Article: "2006 Victorys Ride & Factory Tour
10/20/2005
By Kevin Duke

When Polaris Industries announced in the mid-1990s it was going to launch a new breed of American cruisers under the Victory brand, Harley-Davidson - among many others - yawned collectively. After all, how could a homey snowmobile and ATV company be expected to compete with the likes of giants such as The Motor Company and the Japanese Big Four?

Then, after the first Victorys emerged in 1998 as the first all-new American-made motorcycles from a major company in nearly 60 years, their blocky styling and underwhelming performance proved the naysayers correct. The Polaris boys in Minnesota were never going to put a dent in Harley's flourishing sales with dull bikes like those early models."