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Indian attacks Harley, but is Victory assured?

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SINGAPORE — If you’re cruising for a new cruiser, prepare to be spoilt for choice. Today sees the Singapore launch of Indian and Victory motorcycles. The two American brands offer the heavyweight, chrome-laden and V-twin powered sort of motorcycling that till now has been unique to Harley-Davidson here.

A new showroom for both brands has been set up by Mah Pte Ltd at 8, Ubi Road 2, with the doors set to open for guests tonight.

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Indian and Victory are owned by Polaris, a manufacturer of snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and electric buggies. They build their bikes at the same factory in the American Midwest, and in Mah they have a formidable partner.

The company already distributes a number of premium motorcycle brands, like Aprilia, Benelli, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Piaggio and Vespa of Italy, as well as England’s Triumph.

Around one in eight motorcycles sold in Singapore is distributed by Mah.

The company’s decision to add Indian and Victory to its portfolio was all but automatic, says managing director Eugene Mah, pictured below. “When the opportunity came up for us to work with Polaris Industries, the only question in our mind was, ‘How could we not?’” he says.

“These are two very exciting, well-loved brands globally, and motorcycle enthusiasts here have longed for this day.”

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To win riders over, both brands employ different strategies.

Indian is an iconic brand with a rich heritage, says Mr Mah. With a history that dates back to 1901, Indian can lay claim to being the first motorcycle manufacturer in America.

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Its current bikes (which cost anywhere between $23,500 and $51,500 — without COE) drip with chrome and glossy paint, and look like vintage pieces, in order to appeal to riders who value tradition.

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MORE: Riding the Indian Chief Classic - hard!

Victory, on the other hand, was created from scratch by Polaris in 1997. It both exudes and targets youth. Victories have less traditional styling and are painted in more modern colours, with fuel tanks that have sharper edges.

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They range in price from $24,500 to $42,000. “The brands cannot be any more different,” says Mr Mah.

But even as Indian and Victory eye customers from Harley-Davidson, their Milwaukee-based rival has been busy reinventing itself in an effort to broaden its own bikes’ appeal.

In 2013 the company launched a range of “Project Rushmore” motorcycles, designed with feedback from customers in mind and driven by technologies generally new to Harley, like water-cooling for the engine and bodywork shaped by wind tunnel testing.

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Last year it created a stir by unveiling Project Livewire, a programme from which a fast, sporty electric motorcycle (above) emerged. It immediately forced much of the riding world to re-examine their view of Harley-Davidson as a maker of stylish but lumbering behemoths.

MORE: How Project LiveWire means you’ll never look at Harley the same way again

And to replace its loyal but ageing customer base, Harley has launched the Street family, a pair of smaller models made in India to keep costs down.

But Mr Mah feels that riders in Singapore are ultimately the main beneficiaries of Polaris’ entry with its two brands. “Life is all about choice,” he says. There is little doubting which choice would feel like victory for Mah.

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