Polaris Indian

Well. They look pretty much like everyone thought they would look.

http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/motorcycles

My local Victory dealer is expecting a couple of demonstrators around early Autumn, so I think I'll swing a leg over when they arrive.

Honest injun..............!

NY Times have a first ride report:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/03/first-ride-the-reborn-2014-indian-motorcycles/?_r=2

I quite like them, tho wouldn't want one.

Now, if only they did a stripped down bobber style a la softail slim/street bob/iron...........

I think Polaris have a bit of an issue. They've priced the Victory range just under the HD equivalent so this must be priced above the competition.

Unfortunately the Victory bikes have crippling resale values compared to HD which is their achilles heal, along with a few dodgy styling ideas (that headlight for a start). Couple this with the patchy history that Indian has suffered in the past and these bikes really need to be something else to succeed, as most marketeers will tell you that the third brand in the market will rarely get above 5% share and that will be a problem with dealer networks.

I think the engine looks and sounds great (from the videos). The best looking bike is the entry level Chief Classic, but it is crying out for the hard panniers and screen to make it a competitor for the Road King, which is already around £800 less fully equipped. Lord knows how much a fully kitted Chief Classic will work out, but my guess is the wrong side of £19k!

You are going to have to really want to be different to buy one, in a market created and driven by HD

I wanted these bikes to be better then cool.... but...... no not for me... i'll have that Vivid Black Street Glide thanking you....

The faired one is just plain ugly. My bro' has one of the previous range. It's just massive. He went to the launch fest in Sydney as he pre-ordered one. Said it was "very Hoggie".
I just got a '46 Chief but haven't ridden it yet. Last year rode my sister in law's'40 Sport Scout in The Great Race.
It will be interesting to see Polaris' take on the Scout. Maybe something like a Buell? Who knows.

They look like very nice touring cruisers, as are Victory's. Too bad Polaris didn't position the Indian line as their performance division, leap frogging HD with an in-line four, and let "Victory" continue as the retro cruiser line. :-(