Now, ice ages and motorcycles may have nothing in common at a first glance, but Victory begs to differ. And since the Victory machines now come with a five-year warranty, what better proof of their reliability than having a bike that was completely encased in ice restored to a fully-functional state?
Back in 2011, a 2002 model year V92 TC was dipped in a tub of water and frozen into a solid block. The bike encased in ice was on display in Sweden at the Ice Hotel, as a token of gratitude for the recent acquisition of a 15-strong Victory fleet for rental to the guests.
After spending four years in sub-zero temperature, the bike was taken out of its icy cage and sent over to Stonetown Custom to attempt resurrecting it. Overseeing the whole operation was Niklas Frisk, Marketing Development Specialist Motorcycles EMEA Distributors.
After one hour of tinkering, the Victory came back to life
Of course, having a bike submerged in water and then frozen is hardly a good way to treat it. However, we were surprised to learn how little work was needed to have the engine alive and kicking again.
The bike itself had a hard life even before getting the treatment Jabba the Hut gave Han Solo. Polaris used it as a "shaker" test bike and it already had the equivalent of 300,000 km (186,000 miles). Even more, the bike was brought in Europe to teach Victory mechanics how to repair its engine, and this means that it was torn apart hundreds of times.
After being let outdoors to melt and drain, the Victory cruiser was inspected and received new oil, fresh fuel, a new air filter, and a new battery. As the cylinders have been drained, and the plugs went back to their place, fuel flowed and the bike started.
Those working on this V92 TC could not believe that it would start with old plugs and nothing replaced, save for the long-dead battery. The bike cannot be registered for road use, so its future is a bit uncertain. It may serve for future testing or end up in a museum, as the bike that "went Han Solo and back".
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