[High_Ball_Ken]

It was bad enough that I had to wait for two years before our local Polaris dealer would become a Victory dealer and I finally purchased my first Victory at the and of 2012.

Now as I want to buy the new Indian this same dealer in Urbana, Illinois tells me to wait until 2015 when they MAY become an Indian dealer so I can get my bike serviced locally.

The fact is, they are right and to buy from Madison, Wisconsin or anywhere else I would be 5 hours from an Indian dealer.

Polaris should have thought this one out better.

Why do they want to wait for me to buy my next bagger for two more years and that only if Sportland in Urbana picks up or is 'granted' the line by Polaris.

I'm thinking the Harley-Davidson dealership which is just down the street from Sportland and has been there since 1965 may in fact get my money on a new 2014 Harley bagger instead.

Heck I sold the High Ball and bought a new 883 Iron from this dealer so why wait!

Polaris, you needed dealers in place before launching this bike.

Dealers close by every buyer not 5 hours away.

 

[Xlr8]

Polaris says they will add 120-140 dealers within the next year. Kind of hard for them to do everything at once. It's the chicken or egg theory. Right now which is more important? Launching a new motorcycle or launching a new dealer network with no motorcycle?

 

[RedChieftain]

Polaris says they will add 120-140 dealers within the next year. Kind of hard for them to do everything at once. It's the chicken or egg theory. Right now which is more important? Launching a new motorcycle or launching a new dealer network with no motorcycle?

I agree, Xlr8. I just hope Polaris/Indian doesn't put Indians in multi brand stores where there is little alligiance to the brand, little tech training in the brand, etc. Indian only stores would be great, like the well run one I visited in Lincoln, Ne. on Friday, as would Indian & Victory stores. Our closest dealer, today, is Gregory Polaris in Little Rock, where I'm buying my Chieftain. I visited them last Wednesday and was very impressed. They are really committed to Victory and Indian.

 

[MatthewL]

I'm not going to lie, I feel similarly. However I always make allowances for conditions. From time to time I do see advertisements for Harley on television, occasionally I'll see a victory ad on tv, but after watching more than my usual 3 hrs of tv today ranging from history to discovery to tlc to hg tv there was an indian commercial EVERY break. There has to be a product before there can be a dealer base (just as tucker and the tucker torpedo). Then the word HAS to get out about the product then as the momentum grows the dealership base can expand.

How many vic dealers were there when the v92 was launched? How about when the vegas came out? How much can be made just off the chief when most are still hesitant to spend more than ten grand on a bike unless they're professionals? People are still crying out for the Scout, the Arrow, and some are already screaming for the Four. What do you want first?

The manufacturer has to have a product. That's been acquired. Three products to be precise. Soon the demand is going to be overwhelming for a full dress tourer above and beyond the Chieftain (see toss a tourpak on the back). Then we're going to see the demand for more dealerships. Then the aftermarket will enter forcing the company to get realistic on the pricing for accessories. Then we may very well see a bobber and then a chopper possibly an entry level model.

The one commonality is that Indian has been geared specifically for one target: Harley-Davidson. You do NOT go up against the bar and shield unless you KNOW you can not only do it but do it right and not screw it up. this takes T I M E. For years Harley was second fiddle to Indian, Then they had to face down the British invasion, then 'you meet the nicest people on a Honda'. There is only one manufacturer that has been able to outdo Harley at their own game and that legacy belongs to Indian. There are multitudes that want to see Indian succeed and the Rushmore program is Harley's opening salvo across Indian's bow.

If you want to see Indian succeed then give them the time to do what has to be done THE RIGHT WAY. I personally would prefer they take their time and do it right with dealer certification, preperation, putting the right people in the right places to guarantee success. Sure they can open it up to any/all existing victory dealerships but how many bad victory dealership stories have there been here on the boards or elsewhere? You do not go for the heavyweight title without studying your opponent, dissecting every move, countering everything they've ever done and making sure that when you do step up and the bell rings that you as the challenger know inside and out that that belt belongs to you not him.

If that's not reason enough to calm down about the distance to the dealership, that's what the internet is for. We use it every single day to communicate not just across state lines, but oceans as well. It's not that hard to have a motorcycle shipped. Many dealerships will ship anywhere in the lower 48 for UNDER 600. Hit up haynes or clymer for a service manual as well as jp cycles/dennis kirk for what you need or even hit up indian's own website for the accessories. At most you'll need for your first few months oil/oil filter/air filter.

Give them the time to do it right or you're just going to be dealing with another big dog/titan/atlas scenario...too many dealerships that didn't cut the mustard that were more interested in getting the bucks than establishing themselves right and making sure that the people come back because they WANT to not because they HAVE to.

 

[Chicago_Mark]

It's not Polaris' intention for the dealers to be so few and far between. The fact is, they don't want one on every other corner, and neither do prospective owners. Becoming an Indian dealer isn't as easy as some think. It's a very large investment for a dealer to take on the Indian brand. And for the most part, the product is still mostly an unknown.

Dealers have to spend and invest heavily now for potential sales, profit and a return on their investment going forward. In this economy, and in today's powersports industry, that's a gamble. A gamble that could easily ruin a dealer that doesn't have the finances to go several months with little to no revenue from carrying the brand.

 

[RedChieftain]

Great post, MathewL! Very well said and I believe you are spot on.

 

[spider]

It was bad enough that I had to wait for two years before our local Polaris dealer would become a Victory dealer and I finally purchased my first Victory at the and of 2012.

Now as I want to buy the new Indian this same dealer in Urbana, Illinois tells me to wait until 2015 when they MAY become an Indian dealer so I can get my bike serviced locally.

The fact is, they are right and to buy from Madison, Wisconsin or anywhere else I would be 5 hours from an Indian dealer.

Polaris should have thought this one out better.

Why do they want to wait for me to buy my next bagger for two more years and that only if Sportland in Urbana picks up or is 'granted' the line by Polaris.

I'm thinking the Harley-Davidson dealership which is just down the street from Sportland and has been there since 1965 may in fact get my money on a new 2014 Harley bagger instead.

Heck I sold the High Ball and bought a new 883 Iron from this dealer so why wait!

Polaris, you needed dealers in place before launching this bike.

Dealers close by every buyer not 5 hours away.

An Indian Dealer cannot tell you where to get your bike serviced.
If you buy from another Dealer farther away there are generally only two reasons.
#1 cost
#2 availability
Seems like you would fall under the availability, so it's a win for the ' potential ' new Dealer to get your service.
There is no law that says you have to go to the selling Dealership for service.

 

[bikerbob]

My question is, 'why would you sell a High Ball for an 883?'

 

[bigfoot]

My guess is that there will be Indian dealerships spread around the country about equal to BMW motorcycle dealerships.

BMW Dealerships
California-19
Colorado-9
Florida-8
Ohio-6
Iowa-2
Louisiana-2
Idaho-2
Utah-1
Wyoming-1
Montana-1
South Dakota-1
Vermont-1
Oklahoma-1
Arkansas-1
Seven states-0

They will put dealerships where the population and personal income can support them.

 

[stiles72]

High Ball Ken - Contact Will @ Integ Motorsports in Peoria. I talked to him right after the Sturgis launch, and he said he is in the process of becoming an Indian dealer. An hour and a half from Urbana is not bad. My two closest Vic/Polaris dealers both said they are not currently planning to become Indian dealers, so I went ahead and made the trip to Madison.

 

[redpin04]

Indian has been rebooting now for over a decade with limited success.
Victory while showing steady growth has not taken off to substantial numbers.
Since they were keeping everything so quiet I'm sure many dealerships kept their checkbooks in their pockets until they saw the final product and whether or not they find it a viable brand.
At least that's how i'd look at it.

 

[zork52]

My guess is that there will be Indian dealerships spread around the country about equal to BMW motorcycle dealerships.

BMW Dealerships
California-19
Colorado-9
Florida-8
Ohio-6
Iowa-2
Louisiana-2
Idaho-2
Utah-1
Wyoming-1
Montana-1
South Dakota-1
Vermont-1
Oklahoma-1
Arkansas-1
Seven states-0

They will put dealerships where the population and personal income can support them.

I believe you left out a couple BMW dealers in New Hampshire, nor sure about my home state Massachusetts

 

[zork52]

Matthew L. Excellent post

 

[mjw930]

I believe you left out a couple BMW dealers in New Hampshire, nor sureabout my home state Massachusetts

There are 139 BMW motorcycle dealers in the US (if I counted correctly). I don't know where Bigfoot got his information.

http://www.bmwmotorcyclesus.com/dealerlocator/dealerlist/dealerlist.pdf

If Indian can produce a list like this by this time next year then they are on track.

 

[bernomad]

My question is, 'why would you sell a High Ball for an 883?' 

I have this same question.

 

[Howieshotrods]

I am lucky enough to have a dealer here in Las Vegas.... maybe. I will cut them some slack because I happened to pull into the shop just a few minutes before they closed for the day, but was disappointed by the salesman ( although he was willing to take me back into the locked up store when I told him I would come back). They have Victory and Indian, so I wanted to see all their goodies, but when I saw the Indian display I knew I wasn't going to waste any more of his time. They had a fender on a display table that said Indian, and when I asked if they had any bikes I was told ' we have deposits on 45 bikes ' and basically I would not get to see one on the floor unless I put down a $500 refundable deposit on one. To say I was a little put off..... I will go back, but only because it is my only choice, though I'm not saying I would buy from them ( it will be a few years before I am in the market anyway ).

I am also disappointed that the demo tour won't be coming here any time soon, although I will give them until this time next year to at least come close to here ( Laughlin is a short ride from here ).

So that being said, I understand Indian is basically a new company at this point and I know they need time to do it right. I just hope the wait is worth it.

 

[bigfoot]

I believe you left out a couple BMW dealers in New Hampshire, nor sure about my home state Massachusetts

The list was compiled from BMW's own site.

 

[Rollin]

The list was compiled from BMW's own site.

http://www.bmwmotorcyclesus.com/dealerlocator/dealerlist/dealerlist.pdf



.

 

[bigfoot]

I believe you left out a couple BMW dealers in New Hampshire, nor sure about my home state Massachusetts

Yes, there are 2 BMW dealerships in NH and 4 in MA.

MJW930, yes, there are 139 USA dealerships by my count too.

My list was simply a sampling of dealership density.
It was not intended to be a complete list. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

If you live in a low population state, you'll have a hard time finding a BMW dealership close by.
If you live in a state where income in minimal, see above.
I would expect that Indian would have their dealerships spread around the country about the same as BMW.

For a complete list of BMW dealerships in the USA you can go here (PDF file);
https://batxpr1.bmwcenternet.com/MCSignup/pdf/dealerlist.pdf

 

[bigfoot]

http://www.bmwmotorcyclesus.com/dealerlocator/dealerlist/dealerlist.pdf



.

Please note that on my origional dealership distribution sampling list I noted that there were 7 States with ZERO BMW dealerships.
Counting the States I did use as a sampling, and the 7 states with no dealerships, does not equal 50 States.
I thought it was obvious that it wasn't a complete listing.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

People were complaining that the closest Indian dealership was too far away.
In some States that will not change, even after Indian completes it's dealership list.