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I saw an interview with Polaris CEO the other day. He was being asked about the future of Indian in particular and the future of Polaris in the global heavyweight motorcycle market. Fascinating stuff. So much information so fast that most of it when in one ear and out the other.
Pretty soon the interview rolled around to the U.S. market and the competition....like you knew it would.
The statistic that stuck in my mind?
80% of new Indian riders came off of Harley Davidsons.
WOW.
I've thought about that for a couple of days now...cause I'm not real quick on the uptake and slow to draw conclusions. I mean when you think about it....makes sense. If a guy has the disposable income for a Harley Davidson then he can simply uproot it and transplant an Indian in the same garage slot...right? So it seems like a supportable statistic of their research...Ok, not supportable, because I'm sure it is supportable by facts, but BELIEVABLE.
So I have no trouble at all in accepting this statistic as valid....but then....let's explore why Indian owners seem so happy with the new Indian TS111.
When you read the forums it is pretty plain that our "problems" and "concerns" are pretty small. Things like sun glare from the chrome dashboard. Sure, it's still early in the game and a lot can change.....but....I'm ecstatic with my Indian. THE best motorcycle I have ever owned.
Remember, 80% of us came off Harley Davidsons....including me.
I'm going to respectfully suggest to you that after coming off of a Harley Davidson, we have been dumbed down to the point that this was an EASY home run for Indian to hit.
All they had to do was deliver on about 75% of what they promised and they would have left HD in the rear view mirror. We were used to being marketed one thing, ended up buying the marketing, only to find out that we had to resort to Screamin Eagle products to finally get the motorcycle we paid for in the first place. Everything geared toward the "upgrades" instead of a decked out base model.
Decades of motorcycles with known product defects that went unanswered by the factory. Standing at the service counter hearing that "they all do that" to a myriad of problems. Every year, the engineering problems from an old antiquated engine design were given a shiny coat of the new color paint for that year and called good to go.....the same ole same ole....year after year.
Gentlemen, what I'm respectfully suggesting for your careful consideration......Those 80% of us who came off of Harley Davidsons came into this with VERY VERY VERY low expectations. Harley Davidson did a piss poor job at setting the bar high. They didn't have to. They were the bully of the block and they could and did get away with it for decades.
All Indian needed to do was make a truly "good" motorcycle to blow us away. All they needed to do was "give us" the chrome parts on the stock bike that we had been used to buying from the Screamin Eagle. Give us an engine that didn't roast your chestnuts. "Give" us the warranty that we had to pay extra for from Milwaukee. Then wrap all of that up and make it look like an Indian should look.
All Indian had to do was exceed our expectations.....our low expectations. Expectations formed from decades of putting up with Harley Davidson because it was a Harley.....
Pretty soon the interview rolled around to the U.S. market and the competition....like you knew it would.
The statistic that stuck in my mind?
80% of new Indian riders came off of Harley Davidsons.
WOW.
I've thought about that for a couple of days now...cause I'm not real quick on the uptake and slow to draw conclusions. I mean when you think about it....makes sense. If a guy has the disposable income for a Harley Davidson then he can simply uproot it and transplant an Indian in the same garage slot...right? So it seems like a supportable statistic of their research...Ok, not supportable, because I'm sure it is supportable by facts, but BELIEVABLE.
So I have no trouble at all in accepting this statistic as valid....but then....let's explore why Indian owners seem so happy with the new Indian TS111.
When you read the forums it is pretty plain that our "problems" and "concerns" are pretty small. Things like sun glare from the chrome dashboard. Sure, it's still early in the game and a lot can change.....but....I'm ecstatic with my Indian. THE best motorcycle I have ever owned.
Remember, 80% of us came off Harley Davidsons....including me.
I'm going to respectfully suggest to you that after coming off of a Harley Davidson, we have been dumbed down to the point that this was an EASY home run for Indian to hit.
All they had to do was deliver on about 75% of what they promised and they would have left HD in the rear view mirror. We were used to being marketed one thing, ended up buying the marketing, only to find out that we had to resort to Screamin Eagle products to finally get the motorcycle we paid for in the first place. Everything geared toward the "upgrades" instead of a decked out base model.
Decades of motorcycles with known product defects that went unanswered by the factory. Standing at the service counter hearing that "they all do that" to a myriad of problems. Every year, the engineering problems from an old antiquated engine design were given a shiny coat of the new color paint for that year and called good to go.....the same ole same ole....year after year.
Gentlemen, what I'm respectfully suggesting for your careful consideration......Those 80% of us who came off of Harley Davidsons came into this with VERY VERY VERY low expectations. Harley Davidson did a piss poor job at setting the bar high. They didn't have to. They were the bully of the block and they could and did get away with it for decades.
All Indian needed to do was make a truly "good" motorcycle to blow us away. All they needed to do was "give us" the chrome parts on the stock bike that we had been used to buying from the Screamin Eagle. Give us an engine that didn't roast your chestnuts. "Give" us the warranty that we had to pay extra for from Milwaukee. Then wrap all of that up and make it look like an Indian should look.
All Indian had to do was exceed our expectations.....our low expectations. Expectations formed from decades of putting up with Harley Davidson because it was a Harley.....