Has it already been four years since I pondered whether the ancient Indian brand could survive?
Since Polaris-- the powersports giant which owns Victory Motorcycles and raked in $2.7 billion in sales last year-- acquired the Indian brand last April, they've been busy building up all-new Indian bikes while making due with a skimpy 2012 lineup (whose bikes ranged in price from $26,499 to $36,899.)
One of Indian's four 2013 model offerings is the Chief Vintage Limited Edition: this big, fringe saddle-clad bike is powered by a 105 cubic-inch air-cooled twin mated to a six-speed transmission, and a dry weight of 753 pounds, which ensures an *ahem* hefty road presence.
Can this Indian survive? With a run of only 35 bikes, this is hardly a thousands-strong series, a la Harley's CVO models. Surely it will sell out... right? While this appears to be a holdover until bigger, more mass produced offerings come along, I'm guessing* we'll just have to wait and see what Polaris has up their sleeves for the all-American brand.
* Guessing is the operative term-- I've dropped a line to Indian, but haven't heard back yet... will update this post when I do!
Related:
- 2012 Indian Motorcycles Lineup: Pardon Our Dust While We Reinvent a Brand
- The New Indian: Can the Chief Survive?
Photos © Indian
Stefano Bianco Fabio Biliotti Wilf Billington Hartmut Bischoff
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