[bigfoot]

Had to get my oil changed on Scream, and when I pulled into the mechanic's area there was a 2011 Indian sitting there.

I love this color.

The key (sitting on the seat for the photo) is very thick and heavy.

A closer look at the key

The leather is top notch!

The bike had 300 miles on it.

:em0200:

 

[phoenix9]

Absolutely beautiful. The bikes are simply works of art....unfortunately I doubt we ever see that level of quality again.

The public has spoken with their wallets on the quality/price by simply not buying the Indians. When the 2013's come out, and even more so in 2014, I think you will see that super high level of quality slowly disappear.

Some will claim this is Polaris being the ruthless corporate giant out for profits, but in reality, they will just be giving the BUYING public what they want....an Indian they can afford.

 

[SkooterRob]

A real beauty but just not my style I like the spaceship look.

 

[scottb]

They are beautiful bikes,but not worth the 35k asking price.I could do a whole lot to a xc or xr's with that kind of money.As for losing some of the quality and craftmanship of the bike......maybe so,but it will gain a lot of reliability.

 

[clif02]

Absolutely beautiful. The bikes are simply works of art....unfortunately I doubt we ever see that level of quality again.

The public has spoken with their wallets on the quality/price by simply not buying the Indians. When the 2013's come out, and even more so in 2014, I think you will see that super high level of quality slowly disappear.

Some will claim this is Polaris being the ruthless corporate giant out for profits, but in reality, they will just be giving the BUYING public what they want....an Indian they can afford.

I agree. People want the beauty, quality and craftsmanship but really don't want to pay the price for it. I guess it will be interesting to see where it all falls out.

 

[visionriderdeluxe]

One of the reasons Indian went under again is the price. The average Joe can't and won't dole out 30K for a scoot. Quaility, craftsmanship, blah, blah, blah, 30K is still out of most folks price range for a motorcycle.

 

[dsjr]

One of the reasons Indian went under again is the price. The average Joe can't and won't dole out 30K for a scoot. Quaility, craftsmanship, blah, blah, blah, 30K is still out of most folks price range for a motorcycle.

Funniest thing, I asked a dealer about reliability and his answer was I am not sure, haven't seen one with over 5000 miles...lol

 

[Evil_Genius]

This is a 2009 Chief Vintage at my local dealer. 636 miles on it and they're asking $21K.

 

[rwilly]

While I don't doubt the quality, they are gawdy in my opinion.
Trailer queens.

 

[bigfoot]

Here is one that was at Canton's QS&L that isn't a trailer Queen.

 

[Bruno]

I agree most of them trailer queens/show piece, trophy.

Hopefully Polaris don't cut corners with them.

Truly a piece of art in my opinion!

I love the styling!!

 

[Half_Crazy]

Absolutely beautiful. The bikes are simply works of art....unfortunately I doubt we ever see that level of quality again.

WTF are you sayin? The Indians (last iteration) were a novelty bike not a serious riders bike. Quality? They shake like a dog sh!ttin a peach pit, the suspension is pathetic, and you got all that for a mere $35,000.

Never buy a motorcycle from a T-shirt company.

 

[Sutherland]

Had to get my oil changed on Scream, and when I pulled into the mechanic's area there was a 2011 Indian sitting there.

I love this color.

The key (sitting on the seat for the photo) is very thick and heavy.

A closer look at the key

The leather is top notch!

The bike had 300 miles on it.

:em0200:

HC
As much as your comments hold true no one can argue this is one good looking bike price will and is holding it back, Maybe new owners can do something about this and refine it to where it is a better bike and better deal
Regards

 

[phoenix9]

WTF are you sayin? The Indians (last iteration) were a novelty bike not a serious riders bike. Quality? They shake like a dog sh!ttin a peach pit, the suspension is pathetic, and you got all that for a mere $35,000.
Never buy a motorcycle from a T-shirt company.

You are talking 'bang for the buck', not attention to eye-candy details. I NEVER mentioned the motor or suspension. That's like apples and zucchini. Nobody nickel plates instead of chromes....but Indian did. Nobody puts that level of leather on their seats, but Indian did. Their paint looked lacquer-coated custom, not 'swirl mark city'. Based on the evaluation of performance/suspension/'serious rider's bike'/motor shakin',....etc, as a basis for value, then we should all be on $8,000 Suzuki sport bikes.

Don't get me wrong, Indian missed the mark of their 'buyers' by a country-mile, but they built a 'vintage show queen' that turned heads at bike night...and they did it stock....nobody did it better....and it got them sent to bankruptcy over and over.

 

[bigfoot]

WTF are you sayin? The Indians (last iteration) were a novelty bike not a serious riders bike. Quality? They shake like a dog sh!ttin a peach pit, the suspension is pathetic, and you got all that for a mere $35,000.
Never buy a motorcycle from a T-shirt company.

Those were pretty much the same words that my mechanic said. :laugh:

 

[bikendad]

One thing is for sure, it's going to be real interesting to see what Polaris does with Indian.

 

[satxron]

The example previous is a bike with nearly no miles on it for 21k that is 3 years old. I don't care what they look like. If you can't sell them you build them to order for rich folks only. Anything else is bad business. They are pretty. If I had absolutely nothing else to do with my money I would add it to the stable. It is hard to drive one out of a dealership knowing that when you hit the first red light you lost 10k in depreciation and only about 1% of the population would think of buying it from you if they had the money.

My daughter just brought me back to the house in her 2012 Toyota Camry LE. Fine leather seats looking up through the sunroof was fun, as she told the car to call my wife on the phone. The fit and finish of this fully loaded car is incredible! At 80MPH you hear yourself breathing its so quiet. Ranted about that for a reason. It cost 7 grand less than an Indian.

The masses won't pay that much for cool made by a parent corporation that basically makes knockoffs of what used to be. That is the difference between the Indian and the Ultra Classic. Nobody is drinking Polaris/Indian Kool-aid yet.

That bike is really pretty though! I really like to look at them.

 

[Bullet]

Looks classic Indian.....right down to the pushrod tubes lol.

IMO they missed the mark. Why is it every time someone tries to revive the Indian they can't get out of 1948? Harley did well when they re-introduced the springer and tassles back in 1998 but they were re-doing their own thing and people who wanted that old school look ate it up. My buddy bought 2 of them so he could have a black and white version lol.

Take a lesson from Triumph. They wouldn't be around today if they came out with a 'classic' 650 Bonneville. It was the impressive 900 triple that got their wheels spinning. Continuing to improve has kept them around....not simply the name 'Triumph'.

Polaris introducing a motorcycle with technological advancements and superior design is what's working for Victory. As time goes on the motorcycles speak for themselves and sales will increase. When they bought and decided to re-introduce Indian I was hoping they would have started from scratch and built a newer design of desirable motorcycle. Something to challenge the market. another version of a Panhead is not what the world is looking for.

Bet Leno buys one though lol!!

 

[goatlocker95]

You are talking 'bang for the buck', not attention to eye-candy details. I NEVER mentioned the motor or suspension. That's like apples and zucchini. Nobody nickel plates instead of chromes....but Indian did. Nobody puts that level of leather on their seats, but Indian did. Their paint looked lacquer-coated custom, not 'swirl mark city'. Based on the evaluation of performance/suspension/'serious rider's bike'/motor shakin',....etc, as a basis for value, then we should all be on $8,000 Suzuki sport bikes.
Don't get me wrong, Indian missed the mark of their 'buyers' by a country-mile, but they built a 'vintage show queen' that turned heads at bike night...and they did it stock....nobody did it better....and it got them sent to bankruptcy over and over.

So what your saying is the last iteration of Indian Motorcycles are for people who have a bigger bugle in the back of their pants than in the front. :laugh:

Here is an excerpt from Indian Motorcycle website's history page[link='http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/experience/history/pages/overview.aspx']http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/experience/history/pages/overview.aspx[/link]

From 1901 to 1916, three years after a new Hedstrom-designed state-of-the-art, 400,000 square-foot 'Wigwam' came online, annual production soared from three to a world-leading 41,000. With more than 20 American motorcycle manufacturers scrapping for business prior to the U.S. entry into World War I, Indian's market share was a staggering 40-plus percent.

Prior to the new factory's opening, in fact, Hedstrom's motors were so successful that Indian couldn't make enough complete bikes to satisfy demand and licensed the motor designs to numerous other manufacturers. Not surprisingly, most of those competitors quickly disappeared once Indian ramped up its production capacity and began keeping Hedstrom and his successors' innovations -- the first Big Twin motors, the first two-speed transmissions, the first adjustable front suspensions, the first electric lights and starters, and scores of others -- to itself.

That doesn't sound like a company who is aiming at building a 'vintage show queen' that turned heads at bike night. Rather Indian's history is building a high quality cutting edge motorcycle for the masses. The last owners wanted to cash in the mystique that the Indian name invokes, not on the true heritage of what Indian stands for.

I hope Polaris takes their technology puts it in a classic frame and steps up the fit and finish from their Victory line. Do that at a price the average Joe can afford and Indians might rule the open road once again.

 

[Trekwolf164]

This bike was heading to Sturgiss SD two up and both seemed very happy.

I was very pleased to encounter it and had a good time talking to the couple.