5/18/2008 - Andrew Cherney
A quick look at the business pages would have most of us believing it's a bad time to roll out an ultra-premium motorcycle. Consumer confidence is flagging, the market's tanking and motorcycle sales just aren't what they used to be - to put it mildly. But then, Stephen Julius isn't most of us. Julius, the chairman of Indian Motorcycle - the newest version of it - has said in the past that "I want to build the Bentley of motorcycles. "We've tried to understand what the Indian means to the consumer and translate that in a physical product."
We'll have a chance to see how close he came this summer, when the latest incarnation of the Indian Chief is revealed to an impatient public. Meanwhile, the new Indian, now based in Kings Mountain, N.C., has released more details and rough specifications on the models it will soon be launching - including the aforementioned Chief, in four spec versions - though the launch date itself has yet to be revealed.
When London-based Stellican Limited bought the trademarks and related intellectual property of America's oldest and most iconic motorcycle brand in July 2004, it had said it was expecting to have new product out by 2007. Five years on we're still waiting, though it looks like we're pretty close to the pot of gold.
The very first Indian motorcycle hit the street in 1901, and today any early Indian would be part of a dream garage. The original iconic manufacturer went out of business in 1953, and the next generation of machines was jumpstarted by California Motorcycle Co. in 1999, after it purchased the Indian trademark. The "Gilroy Indians", as they were called (the company was headquartered in Gilroy, California), were based mostly around newer versions of the Chief but featured off-the-shelf S&S engines, which never really appealed to purists. The company hit the skids in late 2003 after the completion of an all-new engine design, the 100ci PowerPlus. By then the money had run out, and it was too little too late.
This time around, Indian is shooting for a production number of 750 bikes a year and privately held Stellican is playing with their own money (which they have plenty of). Buyers will likely be enthusiasts who are buying an Indian as their second bike or because they want a heritage brand.
Julius also says the new bike may well reflect the lines of the traditional Chief, but "In terms of the engineering, it will be a radically different bike from the bike that was produced through 2003."
Not to worry - there are plenty of Indian loyalists out there watching to make sure it's a worthy successor.
The official release follows:
News Brief: 2009 Indian Chief Motorcycle
Kings Mountain, NC-The long-anticipated introduction of the all-new 2009 Indian Chief motorcycle is approaching. As the launch date draws near (although it is yet to be announced), more details about the renaissance of this iconic American motorcycle brand are being revealed. This much is clear: the new Indian Motorcycle Company is taking a wholly different and measured approach to engineering, development and marketing of the new Indian Chief.
Founded in 1901, the legendary Indian brand remains America's first motorcycle and is highly revered. Chairman Stephen Julius and President Steve Heese have orchestrated the re-launch of Indian. Under General Manager Chris Bernauer, an eleven-year veteran of Harley-Davidson, the Indian Motorcycle team has maintained a sharp focus on product development, design and engineering excellence.
"We're very excited about the new Indian Chief which are, in every way, both true to the legacy of the Indian brand and representative of the highest level of engineering expertise" according to Mr. Bernauer. "Indian aficionados everywhere will be pleased with these superior motorcycles which effectively blend timeless Indian design with contemporary motorcycle performance."
For the past few years, Indian Motorcycle's engineering staff, led by VP of Engineering Nick Glaja, have logged thousands of hours developing, evaluating and refining each and every engineering detail. Rigorous testing continues until each component has proven its durability and performance. There will be no rush to market. Mr. Glaja, also a motorcycling industry veteran, was Principal Engineer of Powertrain Technology at Harley-Davidson before joining Indian.
Mr. Glaja says "Our goal was quite simple: to focus on the premium nature of this brand and build the finest Indian motorcycle ever. We took a 'clean sheet' approach to the engineering of this world class American legend to ensure a solid engineering platform. Benchmarks were set high and we believe our customers will be very happy."