rmrc51
Lost In The 50's
Just saw this on another forum. Jay Leno does a very favorable review on the new Indian motorcycles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPwvVoqyHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPwvVoqyHs
Indian / Jay Leno review
- Thread starter rmrc51
- Start date
Give me a ''FREE'' bike and i'll give it a favorable review, Like all bike reviewers, If you knock it you'll never get another bike to review...
Maybe the new Indian is a good bike, But in till it's in the hands of John Q pubic with a bike off the production line you'll never know.. I'm sure Jay got a special set up bike..
Maybe the new Indian is a good bike, But in till it's in the hands of John Q pubic with a bike off the production line you'll never know.. I'm sure Jay got a special set up bike..
rmrc51
Lost In The 50's
- Thread starter
- #3
I've been watching at least 3 different Indian forums and haven't seen one negative review from any of the current owners of these new Chiefs regardless of the model (Classic, Vintage or Chieftain).
The only complaints are the (as of present) limited dealership locations and the time it's taking for accessories ordered to arrive.
Just and FYI,,,.
The only complaints are the (as of present) limited dealership locations and the time it's taking for accessories ordered to arrive.
Just and FYI,,,.
Pegasus1300
5250+ Posts
I don't know how good the new Indian is or is gonna be from that review but I do know that Jay loves riding it.Did you hear him start to giggle about half way thru the test ride?
:10::10:,,,,I know one damn thing Rich I love 'em and if I wasn't 58 and trying to control what I buy at this stage of life , there would be one in my garage . The wife left it up to me at the annual Trail of Tears ride this year when we talked to reps and it was hard to walk away , not really use to that , but I did up to this point anyway .
,Got to many summer time toys now but I still love that Chief !!!!ThumbUp
,Got to many summer time toys now but I still love that Chief !!!!ThumbUp
rmrc51
Lost In The 50's
- Thread starter
- #6
My wife also left it up to me,, with one catch. Buy the Indian, but sell my trike. Can't have both. And I have to admit, from a financial stand point, she's right. With retirement approaching, spending another $24,000 (and probably more with all the add-ons, lol) that just isn't a responsible or financially safe move to make with the way things are going. As much as I'd love to have that Indian and if I plan to continue to "try" and ride, it just doesn't make sense at this point to sell my trike which offers more stability. And especially after I've finally finished (I think) accessorizing it with just about every conceivable option I've wanted.
So with that all said, I guess my dream bike (the Indian) will still remain,,, my 'Dream Bike'.
J Leno is a purist and he has so many bikes in his stable he really wouldn't care if someone gave him a motorcycle?
If he found a bike he liked he could buy two of every model just to prove a point?
Polaris will finally get the Indian right, unlike the previous brand owners.
There was a 46 Chief around my dad and uncles garage when i was a teenager and my cousin and i were able to ride it any time we wanted, At the time it was just another bike at our disposal.
I sure wish i could have it now but that holds true with other bikes and cars i have owned in the past.
My old tour glide was bought with the idea that it would be mine forever. I finally wised up i guess?
Just watching the review of this new bike sure makes me want one.
There is no way it will ever come my way, but i can join the dreamers!ThumbUp
,,,,nothing wrong with dreams ,,it's when we stop dreaming !!!!!ThumbUpI was fortunate enough to get a numbered Chieftain at the beginning of November. Very few road miles because of the weather but it's every bit of what Jay Leno says about it.
I also just saw that MysteryTrikes has just completed a kit for the Chief. So trikes are starting already.
I also just saw that MysteryTrikes has just completed a kit for the Chief. So trikes are starting already.
I was fortunate enough to get a numbered Chieftain at the beginning of November. Very few road miles because of the weather but it's every bit of what Jay Leno says about it.
I also just saw that MysteryTrikes has just completed a kit for the Chief. So trikes are starting already.
SWEET!
Made a little modification to the Chieftain today.
rmrc51
Lost In The 50's
- Thread starter
- #12
View attachment 17750 Made a little modification to the Chieftain today.
LOL!!! :laugh:
Very cool! ThumbUp
JMO...I looked at the Indian display at the great American motorcycle show last weekend, not impressed :xzqxz:, after all it is the newest M/C on the market, not yet proven, and a poor copy of the classic Indian M/C [the real one].
Far to much Tupperware, and those fake fin heads are a joke, I don't see it being any competition for Harley at all.
Also,.... after some Indian tribe take's them to court as an insult to the Indian nation, they might have to rename their new motorcycle.
Far to much Tupperware, and those fake fin heads are a joke, I don't see it being any competition for Harley at all.
Also,.... after some Indian tribe take's them to court as an insult to the Indian nation, they might have to rename their new motorcycle.
Last edited:
Veritas44
Pawn In The Game Of Life
Did you RIDE it?
The "Indian" Name as pertains to the Motorcycle & the Company itself is both Trademarked and Patented and duly recognized, sanctioned, and protected by the U.S.
Any Lawsuit would be D.O.A. the moment it was filed.
The "Indian" Name as pertains to the Motorcycle & the Company itself is both Trademarked and Patented and duly recognized, sanctioned, and protected by the U.S.
Any Lawsuit would be D.O.A. the moment it was filed.
Are you saying that the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins to name a few did not have their names Trademarked and Patented ? and are not recognized, sanctioned, and are not protected?
WoW..that seems a little unfair, but, I'm no Lawyer [thank God]
.
I think I posted this before...:Shrug:
The Washington Redskins recently announced that to avoid any more embarrassment they will change their team name....
They will remove Washington from their team name....
rhino,
I'm still laughing from when you posted this before :laugh:,:laugh:....a class organization ThumbUp.
Veritas44
Pawn In The Game Of Life
They caved/may cave in to Minority Whine-Bagger Groups of Malcontents-Not Lawsuits (those were tossed out of Court or on the road to gettin' the Boot).
For the Record,,, I HAVE actually seriously researched Them and HAVE ridden One.
It ain't No Joke.
To each his own.
I personally HATE Coconut Pie.
But,,,,
People still sell the living crap out of them.
The People who do like them don't give a Rat's Buttocks what I think.
Neither do the People that produce them.
It's All Good. ThumbUp
For the Record,,, I HAVE actually seriously researched Them and HAVE ridden One.
It ain't No Joke.
To each his own.
I personally HATE Coconut Pie.
But,,,,
People still sell the living crap out of them.
The People who do like them don't give a Rat's Buttocks what I think.
Neither do the People that produce them.
It's All Good. ThumbUp
delete...Some times my fingers out run my brain.
,,,,we all know what opinions are like and we all have one !!!:AllGood:
rmrc51
Lost In The 50's
- Thread starter
- #21
Just for some more updated information, here's an article that just came out on Yahoo News.
For what it's worth,,,.
=====================
How This Company Is Challenging Harley-Davidson's Reign By Ben Popkin | More Articles | Save For Later
January 29, 2014 | Comments (0)
In 2013, Polaris (NYSE: PII ) launched the Indian heavyweight motorcycle brand and since then sales have been climbing up according to CEO Scott Wine.
The CEO stated in a recent conference call that being competitive in the motorcycle business requires, "[A] great brand, highly refined bikes, premium distribution, a whole lot of cash and a world-class team." Wine believes Polaris has these requirements, but will that be enough to compete with Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG ) .
Brands and bikes
The Indian motorcycle brand has been around since the turn of the last century; the first Indian was sold in 1902, one year before Harley was offered to the public.
The company improved and sold motorcycles for 50 years until declining sales forced the company to stop production in 1953. The brand, revived in 1998 and acquired by Polaris in 2011, is recognizable and has given Polaris a historic name to market with quality bikes.
The 2014 line of Indian motorcycles have been praised by enthusiasts and critics. MotorcycleUSA.com editor Justin Dawes said about the Chief Vintage, "They really paid attention to every little detail on this bike. Every little thing – the logos, all the castings and the millwork, and the body work and the awesome leather seats and bags that're old and distressed looking, all of it is spot-on for an American cruiser. You can tell that they really cared about this bike when they built it."
According to a test conducted by the website, the Chief Vintage has an impressive engine to accompany its attractive looks. With a Thunder Stroke 111 engine, it has more power than the comparable Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. On the other hand, the Heritage is a lighter bike with easier maneuverability. Ultimately it will come down to rider preference, but there is no denying that Polaris has made a solid motorcycle to accompany the Indian brand name and challenge Harley-Davidson.
New vs.
old
When you look at Polaris's competition, you can see that Harley-Davidson has more cash and a higher gross margin because a smaller percentage of Polaris's revenue comes from high-margin heavyweight motorcycles.
Polaris's free cash flow is currently at $179.2 million, in between those of Harley-Davidson and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT ) .
PII Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts
Polaris might have a lower free cash flow compared to Harley but the company only has $107.22 million in debt outstanding.
Much less than Harley's $5.18 billion in total debt.
Having debt is not necessarily a bad thing, but Polaris's low debt level leaves the company room to make strategic acquisitions and fund new initiatives.
Arctic Cat produces competing snowmobiles and ATVs and has a lower gross margin of 22% compared to the margins of Polaris and Harley, which are 30% and 39%, respectively. It seems like heavyweight motorcycles will help Polaris improve its margins which will translate to earnings.
The company's motorcycle division, comprised of Indian and Victory brand motorcycles, experienced a 6% revenue drop for the third quarter of 2013. The drop has been attributed to shipment adjustments caused by the company's shift to the "Lean" business model. The drop should be remedied once the transition is complete.
Foolish thoughts
Warren Buffett once said, "Any company that gets its customers to tattoo ads on its chest can't be all bad."
With its Indian launch, Polaris has designed motorcycles to be sold under a brand name that will inspire new tattoos and bring back memories from the old ones. It will help grow the company's presence in the heavyweight motorcycle business. It appears that Indian has made a comeback and will possibly pose a challenge Harley-Davidson down the road. Polaris invested heavily in this launch and the efforts should yield investor value in the following years.
For what it's worth,,,.
=====================
How This Company Is Challenging Harley-Davidson's Reign By Ben Popkin | More Articles | Save For Later
January 29, 2014 | Comments (0)
In 2013, Polaris (NYSE: PII ) launched the Indian heavyweight motorcycle brand and since then sales have been climbing up according to CEO Scott Wine.
The CEO stated in a recent conference call that being competitive in the motorcycle business requires, "[A] great brand, highly refined bikes, premium distribution, a whole lot of cash and a world-class team." Wine believes Polaris has these requirements, but will that be enough to compete with Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG ) .
Brands and bikes
The Indian motorcycle brand has been around since the turn of the last century; the first Indian was sold in 1902, one year before Harley was offered to the public.
The company improved and sold motorcycles for 50 years until declining sales forced the company to stop production in 1953. The brand, revived in 1998 and acquired by Polaris in 2011, is recognizable and has given Polaris a historic name to market with quality bikes.
The 2014 line of Indian motorcycles have been praised by enthusiasts and critics. MotorcycleUSA.com editor Justin Dawes said about the Chief Vintage, "They really paid attention to every little detail on this bike. Every little thing – the logos, all the castings and the millwork, and the body work and the awesome leather seats and bags that're old and distressed looking, all of it is spot-on for an American cruiser. You can tell that they really cared about this bike when they built it."
According to a test conducted by the website, the Chief Vintage has an impressive engine to accompany its attractive looks. With a Thunder Stroke 111 engine, it has more power than the comparable Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. On the other hand, the Heritage is a lighter bike with easier maneuverability. Ultimately it will come down to rider preference, but there is no denying that Polaris has made a solid motorcycle to accompany the Indian brand name and challenge Harley-Davidson.
New vs.
old
When you look at Polaris's competition, you can see that Harley-Davidson has more cash and a higher gross margin because a smaller percentage of Polaris's revenue comes from high-margin heavyweight motorcycles.
Polaris's free cash flow is currently at $179.2 million, in between those of Harley-Davidson and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT ) .
PII Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts
Polaris might have a lower free cash flow compared to Harley but the company only has $107.22 million in debt outstanding.
Much less than Harley's $5.18 billion in total debt.
Having debt is not necessarily a bad thing, but Polaris's low debt level leaves the company room to make strategic acquisitions and fund new initiatives.
Arctic Cat produces competing snowmobiles and ATVs and has a lower gross margin of 22% compared to the margins of Polaris and Harley, which are 30% and 39%, respectively. It seems like heavyweight motorcycles will help Polaris improve its margins which will translate to earnings.
The company's motorcycle division, comprised of Indian and Victory brand motorcycles, experienced a 6% revenue drop for the third quarter of 2013. The drop has been attributed to shipment adjustments caused by the company's shift to the "Lean" business model. The drop should be remedied once the transition is complete.
Foolish thoughts
Warren Buffett once said, "Any company that gets its customers to tattoo ads on its chest can't be all bad."
With its Indian launch, Polaris has designed motorcycles to be sold under a brand name that will inspire new tattoos and bring back memories from the old ones. It will help grow the company's presence in the heavyweight motorcycle business. It appears that Indian has made a comeback and will possibly pose a challenge Harley-Davidson down the road. Polaris invested heavily in this launch and the efforts should yield investor value in the following years.
I'll believe a review when it's done on a bike with some reasonable amount of miles on it. I want to hear about the guy that has put 30, 40, 50K on his bike and what he has had to do to get it that far. In all fairness I don't care for the Indian. The deco, retro fenders, the fringe, and brown leather do nothing for me. Go to a Indian forum and you will find that one of the issues they have with the newest incarnation are with the brakes. Seems the ABS doesn't work and has a propensity to lock up. There seems to be a big swing in the quality of the finish also. Some say it's second to none. Others have runs, peeling and other issues. Everyone raves about the engine but has anyone ridden one far enough to even have the first oil change?
Get back to me in a year or two and then tell me how good they are.
A Yugo ran fine right off the showroom floor.
Get back to me in a year or two and then tell me how good they are.
A Yugo ran fine right off the showroom floor.
My question is if you've set out to get the best , most reliable motorcycle on the road why haven't you got a Goldwing ? I've personally have never owned one but have friends with well over 60,000 miles and still going strong . I think it comes down to what we like and I personally like the Indian being we all spend our money we're going to get what we want .
As far as putting the pressure on Harley sales time will tell but one thing I believe they will sale their scooters and make the majority of their owners proud , ( hell I would be ) so you Indian owners stick your nose up it seems there are ripples in the water . ThumbUp
Polaris has really got there act together. Victory has proven to be solid and modern. Reviews on looks may vary by model but the drive train is built every bit as well as the Asian machines. Seems weird that quality is compared against Asian with them being the benchmark.
Indian takes advantage of all the things learned while building the victory line and it's as perfect as it could be. I have talked to owners who say it's a total torque monster.
I guess my only complaint would be the 6 speed transmission. 6 speeds is fine for a engine with a narrow torque band like the HD's but on a Goldwing or Indian it seems like one would be skipping gears as the torque band is 4k wide.
Some comments have been made regarding the front fender. Of course it's different so many don't like it but it is part of the heritage look and it is one of those things that set the Indian apart from the ho hum clone look.
I am glad to see Indian in the market place and hope Polaris keep resurrecting these old names - Like is Excelsior-Henderson next?
Hope so...
Indian takes advantage of all the things learned while building the victory line and it's as perfect as it could be. I have talked to owners who say it's a total torque monster.
I guess my only complaint would be the 6 speed transmission. 6 speeds is fine for a engine with a narrow torque band like the HD's but on a Goldwing or Indian it seems like one would be skipping gears as the torque band is 4k wide.
Some comments have been made regarding the front fender. Of course it's different so many don't like it but it is part of the heritage look and it is one of those things that set the Indian apart from the ho hum clone look.
I am glad to see Indian in the market place and hope Polaris keep resurrecting these old names - Like is Excelsior-Henderson next?
Hope so...
Well I bought a Indian
I traded the Harley in for A Hannigan Chieftain OMG Love it
I traded the Harley in for A Hannigan Chieftain OMG Love it
Outstanding! Review required. Have many safe miles.
So far it is awesome cant wait to put the thing to a test
Indian
Over 500 miles which isnt many but around 40mpg and love the power, The lack of noise and the lack heat, I am really happy with it so far
Over 500 miles which isnt many but around 40mpg and love the power, The lack of noise and the lack heat, I am really happy with it so far
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