Rather than revealing a barely discernible silhouette or a tasty design detail, Polaris chose to tease their in-the-works Indian motorcycle by treating the press at Long Beach, California's International Motorcycle Show to an audio snippet of the ancient brand's all-new engine.
The robust, crackling sound suggests the revitalized American brand may just have a serious one-two punch for Harley-Davidson-- or at least that's what I gathered from the teaser.
Click the photo above or view here on YouTube and skip to :32-- what do you think?
Related:
- The REALLY Limited, $37,899 Indian Chief Vintage Limited Edition
- 2012 Indian Motorcycles Lineup: Pardon Our Dust While We Reinvent a Brand
- The New Indian: Can the Chief Survive?
Photo © Basem Wasef
Sounds cool but the big question is price? I like Indian and I hope Polaris does well with it but if they keep pricing their bikes in the $40k range they will never compete with HD.
Sounds wonderful.
But of course, a Harley would probably sound just as good if Harley owners would just leave the stock mufflers on.
I usually don`t agree with Joe, but he is 100% right. Keep the PRICE down or Indian will be gone AGAIN.
I sure would like to see Indian make it. Just wish I could afford one.
I think Polaris is on the right track. They are building the new Indian as an exclusive brand much like Jaguar does with cars. Why build something that will compete with their Victory line of bikes when Polaris has already established that brand? That would be like Honda bringing out another brand of bikes and putting them in the same dealers. I would like to see Polaris bring out a lesser model (Scout?) than the top of the line Chief just to be more competitive but I see enough Harley CVOs on the road to realize people will spend the money on a top of the line bike.
I’m not sure the price is such a barrier. I think quality and company sustainability have plagued the brand. With Victory as the owner, quality will certainly be there, as will the company.
Selling based on low price is not a good strategy unless a company is high volume and able to survive on a slim margin. Selling based on product differentiation is a better strategy. Is an Indian that much different than a Harley? The market will let them know.
You made some really good points there. I checked on the web for more info
about the issue and found most people will go along with
your views on this website.