After almost five years of investment, product development, testing, and dealer development, Indian Motorcycle announced that the first shipment of limited production 2009 Indian Chiefs has been shipped to 7 dealerships across the nation. Production of the 2009 Indian Chief is limited to 750 units. The key people responsible for the re-launch of Indian are Chairman Stephen Julius, President Steve Heese and General Manager Chris Bernauer. Stephen Julius said the following in response to this remarkable achievement “We have reached an incredible milestone in the history of Indian Motorcycle. Indian Motorcycle is once again a premium motorcycle manufacturer dedicated to engineering and styling excellence. We have assembled a dynamic team, developed an outstanding product, and are selling motorcycles in beautifully branded Indian showrooms.” Indian Motorcycle dealers already open for business are in Charlotte, N.C., Paducah, Ky., Omaha, Neb., Detroit, Mich., Phoenix, Ariz., Wichita, Kan., and Pittsburgh, Pa. Many more dealerships will be opening in top markets by July of 2009. Indian Motorcycle will be present with its entire line up of motorcycles, accessories, and apparel at Daytona Bike Week this spring. Indian Motorcycle.
2009 Indian Chief Motorcycles Delivered To Dealer Network
Published by January 6th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.37 Responses to “2009 Indian Chief Motorcycles Delivered To Dealer Network”
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Congratulations Indian …………..
Product….Product…..Product
Seems we are all facing the same challenges these days .
Diligence and integrity may be the key words here .
Ray
All the new Indian naysayers are gone. All the ones who predicted no new bike, no dealer are silent. I’m happy to see them succeed step by step.
Paul you forgot the most important thing, How about a buyer.
Can’t imagine there not being buyers for something that nice.
(not to mention that exclusive)
-nicker-
This is great news I think. It’s pretty cool that there are still business folk out there willing to take the gamble on selling the new Indians, especially in this market. The bikes are beautiful and from what I’ve seen about the dealerships online they’re incredibly stylish. I wish the Indian folks nothing but good fortune.
I’d say the only piece missing from this whole saga is what it’s like riding one of the new Indians. Maybe I missed it, but I’ve yet to find a review or an anecdote about riding a Chief. If anyone knows of one could you point me in the right direction? I’m really curious about the new motor and the handling.
For all I know the consumer press has already been tearing ass around the countryside on these things are just waiting for the embargo to end.
Cheers,
Dennis J.
Dealernews
I obviously can’t speak for all of the locations, but I drive by the Wichita, KS location (it’s just a small, defunct used car lot) every day on my way to work and I haven’t seen any sales activity yet. The old car lot marquee says “Indian Motorcycles coming soon”, but the building is still empty. Being a Wichitan for the last 20 years, I’m a bit surprised they are trying to make it in this small of a market. The economy has been somewhat propped up due to the extensive aircraft industry here, but I don’t think there are a lot of buyers in this price range in town. I could be wrong…
Wichita is coming along and it will be nice. Indian will sell. The bikes are right and the ride is sweet.
These bikes are the best thing to come out for motorcycles in a long time. Yeah you have your Suzuki’s, Yamaha’s, Triumph’s and the like but this bike is an absolute work of art. Yes the price is high, but for what you get it is actually a bargain. I was ecstatic when I heard that they are limiting production to 1200 a year instead of the cookie cutter Harley Davidson’s who spit out 1200 a week only with the bottom line in mind. Indian Motorcycle is not just slapping these bikes together and putting them on the market for just anyone and everyone to buy. If that were the case with everything I would be drinking caviar and champagne on my yacht every night after speeding around Milan in my Lamborghini. Think about it. Finally a high end bike that is going to be seen as often as a 12 point albino buck. It will be stared at, envied, and most importantly appreciated, instead of kicked at and spit on like the pigeons in Manhattan. You wonder where the buyers are…I’m a buyer. Buying a beautiful piece of history. Anybody who wants to ride with me is more than welcome and I look forward to it. Just don’t be pissed when we park someplace and everyone is stumbling over your bike to look at mine. Take care and ride safe.
Ironhorseman88
I was looking at the Exhibitor List for the Cinncy V-twin Show and do not see Indian as presenting at this show. I was looking to get a closeup of the new product. Anyone know for sure? Seems like THE show not to miss! Maybe they have the dealers they need for 2009?
Well, I’m not trying to be a skeptic. But this bike is neither a “work of art” or “high end.” It’s just another re-do of what’s been done in the past by the last couple of Indian start ups. Hopefully with better quaality control. The previous post measures them against Harley Davidson yet the current Indian engine was developed directly from Harley’s design. A slap in the face to any Indian purest. I do agree with the new company about limiting production, but I disagre with using car and scooter dealers to distribute them. What happened to the already established Gilroy Indian dealers? The old time (up to 1953) Indian dealers were “motorcycle people,” and knew their product. But the last dealer listed on this blog sells everyting from Toyotas to Vespas. Clearly not an Indian purest in my book. If I were to buy a piece of history, I’d buy an old one. If I wanted to ride endlessly from coast to coast, I’d buy an established brand with a few dealers in every state or large city. Hopefully the new company will get to this point. Else, they are nothing more than show bikes. A real runner needs a well established network of dealers to support their customers who are on the road.
Yeah, I was dissapointed to see them NOT listed on the Cycle World International Shows either. At least the Minneapolis one. I would think this would be a very good opportunity for them. I’d like to really check one out in person although I’m not really in the market for one. I do know however that some other manufacturers are not listed this year either: URAL and Moto Guzzi, which are two other brands I like. Vespa is still a go though. Perhaps their management thinks (and probably correctly) that whomever wants one, wants one bad enough and will find a dealer themselves.
Sweet…glad they are back with that nostalgic model. Gotta love it and wish them all the best.
Do some research Lyle. I’ve seen these bikes in person, I’ve toured the plant, I’ve spoken with the CEO, the President, the engineers, the dealers, the parts makers, and most importantly, the builders. Quality control is at it’s peak in the factory. You have two to three builders dedicated to one bike. Isn’t that how Harley does it…ooops thats right, they don’t. No re-do here. In house 105 cc engine and a style that improves on the classic look. Why buy an Indian that looks like a sport bike (maybe in time as these things progress) but right now the bikes’ look is at the progression it has reached.You are upset that Indian is selling from a place that sells Toyota’s and Vespa’s – too bad. Indian is starting out slow and not inundating the market with cheap junk. They are building slowly to ensure that they will have a well established dealer network. It is not easy to be an Indian dealer – they are not just giving these bikes to anyone that wants to try to sell them. These dealers have to qualify and meet certain standards before a bike is put on their lot. As for the Indian “purists” they are in a league of their own. Would you shun an adopted brother because they weren’t from your Mom and Dad…I hope not. I do think Hendee and Hedstrom would be proud of how their bike has progressed to this point. I’m sure the closest you have been to an actual 09′ Indian is the pictures you have seen of them. Pictures don’t mean squat. I’ve seen plenty of pictures and videos of Rhett Rotten but they meant nothing to me until I could go up to him and physically shake his hand. The Indian 09′ may look cool on the page but until you are standing next to one you won’t be able to have the same feelings as someone who has experienced it. Like I said Lyle, do your research. Until then ride safe. I hope to see you on the road.
Ironhorseman88
“””IronHorseman88 writes:
Do some research Lyle. I’ve seen these bikes in person, I’ve toured the plant, I’ve spoken with the CEO, the President, the engineer………..etc etc .”””
yea, with no due respect – who are you? Why is your “opinion” worth abiding?
How do we know your not a 12yr old using Pop’s ‘puter?
Personally, I am pretty fed up with anonymous posters … got a name?
How bout ya use it!
Ironhorse, I really really hope your right. I too, have never met a CEO who wasen’t overly optimistic about their product. And maybe I can agree that using Toyota and Vespa dealers with a history of profit making is a good move from a business standpoint. But I’m still entitled to my opinion questioning their motorcycle savyness. Or am I wrong? What happened to all the old Indian dealers? That were not the ones that failed the company last time.
If anyone who uses 3 guys to assemble motorcycles from largely outsourced parts can call themselves a factory, then I too am within that group. And believe me, I am no factory. Now I will admit that’s a little toungue in cheek, but you need to admit that only 3 guys per machine can also intrroduce some quality control issues as well. Any large motorcycle corporation uses a lot more than 3 people. Probably hundereds as it’s the only way to standardize and streamline production for a cost effective product. I could argue that point either way. And having done the reseach, I know that machine isn’t anything that Hendee or Hedstrom would have produced. Or DuPont, Ralph Rogers, Brockhouse, (Maybe Clymer though) Not that it’s a bad bike, but it just isn’t styled the way Indian woould have progressed. It looks too similar to the customized softails I saw in the 80’s and 90’s that were styled after Indian. In other words to me, it looks more like a Harley with flared fenders. Certainly the entire drive train has HD engineering (which is good engineering) in it and even the details such as the cast headlight cowl. Yes, maybe we can meet on the road and dscuss this over some suds. Maybe I’m wrong because I’m just a motorcycle working stiff and haven’t done anything visionary myself. But then, I’m not in the industry. …I dunno. But I do wish them well. I do think they need to promote their product at a large trade show. But so far, I haven’t seen them at any. You have the advantage on me there. I just fail to see anything that’s different about this latest re-incarnation. Yeah, I’d like to talk to them and tour the plant and see what’s going on. Maybe that’d change my mind too. But all this mis-leading hype about America’s First, Since 1901, Blah, Blah, Blah, is a real turnoff as most of us are smarter than that.
Steveb – Paul M. Bayhurst, 39 years old not 12 ,and I know enough that I’m not going to pay $35,000 dollars for something I don’t believe in. And my “opinion” is worth abiding because I am reporting on what I saw and whom I spoke to. If you couldn’t care less about what I say read Bert Baker’s review on the Indian website in the blog section. I’m curious as to what you could add to this seeing you seem to be speaking about something you obviously have no knowledge of in a practical sense. Also with due respect…who are you?
Lyle, would you buy anything from a CEO that wasn’t optimistic about his product? Standardized and streamlined production is fine for widgets and what-nots but saying that there are quality control issues with having a three man build crew blows my mind. If you are in an elevator with three other guys and one farts, it’s pretty easy to tell who did wrong. If you are in an elevator with 100 guys and one farts who did it? How can you control quality when a piece gets lost in the masses? As for cost effectiveness, I’m more than willing to pay the money to know I have three passionate motorcycle builders building something they believe in instead of having a guy welding the same gas tank on to the same frame day after day after day after day….I build custom furniture, thats what I do. I lead my jobs and I have a couple helpers if I need them. Wouldn’t you rather spend more money on something like that that comes from someone that is passionate about what they do and cares about their final product or would you rather pay the $19.99 for an IKEA piece that is mass produced out of cheap materials and shoddy workmanship?
I found out that, ” the engine does utilize Harley’s EVO technology, but Harley does not have an identical engine by any means. Had they taken the time to invent something completely different, they’d still be in the R&D stages for the next five years, at least! The new stuff will come in time.” All this stuff is fun and games but what it comes down to is, the new Indians are beautiful bikes and you will always have people putting these things down no matter what the quality or price. All I want to do is ride. I respect other bikers and I would never laugh at or put down what they choose to ride. Indian is not the bike for everyone and thats why I’m buying one. Be one in a million not one of a million. Ride safe.
Paul M. Bayhurst
Ironhorseman88
p.s. I’ll buy the beers
Hi Paul – i know that if i were looking at Doctors performing surgery, I’d not have a clue as to if they were competent (unless there was beeping flatline..)…so I guess if you know what your looking at – your qualified to broadcast a verdict. You didnt preface your comments with the all-critical “In My So Humble Opinion”. You stated “fact.
Me? I am most certainly not qualified to tour a mfg’ing plant and render a verdict. I can say things like: “the place was clean”, they had lots of tools”, they were busy” and be credible. I would not be qualified to say much else, as I am not an engineer or wise in the ways of product testing, manufacturing or shop floors.
The bottom line for me is: i do care what you have to say, if your credible.
Bert is credible, all I was asking in a not-so-nice-way is…..are you?
Anyway – enough with the sharp sticks
I hope the Indians are the shit, the USA needs a domestically made winner
Ironman,
3 guys, or hundreds, can be passionate about their work. But you need to admit, three guys building something does not automatically qualify it as being quality constructed. That’s all I’m trying to say. I’d rather have something that’s put together by the same “expert” on each piece than some “jack of all trades” on one 3rd of the bike. I’m not saying this is happening at Indian however. I’m sure those guys are qualified as are the hundreds that work at HD. And using outsourced parts pretty much guarentees the machine is built by a hell of alot more people than 3. Including whomever is welding the tanks. Do you want the welder to do the painting too? Or the engine builder? Wouldn’t you want an expert to do each step? I would. I’m not putting the machine down either. All I’m saying is that it’s got nothing to do with the original company. Their claim is “since 1901.” Actually, it’s got more to do with the harley aftermarket industry judging by the powerplant, drivetrain, front end etc. To me it’s not worth 35K or even 20K. But that’s just my opinion. I do wish them well. If they continue, maybe by the next decade they will start to have their own design engine, a better dealer network, support, etc. Then I might consider one. Hopefully they will last. I will admit, then need to start somewhere. But I do need to question the decisions regarding the dealers when the prior incarnation already had many of them set up. But then again, I’m not in the MC manufacturing business…And it is a business.
Oh, hum! I’m waiting for the sales to consumers figures!
Great posts! I for one am an Indian guy that is rumored to bleed Indian red! I owned a little Indian dealership in the Gilroy era and wanted nothing more in life then roll up my sleeves and help the ‘new guys’ out the best I can. Fast forward, I now own and operate the Indian Motorcycle Dealership outside of Charlotte. Having had the opportunity to meet the new dealers coming on-board and review their long range plans, time will show that Indian was in no rush to land someone ‘just to retail’ their products. Much was learned from the miss-steps of the past and there is a great awareness to not revisit the same errors. Every Gilroy Indian Dealer has been presented with the opportunity to apply to be a Kings Mountain Dealer; some actually will be joining the ranks shortly. Yes the dealer standards are novel and rightfully so.
Today’s Indian Motorcycle product is solid and refreshing. The dealers are passionate and knowledgeable businessmen willing to commit substantial resources to their own and Indian’s long term success. The design and build team includes members of the who’s who list of today’s motorcycle design and manufacture. The team build concept is used throughout the world for high level products and adds a level of pride, craftsmanship and accountability to each new Indian Chief. One trip around the bike and it is obviously a product that was designed by motorcycle enthusiasts for motorcycle enthusiasts. The ergonomics, the form, the function, all drip with the signature of a passionate and talented team.
In regards to events and media; Indian will be at most of the major outdoor events starting with Daytona. Media events will be planned in the future.
This is a small exclusive brand that will appeal to inspired people that are looking for something different – period. This company is a specialist in slow measured growth, even in an environment of layoffs, shutdowns and failures. Indian is in touch and conservative and intends to be here many years from now. There is no interest in running head to head with other manufactures and no outside pressure or influence will alter the trail.
Mark Moses
I am sure most Motorcycle enthusiasts will wish them well in their endevours.
But I would not buy an Indian with an after market motor based on an HD design.
Could they not do a deal with S&S on a wedge motor that is styled more towards this bike.
I see Kiwi Indian do one and it looks polished and will perform like a modern motorcycle should.
I look at the Victory and think what they have done is great.
Pity Indian cannot follow a similar business model.
Good luck to them for they will need it
James
SteveB –
What makes Bert Baker’s opinion, IN THIS CASE(no disrespect to Bert), so credible? I’m not trying to put you on the spot; I’m simply pointing out that Bert supplies their transmissions. He can hardly be completely and freely objective. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that letter was solicited from Bert.
MAS – well, it is just my opinion that for me, Bert is a credible authority in this instance. I have no special truth lens here, so it is simply my opinion. Whats his incentive to lie? Is selling a bunch of gearboxes and stuff, worth lying about and putting your rep on the line…I dunno, I’d have to say no…not in this industry where people have memories like elephants and grudges get held forever.
If you gonna lie, the stakes best be freaking huge – cuz if you get caught your rep turns to shit – unless your a politician, or a failed “captain of industry” – then you get rewarded and bailed out.
Ironhorse is right….anyone riding up in an Indian is going to be the center of attention. The Chief has a “look” that no other bike has.
So far I have been impressed with Stellican’s strategy of taking it slow. I understand the honchos have done their homework and are determined NOT to repeat the mistakes of the past, and to emphasize quality.
No, they don’t have hundreds of dealerships. No, they didn’t “invent” everything new for the bike. No, all their dealerships are not “Indian only”. How can they be? Their initial goal is 750 bikes per year. They are taking baby steps. If things go as planned, the innovations will come later.
Which makes more sense….pump out thousands of bikes with hit-and-miss quality, or a few hundred bikes of top quality? The former would kill the company before it even gets started. The latter will help develop a reputation that will pay dividends down the road.
Quality is the key here. If these bikes prove to be reliable machines then the customer base will grow. If not, then Indian will die…likely for good.
I want to own an Indian some day. Right now I can’t justify the cost on a King’s Mountain machine. But I’m rooting like heck for them to succeed.
It would be nice if one of the sequel Indian companies put equal emphasis on motorcycle innovation as they do on skirted fenders of the Chief.
I wonder if E. Paul duPont would be pleased with yet another effort that seemingly follows HD instead of the other way around?
Hoyt,
I took the liberty of looking at your website and noticed a picture of an Indian 841. In my opinion its probably the most advanced bike Indian ever produced (except maybe the Torque 4.) I think one could argue that a modern Moto-Guzzi, which uses the Indian designed drivetrain layout, has more in common with Indian than the new Chief which follows more a Harley design.
The bikes may have retro aspects to their style – but there is really nothing like them. If you want to generalize V-twin – OK have at it – but ride your HD to one of the new Indian showrooms and get a test ride under your belt. They are different. Cyril has stated a bunch of reasons why as have others.
Unfortunately this is one of the times where words don’t really do it justice – go ride one – then tell us what you think. I can’t afford one now – economy and all – but someday I will. In the meantime I wish them well and to keep plugging along THEIR WAY – because so far it seems to be a good path. I look forward to price reductions and/or less expensive models in the future.
THEN it would be refreshing to see more in the way of innovation – from what I understand they are already headed down that path with the on board electronics.
Best of luck Indian – and keep plugging away Mark Moses.
Mark/Dave
There may be innovation going on within the Big 45-degree v-twin (and there may be high quality machined parts & execution), but the overall package looks very much HD.
I, too, look forward to other models from Indian in a big way. There is more to Indian that just the Chief’s front and rear fenders. And, with each passing decade, there is more to the American motorcycle scene, which Indian from Springfield knew very well.
hoyt – not trying to be an antogonist here – but your point that “the overall package looks very much HD” struck me a little funny. I do have to ask – and what does an HD look like? I can tell you from my own experiences that nearly every time out you ride to a bike gathering or just to the Home Depot and you get a lot of admiring looks and questions on an Indian. Some happens with Harley too – but so does rice. With Indian it is many times more – I’ve seen and experienced it. It won’t be for everyone – but it will be considered unique by many.
What is funny is this is like the beer wars over the years – for a long time Budějovický was a Czech Pilsner – then Adolphus Busch brought it here “Americanized” the name and promotyed the heck out of it . At a time when there was plenty of competition of styles and brands. And then prohibition came. When it did – the “melting pot” of beers here in America all but died – just like the Wold Wars had their effects on motorcycle companies – like Indian. “Bud” was able to survive by diversification and illegal dealings with gangsters to keep the booze business going – a key player in repealing prohibition – at the cost of product diversification for the American consumer and perfect positioning and timing for Bud – that made that style of pilsner synonymous with “beer” – for decades. Harley was also well positioned (except for the AMF years) and we have the situation we have today because Harley persevered. It is only many years later that we have again been able to enjoy many of the 26,000+ beer varieties known to man worldwide. That is much the same with Harley Davidson. I would like to see Indian back as competition in the class.
So, since Indian first started in 1901 and Harley Davidson first started in 1903 – who looks like whom?
I agree that a look forward to more models is fun – but I think Indian is working hard and will again take back a piece of what was theirs to begin with in the heavy V-Twin market. Who knows how much – but I hope enough to be successful and offer some diversity to the class.
Line up 9,999 Harley Davidson’s and add 1 Indian, if you can’t immediately tell which one is the Indian – just walk away. Enough said.
As a former (Gilroy era ) dealer I kept a 03 Vintage chief as my commuter. Even now parked next to Big Dogs and other customs the question always pops up,” Are you selling That Chief”. The answer of course is “no way”. Its a great Big mans Bike and has the looks of a Classic to be. I’ll pass it down to my kids.We have been on the fence whether to pursue the new line. We were burned by the old and saw a lot of our dealer friends go under because of the commitment they had made with Gilroy. We have been in business for 36 years and had established a strong customer base prior to Indian and continued after their Demise without any major problems.except for about thirty grand in unpaid warranty claims. To say I am a little leery ,especially with this market would be an understatement. It did bother me before when Gilroy went to setting up Car Dealers to simply move product.The typical car dealer has no clue on how the motorcycle industry works.I remember when gilroy setup a Toyota dealer not far from our dealership. parked in front of the showroom next to the highway were a dozen Chiefs ,scouts and spirits all sitting in the snow ,rain pouring down on them with ballons tied to the handlebars. Trucks would splash the salt from the road on them as they drove by.The salesmen were sipping coffee in the showroom window not wanting to mess up their suits even when customers were stopping by.Pitifiul.They lasted about six months then their number crunchers decided to pull the plug on being a motorcycle dealer.As far as looking like HD’s. Lets get off of that once and for all . Thats like comparing V8 drive configurations between Chevy and Ford. If Indian was Smart they should have resurrected the Inline 4 . Make it about 200c.i. fuel injected,probably water cooled(have to consider thse rear cylinders). That would stand the Industry on end and stop all this V Twin bickering. Mmmm time to sit down with my laptop and fire up the CNC.
“looks like a HD”…
Dave – my comment was not only at the latest range of actual bikes but the overall approach taken by Gilroy and Kings Mountain.
Cooldaddy – I agree with the V8 Ford/Chevy sentiment, but, ironically, there is a lot of “copying” in the automotive that results in many consumers feeling stifled. I also agree with the in-line 4 comment. Indian had a wide variety of engine options throughout its history so why immediately jump to the 45-degree? (HD also had a variety, but not until recently has HD gone beyond the 45-degree big twin).
Many will argue Eller Industries had the best business plan and their staff was the most equipped to renew the fruitful rivalry between HD and Indian.
Eller’s prototypes? A 50-degree big twin and a 90-degree, longitudinal crank desmodromic sport twin.
If Indian is to be a competitor with a range of models, won’t they need a bike with a high sales volume to fuel the development of subsequent models? Maybe the new company is funded well enough to start other models already [?]
Don’t get me wrong….I dig the Road King and many other things about HD. I also appreciate the King Mountain Indian above but I also appreciate Indian’s diverse history.
Lyle – thanks for stopping by. I agree about the Indian 841…fascinating history on many levels.
There is always a problem when manufacturers start setting-up dealership networks. On one hand, real motorcycle dealers, with customer bases and “motorcycle” identities offer the manufacturer a built-in body of people to support their lifestyle product lines, and give the potential customer a feeling of security, and of joining an established community. On the other hand, car dealer-types have the bureaucracy/banking/insurance/dealership mentality that seems to make more sense from a business standpoint. Which do you choose, if you are hoping to make vehicles? Big dilemma! Which should you do? Unfortunately, too many new motorcycle makers have opted out of the motorcycle business in favor of the automotive model, and sales and customer satisfaction have suffered terribly. Too many bike dealers have hired automotive people. Let me ask everyone a question. Aside from lawyers and politicians, what group of people is held in lower esteem than car dealers, in American society? When you buy a Toyota, do you often stop by the dealership to “talk cars” with the sales people or service guys? Do you wear a Honda jacket, or drive out to the local carguy roadhouse on Saturday afternoon? Do you identify with the people at the Chevy dealership? So, if Indian wants happy customers, they need to understand that they are NOT selling cars. If they have car people representing/selling their company, they don’t understand what a motorcycle is. If they use automotive models for their business plan, they will fail. The new product appears to be fine, but the manufacture must understand the buyer as much as they understand engineering and manufacturing, and they must not listen to car people.
All that I have is to say one thing:
OVERPRICED…..OVERPRICED…..OVERPRICED!!!!!
Give me a break!! I give them 1-2 years max before they run out of money. Please tell me who is running out in this economy and buying 35K motorcycles that are worth 20 to 25K???!!!!
Don’t these people watch the f..king news!! There are another 3 to 5 million foreclosures in the horizon that are getting ready to hit the economy.
Indian needs to stop trying to spoon feed us their bullshit!! We’ve had enough. It’s getting to the point where Indian has lost it’s credibility. Do they really think that the American public is that stupid???!! Seriously………it’s becoming insulting.
Harley is laughing their ass off right now. I assure you.
Summary:
“Sad state of affairs”………I hope that they adjust their prices and stop being so f..king greedy.
This Indian thing is starting to look like the Wall Street Housing Rip-Off scheme.
In an era where television and the media have turned everyone into a custom “bike builder”, and it’s pretty easy to be labled a “motorcycle manufacture”, I would think people would appreciate all the effort that was put into the re-incarnation of Indian Motorcycles. No one should cast a black cloud over Indian because of all the bad decisions previously made by other people. Lets face it: 1-there is a market for a well built, American made, cruiser. 2- They aren’t asking too much money. Think of all those cookie cutter customs 40k, 50k, even over 100k for what? Indian’s are built with heart and loyalty to the brand. 3- The company didn’t rush to the table with another parts bike. They didn’t see how fast they could make a buck, riding on the coat tails of the Indian motorcycle history. They instead took 5 years and spent a ton of money to bring the Indian name back to what it once was. The bike is all Indian…And should at least be allowed to spread it’s wings and see where it takes them…without all the bitching about the past. ( remember the original owner was gone in 1916). As a true all american biker I would be proud to ride an Indian.
I have watched these guys and indian for some time now. I own a Harley, Honda and a Ducati and I would love to have an Indian, just not one of these.
I applied and was accepted for a dealership but then the bikes details were released and I was saddened and lost interest. They have most likely fixed most of the quality issues but it seems as they have done nothing to address the “rideability” issues that turned off many Gilroy Indian customers. The “rideability” issues also are hurting Harley. Talk to some dealers and some of the new owners, as I have, and there are a few common themes that are dissuading future purchases. With “Boomers” starting to retire, 20% of the US population have and are going to be looking at motorcycle purchases. Many have already done so and have been turned off on the products.
The current owners seem to have done their homework, business plan and are executing on it very well. However, the current production of bikes leads me to believe that they are not motorcyclists. Harvard guys that ride bikes, maybe but the amount of energy they put into market research leads me to believe they don’t have an inherent understanding of motorcycles or motorcyclists.
Time will tell and if they ever produce a motorcycle that I desire, I will buy one. In all fairness, Harley suffers from the same problems and I won’t buy another one of their products either.
Anyway, time will tell and I am hopeful that Indian succeeds. I will most likely take a jaunt over to Paducah and check out the product but for the foreseeable future, no plans to buy another cruiser from any current product lineup.
i happen to have 2 of the gilroy indians,a 1999 chief and a 2001 scout,and i love them both.yes they have the s&s 88 motors,but they work good and the styling is unique.my scout is wicked fast and the chief is a cruiser.if anyone was at sturgis last year Indian had all the new bikes there.they are sweet.i hope that they keep them moving. only the diehard Indian fans will buy them and that is all right with me.i had a ’46 indian 74 flathead and i wish i had never sold it.i am not selling either of the ones i have now and i will work on getting one of the new ones as soon as i can.anybody can buy a harley but you have to be special to buy an Indian.and it is true that out of 50 bikes at an event everyone always comes up to see my indians!!! they are special.