum totaling a curb weight of 528 pounds without fluids. The front suspension comprises of a 41mm progressive-spring fork and 4.7-inch travel while the rear suspension comprises of twin hydraulic progressive-spring shocks. The rear suspension is adjustable for a spring reload and has 3.0-inch travel. This 2017 Victory Octane first look reveals that the bike has a wheelbase of 62.1 inches and a seat height of 25.9 inches.
The tires are victory branded with the front tire being 130/70-18 and the rear tire being 160/70-17 in measurements and specifications. It has progressive spring-rate and twin shocks soak up bumps that enable the bike to achieve a lean angle of 32-degrees. This 2017 Victory Octane is designed in a neo-classic silhouette. On the rear, it has LED taillights and turn signal systems. The headlight is a halogen bulb that is encased inside an oval fairing accentuating its fly screen.
Price
This motorcycle is already available in the market at a price of $10,499 with the Californian model costing $10,799.
