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If you have purchased a Victory Vision, the cold reality is that you were not the first person to ride your bike!
The same is true for those of you who have purchased other 2008 Victory models such as Kingpins and Hammers and any member of the Vegas family.
And, we have finally identified the person who has taken the first ride on nearly every Victory built over much of the past calendar year: Wendi Hudson.
There’s nothing diabolical or evil in her intent. She’s not sneaking into the Spirit Lake Final Assembly Facility late at night to take these first rides.
No, for most of the past year, Wendi has been stationed in the dyno on which every newly assembled Victory is test-ridden.
If you have ever toured the Spirit Lake facility, you’ve likely enjoyed seeing the demo stage of Victory assembly. Each bike enters the dyno “room” still bolted securely to the carrier on which it traveled down the assembly line. The cradle is lowered enough so the bike squats on its suspension, its tires positioned on large rollers. When the bike’s engine is started, it spins the rollers and remains in one place but still delivers plenty of information to confirm the bike’s outstanding performance.
Except for her vacations and rare days off, Wendi Hudson has been on most bikes that have rolled through the dyno during the past year.
The Process
After positioning a bike and cradle inside the dyno cell, Hudson scans a bar code for that particular vehicle into the computer. She then connects the power (to start the bike) and fuel lines. She slips in her ear protection, fires the bike up and runs it through the gears.
“I check the power, the brakes and all the electronic functions such as the lights,” she said between dyno runs recently. “I see that there are no leaks in the oil, fuel or brake lines and make sure it runs and sounds well. I make sure the tires are filled up and not flat and on the Victory Visions, I check the cruise control.”
A few years back, each bike was ridden the equivalent of about 4 miles during dyno testing. But with newer, more sophisticated diagnostic software, Hudson said, “we ride a Victory Vision about 2 miles, and ride every other model about one-eighth of a mile.”
When you watch her or any other dyno operator conduct the testing you see them get hard on the gas, run through the gears, test the horn, and brake the bike to a rapid stop.
Dyno Riding Only So Far
She rides for a living, but you won’t see her on a motorcycle on the street. At least not yet. She took a motorcycle safety training course and has her motorcycle endorsement, but doesn’t ride on the street.
She joked that she’s afraid she would quickly run through all the processes she tests during a dyno run, “and I’d have to ride in a straight line,” she laughed.
Hudson has worked for Polaris for 13 ½ years, all in the Spirit Lake facility. She has helped build ATVs, watercraft and Victory Motorcycles, and has worked in metal paint and in the warehouse. She has served in a lead position in metal paint and on the Victory assembly line.
Her current role places her at what is probably the most popular stop of any tour through the factory, but she doesn’t consider herself a star.
“The bike’s the highlight,” she said, “I just get to ride it.”
The Spirit Lake facility – where Polaris RANGERs and Victory Motorcycles are assembled – offers plant tours most of the year, but tours are currently not being offered until late July 2008. That’s due in part to the fact that production of 2009 Victory models will begin before the bikes are publicly introduced in late-July, and the new model lineup must remain secret until then.
Tours will resume in late July and will be a featured element of the American Victory Rally on August 15-16.
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