Indian Motorcycle Charlotte Best Exterior Design And Top 100 US Dealer

indiancharlotteLike the V-Twin Expo, the International Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis gives every year its share of awards. Congratulations to Mark Moses, owner and general manager of Indian Motorcycle Charlotte of Lowell, NC whose dealership was awarded the prestigious “TOP 100 DEALER” designation by Dealernews magazine.

The Indian dealership was the very first Indian dealer in the country, opening in October 2008, and has been the sales leader ever since. In addition, Indian Motorcycle Charlotte won the “BEST EXTERIOR DESIGN” award for the stunning architecture of the dealership. I was there during the final stage of the building completion and I must say that that the Indian motorcycle front fender-shaped facade is both beautiful and very impressive. If you are close by, go to to check it out and say hi to Mark, a very nice and hard working biker. Indian Motorcycle Charlotte is located along I-85 at Exit 22, just a few minutes west of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

18 Responses to “Indian Motorcycle Charlotte Best Exterior Design And Top 100 US Dealer”


  1. 1 Brian Feb 16th, 2010 at 8:16 am

    Good for them and more power to them.
    Personally, I have no idea how a place like that can stay in business these days with only one line of expensive bikes that can’t possibly be selling well. From the looks of the store, it’s obvious that the owner has (or had) deep pockets. Hopefully they’re deep enough to keep the store afloat. HD dealers are dropping like flies and they have a much broader line of bikes and prices.

  2. 2 Me.... Feb 16th, 2010 at 11:23 am

    It’s really a neat-looking place…but reminds me of the original McDonald’s for some reason…

    Me 😉

  3. 3 gabehcuoD Feb 16th, 2010 at 11:23 am

    This place is going to be an AWESOME diner, night club, restaurant when they go out of business again…. JK… I wish them well but hope there not taking lessons from tha Big BR-DD….

    ding-ding-ding…. They are in NC.. Every Nascar owner, mechanic, driver, is going to go in their and maybe want an AMERICAN scooter that is different than a Harley that everyone else owns… At $30+K each most if not all “Nascar employees” can afford them and this INDIAN scooter shop is in there back yard. When they hope to sell hundreds of scooters to the ’employees’ they can make there joint look like the taj mahal in this s**t ass economy and look like rock stars….

    Cool looking joint !

  4. 4 Lyle Feb 16th, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    Lets see what the service department look like.

  5. 5 gabehcuoD Feb 16th, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    Lyle : Prolly got gold plated fixtures and leather covered work chairs… LOL They prolly have a similar “throne” as Jesse use to have with crystals all over the toilet ! LOL Jesse had the most pimp bathroom ever ! lol

  6. 6 Brett Feb 16th, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    well the price of a Darkhorse Chief was dropped about $3,000, so now if they drop it about $7,000 more to get the thing to about $20,000, they may get some real sales.

  7. 7 Mark Moses Feb 17th, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Cyril,

    Thanks for the kind words. Like many others in our industry, we are doing our best each day and it is nice when something positive happens.

    No gold plated lifts in our service department, but it is the life-blood of the entire operations, you can see a few photos here; http://www.indianmotorcyclecharlotte.com/photo_gallery.asp

    Indian is back to stay…

  8. 8 Lyle Feb 17th, 2010 at 10:44 am

    I only asked becuase I’m not sure what the exterior of a building has to do with service besides attracting customers. Hopefully Indian is here to stay.

  9. 9 MDSPHOTO Feb 17th, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    I went to the Easyriders show in Charlotte and you can see the impressive structure from the hwy. Very nice, but still not a fan of the classic or newly launched line of Indians. However, I wish them luck in the continuing saga to revive this iconic brand.

  10. 10 Doc Robinson Feb 17th, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    Beautiful dealership facility Mark, goes right along with the new Indian image. I spent most of a day on the Chief Vintage at Sturgis last year. Indian has done, in my opinion, a very fine job of these new models. (sorry Kiwi …) The bike drew heaps of attention and all I overheard were positive comments. Yet the knockers on this blog will whine about the price – as usual. Well, I’m a lifelong Harley-Davidson afficionado but I can say that if you pull up in your driveway on any new Harley the neighbors will hardly give it a glance these days. Do it on the Chief, and the whole street with be at your place admiring the classic lines, beautiful paintwork, exemplary leather work, etc. Sweet bikes. American made. They will succeed where other half-assed efforts have failed and deservedly so.

  11. 11 Mike Kiwi Tomas, Kiwi Indian Motorcycles Feb 18th, 2010 at 12:53 am

    Congratulations Mark. Well deserved and congrats to Indian as well.

  12. 12 Ray Seidel Feb 18th, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    I love the new bikes, and gave them a positive review in the magazibne I write for. What I find interesting in the “Indian” marque is the lack of loyalty to the Indian brand name by Indian itself. As Mark Moses said, once KM owned the rights, there WERE no more “Indian dealers” from before that time. Any dealers that had hung on for the 5 years to keep the flame alive did not exist. So, what is one buying when they buy Indian? Not continuity. No connection between Springfield, Gilroy, KM.
    The Charlotte store looks great from the outside. With the former Indian dealer’s now largely dried up, here in California you may now buy your new Indian at a Harley-Davidson dealer or SUBARU car lot.

  13. 13 Lyle Feb 18th, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    I pretty much agree with Ray’s comments. I can say however, the dealer in Fargo ND, who sells primarily Triumphs, told me yesterday the new Indians were selling. He also said the Triumphs were selling too. Hopefully the MC market is picking up for everyone.

  14. 14 Mark Moses Feb 18th, 2010 at 7:45 pm

    Ray,

    Thanks for your continued support.

    All Gilroy Indian Dealers had an opportunity to get on board with the Kings Mountain Company. So far, at least three Gilroy dealers have joined the ranks, Atlanta, Worcester, and Charlotte. This is a new company and ran quite different with a huge respect for the brand. The Fargo Dealer is a classic example of a great Indian dealer, he bleeds Indian Red and we need a few more like him…

    Indian has a great story and in my dealership, we try to tell it by displaying all eras of Indians and offering parts and service support to any and all Gilroy clients. We even enjoy wrenching on a few Springfields along the way, with the help of guys like Mike Tomas.

    The future is bright for Indian and slow careful growth is the foundation for the forward movement. I remember just a few months ago the naysayers said that Indian would never produce a bike… We didn’t pay attention then either.

  15. 15 09 Indian Rider Feb 19th, 2010 at 11:05 am

    Hello Mark;
    All the Gilroy Dealers had the oppurtunity to get on board with KM?
    Wow–I know of one that tried and was pretty much told–NO!!
    Well respected-Well established-good rep with the Gilroy Riders.
    Couldn’t AFFORD to get in.
    Course that was when the dealerships were going to be exclusive and uppercrust.
    Things have kind of changed since then haven’t they?

  16. 16 09 Indian Rider Feb 19th, 2010 at 11:07 am

    Oh–forgot Mark.
    I can remember a few months ago when you made the statement.
    VIRTUALLY NOTHING WILL INTERCHANGE BETWEEN THE GILROY AND KM BIKES.
    Not a direct quote–but covers the general thought you put out there.

  17. 17 Keith Feb 22nd, 2010 at 10:25 am

    I’m a Gilroy Indian Owner and I have seen the new Indians, and they are superior in quality! I LOVE the Bomber!!
    It is my hope to own a KM Indian asap, but admittedly this economy is keeping my priorities in line, so I just gotta keep wrenching on my Gilroy until I see some light at the end of this bleak economic hole we’re in…thanks, Big Brother government, for screwing up the economy by spending money you don’t have and calling it a stimulus. we’re at least two years away from any type of recovery (in spite of the misleading numbers our panic-stricken government is throwing out to calm the masses), and that’s only if our idiot government can stay out of it long enough to let small business breathe.
    Hang in there Indian, and all you small bike shops! THIS small business owner is not going down without a fight!

  18. 18 Alan Price Aug 18th, 2010 at 10:49 am

    Was just in the new Indian Dealership yesterday………Wow!!…………….I didn’t want to leave, somehow they have created an environment that exudes nostalgia, while still remaining relevant to current times. I rode a vintage Triumph for years and am looking for a unique bike like an updated version of the Indian Scout Sport. Something a little smaller and sportier than the Chief, that connects me to my past but has modern features like electric start, fuel injection, etc….The size of the two vintage Indian originals in the showroom is almost exactly what I would like to purchase one day, but in a more reliable, modern, readily available package.

    I think Indian will eventually round out their line and be an iconic, viable, American motorcycle alternative again. I used to drive a Ford F250 4 wheel drive full time. As realities changed, I kept my truck, but bought a Mini Cooper clubman for the handling and gas mileage. It’s a totally different product, but if Indian can revitalize their name like the Mini Cooper has done, I can’t wait to be a consumer when the timing and product offerings line up.

    Good luck Indian! If any one is remotely near the area and likes motorcycles and American Heritage stories to any degree, I would urge you to put this on your “Gearhead Bucket List”.

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Cyril Huze