Victory Motorcycles->ke301 is slowly unveiling bits and pieces about its mysterious Project 156 race bike and like all good teases go, the American motorcycle company is now giving a quick glimpse at the bike’s new engine.

Details are still being kept under wraps, but judging from what the second video of the Project 156 series is showing us, this new engine is going to be a doozy. According to company engineers, the development of this liquid-cooled engine is being kept closely guarded because of its importance for the company’s plans for the future.

Turns out, this engine isn’t just being developed for the bike that will be competing at the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb->ke1001. That’s the primary objective, but the company hopes that it could serve as the future platform for engines that will be used in a new generation of motorcycles. Seems like an ambitious goal, but Victory seems to be firmly entrenched on that road these days.

Ambition aside, Victory Motorcycles really wants to make an impression at Pikes Peak. Doing so would mean taking the necessary steps to ensure that this all-new engine would be able to handle the rigors of riding to the top of the mountain without losing its core performance capabilities.

That’s the challenge the team is facing these days. But from the looks of things, it’s a challenge that’s being met head-on.

Continue reading to read more about Victory Motorcycles’ Project 156 race bike.

Why it matters

If for nothing else, Victory Motorcycles has done an incredible job hyping up the Project 156 race bike to the point that I'm legitimately curious to see what's really behind all of buzz surrounding this machine.

I doubt that the company will drop the full crate of details really soon so the waiting game should continue as we count down the days to the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Here's what I can tell you: Victory Motorcycles is putting all-hands on deck behind the development of the bike. That much will tell you important this machine is and, more importantly, how crucial it is for the company to see it perform well at Pikes Peak.

Whether it does or not is still anyone's guess, but at this point, I wouldn't put it past Victory Motorcycles if it really went over the edge with this machine. Having Roland Sand Designs on board also puts a certain aesthetic pressure on Victory to come through on the bike’s appearance.

Once Project 156 is unveiled, Victory has already tapped moot-journalist Don Canet to ride it in the Race to the Clouds. It might seem curious to some why Canet was chosen to ride the bike, but for those who don’t know, the man has experience going up Pikes Peak, having done so in a Ducati Multistrada 1200 in 2014.