‘Desert Racer’ wins ‘Operation Octane’Victory Motorcycles has announced that its ‘Operation Octane’ custom-build competition for authorized Victory dealers was won by Bernhard Peintner of Iwan-Bikes in Germany with ‘Desert Racer’; a total of 26 dealers from around the world entered the competition with three weeks of public voting closing 21 November.
 |
| The winning bike in International markets was 'Desert Racer' built by Iwan-Bikes in Germany |
The winning bike in North America was ‘Evil Ethel’ built by Rick Fairless’ Strokers Dallas; the runner-up bike in international markets was ‘Grifter’ (built by Brisan Motorcycles in Australia), with ‘King Octane’ (built by Coastal Victory in Myrtle Beach, USA) taking the runner-up spot in North America.
Bernhard Peintner, the Dealer Principal at Iwan-Bikes in Germany, who made ‘Desert Racer’, said: “We won! A thousand thank yous to all guys voting for us. We really won! International Champion of the ‘Operation Octane’ contest. The ‘Desert Racer’ has special knobby tires, a low handlebar, a metal radiator protector, off-road footrests, and a real leather seat make you ready for hard rides. The front suspension is protected and the rear fender is specially designed for muddy roads. The paint job was all airbrushed by hand; it’s a real military color. We also added throw-over bags to finish the look.
 |
| The runner up bike in International markets was 'Grifter' |
 |
| The winning bike in North America was 'Evil Ethel' built by Strokers Dallas |
Clint Davis, Dealer Principal at Brisan Motorcycles in Australia, who made ‘Grifter’, said: “We’ve been associated with the Victory brand since the beginning. Building ‘Grifter’ was a heap of fun for the team and allowed us to take the Octane in a totally new direction. The finished bike is already creating enormous interest in the showroom.
“Our goal was to create a motorcycle that was still recognizably an Octane, but meaner, leaner and more eye-catching than the standard bike. It also needed to sound fantastic, be great fun to ride and turn heads wherever it goes. The resulting build combines a hand-made tail section, repurposed Arrow exhaust with lobster back headers, metallic cherry and graphite paintwork, and 18″ Performance Machine wheels.”
North American Champion Strokers Dallas said of their ‘Evil Ethel’: “Take a mean bike and make it meaner. That’s the vision we had in our mind for our evil Victory Octane that we call Ethel.”
 |
| King Octane (built by Coastal Victory in Myrtle Beach USA) took the runner up spot in North America |
North American runner-up Coastal Victory said the following about ‘King Octane’: “Keeping with the Victory brand tradition, we added fenders from a Victory Kingpin (modified to fit), had our painter (Rusty Nash) add a SIC custom paint job and topped the build off with a Ness intake and a Bassini 2-into-1 exhaust.”
“We knew these Victory dealers were going to produce some stellar rides, and they did not disappoint,” says Nate Secor, Manager of Marketing, Victory Motorcycles. “Congratulations to all of the participating dealers on their impressive creations!”
All the bikes can be seen at www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/operation-octane
