Troy Lee Designs… For Polaris (Again)
Two Industry Powerhouses Hit the Showroom Floor In Style
Interviewer: Keith Hook | Words: Kyra Sacdalan
Photos & Videos: Justin W. Coffey & provided by Brand Amp
Troy Lee is a name most of us have heard, but may not know why. It’s a name associated with a concept and a brand, as well as an artist. The man is now so legendary he and his company are referred to by a mere abbreviation: TLD.
In his youth, Troy blended his love for art and automobiles, painting hot rods and helmets. This led to an illustrious career in the motorcycle industry where “design” became a word synonymous with Troy Lee.
Now, the style icon joins with Polaris, an industry powerhouse in a rather different community, to give the RZR platform a fresh new look. Troy Lee has chopped, screwed, and pasted together the traditional Polaris color palette on the Pro R and 200 so they can rip down the trail to a new beat.
This isn’t Troy Lee’s first crossover, and if all goes according to plan, this won’t be his last. What’s his take on the UTV community, and what has kept inspiring him over the years?
UTV Sports: How did Troy Lee Designs first become involved with UTV’s?
Troy Lee: I think it was really with Craig Scanlan. I mean I’ve done some stuff off and on over the years, but Craig Scanlan really brought the opportunity to me and said “we have some new vehicles coming out.” I worked on some of their race vehicles first and then did some driving suits… And some clothing for the race team too. As the new vehicles came, he asked if we would do graphics, and I told him I needed to see what the body work looks like first. That’s important to the design itself. Of course, the bodywork looked amazing, and I thought we could have a lot of fun with this project.
USM: Of all the things you’ve done over the years, did you ever think you’d be designing Factory Limited Edition graphics for a vehicle manufacturer – especially side-by-sides?
TL: Yeah, I looked at them and thought that this project could be pretty cool. I had been going into shops, driving the different models, already thinking one day it would be cool to make some limited editions. So, David and Craig Scanlan [of 4 Wheel Parts] gave me the opportunity. He was amazing too because he’s a mountain bike rider, so we kind of hit it off! He kept showing me the new vehicles, and I thought: “Wow this would be fun.” I was able to see some of the newer stuff coming and couldn’t wait to get my hands on those.
USM: Is it any different for you going from designing race gear and apparel to switching over to vehicles or larger format stuff?
TL: It’s kind of just digging into the subject a little bit. The main thing I wanted to do [referencing the new Polaris design] was to frame the same colors so it all looked cohesive and worked together. I asked them for 10 things, and they came back saying they can do at least five. It was a start! I started sketching and they ended up coming back to me offering to do a little more.
From there, they told me to pick the frame color, which was a cool opportunity because to me that ties the whole thing together. The sway arms and even the orange rings on the wheels we see now weren’t approved until only six months ago! But, they produced a new wheel and were excited to give it a new spin.
USM: With so many creative projects under your belt, how do you find inspiration when someone like Polaris comes to you and says: hey, design something different?
TL: I draw probably 10 or 15 different helmets a week, so I’m always looking at cars and vehicles and leathers. I’m always sucking everything up and just trying to push the envelope a little bit here, so that makes it really fun.
USM: Are you a UTV enthusiast yourself? Do you own a UTV?
TL: Yup, I have a General back there [in his shop] right now, and I’m planning to have one of these new limited edition RZRs as well.
USM: What’s your favorite place to take a side-by-side?
TL: My first trip was to Baja California down the coast driving on the beach chasing Jeremy McGrath. We stayed in a mix of tents and hotels and wandered around the area. It was a true adventure.
USM: This industry has an abundance of personalized or customized vehicles. Does that have any impact on your creative process for them?
TL: No, I don’t think so. I just can’t wait to do the next one.
USM: What do you think we’ll see next from TLD for the UTV industry?
TL: I have some ideas. I don’t really want to say what they are yet, but I’ve already talked to Polaris about some concepts and maybe relating that to a bit of the same stuff from what I do with helmets. I think we can incorporate all of that into the UTV space.
USM: Does what you’re doing for the UTV industry have any impact on the rest of your line?
TL: For sure. We’re doing clothing with Polaris now, and helmets. Usually, if I have good friends or good partners, we kind of just keep expanding together. They help support my race team. We have an UTV running around with all our tires and our pits and food for the vehicles. I just finished one for the KTM too. So, usually when I start projects like this, they just keep growing, especially when you’re working with the right people.
USM: Obviously, we all know working with Polaris is pretty cool, but let us know about one of your personal favorite collaborations or projects from working in Powersports as a whole.
Once I receive a sign-off, I start putting them in the computer, and then we go out and paint it. Usually, when you run it through a couple of different processes, like painting and sketching and plugging into the computer, it just becomes better and better. We’re really lucky to have our paint booth here so we can paint samples. We don’t try to just pick BMS colors, we try to use all PGB colors out of our paint booth. That way we can use candies and pearls and metal flakes.
TL: I’m pretty excited about this one [with Polaris]. Usually, the most fun project is whatever I’m working on tomorrow. As I’m doing it, I am already planning the next time, like if we could mold these parts instead… So, I’m always constantly trying to figure out how I can push the envelope a little bit. And it’s not just me. I have a lot of great employees who are coming up with ideas too as we put our heads together. I just draw my chicken scratch on a piece of paper and go, “This looks cool.”
USM: You actually answered the other two questions. I was going to mention that it seems design, today vs. years ago, is completely different. It’s completely evolved. How have you used that to your advantage?
TL: I always try to make everything look like it’s racing and going fast. That’s the most enjoyable thing for me. That’s what I think I’m the best at.
Arguably, Troy Lee is “best” at many things. His talent transcends the motorcycling, automotive and, more solidly now, the powersports community. And we just don’t see him turning back now. Keep an eye on all things Troy Lee Designs (TLD) on Instagram – you guessed it – @TroyLeeDesigns and on Facebook.
