Re-launching Indian Motorcycle was a herculean, 27-month effort that cost Polaris Industries millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours. Bringing three clean-sheet models to market on a compressed time scale necessitated the diversion of resources away from Victory, Polaris’ other motorcycle brand. Victory’s stated goal of releasing a new model every six months was quietly put on hold, and it has kept a low profile since the introduction of the Boardwalk in 2012. Last year saw the release of the 15th Anniversary Cross Country Tour and the launch of the Factory Custom Paint program, but little else.
Victory has reloaded with the Gunner, a new blacked-out, bobber-style cruiser with suede titanium metallic bodywork. Black cast-aluminum, 24-spoke wheels with machined edges, and chunky tires with white lettering give it an old-school hot rod look. Like every Victory, it’s powered by the air/oil-cooled Freedom 106 V-twin with a 6-speed transmission and belt final drive. The Gunner’s 25-inch solo seat is among the lowest in Victory’s lineup, and so is its $12,999 price—$2,900 less than Harley’s Softail Slim, its main competition. Victory hopes you’ll spend that extra dough on some of the many Gunner-specific accessories that will be available.
The 2015 Victory Gunner was revealed at the Chicago Progressive International Motorcycle Show on Saturday morning, February 8, 2014. The public was able to get a close look and a feel for the bike during the Chicago show, which runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Gunner demo rides will be available in March at Daytona Bike Week, which is when we’ll ride it and share our impressions.
For more information, visit victorymotorcycles.com.
(A version of this article appeared in Kickstarts in the April 2014 issue of Rider magazine.)
