MotoramicRiding the modern Indian motorcycles, the revival of an American original
Harley-Davidson doesn’t have any competition. This is a matter of faith among motorcycle aficionados. Harleys have the iconic rumble, the history and the made-in-America bone fides. Japanese bikes can ape the Sportster and custom shops can build you a sweet chopper, but Harley has a lock on mass-market two-wheeled Americana. Or at least, it did until Indian showed up. Thanks to Polaris, Harley people now have something else they might want to ride to Sturgis this year.
Indian was founded in 1901 and went out of business in the early '50s. The name, though, carries such resonance that there have been multiple stabs at reviving the company. None of them had Harley overly worried. These new bikes, though, maybe should. To make a car–business analogy, Polaris taking over Indian recalls Volkswagen’s purchase of Lamborghini: finally, the revered brand is under the wing of a properly capitalized parent company that has relevant experience (Polaris has built all manner of motorized toys since 1954).
If you’re going to assume the responsibility of reviving a legend, the hardware better be pretty choice stuff. And the new Indians meet the high expectations you might assign a bike that costs $20,999 (Chief Vintage) or $22,999 (Chieftain). Both bikes embrace traditional styling while serving up modern electronic amenities. The keyless ignition is nice, as is the automatic engine cutoff when you flip down the kickstand. The massive, 1,819-cc air- and oil-cooled Thunder Stroke V-twin recalls classic Indian designs but is a clean-sheet motor, the first all-new Indian powerplant in more than 70 years. There’s the importance of Polaris R&D money.
Both bikes are set up for long-distance cruising (there’s also a third variant, the $18,999 Classic, that’s relatively minimalist, with no windshield or fairing). Ditch the tassels and the Vintage’s leather saddlebags look like the kind of carefully distressed luggage you’d see in the window of some Italian boutique. You’d feel bad to get caught out in the rain.
The Chieftain has a full fairing and hard bags, with the gauges up in front of the windshield instead of down on the tank. All models wear the lighted War Bonnet on the front fender, a backlit likeness of a Native American. Who, as we learned some time ago, is a different person than an Indian. Look at it this way: the brand may be tied to an outdated term based on a navigational error, but it might give them a leg up selling a few bikes in South Asia. And Jeep just brought back the Cherokee, so apparently the Trail of Tears isn’t a big factor in contemporary American transportation purchases.
On the road, the Indians reminded me of a cross between a Harley V-Rod and an old-school hard-bagger—possessed of big bodacious road presence, but a bit more couth than the thumping V-twins that define the big Harleys. The 111-cubic-inch V-twin is surprisingly smooth, given the size of the pistons it’s slinging to and fro.
The bikes use a six-speed transmission but you don’t have to pay close attention to gear selection when you’ve got 119 lb-ft of torque. Just roll into the throttle and it’ll probably pull whatever gear you’ve chosen. Indian doesn’t quote horsepower for the Thunder Stroke, embracing the old Rolls-Royce policy on such matters: it’s sufficient. In the case of the Vintage, we’re talking about a bike with 40-spoke wheels and whitewalls. The quarter-mile time seems sort of beside the point.
What’s important is that you could get on, set the cruise control and ride to the nearest Bike Week without feeling like you’ve been beaten by actual bikers. And then when you arrive at your chose Harley-centric party, you’ll be astride one of the few non-HD machines that can command respect from that crowd. You’ve got a bike built in Iowa, wearing the same badge as the ones that hassled Harleys around dirt tracks back in the day.
They’re awfully well done, these new Indians. I think they’ll stick around for a while. And now, for its next act, I politely request that Polaris bring back the Vincent Black Shadow.
