The parent company of Victory Motorcycles is roaring into 2011 with improving sales and an expanded two-wheeled line up as Polaris reported continued success in its first quarter financial results and a legendary name joining its ranks.

Polaris enjoyed a 49% increase in sales in the first three months of 2011 compared to the same time last year. Fans of Victory will be pleased to know the on-road motorcycles lead the sales with an incredible 77% increase from the first quarter of 2010.

"We are extremely pleased with our first quarter results, as the momentum we built throughout 2010 continued into 2011,” commented Scott Wine, Polaris’ Chief Executive Officer, “Retail demand for Polaris products in North America remained strong throughout the first quarter and we continued to gain market share.”

Since this is a motorcycle website, a closer look at the On-Road Vehicles division shows 59% of the increases in sales were those made ‘outside of North America’. Worldwide, Victory unit retail sales were up modestly during the 2011 first quarter, with North American retail sales down slightly and retail sales outside of North America increasing.

An international presence is a road Polaris certainly has in mind with the company celebrating the opening of its European headquarters in Switzerland during the first quarter.

This international view of the motorcycle world is seen in the ongoing restructuring of the company manufacturing facilities with an overview of the previously announced realignment to consolidate operations given during the financial presentation. The efforts to realign existing operations in Roseau, Minnesota and Spirit Lake, Iowa, and a new facility in Monterrey, Mexico is moving forward with construction is essentially complete on the new facility in Monterrey and initial ORV production has begun.  Polaris expects shipments from the facility to begin in the second quarter.

Although Polaris had intended to close or sell its entire Osceola operations, the company recently announced it will keep some of its engine manufacturing operations in Osceola, Wisconsin, due to the significant increase in the Company’s product volume.

Normally the quarterly review of company’s financial performance is only exciting to shareholders or Wall Street types looking for indications of a company’s fiscal well-being. But Polaris had an announcement that caught the attention of the least financially interested when they officially revealed that they had bought Indian Motorcycles.

And could this acquisition have anything to do with the change in the manufacturing alignment?

As with anything of this magnitude, the details will ride out over the next few months and of course when considering the riding’s world curiosity on Polaris’ version of the iconic motorcycle brand, anticipation over the next few years.

“Polaris closed the acquisition of the Indian Motorcycle Company, one of the most storied brands in heavyweight motorcycles,” Polaris CEO Scott Wine said on a conference call, “By uniting the Indian brand with the capabilities Polaris has developed in its 13 years with Victory, we are confident over time that we will accelerate the growth and profitability of both brands and our overall motorcycle business.”

The announcement and excitement rode through the motorcycle world after an agreement was made between snowmobile and off-road vehicle manufacturer Polaris and the two U.K. investment firms that control Indian Motorcycle, Stellican Limited and Novator Partners LLP.

“A brief review of history will show that Indian built the first American motorcycle in 1901 and the world’s first V-Twin engine in 1907 and went on to become one of the great motorcycle companies in America in the first half of the 20th Century,” Wine confidently stated.