Victory Motorcycles Opens 2nd Company Store Down Under

Australia has started a love affair with Victory motorcycles and after only two years they are the second highest-selling cruising motorcycle in the State of Victoria, where the first company store was opened about two years ago. At present their Melbourne store is the number two dealer in the world, but it is expected that within a year the recently opened Sydney store will overtake it. We are not talking Polaris dealerships. These are pure Victory supported stores, much like a Harley-Davidson dealership.

Currently the Melbourne and Sydney stores are the only company owned Victory dealerships in the world. The new store was opened on Saturday the 29th of January 2011. The dealership address: 554 Parramatta Road Ashfield.

Somewhat stunningly – in this old biker’s opinion – the clarion call for the opening of the Sydney facility was the sound of eighty Victory motorcycles that had been ridden 500 miles up from Melbourne to celebrate this event. This is a powerful demonstration of the brand loyalty Victory is building in Australia, as it required the owners to take several days off work in order to participate.

But make no mistake; this event was a very big deal for not only a heap of rabid Aussie enthusiasts, but also for a power pack of American executives who flew down under for the celebration. They included Bennett Morgan, President and COO of Polaris Industries Inc, Steve Menneto, General Manager, Victory Motorcycles, Mike Dougherty, VP Global New Market Development and Ross Clifford, Director International Motorcycles. This was also a big deal for the struggling American market. If these shop work out well down under, they are obviously destined for the United States, as soon as the economy is ready. It’s also a terrific indicator of the Australian marketplace, and the faith Polaris placed on this marketing gamble. Recently Kevin Alsop, the boss of Big Bear Choppers, mentioned that his largest market currently is located in Australia.

A highlight of the event was the unveiling by Steve Menneto of the new Victory Highball which was launched only one week earlier in New York, with Australia being the first country outside of the USA to land one. This is one hell of a cool motorcycle and I predict great things for it. Well done Victory.

You can check out video of the ride at the web site of the Victory Riders Network on http://vrnetwork.ning.com/ and it makes pretty entertaining viewing, even if you ride another brand.

Doc Robinson is the highly esteemed Tech Editor of Heavy Duty Magazine, the largest cruiser publication in Australia, and a regular contributor to Bikernet.

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