Since I own and work on multiple bikes, I wrote this article comparing our beloved Super X's to the other new brand that was being developed at the same time as EH:
Excelsior-Henderson Super-X
VS
Victory V92C
The late 80's and early 90's saw an improved economy, and more people purchasing motorcycles. Sales at the local bike shops were high, and Harley Davidson was the sole American brand of full sized cruiser. They were the sales leader for that category, beating out all the metric motorcycles.
Many entrepreneurs saw that there was room for some competition in the American made bike market, especially after being put on a waiting list to purchase a new Harley. Dan Hanlon was one such entrepreneur.
A man named Philip Zanghi along with a few others attempted to resurect the Indian brand, but was convicted of fraud. This was followed by an attempt by Eller industries in 98, then by a merger company in 99. Eventually the new Indian would fail, change hands, and eventually get purchased by Polaris industries. We won't focus on the Indians of the late 90's because the early production bikes used an S&S Harley clone engine, and by the early 2000's their own proprietary engine was prone to serious problems. And, I am not nearly as familiar with these bikes.
I have read Dan Hanlon's book and many articles about the forming, production, and eventual end of Excelsior-Henderson. I continue to be amazed at what the Hanlon's and their team were able to accomplish under the market conditions of the time. I have also read a book and various articles about the formation of the Victory Motorcycle division of Polaris Industries. There are a lot of parallels, but also some significant differences.
Like the Hanlon Motorcycle Company, Victory wanted to create a completely new, proprietary American cruiser. At almost the same time as EH, they were designing the frame, engine and other components. They were sourcing vendors and attempting to lay out a dealership plan. It's an interesting read, especially if you have already read Dan's book.
The thing that struck me, however, was that no matter how constrained Victory was, they always had a team of successful marketing and engineering people to fall back on. If their own sub-division ran into a stumbling block, they called ma-Polaris for help. Excelsior-Henderson did not have this luxury, and had to rely on their own team and investors to continue their business plan.
By 1998, both companies developed very well designed machines, and Harley now had real competition! That's not to say that the metrics didn't provide competition, but most hard-core bikers, and patriot motorcyclists preferred machines from an American firm.
So, long story shortened slightly, here are my observations: Both EH and Victory used a 4 valve, overhead cam configuration. EH used 2 cams per head, Victory a single. Both were among the largest displacement engines of the time. Both companies vehicle's had a gear driven primary and an integral transmission case. They were also air and oil cooled. The early Victorys were prone to transmission problems, including premature wear in the shift forks and teeth sheering from the gears. Excelsior Henderson had an undersized transmission bushing issue, but only a very few actual transmission failures. Virtually all the Victorys failed or would fail without the recall that Victory implemented. (There are still a lot of Victorys out there that never had the recall, and a savy Victory buyer avoids them because of lack of parts availability to upgrade them).
Both EH and Victory had wiring problems. Looking at my bikes, I see the same, thin insulation in the harnesses. They may have even had some of the same vendors.
Here's where the Excelsior Henderson design was superior: EH used a transmission cassette design. The entire gear set can be removed through the primary opening after removing the compensator and clutch. This made retrofitting the bushings a fairly routine job. Whereas with the Victory, the engine must be removed, disassembled and the cases split to access the gears! Major, major repair. Days instead of hours!
An area where Excelsior-Henderson could have done a better job was cooling, as most of us owners already know. A large cooler should have been standard on the bike, instead of a dealer added accessory. Victory did a good job, some say too good. In cooler climates, the V92 engine never fully warms up.
Excelsior-Henderson has anti-dive, as a result of their superior front suspension design, Victory does not.
Excelsior-Henderson utilizes closed loop EFI, superior to Victory's open loop. You have to actuate a throttle idle lever to start the bike....kind of like a choke. Closed loop in the EH produces better fuel economy and can be mapped to meet stricter emissions standards if necessary. Both engines perform very similarly, even though the Victory is 6 cu. in. larger.
Victory engineered a counter-balance shaft to offset engine vibration, and solid mounted their engine to the frame as a structural member. Excelsior-Henderson chose to utilize cushioned mounts to offset vibration instead.
Both bikes had a retro look, but where Excelsior-Henderson really prevailed was in styling. The bike stands out in a crowd with it's large dynamic front suspension. The nicely sculpted engine fits the bikes body lines, and the notches in the tank to accommodate the engine look retro-modern. The forks through the fenders, gas tank mounted instrumentation, and other unique styling queues have made Excelsior Henderson one of the most unique and beautiful bikes out there.
Victory on the other hand, well.... critics say their original engine reminded them of a self-propelled air compressor. The cylinders were basically two squarish finned blocks, no styling whatever. The tank was a typical teardrop shape, but didn't match the frame or engines lines. The speedometer was built into the headlamp nacelle, like an old British bike, but not particularly attractive. The fenders were bland, as were the cast wheels. Even though it was a new state of the art bike, it would easily be overlooked in a parking lot full of other bikes.
Since then, Victory has upped their game, and went for a very modern, aerodynamic style as opposed to the classic look of the V92 series bikes. They have also improved their faulty transmissions greatly, as well as their electrical systems. The newer Victorys are fantastic machines, better in my opinion than any Harley.
Here's what absolutely kills me: If EH had remained in business, they too would have refined their bikes. Can you imagine what a fantastic, superior, and beautiful bike a 2017 Excelsior Henderson would be!
