And Now There are Three
© Winding Roads Motorcycle Times and the author
1998 Victory V92C 1999 Excelsior Henderson HCX Super X
At the beginning of this century there were three big American manufacturers producing large displacement bikes. As this century ends, 1998 marked the first time since 1955 that Americans have had the choice of a large American designed, and manufactured, motorcycle other than Harley Davidson. Many smaller companies have come, and gone by the American roadside, but the big three; Harley Davidson, Indian and Excelsior Henderson were the biggest and in many ways the best. After several attempts at returning, the Indian marquee is still a no-show and hasnt produced a bike since 1955. Excelsior Henderson has returned from extinction in 1931 to become a robust American corporation, with attitude and pride, marketing the Super X. Rounding out this trio is a new comer, the Victory V92C. The Victory V92C is developed and built by Victory Motorcycles, a division of Polaris Industries.
Much has been written about Harley Davidson and their history is legendary. I will focus on the two new kids on the block. I had the opportunity to ride a Victory during Bike Week in Daytona and spent an hour talking to their engineers and marketing people. The Super X wasnt available for demo rides, but I was permitted to throw a leg over one and get a feel for it with the engine running. I also spent some time talking to several execs and engineers from Excelsior Henderson. Demo rides on the Super X are planned for Daytona 1999.
Polaris Industries has been producing quality motorized products since 1953. Their product line consists of personal watercraft, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. Several years ago Polaris decided that a sufficient market existed for another cruiser class motorcycle. Early in 1997 the Victory was announced and by June 1997 the first bikes were being displayed to the public. Victory's have also shown up at Sturgis, SD and Palmdale, CA for bike oriented events. During Bike Week at Daytona 1998 Victory offered demo rides on a dozen, or so, pre-production bikes. First impression of the Victory is that it is a big bike. The overall length is 94" and the wheelbase is over 63". The seat is only 28" above the ground and the bike weighs in at a little over 635 lbs., dry. The engine is a fuel injected 50 degree V-twin cooled by air and oil. It displaces 1507cc (91.92ci) and the final belt drive delivers a claimed 85 ft/lbs. of torque and 75 hp to the rear wheel. The bike is available in two colors, Antares Red/black and KYSO (knock your socks off) Blue/black.
I rode a blue V92C for about 30 minutes accompanied by a Victory engineer on a red one. The ergos of the bike took a little getting used to. The bars were almost dead straight and necessitated a somewhat forward lean to reach. The shifter is a heel/toe type that has become quite common lately on cruisers. The floorboards are reminiscent of the foot shaped gas pedals often seen on custom cars. Shortly after pressing the starter button the engine fired up. Thanks to EPA the exhaust note was very muted. After a short warm up I shifted into first gear and was greeted with a loud clunk. We proceeded from the Daytona Speedway on Route 92 heading west towards Interstate 95. The bike provided a very stable and reassuring ride. The power band is very broad. At 60mph in fifth gear the tach read 2700 rpm. These bikes were low mileage pre production models and I didnt want to risk blowing one up, but I grabbed a handful of throttle, anyway, and the bike lurched forward with authority. The engine pulled very strongly until I let up at about 85mph. Thanks to the counter-balancer vibration levels were never intrusive, but noticeable.
As I negotiated a U-turn I noticed that the steering was neutral and the bike felt very secure in the turn. Accelerating to rejoin traffic was quite exhilarating. I ran the tach to about 5000rpm and shifted into second, the bike accelerated smartly. When I went for third gear the engine revved freely. I instinctively let off the throttle and checked the barely readable neutral light. It was off, the tranny had a false neutral, and I tried again to catch third gear. I heard the telltale clunk and the bike began to accelerate again. The bright sun rendered the indicator lights practically useless. The entire instrument cluster is located on the headlight nacelle with a large speedo, a smaller tach positioned on the bottom portion and the indicator lights sprinkled around the instrument face. After the ride an engineer quizzed me. I went through my list of likes, and dislikes, and was assured that the production bikes would be better. The transmission problem is well known and will be corrected on the production models. Other changes to be made are replacement of the indicator lights with easier to read LEDs, more comfortable bars and a lower positioned rear brake pedal. Most people will probably change the pipes and the computer chip to gain more performance, but as is, the V92C is an impressive first effort from Victory.
Excelsior Henderson Super X prototype at Bike Week '98
Postscript: Subsequent to this article Excelsior Henderson ceased production in 2000, after producing about 1,900 HCX Super Xs.
Polaris/Victory acquired the Indian brand and ceased production of the Victory in 2017.